Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)
Chapter 431

At Hannah's words, I chuckled, "Let's hit the road. It's not that I doubt your ability to protect me it's just that something else has got me thinking!" "Oh!" Hannah's cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she hurriedly started the car.

Leaning in to catch a glimpse of her face, I teased, "Hannah, why does your face turn as red as a ripe tomato every time I mention Larkin's name?"

"It does not!" She glanced my way, her voice laced with urgency. Seeing my scrutinizing smile, she realized I was teasing her and shot me a look, grumbling, "Stop teasing me!" I was about to retort when suddenly Hannah's phone rang. She said to me, "Pick it up!"

I grabbed her phone, the screen flashing 'DragonLord!'

Quickly, I tapped to answer and switched on speaker. Logan's voice came through without delay, "Hannah, there's something fishy about Zachary's background."

"What's up?" she inquired with a note of alarm.

"You need to hear this. The guy isn't from around here, and his family reported him missing five years ago."

"Missing?" Hannah echoed, taken aback. Our eyes met, and a sinister premonition bloomed in my chest.

"Yeah, and there's more. We checked the purchase date for this car, and it coincides with the day Zachary was reported missing. But when we spoke to his family, they said he couldn't possibly afford a car. He lost contact with them two months after he left home for work, and he hasn't been home since! So, the car's a hot potato, and the cops are on the lookout for it. You girls need to stay alert! If you spot it again, call it in straight away!" Logan's voice was firm with concern.

"OK, got it!" Hannah acknowledged.

I quickly asked, "Logan, are you still at the hospital?"

"Yes!" came his confident reply.

Hearing that he was still at the hospital, I said, "Then tell Catherine we're heading home. We'll swing by in the morning. Geneva mentioned she wanted to come too."

Catherine's voice crackled through the speaker, "Allie, that's not cool, leaving me high and dry. Is that how you treat a friend?"

"Oh, I'm good! Isn't someone taking care of you? What's there to complain about?" I shot back.

She was being a big baby right now, but I won't give her the chance.

Hannah snickered at my comment and gave me a thumbs-up.

"I could come too, but then Logan should head back to Silverdale City. He's not some layabout. He's there just for you, and you're still not satisfied? If you ask me, it's about time you checked out of that hospital," I said, half-joking, half-serious.

Catherine let out a wail, "Aaliyah, have you no heart? I just wanted to check on that no-good..."

I cut her off mid-sentence, "You already know he's a no-good, so why did you tail him..."

Before we could finish our banter, the car jolted violently with a loud 'bang,' and I screamed, my head whipping around as the phone flew from my grasp.

"Damn it!" Hannah cursed, yelling at me, "Hold on tight!"

I clutched the grab handle, panic setting in as I tried to comprehend what had just happened.

Logan's voice was still coming from somewhere in the car, calling out, "Hannah, what's going on?..."

Another 'bang,' and the car shook again. It then dawned on me—someone was ramming our car deliberately, and the vehicle doing the damage was right beside me at the passenger side.

Fear gripped me as I peered out the window to see a black jeep towering over our car. Clearly, we were at a disadvantage.

Hannah gripped the steering wheel with all her might, her focus laser-sharp as she raced the other car. Logan's voice persisted, anxious, "Hannah, talk to me, what's happening?..."

I frantically searched for the phone to update Logan, but Hannah snapped, "Forget it, hold on tight!"

Her warning was followed by another thunderous crash, and my body convulsed with the impact, my insides quaking. The passenger door was visibly caving in, and I instinctively leaned away from it towards Hannah, my heart racing.

Looking at Hannah, I saw an expression I'd never seen before-her face was set in a grim mask, her eyes ablaze with fierce determination.

"Hang on, Allie!" she shouted, and then she floored the accelerator...