Mae

Chapter 8: Mae Kazimi

Chapter 8: Mae Kazimi

Avery better be waiting outside for me, I think as I hurry out through the back doors. I know how obsessive she can be over artefacts and even risk her life in order to get them in her hands. I swear if she's not...

The sound of a car honking makes me turn around, Hale rolling down the road as Avery hisses through the open window, "Get inside! Hurry!"

I squeeze into the back, slamming the door behind me as we roll away. Avery hands me a bag of clothes and I begin to change, slipping a sweater onto my dress and pulling loose black sweats onto my legs. I shove the mask into the bag and the bag under the seat. As promised, Kai sits in the front, already changed into a t-shirt and jeans.

"Took you long enough," Avery mutters under her breath.

I give her a dirty look as we whizz past the blaring sirens, smoke rising up into the sky from the building. I spot the fire licking the walls of a window a few floors up, firefighters running back and forth from the building in a hurry.

"Avery, the fire wasn't a part of our plan," I tell her, leaning back to give her a hard look.

She shrugs, "It was an accident. I got the artefact though, not that you asked."

"You're very welcome," Hale says from the front as we dodge a police car. "Now let's get the hell out of here, yeah?"

"There's a police car following us," Rashid suddenly announces to everyone, showing us the screen on his tablet. He has a camera attached to the back of the car for situations like this. "Hale, turn on the black screen."

Hale does as he says, pressing the button by the door handle, the windows instantly darkening more than before. He takes a sharp turn, pressing on the gas as the sirens go off.

"Ah shit," he grits his teeth, fingers tightening on the wheel. "Everyone hold on."

I sigh loudly through my nose as he begins to speed past cars and buildings. It's a surprise he's managing it in New York and on a weekday when there's so much traffic around. He honks loudly and cars swerve to the side as he whisks past them at full speed, skidding against the gravol whenever he turns.

"Maybe think of a car racer as your next career if boxing no longer works out!" Kai says, gripping the door for his life. "Slow down?"

"So we can get caught?" Avery asks him in a flabbergasted tone. "Seriously Kai, just hold on."

"Let's ditch the car in that parking lot," Rashid points to the large mall parking lot. "We should lose the cops there."

The car's wheels screech as Hale turns the car around, rolling the steering wheel with one hand as he does so. I sit on the edge of my seat, looking concerningly at the people around us.

"Coffee shop, four O'clock," Rashid says.

We don't bother questioning him. We already know not to because we trust him enough with our lives. We casually walk into the nearest coffee shop, sliding into the boot, pretending to be highly interested in their menu.

"I love it when we work together," Kai says dreamily, chin propped on his hands. "We make such a good team."

Avery grins, patting the backpack on her lap, "Yeah, so I can be rich."

"No Avery, go to college, get a job," Rashid mutters. "This isn't a healthy lifestyle."

This makes the rest of us laugh because Rashid is the last person to be speaking about lifestyles.

Hale orders us all coffee and donuts. And as I lean back and sip my drink, I can't help but smile because this is the most fun I've had in years.

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