“This is where Fox said he sideswiped Marcel.” Atlas leaned forward so he could see between the two front seats. “Shit. That looks bad.”
A black car was wrapped around the guard rail. Its front window was smashed and the whole left side of the car was scratched and dented. Glass littered the ground. There was a tow truck, three police cruisers, but no ambulance.
“Do you think he lived through that?” Atlas mused.
It didn’t look like anyone could have. A lump formed in her throat. She almost felt guilty. Almost. The man had tried to kill Fox out of pride and greed. Even if he hadn’t made it, his own actions had led to this.
They passed the scene and she headed toward the hospital, pushing her worries about Fox away. Her jaw tightened with determination. First things first. They had to get these last two cars. She’d worry about him after. Now was the time to prove herself a worthy teammate.
Luke found an Audi in the hospital garage and she left him there with his bag of gadgets. They had two hours until sunrise so she raced Atlas to the other side of town for the Mercedes. He had two addresses but the cars were either in garages or not there at all. They finally found one at a casino garage.
She wished him luck then took the car for a quick spin, trying to get her mind off Fox until it was time to meet Atlas and Luke once they’d delivered the last two vehicles.
It was late, and between the lack of sleep over the last week, and the stress from tonight, she was exhausted.
Her text tone beeped. It was Luke.
On my way. Meet you at the diner in ten.
Diner? Must be code. They were supposed to meet at some random warehouse near the airport. Atlas had programmed the address into the built-in GPS before he’d left. She followed the directions until she pulled up to a compound in the middle of nowhere.
No lights. Overgrown parking lot. Broken fence. It looked completely deserted. Was this the right place?
She gave her head a shake. Of course it was. They were stealing and chopping cars illegally. The place was bound to seem shady.
Slowly, she crept up to the front gate. Fuck. They hadn’t told her what to do from here. Was there a password or something? Should she knock three times at one of the warehouse doors?
Uncertain, she stopped the car just outside the gate and started to type a text to Luke. Something banged outside her window. Startled, she dropped her phone and turned to see a man standing outside her door.
Shit.
Before she could hit the lock button, he opened the door then yanked her out of the car, his hand wrapped in her shirt.
“Hey!” she shouted, trying to steady herself. “What the fuck?”
“Who are you?” he demanded.
Fuck fuck fuck.
“I’m . . .” She flipped through an array of potential answers and ways they could end badly. “I’m delivering the Mustang.”
He shook her then reached under his shirt and pulled out a handgun.
Fear slammed into her. She wrenched free from his grip. Heart pounding, she put her hands up in surrender. “I work with Fox. I’m just delivering the car.”
The man narrowed his eyes at her. “He didn’t mention a girl.”
Figured.
She wondered if she should appear more like a stone-cold criminal and less like a weak-willed imposter. Mustering all of her courage and bravado, she bit back, “Interesting. Well, he didn’t mention a man would threaten me with a gun either.”
He snorted as he looked her up and down.
Annoyed, she straightened her shoulders. “Do you want the car or not?”
When he didn’t answer, she added, “’Cause I have other buyers . . .”
He took a step toward her, cutting her off. The cold look on his face made her knees weaken. She was an adrenaline junkie but she’d never had her life threatened before. She flirted with danger, not with death. Now look where it’d landed her.