He turned the defroster up, pretending the sound hadn’t happened. “It’s just the load settling,” he told himself, fingers tapping the wheel, unwilling to risk the rain and cold again. He glanced at the rearview again. There was nothing but rain streaks and darkness. The road ahead swallowed the headlights whole.
Then, faintly, a glow behind him picked up. It was the headlights of the SUV again. He couldn’t be sure, of course. It was just a blur of light through the sheet of rain, but something about the distance and steadiness felt familiar.