Page 38 of The Raven
Ravenwas quiet in the passenger seat,leavingme to concentrate, but Icould sense thetensionradiating from her body. She was asworriedas I was that somehow,Pyrowould find a way to escape us.
Wracking my brain to think of a way to stopPyrowithout a bunch of fellowcops to box him in or deploying a stop stick, an idea pinged into my head.
“Remember when you were twelve, and I thought it was a good idea to teachyou how toshoot?”I said, keeping my attentionfocusedahead.
From my periphery,Ravenswiveled to look at me.“I don’t think now is anappropriate time for a trip down memory lane.”
My lips pulled into a small smirk.“Actually, it is. Look in the glovecompartment.”
She did as she was told, rummaging through the crap I kept in there andpullingout my spare handgun. She turned it over in her hands, studying it.“I remember,”shewhisperedas if she were recalling our time in thewoodswhere Itaughther how toshootcans.
My father was furious with me when he found out, but I told him Itaughther because I wanted her to always be able to protect herself. He started coming to thewoodswith us, making sure I was teaching her properly and that we were both safe.
“You think you canshoothis tires?”I asked, gripping the steeringwheelwith a solid grip as we rounded a sharp corner, the back end of the car swinging out.
“I can try,”Ravensaid, undoing the window to lean out.
Trying to keep one eye on the road and one eye on her, I held the car assteadyas I could. The first shot went wide, but the echoing of thegunalertedPyroto her shooting at him. Heacceleratedharder, beginning to putdistancebetween us.
Raven fired again. This time, the bullet smashed the rear window, glass spraying everywhere, and Pyro ducked in his seat, momentarily losing control of the vehicle.
“Try again,”I said,desperationin my voice. Ineededto bring this pursuit toan end, and fast. If wehitthe freeway, there was a strong possibility thatPyrowould kill someone with the way he wasdriving.“Take your time,holdyour armssteady, and relax your body. Thegunis just an extension of you.”
Raven’sshouldersloosened as I spoke the same words I’d saidwhen Itaughther how toshootall those years ago, when she grew frustrated at continually missing thecans.
She fired a third time,and thank fuck, the bullet hit its target. Smoke hissed from the busted tire as the back of Pyro’s car began to fishtail, swerving from left to right as he grappled to regain control.
Reaching over, I tugged Raven back into her seat. “Hold on,” I barked.
The engine of my car squealed in protest as I pushed thegasagain, bracingmyself as I rammed into the back ofPyro’scar.
Metalclashing againstmetalfilledthe night air. The airbags in the front ofmy car erupted, cushioning my head fromslammingagainst thewheel, but not stopping my legs from taking the brunt of the collision.
With the speed and momentum we were traveling at,Pyro’scar flipped,rolling twice before coming to a stop on its roof. Blacksmokehissedfrom beneath thehood, along with what I assumed to begasolineleaking onto the tarmac. From thesmashedside window, I could make outPyrohanging upside down, desperately trying to pull himself from the wreckage.
“Are you okay?”Ravenasked, conflict raging in her eyes.
“I’m fine,”I gritted out, trying to ignore thepainin my legs. I was surenothing was broken, butfuck, I was going to have some bruises to contend with.“Go deal with him.”She hesitated, hergazeraking over me, looking for injuries. I reached out to cup hercheek.“I’m okay, Blackbird. Worry about me after you’ve ended him.”
Pyro’sshouts for help seemed to snapRavenback to the here and now. Sheleanedforward to plant a chaste kiss on my lips before getting out of the car,walkingtowards the mangled wreck with determined strides.
When she reachedPyro, he froze, looking up at her with his face twisted intofear. Good, now the fucker knew how she felt the night he and his buddies violated her.
Needing to hear what she was saying to him, I sucked in a breath, wincing asI got out of the car, andleanedagainst thehoodfor support,painrushing from the tips of my toes, right up to myshoulders.
“Not nice when the tables are turned, is it,Pyro?”Ravensaid, speaking witha deadly calmness in her voice.
My heart swelled as pride rushed through me.Despitecoming face-to-facewith the men who did wicked things to her, she didn’t show an ounce of weakness. Didn’t shy away from holding them accountable for what they’d done.
Pyro remained silent as Raven bent down and picked something up from the ground. When she flicked it, a small flame burst to life. His eyes widened as she held the lighter out, allowing the flame to flicker, taunting him.
“Was it thislighteryouusedwhen yousetthe fire in my apartment? I bet itwas. This was your prized possession, right? What were you hoping to do? Destroyevidenceof your wrongdoings, or was setting a fire your way ofleavingyour mark? Your way to let everyone know the Vipers were responsible for what you did?”she said, stepping closer toPyro. The cowardremainedsilent, his eyelids shutting like he could pretend she wasn’t in front of him if he couldn’t see her.
“You know, I remember the firsthintofsmokethat reached me when yousetthe fire,”she continued, and I found myself holding my breath to make sure I heard every word of her recounting what happened.“I was terrified, but I also foundpeacein the scent, knowing that everything was finally about to end.”She paused, looking at theflamestill flickering.“Do you feel that sense ofpeace,Pyro?”
She threw the lighter on the ground, the flame hitting the puddle of gasoline that had pooled underneath Pyro’s car, and instantly catching fire. “You don’t deserve peace.”
With that, she turned her back on Pyro, walking toward me as the flames took hold behind her. My breath caught in my throat, and my pulse accelerated as I watched her.
