She Turned Her Grief Into Wings novel Chapter 126

She had to rinse the meat in a glass of water just to handle the heat.

Her phone buzzed. The restaurant was way too loud, so Shera stepped outside into the cool night air to take the call.

It was a VIP client asking if a custom order could be rushed for an event the week after next.

Shera scrolled through her digital schedule and promised to do her best to squeeze it in.

Hanging up, she turned to head back inside, catching a fleeting glimpse of a shadow darting behind a nearby billboard.

Assuming it was just a random pedestrian, she brushed it off.

By the time they finished eating, it was already nine-thirty.

Xenia had originally planned to head back with Shera, but she got a frantic call from her grandfather asking her to come over immediately.

"Want me to drop you off?"

Xenia shook her head. "No, it's fine, I'll grab a cab. It's probably some drama with my cousin's high school again. I guess I'll just crash there tonight."

Xenia's younger cousin was a high school senior going through the chaotic college prep phase.

Her grandfather was getting up there in years and struggled with the modern school system, so Xenia was constantly called in for damage control.

"Alright, just be careful. Text me when you get there."

"Will do."

Shera waited until Xenia's cab disappeared down the street before pulling out her own keys.

For some inexplicable reason, she couldn't shake the creeping sensation that she was being watched.

She spun around, but the street was empty.

Was she just hallucinating from pulling too many late nights at the studio?

She shook off the paranoid thoughts and slid into the driver's seat.

The main avenue nearby ran right past a large school, and traffic was usually a nightmare when night classes let out. Wanting to avoid the bottleneck, Shera routed her GPS down a quieter, parallel road.

It was a bit of a detour, but it beat sitting in gridlock.

Flicking on her turn signal, she pulled away from the bustling restaurant district.

The side road was narrow and poorly lit, with almost zero traffic.

A slight chill of unease crept up her spine, so she cranked up the radio to fill the silence.

The white car pulled alongside her, engine roaring.

For a split second, Shera thought the driver was finally just trying to pass. But before she could exhale, the white car violently violently swiped her side panel.

The impact threw her off balance, and Shera fought desperately with the steering wheel to keep the car straight.

Her mind raced. She assumed it was a horrific case of road rage and just wanted to lose them.

Glancing at the GPS, she saw the next turnoff was three miles away. She floored it.

But the white car was relentless, slamming brutally into her bumper.

The screeching of tires shredded the quiet night. The car violently violently shook, and Shera bit down hard on her lip, fighting with every ounce of strength to maintain control.

Another devastating hit. Her tires jumped the curb, grinding against the metal guardrail and sending a shower of orange sparks into the air.

CRASH—

A deafening explosion of twisting metal echoed down the road as her car plowed head-on into a massive steel signpost.

The airbags deployed with terrifying force. Shera's vision blurred into a sea of white before the world went completely dark.