“Let me make sure the coast is clear,” I whispered.
Cautiously, I cracked the door and glanced down the alley that ran between the record shop and a coffee shop. When all seemed quiet, I gripped her small hand in mine and headed to my car at a furious pace.
Halfway across the street, I saw the translucent figure waving at me to hurry. “Now you show up to help,” I muttered to the vague figure that had appeared.
“Who are you talking to?” she asked me as her gaze darted around.
I didn’t bother answering, because she wouldn’t understand. I yanked open the passenger door. “Get in.”
I thought I heard her mutter, but she did as I said. I was popping the trunk as I shut her door. The suitcase was quickly tossed in, and I reached up to close it when I had the wind knocked out of me. In shock, I glanced down and saw dark crimson spreading across my shirt.
“Fuck!” Teeth gritted, I rushed to the driver side. Another burn hit my arm as I dove in. In no time at all, I had the car started, rammed it in gear, and was tearing out as the back window shattered and she screamed.
“Oh my God! Oh my God! Someone’s shooting at us!” She spun in her seat to see. Headlights appeared behind us, and I downshifted to turn the corner. They followed me and started to close in. Another shot was fired.
“Get your fucking head down!”
“You’re bleeding!” she exclaimed as she ignored my instructions. “Oh fucking Jesus!”
Unbuckling, she whipped off her T-shirt.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I shouted as I raced through the darkened streets trying to lose the car behind us.
“Putting pressure on your wound before you bleed out!” She shoved the wadded-up fabric against the wound on my upper chest. It hurt like a motherfucker.
Using the voice command, I called my president.
“This better be good,” he said. “Because your ass is in a sling. I got a call from Facet.”
“I need backup! I’ve been shot. Car on my ass, still shooting!” I gasped as I fought passing out. I rattled off where we were and the direction we were heading.
In the background, I heard rustling and the sound of boots hitting the ground. “Call Raptor,” I heard him say and Loralei’s muted reply.
He relayed everything to her and then was back with me. “Stay with me. Keep telling me where you are. We’re on the way.”
I nodded, though I knew he couldn’t see me.
Next I heard his truck start up and the screeching of tires.
Another quick left followed by a right, and I was racing down the highway. The car was still on my ass. The first exit I came upon, I pulled off, whipped a bitch, and got back on the highway the other direction. Each time, I told Venom where I was. Thankful for my Hellcat, I shifted gears, hit the gas, and we pulled away from the car behind us.
Black dots broke through my vision, and a cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.
“I think I see you coming. If that’s you, flash your brights,” I heard Venom say, and I did as instructed. There were two other vehicles behind him, and they split after they passed, taking up both lanes.
“They’re gonna hit them head-on!” Lila shouted.
“No, we’re not, darlin’,” Venom said over the speakers.
In the rearview, I glanced up in time to see the car swerve and run off into the ditch, where it rolled. That was all I saw because I wasn’t stopping.
“Get to the clubhouse! Angel’s waiting,” Venom instructed.
“Roger that,” I said as I winced.
It seemed to take forever, but I knew it was likely only minutes before we were sliding sideways through the gate and stopping in front of the clubhouse doors. She was out of her side in a flash, and I almost fell to the ground when she ripped open my door.
“Lucian! Oh fuck! Lucian!” she yelled at me as she tried to get me out of the car.