.The silver Audi R8 pulled away from the curb of his parents' house, the engine's low growl usually a sound that calmed him. But as Jake turned onto the main road toward the financial district, the sound started to grate. Every vibration of the car felt like it was vibrating through his teeth.
He was gripping the steering wheel so hard his hands were cramping. His mind was a mess of Aliya's sobbing face, the word 'permanent', and the name 'Alex' looping like a broken record.
Then, it happened.
It wasn't a slow build. It was a sudden, savage spike of pain that felt like a hot iron rod being driven through his right eye and out the back of his skull. Jake let out a choked gasp, his vision instantly fracturing into jagged, white-hot streaks.
"Ugh—dammit," he hissed, his foot slamming onto the brake.
