As we turned back toward the house, the adrenaline still pounding in my ears, Sebastian suddenly stopped in his tracks. His voice broke the uneasy silence.
"Wait," he said sharply. "We didn't even check. Is Chad okay? Is he still in there?"
The question hit me like a punch to the gut. How could we have forgotten?
"Zaire," Sebastian continued, spinning around to face him. "You had the best view from the tree. Did you see anything? What did you notice?"
Zaire shrugged, his expression a mix of frustration and guilt. "I heard the thud too, same as you guys. Saw two shadows moving near the back of the house. I thought maybe it was you and Mia, but before I could climb down to check, that SUV peeled out of there. And by the time I figured out where you two had gone, you were already chasing it."
Sebastian clenched his jaw, clearly annoyed. "So you didn't see who it was? Or where they came from?"
"No," Zaire snapped back, his tone defensive. "I was watching the damn car, trying to figure out if it was connected. I didn't have time to keep track of everything!"
I stepped between them, raising my hands. "Enough, okay? This isn't helping."
Sebastian shot Zaire a glare but said nothing more. I glanced back toward Chad's house, but the lights in his bedroom window were off now. Everything looked still, undisturbed.
"Maybe we scared them off before anything happened," I suggested, though I wasn't sure if I believed it myself.
Sebastian let out a long breath, his shoulders sagging. "Let's get out of here. We can't do anything else tonight."
The drive back was tense. I sat in the passenger seat, staring out at the dark, empty streets while Sebastian drove and Zaire slouched in the back. The only sounds were the low hum of the car engine and the occasional creak of the leather seats as someone shifted uncomfortably.
Finally, Zaire broke the silence. "You shouldn't have chased that SUV without me."
Sebastian's grip on the wheel tightened, his knuckles white. "We didn't have time to wait. Whoever was in that car could've been involved, and we couldn't let them get away."
"Yeah? And what if they weren't?" Zaire shot back. "What if you just dragged Mia into danger for no reason?"
"I can handle myself," I said quickly, not wanting this to spiral further.
But Zaire wasn't having it. "That's not the point, Mia. What if something happened to you? Or to Sebastian? You guys didn't know who you were chasing or where they were going. That was reckless."
Sebastian's voice was low and sharp. "Reckless would've been sitting around and doing nothing."
"It's not nothing to make sure everyone's safe before you go running off like some hero," Zaire countered. "And newsflash: you're not invincible. Neither is Mia."
The air in the car grew heavier with every word. I could feel the tension thickening, pressing against my chest.
"Enough," I said, my voice firmer this time. "Both of you. We made a call, and it didn't work out. We're all frustrated, but fighting about it isn't going to fix anything."
Sebastian's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Zaire crossed his arms and sank back into his seat, muttering something under his breath that I couldn't make out.
I turned my gaze back to the window, the streetlights casting fleeting shadows across my face. Disappointment gnawed at my insides, but more than that, unease coiled in the pit of my stomach. Whoever was in that SUV, they were connected to something bigger. And now they knew we were watching.
When we finally pulled into my driveway, I let out a tired sigh. "Goodnight, guys," I mumbled, not waiting for a response before climbing out of the car.
As I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, the events of the night replayed in my mind. The shadows in Chad's garden. The thud. The SUV. Zaire and Sebastian arguing.
I wanted answers. But more than that, I wanted to feel safe again.
Two nights from now, we'd be at Blackthorn Estate, walking straight into the lion's den. And if tonight was any indication, things were only going to get more dangerous from here.