Chapter Three
We stayed at the shooting range until the sun started to set. When the darkness made it impossible to see, we started packing up our things so we could head back. Chloe closed the bed of the truck and looked over at me.
“We’ve been gone about five hours?” she asked.
“Yeah. Just about.”
She sighed and shook her head. “I wonder how much sugar Damien’s given Mari.”
I smiled a little and laughed. I knew my brother had one hell of a sweet tooth and it seemed he was trying to instill that same vice into his child.
“If he’s loaded her full of sugar, you should let him deal with it and come to my place for a glass of wine,” I suggested.
She grinned and nudged me a little. “That sounds fabulous,” she hummed. “I might just take you up on that offer.”
As much as I liked to pretend I was a loner, there was something comforting about having another person around, and it was even more comforting when that person seemed to genuinely want to spend time with you. Chloe was my friend and she was a good friend. I could only hope that our friendship wouldn’t go the same way mine and Ryan’s had.
We got into the truck and I started down the dirt road that would eventually take us to back to the little gated community we lived in. I hesitated to call it a compound because that just sounded cultish and this was far from a cult. We were family. I always held to that and I would happily challenge anyone who said otherwise.
The radio was playing some old country song I’d heard in my childhood. I managed to hum along with the tune but I couldn’t remember the words. As we drove along, the car gave a sudden, violent shudder and I cursed under my breath. I brought it to a stop and slid out to look at the wheel. Apparently we’d hit glass or a nail and the tire had given out on us.
I groaned and kicked the deflated rubber, walking back over to the cab to get my cell phone. We were only a few miles from the house, and as I started back towards the door I saw lights coming down the road. A lot of them. A strange sense of foreboding began to bubble in my stomach and I frowned, and reached for my phone. As my fingers brushed the phone the first of the gun shots rang out.
I cursed and hopped in the car, slamming on the gas even though one of my wheels was out of commission. That didn’t matter now. My heart was slamming in my chest and adrenaline was pumping through my veins. I didn’t know who these guys were but I was going to take them out. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to Chloe.
“WHAT’S GOING ON?!” Chloe screamed, ducking down as one of the bullets hit the back window of the truck and shattered the glass.
“I don’t know!” I snapped, grabbing her and forcing her down so that she was out of the way.
Another shot rang out, ricocheting off the truck. Chloe screamed again and sobbed but I just held her down, my heart and my mind racing. The sound of gun shots were echoing around us, unrelenting and terrifying. I knew she was scared and I really couldn’t blame her. I held her down and sped up as fast as I could. I was listening closely for the sound of the engines, my eyes narrowed and focused on what was in front of me. I bit down on the inside of my cheek when I realized the sound was bikes. The sound of individual motors revving wasn’t a sound I would mistake for anything; I’d grown up around it and I knew exactly what it sounded like.
My truck was lurching violently, trying to move forward on its three good wheels. The rim of the busted wheel was digging into the dirt now and it was slowing us down. I started to panic a little, knowing we wouldn’t make it far on three wheels. Even though my panic was building, I knew I had to keep moving forward.
I was just a mile or so from the complex something emerged from the distance. I instinctively knew this was the Cavalry. They weren’t shooting at us and I recognized the truck. It was Ryan’s. As he approached and pulled up next to us he threw the door open, using it to block the bullets.
“Get in!” he shouted.
I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed Chloe and dragged her behind me, pulling us both into the truck. Once we settled in I cursed and kicked the door closed, climbing over into the passenger seat, gun in hand. Ryan grabbed me and tried to pull me out of the passenger side window.
“What are you doing?” he yelled at me.
“Let me go! You think those fuckers are just going to stop? They’re coming for the compound!” I snapped as I lifted the gun, holding it steady.
The lights were just a flicker in the distance now, but as they got closer and closer to the truck I bided my time. I knew the exact spot I needed to hit. When they were close enough I aimed at the engine and pulled the trigger. In one massive explosion, the truck lit up the night sky, taking out at least the first wave of bikers that were following us.
I settled back into the truck and sighed, wiping my brow. My hand was shaking but I was trying to stay calm. Ryan glanced over at me, his gaze hard and angry.
“They weren’t coming for the compound, idiot,” he spat.
I shot a glare right back at him, not really appreciating the insult. “What were they after then?”
“You.”