Chapter 30: Adrian

The steering wheel of the rented Hyundai is gray plastic. My fingers leave wet patches along the rim every time I adjust my grip. I keep my eyes on the digital speedometer in the center of the dashboard, holding the needle at exactly forty-five miles per hour as I clear the underpass. In the right side mirror, a white delivery van passes. In the rearview mirror, two standard sedans stay four car lengths back.

On the passenger seat, the unlisted burner phone slides against the plastic console as I take the curve toward the commercial district. The screen lights up green. The incoming call display shows the...