Page 60 of Mine to Keep
Glad they’re unhurt, I reach for my Glock and get out of the car. Whoever the fuck this is will fucking die tonight.
I see his head pop up from his open car door and I start shooting immediately, emptying my clip into the door. I hear a shout of pain and I smile, advancing on the car to get more shots in after I load a fresh clip.
The man scrambles away, but I round the hood to his car in time to see him running to take cover at the trunk. Before he’s fully covered, I shoot him in the leg, hearing him drop to the ground heavily.
“Nice shot, Viper,” he says with a heavy laugh.
“I know, bitch,” I grit out, slowly making my way to the side of the car.
“Tell me, you think you can kill me before I pump a bullet into the heads of your protégé’s back there?”
My eyes flick to my car and I see he has a clear view of it.
And I hear him shuffling, as if to get to the other side of the car to take aim.
I don’t even think about it—I just take off towards my car, firing off rounds to force him to take cover. Even when I’m behind the wheel, I pump off shots to keep him pinned down. When I run out of bullets in my Glock, I reach for my Heckler & Koch from the passenger seat and let her bullets sing. The HK kicks in my hand as I pull off, putting as much distance between me and the man that’s trying to kill us.
His car is fucked, suffering front end damage and his engine was smoking, so I’m not worried about him catching up with me. Still, I keep my foot on the gas, taking more turns than I need to, not taking any chances with my boys.
When I’m sure we’re alone, I glance back in the rearview at my boys. Talon is a puddle of tears, crying hard into Javier’sshoulder. Javier’s eyes reflect fear, but steel meets my eyes when he says, “Tell us what the fuck that was about.”
“Soon, I promise. We gotta get to the safe house before someone else comes.”
The sound of police sirens has me cursing, hoping they’re heading in the opposite direction and not towards my speeding car.
Besides Talon’s sobs and the mechanical GPS directions, the car is silent. The further we get from the hotel, the more rural our surroundings become.
By the time we get about ten minutes away, there are only a few houses dotting either side of the street.
The last direction tells me to turn down a lane and drive a mile before I reach my destination. I’m not sure how Peggy found this place, but it’s a great location for a safe house—not too close to neighbors and far from the street. I’ll be able to see who’s coming long before they get to me and my boys.
I reach for my phone and call Peggy.
She answers quickly with, “Are you safe?”
“As safe as I can be.” I wince as I turn the wheel to avoid a deep pothole. “Listen. There was…an incident on the highway and my blood is all over the hotel room. I need a cleanup crew there.”
She scoffs, but I hear her typing. It goes on for around thirty seconds before she says, “Done. When you get inside, call me. I need to talk to you about what I found.”
“Gotcha.” I hang up and stuff the phone back in my pocket. I check the rearview mirror and see Javier already staring back at me. He looks as if he doesn’t know me.
And he’s right. He doesn’t. But I’ll tell them who I am and hope they don’t run.
The house itself comes into view a minute or so later. It’s small, maybe a two bedroom, and looks nondescript. But themore I look at it, the more I notice the upgrades—the cameras at every corner of the house, the large door that looks bulletproof, and the keypad mounted beside it. There’s a detached garage that, if I had to guess, has a way to get from the house to the garage without stepping foot outside.
Turning the car off, I say, “Let’s go. I’ll get the bags once I’m sure we’re safe.”
Javier pulls Talon closer, keeping him tight against his chest. When I try to help him from the car, he shrinks away, looking at me with wide, fearful eyes.
Even though I want to help my boys, I give him space, stepping back so Javier can maneuver them out of the car.
I follow a few steps behind them, putting a fresh clip into my gun while keeping an eye out for danger.
When Javier gets to the door, he sighs and says, “I need a code.”
Climbing onto the small porch, I input the code Peggy gave me, ensuring I don’t brush up against Javier, even though I want nothing more than to pull them both into my arms to try to explain this clusterfuck.
But I refrain, stepping back as soon as there’s a hiss and the door pops open.
