Rebel Heart

Chapter 31 Hot Trail

After hours of driving around the city checking every location for any signs of the Ghosts, they came up with nothing. It was past five when they stopped for a bite to eat. They bought sandwiches and sat on the hoods of their cars eating as they discussed their next move. Michelle refused the sandwich Leslie offered her but Paige pushed it into her hand.

"You'll need the energy if you're gonna fight some Ghosts and rescue your boyfriend." She said. Michelle couldn't argue with that and accepted the sandwich.

"I don't get it! We've checked every possible place and nothing! What's now?" Jett asked.

"You don't think they went back to the desert in Reno, right?" Reece asked.

"No, if Jackson wants Michelle, he'll stick around in Vegas knowing she's still here," Payton said.

"How would he know that? They haven't been able to track us yet." Michelle said.

"Brook is all the proof he needs for that," Paige said.

"Brook wouldn't give away anything about us," Leslie said. "Least of all about Michelle."

"What if they torture him for information?" Reece asked. Paige kicked him.

"Reece! Shut up!" she said. She eyed Michelle's face which had gone pale.

"We should get back on the road. We're gonna search all night if we have to." She said getting up. She spotted a black car parked a little further away and stopped. She squinted in the evening sunlight to get a better look at it.

"That car looks familiar." She said. The others stood up and looked toward the car.

"Hey, yeah! I've seen that car before too!" Jett said.

"Looks like an ordinary Audi TT RS to me," Reece said.

"That's the same model as one of the Ghosts' cars that was after us from the market that day!" Payton said, jumping over his car hood and running to the car. He looked inside and found it empty.

"They may be nearby," Leslie said cautiously. Paige looked around and spotted a man in dark clothes skulking off a few meters from them.

"There!" she shouted. Payton and Reece took off after him immediately but ended up missing him as he jumped in a cab passing by the main road.

"Dammit, he got away!" Reece spat. Payton clenched his fists.

"They've been following us. Who knows how long they've had their eye on us." He said.

"Guys, come back here! We found something." Paige called to them. They returned to the Audi where the others were peering through the back seat window.

"Recognize that?" Paige asked, pointing to a pair of racing green overalls thrown on the backseat.

"Road Runner's. Mario's auto shop!" Reece said, snapping his fingers.

"That was one of the places Jackson hit. It was in the clippings Soriano had." Payton said.

"Looks like they raided the place and didn't want to get rid of vintage overalls," Paige stated. "There might be more clues there. We should check it out."

"We know where we're going next," Leslie said.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Michelle said hurrying back to her car.

The crew drove to Mario's auto shop, a vintage car store that featured cars from the sixties and seventies. When they got there, the building was nothing more than rubble and a few standing walls. Everyone got out and surveyed the destruction Jackson and the Inferno Ghosts had left behind.