Page 84 of Maddox

Whoever was in the passenger seat fired off two shots, one pinging off the Humvee.

“Well, shit,” Damon said, now weaving back and forth as the car behind us picked up speed.

Twisting my body, I fired off another single bullet, hissing when I missed. “Slow the fuck down.”

Damon listened, gearing down until the vehicle was upon us. Instead of firing again, the fucker tried to pull alongside.

“Great. He’s trying to ram us.”

With my teeth gritted, I steadied my arm, taking a single shot. There was no doubt this time I’d hit the driver.

As the car started to swerve, Damon picked up speed again.

“And our friend is losing control. Nice shot.” Damon laughed and smacked his hand on the steering wheel. “I missed the hell out of this.”

I slunk back into the seat. “Are you okay?” I asked her.

“I’m fine. Jesus Christ,” she moaned, shifting to a sitting position.

“Stay down, Char.”

In the side mirror, I noticed the car behind us was spinning out. When it veered off, crashing into a tree, I exhaled.

Until I heard a single bullet hitting the back glass.

And shattering it.

“Charmaine. Charmaine!”

CHAPTER 22

Charmaine

My feelings of guilt were more oppressive than before, the ugly hues of violet and neon blue a stark reminder I was very much alive while my colleagues were dead.

A cold chill coursed through every muscle and vein from the realization.

I’d be nothing more than a statistic if it hadn’t been for Maddox. His instinct and training had defied logic when he’d yanked me down to the floorboard of the Humvee a split second before a bullet had shattered the back window.

We were safe, at least for now, Maddox’s trusted friend undaunted by the damage to his quarter-million-dollar vehicle.

While the man’s house wasn’t large by million-dollar standards, the state-of-the-art security and computer equipment alone displayed his extreme wealth.

“You talk to any of our other buddies?” Damon asked, the random question obviously catching Maddox off guard.

“I also had a conversation with Kage a few weeks ago.”

Damon snorted. “That surprises me. I thought you two were bitter enemies.”

“Things change. People change. The truth always rises to the surface.”

When Damon whistled, I looked from one man to the other. There was a story that troubled Maddox deeply. That much I could tell.

“Well, miracles never cease. Maybe we should all try and get together.”

“I don’t think so,” Maddox stated, his usual emphasis followed by the man clenching his jaw.

For a few seconds, no one said anything.

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