CHAPTER TWENTY – FINAL DESTINATION

"Hold on!" Mark yelled as he took a sharp turn, the tires squealing in protest. They heard a loud bang, and Laura looked back to see one of the men had thrown something at the car, leaving a sizeable dent in the trunk. Mark didn't slow down until they were back on a main road, the lights of passing cars and businesses a welcome sight after the darkness of the back streets. When they finally came to a stop at a red light, they both let out shaky breaths. "Are you okay?" Mark asked, reaching out to take Laura's hand. She nodded, her heart still racing. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. That was... intense." Mark let out a nervous laugh. "That's one word for it. I'm so sorry, Laura. I should have listened to you. That was stupid of me." Laura squeezed his hand. "Hey, we made it out. That's what matters. And for what it's worth... you were pretty impressive back there." Mark smiled, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. "Well, I couldn't let anything happen to you, could I?" As the