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I chuckled, trying to shake off the fear and doubt creeping in. “Once we get to your vehicle, you drive this, and I’ll take your car to the drop off. Got it?”
“Why don’t I just drive mine?” she questioned.
“Because this truck is bigger and sturdier. You’ll be safer in it while I follow behind,” I explained urgently.
“Okay,” Kat nodded grimly as we screeched to a stop beside her car.
I hopped out of the truck as she took the wheel.
But I couldn’t let her go just yet. Before she could pull away, I grabbed the handrail and stood on the step, capturing her lips in a desperate kiss.
“I’ll be right behind you,” I promised.
∞∞∞
As we raced towards the rendezvous point, my hands shook on the steering wheel. What the fuck had Declan gotten us into?
We were nearing the drop off point, an old farmhouse with a barn in the back when I noticed headlights coming up behind me fast.
My heart raced as I watched the approaching headlights in the rearview mirror. They were gaining on us rapidly, weaving dangerously close.
“Shit,” I muttered, pressing the accelerator to the floor. I flashed my high beams at the truck, hoping she’d get the message to speed up.
“Come on, baby, come on,” I urged, willing her to go faster. We were so close to the farmhouse, but our pursuers showed no signs of letting up.
They were mere inches from my bumper now. I could make out the silhouette of two men in the front seat. One leaned out the passenger window, and my blood ran cold as I saw the glint of metal in his hand.
A deafening crack pierced the air as a bullet shattered my rear windshield. Glass rained downaround me as I swerved, desperately trying to maintain control of the car. The next shot hit the driver side mirror, exploding it in a shower of glass and metal. They meant business.
I swerved, trying to make myself a harder target. Up ahead, I saw Kat veer off the road, the truck bouncing wildly as she cut across the field towards the barn. Smart move. I followed her lead, her old Blazer bouncing around like I was out enjoying a ride of baha-ing instead of being chased down by worse criminals than me.
Another shot rang out, this time puncturing my rear tire. The car fishtailed wildly as I fought to keep it on the road. I could see the truck pulling away, heading straight for the open doors of the barn.
With a sickening lurch, the car spun out, coming to rest in a ditch by the side of the road. The pursuers’ vehicle screeched to a halt nearby. As two armed men approached, I knew I had only seconds to kill them before they killed me and went after Kat.
I fumbled for the gun in my waistband but was relieved when I felt the cold steel in my hand. The driver’s side door was jammed from the impact, so I scrambled across to the passenger side, my heart pounding in my ears.
As I tumbled out onto the damp grass, I heardheavy footsteps approaching. I rolled under the car, holding my breath as a pair of boots came into view. The acrid smell of burnt rubber filled my nose.
“Where’d he go?” a gruff voice demanded.
“Check the car,” another responded.
I tightened my grip on the gun, trying to steady my shaking hands. The footsteps circled the vehicle, crunching on broken glass. A face appeared, peering under the car. Our eyes locked a split second before I squeezed the trigger.
The gunshot was deafening in the confined space. The man fell back with a strangled cry. I scrambled out from under the car, my ears ringing, adrenaline surging through my veins. The second man was raising his weapon, but I was faster. Two more shots and he crumpled to the ground.
In the distance, I heard the roar of an engine. Kat was coming back for me. I staggered towards the road, my legs wobbly from the crash and the shock of what I’d just done. I destroyed her car. The headlights of the truck illuminated the scene as she pulled up beside me.
“Get in!” she yelled, her face pale in the darkness. “We’ve gotta move!”
I climbed into the passenger seat, my hands still shaking. I glanced in the side mirror, half-expecting to see more headlights barrellingtowards us. But the road behind us was dark and empty.
“What did you do to Nellie?”
For a minute I thought she was hit by a bullet and was delirious, but then I remembered Nellie was her 4×4.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, barely audible, knowing how much she loved that heap of junk. “They shot out the tire, and I lost control on the gravel.”
