Chapter Nineteen
Nikon jerked to the side as Leah fell to the ground, distracting him. The bullet whizzed right by his head.
“I’ve been waiting for you to show up,” Matt said.
He knew the man standing across the way. Although he had only seen Matt the once, it was easy to recognize the piece of shit.
Nikon considering returning fire, but it was too risky with Leah there. He ducked behind a nearby brick wall. Bullets pelted the wall near him.
When he’d stopped, Nikon heard Leah cry out in pain. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked around the corner.
Matt was holding her by her arm as her other arm dangled next to her in an unnatural way. His gun was pointed straight at her head.
“Don’t make me hurt her,” the man called out. “And don’t think I won’t do it.”
Leah was crying next to him but shook her head. “Get away from here,” she said quietly.
Nikon ground his teeth together. In the distance, he spotted Tycho getting into position. The plan was to get Leah out of there, and then lay waste to anyone standing. He was particularly looking forward to watching the lights go out in the son of a bitch’s eyes. The important immediate thing was to protect Leah.
The hybrid stepped out from behind the wall, hands held up, gun still in hand.
Matt kept his gun pointed at Leah’s head, making sure the hybrid wouldn’t try anything funny with her there. “Toss it forward.”
Nikon watched as his gun landed to the side away from Matt.
“I knew you’d come for her.” Matt grinned. “Who wouldn’t over an sweet piece of ass like this?”
Matt leaned down and nuzzled Leah.
Leah jerked her head away but stopped when he shook her other arm.
“Stay still,” he said sternly. “You know what I can do.”
Another low, deep growl echoed through the air as Nikon watched the bastard manhandle his woman.
Matt laughed. “Don’t like that do ya, pal?”
The faint sound of sirens in the far distance reached Nikon’s eyes. They were still too far away to get there in time.
Matt glanced at his smart watch. “Looks like we’re going to have to make this quick,” he said. “Looks like we have about ten minutes before the police arrive. So here’s what going to happen.” He dropped Leah’s arm but kept his gun pointed directly at her. Tycho was closer now. A bit farther and he would have Leah safely away. “First, I’m going to have your girlfriend here get into the car. Then, if your smart, you’ll get in as well.”
Nikon raised a brow. “And if I don’t?”
Matt gave a sick smile as he stepped forward. “I’ll take your part of the payment out of her before dropping her off with my pal Dmitry.”
The hybrid took a step forward. His gaze remained forward, but he still watched in the distance as Tycho finished moving into position. He took two more steps and watched as Matt did exactly as he expected: took the gun off Leah and pointed it at him.
“If you don’t like my terms,” Matt said, “you’re welcome to renegotiate with my gun. I’ll make more money with both of you. That’s the only reason I haven’t killed you already, but if you have a death wish, I’ll gladly grant it.”
Tycho silently closed on the pair. Matt was several yards in front of her now. The hybrid reached out and placed a hand over her mouth. She was nearly in the clear.
“Maybe I will,” Nikon said.
Matt snorted and turned his head, the one thing Nikon didn’t expect the pompous prick to do. His gun swung around and fired once. Nikon watched as Tycho stepped in front of the bullet, taking it directly into his arm.
The hybrid fell with a thud. His body shook as he did so in an unnatural way, unlike Nikon had never seen before. Hybrids might not be immune to bullets, but most of them would be able to take a shot in the arm without having what looked like a seizure.
Nikon didn’t know just what was happening to the other hybrid, but whatever it was couldn’t be good. He lunged for his gun on the ground as Leah screamed nearby. He could only hope that she’d taken cover before bullets peppered the ground.
He reached his gun just in time to squeeze off a few rounds before a bullet pierced his leg.
Agony shot through his body. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before, and that included being shot several other times. Something was wrong with him.
He collapsed to his knee, growling and shaking.
“Motherfucker!” Matt screamed at him. “Don’t fucking like that, do you? You think I wasn’t going to come prepared, you stupid hybrid piece of shit?”
Nikon looked up and found the red-faced man hunched over slightly. Blood dripped freely from his hand. The hybrid’s intent hadn’t been to hit his hand, but he’d take it.
Soft hands slid across his face.
“Oh, Nikon,” Leah whispered.
Somewhere nearby he could hear the wail of sirens. If they didn’t get out of there soon, they would have to deal with questions that they didn’t really want to answer.
The world around him started to fade as he tried to focus on the woman leaning over him, his beautiful angel.
Leah didn’t know what was happening to him. The way Nikon was shaking, it seemed like he’d been poisoned.
She could hear sirens far off as the police closed on the school, but she knew how it would look. Two hybrids and two people dead. This wasn’t something the hybrids could have against them. Things had just started to go in the right direction. This had the potential to be a giant mess.
“Leah,” Matt said sweetly. “You need to help me get these animals in the car. You do that, and I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” He’d pulled the other hybrid who Leah didn’t recognize halfway to his car with some obvious effort.
She stared at the man in front of her. His right-hand bled badly through the shirt he now had wrapped around it. Part of her was curious to know if the asshole would lose a few fingers. She hoped so since it seemed to be the hand he favored for shooting.
He took a step forward. “Did you hear me? I’m offering your freedom. I can promise none of my people will come after you as long as you help me. Look, two hybrids is worth the same money as I would have gotten with you. I have nothing against you, so we can both win in this.”
Leah glanced down at the gun still held in Nikon’s hand. She smiled nicely at him as she leaned forward. “I’d rather not.”
She lifted the gun with her good arm and just hopped that she wasn’t actually shaking as much as she felt she was.
Matt’s face contorted into rage as he stared at her. “Are you fucking stupid, you bitch? I can make sure your life is a living hell.”
Leah managed to force herself to her feet. “And I’m telling you that you can take your offer and shove it right up your ass.”
With that, she squeezed the trigger. The bullet whizzed past Matt but bounced off the car behind him. Leah squeezed the trigger several more times, trying to hit Matt while avoiding the hybrid he was dragging with him. She wouldn’t let him get away with one of Nikon’s friends.
It didn’t matter. The pain from her injuries, the drug, and her fear of hitting the hybrid made all her shots go wide, and her bullets didn’t seem to be damaging the car, like it was armored or something.
Matt scrambled into the car, pulling the other hybrid the rest of the way in as she peppered the car with gunfire. The tires spun out as he tore out away from the school.
She could hear the police sirens clearly now. They were close.
With all the strength she could muster, Leah went over to Nikon and shook him hard.
“Put your arm around me,” she said.
He blinked several times before moving. She wasn’t even certain if he had heard what she had said when he moved into sitting position. He growled loudly as she hoisted him up onto his feet. Leah knew the pain in his leg had to be off the charts based on his reaction.
“Just hold on to me,” Leah said softly. “I’ll get us to help.”
Nikon was heavy. He leaned on her as he dragged his injured leg behind him. All she knew was that she needed to get him out of there and to Luna Lodge as quickly as she could.
When they finally made their way to the car, she helped him ease into the seat. She grabbed an old shirt from the back and wrapped it around the injured leg, trying to ignore the intense pain in her dislocated arm.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered before tying the cloth around his leg as well she could with one hand.
She hurried to the other side and hopped into the driver’s seat. She’d just made it to the road when the headlights from the police cars rounded the corner.
Leah turned off her lights and drove away in the cloak of darkness.
Behind her, she could see the police cars pulling into the school. There would be questions, and she knew someone would have to pay. She only hoped that whoever that was, wouldn’t Nikon or his people.
Williams had survived. He’d probably take the brunt of it. She didn’t mind that at all.
When they had driven a decent distance from the school, Leah turned back on her lights and made her way back to the main road. By the reflected light of the highway, she could see just how pale Nikon had gotten. There was so much blood lost, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he went into shock.
Leah pressed the gas on the car and shot down the empty highway. The faster she got to the Lodge, the better for both of them.
“Hang on, Nikon,” she whispered. “Just hang on.”