Page 166 of Vampire so Virtuous
Cally clambered back over Zoey, who was in worse shape. If an accidental knee to her face hadn’t roused her, yelling wouldn’t help.
Outside, the gunfire had lessened, though sporadic shots still cracked. She had no idea what was happening.
“Clear!” came the cry, echoing from all sides. Two more shots rang out, followed by another, “Clear.”
A pair of hands grabbed her waist, pulling her out of the car.
She lashed out, kicking against the bodywork, using the car as leverage to shove her attacker back.
“Easy, Hellcat. We’re on your side.” The man was large, wearing aprotective vest over a fitted black long-sleeved shirt, his hair buzzed short. A half-dozen men stood nearby, while others swarmed the gray SUVs. “We’re Gabe’s men. Are you Cally, or is she?” He nodded toward Zoey’s limp form.
“I am.”
He looked past her. “Get her out of here.”
Two pairs of hands grabbed Cally, lifting her up.
“Put me down, goddammit!”
They didn’t listen, carrying her to a black SUV.
“Get your handsoffme! I’m not going anywhere without Zoey and Noah.”
“We have our orders, Miss, and you’re the priority.” They shoved her into the back of the car, forcing her head down. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll get your friends too.”
She glared at him but stopped fighting. “You better.”
The man grinned, slammed her door shut, and hit the roof twice. The car jerked forward, speeding down the interstate.
“We have her.” A man in the passenger seat spoke into a phone. He and the driver were both dressed the same, like protective vests and black shirts were a uniform. He twisted around to look at her, phone still pressed to his ear. “Any injuries?”
“I’m fine.”
He gestured to her shoulder. “You get shot?”
“I said I’m fine.” The wound still ached like hell, but it had half-healed. Had Zoey gotten both bullets out? So much had happened so fast that it was a struggle to remember.
“Minor injuries,” the man said into his phone, turning back around. He listened again. “No, she’s doing fine. More pissed than anything.”
“You tell whoever’s on that goddamn phone that if Zoey and Noah aren’t cared for, there’ll be hell to pay.” She reached up to her shoulder, probing gently. Damn it, there was still a bullet in there. She could feel it shifting, aching.
“You catch that boss?” The man listened, then chuckled. “Yeah, real hellcat. See you in fifteen.”
Cally glared at the back of his head, then twisted around to look out the rear window. They’d already driven too far to see clearly, but there were no cars following them. The interstate was effectively shut down by the crash—and the gun battle.
Traffic on the other side had queued up as people stopped to rubberneck.Their car was the only one moving.
She turned back and fastened her seatbelt, clicking it into place. “Why are there no cops?”
“Six minutes is the best Air Wing response time.”
“Counting from when?” she asked scathingly. “Your late-ass arrival, or from when we were first attacked?”
The man in the passenger seat grinned at the driver but said nothing.
Within two minutes, they’d caught the back end of the traffic flow, and the driver slowed, coasting into central Boston.
*
