AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And what about you, Charlie?”
“I enlisted straight out of high school,” he explained simply. “I was… a bit of a problem child. My guidance counselor thought that joining the military would set me straight.”
I smiled, bewildered by this new information. “Youwere a problem child?”
Charlie shrugged. “I was an only child who grew up in the middle of nowhere. There was next to nothing to do except cause trouble.”
“What sort of trouble?”
“Ah, the usual kid things. Tagging walls, stealing the neighbor’s mailbox, shooting at gophers along the hillside.”
“Oh, wow. Really in the middle of nowhere.”
“I was bored. I needed an outlet for all that pent-up energy. It was a good thing these guys set me on the straight and narrow before I wound up a lost cause.”
“What made you all decide to start a security company together?”
“It was Kris’ idea,” Charlie explained. “After his mother got sick, he wanted a job that wasn’t as dangerous. We have our fair share of bumps and bruises doing what we do, but it’s a hell of a lot safer than going on missions in the desert surrounded by insurgents.”
I paused, allowing his words to sink in. “His mother’s sick?”
Liam nodded gravely. “Breast cancer.”
“Oh, gosh. That’s terrible. I wonder why he hasn’t said anything.”
“He’s a private guy,” Charlie said. “Don’t worry. It’s not like he was keeping it a huge secret. He just doesn’t like to burden others with his problems.”
I reflected quietly in the back seat. My heart ached for him. He was always so calm, cool, and collected. It never occurred to me that maybe he was dealing with his own demons on top of everything else. Did he miss his family as much as I did mine? That was certainly something I could relate to.
“Do you think that—”
Before I could finish my sentence, a sudden and terrifyingbangsounded in my ear. Our vehicle lurched into oncoming traffic; the massive SUV next to us having smashed into our side to send us flying. Liam reacted quickly, yanking the steering wheel so that we wound up back in our lane, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.
My heart hammered in my throat, the terrible ringing in my ears making it impossible to focus. “What the hell was that?” I yelled.
The other SUV slowed down and fell behind us only to accelerate once again and use its plow bars to hit us from behind. Adrenaline flooded my veins, the tips of my fingers and toes buzzing to the point of numbness. I had no idea what was going on.
One hit could be considered an accident.
Two meant that we were under attack.
“Hold on!” Liam shouted at me, stomping on the gas pedal in an attempt to peel away.
Charlie withdrew his sidearm from his belt holster and used the butt of his gun to smash away the rest of the already fractured passenger side window. Like a madman, he aimed out of it, shooting several warning shots at our assailants. The bullets’ impact was absorbed by the windshield like it was nothing at all.
“They’re bulletproof!” he shouted over the roar of the wind and the wail of our engine.
To my horror, they started to fire back, bullets bouncing off of our vehicle, as well.
“Who the fuck are they?” I screamed.
“Stay low, Sam!” Liam ordered.
I did as I was told, my self-preservation instincts kicking into high gear.
“Tires!” Liam barked at Charlie, who had one eye shut as he concentrated on his aim.
“On it!” he yelled back.
