A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 456

And Now. There Are Five

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And Now There Are Five

Amber POV

I activated my right turn signal and checked my mirrors before smoothly changing lanes, putting some distance between my car and the black SUV following me. The driver immediately adjusted his position, confirming that he had no intention of letting me disappear from sight. Ahead, the intersection was approaching, and according to Jason, another SUV was waiting less than two blocks away.

I was considering my next move when I heard a baby crying through the phone.

It was faint at first, almost drowned out by the sound of Jason typing, but then the crying grew louder, followed by the unmistakable sound of my husband attempting to comfort a very unhappy infant.

“Come on, little man. What’s wrong?” Jason murmured, his voice noticeably softer than it had been a few seconds earlier. “Daddy’s right here. There’s no need to complain.”

I smiled despite the circumstances.

“Which one is it?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.

“Lucas. Ethan is sleeping, but apparently his brother has decided that nobody else should be allowed to enjoy the peace.”

“Did you check his diaper?”

“Yes.”

“Is he hungry?”

“He ate twenty minutes ago.”

“Then he probably wants to be held.”

“He’s being held, Amber.”

I laughed quietly. “Well, congratulations. You’ve officially run out of options.”

“You’re enjoying this far too much for someone being followed by three suspicious vehicles.”

“Four, potentially,” I corrected. “You said there might be another one waiting ahead.”

“That was not an invitation to increase the number.”

Before I could answer, I heard footsteps approaching Jason’s office, followed by a knock.

“Dad?” Iris called from the other side of the door. “Is everything okay? We heard the baby crying, and you’ve been talking rather loudly.”

I immediately glanced at the phone’s display.

Jason hadn’t ended the call.

There was a brief pause, and I could almost imagine him looking between his computer, our son, and the office door while trying to decide how much he should tell Iris.

“Everything’s fine,” he answered. “Your mother is just playing Mario Kart in real life, and I’m helping her win the race.”

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I nearly missed my opportunity to change lanes.

ason!”

“What?” he replied innocently.

“That is a terrible explanation.”

“It’s the best one I could come up with while holding a baby and watching traffic cameras.”

His comment made me realize something else.

If Iris had come to investigate the noise, there was a good chance the younger children weren’t far behind

Sure enough, a familiar little voice squealed with excitement.

“Cool! Cool! Mommy’s playing Mario Kart?”

Alice.

Of course.

“I wanna play too!”

I closed my eyes for the briefest second before focusing on the road again.

Jason, apparently realizing that our daughter wasn’t going to leave until she received an answer, must have placed the phone on speaker.

“Mommy!” Alice called. “Are you winning?”

I glanced at the rearview mirror. The closest SUV was still following me, while the vehicle Jason had identified ahead was approaching the intersection from the opposite direction.

“Not yet, sweetheart,” I answered, trying to sound cheerful. “But I’m doing pretty well.”

“Use the blue shell!” Alice advised enthusiastically.

I couldn’t help laughing.

“Unfortunately, darling, I don’t have one.”

“Then use the banana!”

“That would be very useful right now.”

“Mom,” Alex’s voice joined the conversation, sounding considerably more suspicious than his sister’s. “Why are you playing Mario Kart without us?”

“Because Daddy started the game without asking anyone,” I replied.

“That sounds like Dad,” Iris muttered.

“Excuse me?” Jason protested.

I grinned.

For a moment, the absurdity of the situation almost made me forget that someone was actively trying to intercept my vehicle.

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Almost.

Amber,” Jason said, his tone shifting. “The SUV ahead is moving.”

My smile disappeared.

I looked toward the intersection. The black vehicle that had been waiting farther down the road had begu approaching, and the SUV behind me was accelerating.

They were trying to close the gap.

I checked the traffic lights, the vehicles around me, and the available space at the intersection. There was a turning lane ahead, and the road behind me was clear enough to give me an opportunity if I timed it correctly.

“Jason, I’m making a U-turn.”

“At the intersection?”

“Yes.”

“Amber, there’s a vehicle coming toward you.”

“I see it.”

“Mommy?” Alice interrupted. “Are you using the shortcut?”

I smiled tightly.

“Something like that, sweetheart.”

I slowed as I approached the intersection, allowing the vehicle in the adjacent lane to pass before moving into the designated turning lane. The SUV behind me followed, apparently expecting me to continue toward the estate.

The light changed.

I waited until the last safe opening, checked the oncoming traffic, and turned the steering wheel.

My car completed the U-turn smoothly, the tires gripping the pavement as I accelerated into the opposite direction.

No screeching tires. No collision. Not even an angry horn from another driver.

I was rather proud of that.

Behind me, however, the situation was considerably less graceful.

Through the rearview mirror, I watched two of the SUVS attempt to follow. The first approached the intersection too quickly and had to brake when another vehicle entered its path. The second tried to maneuver around it but found itself trapped behind a line of cars.

Neither completed the turn.

“Ha!” I exclaimed.

“What happened?” Jason demanded.

“Two of them missed the turn.”

“Amber, please don’t celebrate yet.”

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“Why not? That was an excellent turn.”

Because the third SUV is still moving.”

I looked ahead.

He was right. 1

One black SUV was now directly in front of me, traveling in the opposite direction. It slowed as I approached and for the first time, I could clearly see the people inside.

There were at least two men.

The passenger leaned toward the open window, and something dark appeared in his hand.

My stomach tightened.

A gun.

I recognized the movement immediately. He wasn’t aiming toward the windshield. His arm was angled downward, toward the front of my car.

My tires.

“Jason,” I said, keeping my voice controlled, “they’re armed.”

The typing stopped.

“What?”

“The SUV in front of me. The passenger has a gun, and I think he’s preparing to shoot my

“Amber, get out of his line of sight. Now.”

I was already looking for an opening.

tires.”

A large trailer was traveling in the lane beside me, its long body creating a temporary barrier between my car and the approaching SUV.

I checked my mirrors and blind spot before changing lanes, moving behind the trailer as it continued through the intersection.

The black SUV disappeared from view.

“Mommy?” Alice asked. “Did you get hit by a shell?”

I swallowed.

“No, darling. Mommy’s still in the race.”

“Good! Don’t let them win!”

“That’s the plan.”

Jason’s voice came through again, lower this time.

“Iris, sweetheart, take Alice and Alex to the living room. Please ask your grandmother to stay with them.”

“Why?” Iris asked immediately.

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“Because I need to concentrate on helping your mother.”

There was a pause.

Then Iris spoke again.

“Dad, is Mom actually playing a game?”

I could hear the concern in her voice.

Jason didn’t answer immediately.

“Iris, please. I’ll explain everything when she’s home.”

“Okay,” she replied, although she sounded unconvinced.

Alice protested loudly as Iris began ushering the younger children away.

“But Mommy hasn’t won yet!”

“I’ll tell you when I do, sweetheart!” I called.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

The sound of their footsteps gradually faded, leaving only Lucas’s occasional whimpers and the quiet tapping of Jason’s keyboard.

“Are they gone?” I asked.

“Yes. Iris is taking them downstairs.”

“Good.”

“Amber, tell me exactly where you are.”

“Behind a trailer, approaching the next intersection.”

“I can see you. The SUV with the armed passenger has slowed, but it’s trying to find an opening around the trailer.

I glanced toward the side mirror.

The large vehicle beside me was still blocking the gunman’s view. Its driver appeared completely unaware of what was happening, which was precisely how I wanted things to remain.

I couldn’t risk having someone open fire in the middle of traffic.

“There’s an intersection coming up,” I said. “It leads toward the shopping district.”

“I see it. The road is clear for now, but you need to be careful. The other two SUVs are trying to recover their positions.”

I looked ahead, calculating the distance between my car and the intersection.

I had only a few seconds.

“Jason, I’m changing direction again.”

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“Where?”

The mall district.”

“That’s not exactly a secure location.”

“No, but it has multiple entrances, parking structures, and enough roads that they won’t be able to predict which way I’m going.”

“Amber, I don’t want you trapped in a parking garage.”

“Neither do I. I’m not planning to park.”

I checked the traffic behind me.

The trailer was still moving slowly, and the SUV ahead had lost sight of my vehicle. There was no car/immediately behind me, and the road leading toward the shopping district was visible through the intersection.

I stopped, shifted into reverse, and carefully backed into the open space behind me, keeping my eyes on the mirrors and cameras.

“Amber?” Jason asked.

“One second.”

“Are you reversing?”

“Yes.”

“On a public road?”

“Would you prefer I wait for them to shoot my tires?”

He made a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a groan.

“I would prefer that you were sitting beside me at home.”

“So would I.”

I finished repositioning the car, checked that the intersection was clear, and shifted back into drive. The moment I had enough room, I turned onto the road leading toward the mall district.

The trailer continued straight, completely blocking the gunman’s view of my maneuver.