Never in my life have I felt like it might all end any minute.
I’ve worked with homicidal motherfuckers for a decade. Some, I talked down, others refused to let go of their plans. I’ve stood by and watched some shoot themselves. Others, I’ve watched step in front of a bus.
But never have Iknown, deep in my gut, that it would all come to an end.
Abel will hurt Jess. He’ll do it to hurt me.
“Get your cops to the club, but tell them to watch their backs. Abel won’t give a damn that they’re cops. They’re in his way.”
“Okay.” Shaking voice, it’s like I can see her sitting at the dispatch desk with tears in her eyes. “Alright. I’ll tell them.”
“Okay.” I turn my phone volume up in case it rings again, then shove it into my pocket and turn to the man beside me. The wrench remains on his lap while he handles this monster car like he’s been racing his whole life. I brace against the dash when he slams the accelerator down and we jump the train tracks. The engine roars so loudly, I feel it in my teeth. The bonnet scoop makes room for the engine that just won’t fuckin’ fit under the hood. “You know guns?”
Concentrating, lips pursed and eyes laser focused on the road ahead of us, he still manages to calmly shake his head. “Nope. Never shot one in my life.”
“Wanna learn?”
“Sure.”
I reach into my backpack and take out a Sig Saur like Eric’s. I push a single magazine in and extend my hand. “You get twenty shots. It’s double action trigger. Push it in, shoot, release the trigger, and it’s primed for the next one. Once you run out, run the fuck away. Aim for Abel or his men. Don’t hit anyone else. You shoot my girl, I’ll blow your fuckin’ brains out.”
His eyes slide over to me. “Who’s your girl?”
“Jessie’s mine. Laine’s the twin. We keep them both safe.”
He nods. “I know who Laine is. I’ve got her.”
“You can tell them apart? Because I only found out last night there were two of them, and fucked if I didn’t kiss the wrong one.”
“You kissed Laine?” His knuckles turn white against the steering wheel. “You just happened to kiss the wrong girl? How the fuck can’t you tell them apart? They’re nothing alike.”
“Get the fuck outta here. They’re identical!” We slide around a hairpin bend and send the back wheels skidding out to touch the dirt on the side of the road. “I only know Jess because of her scars.”
“What fuckin’ scars?”
“She’s got scars that no motherfucker except me is allowed to see.”
“You’re crushing on Thing 1?”
I nod. “She’s mine. We’re going there to get her back. Whatever it takes.”
Downshifting to move around another sharp corner, he watches the road with eagle eyes. “We get them both. They aren’t replaceable. We get them both, or I’ll use your gun and show you how to swallow a bullet. Then when we get home, we discuss the fact you’re kissingeitherof them. I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you look like a thug, you have a bag of guns, and I’m not sure I like you hanging around my girls.”
“Kane.” I lift my hand and extend it to the gap between us.
His eyes slide over to mine for a long beat, but with a single nod, he bumps it with his and whips the car around the last corner before the club. “Angelo.”
I take a ski mask from my backpack and slide it over my face. Angelo frowns as we pull into the street out front of the club. Still no cop cars. “Why do you have that?”
“Because Abel’s gonna want to kill me.”
“I don’t get a mask?”
“Definitely not. If he thinks you’re me, he’ll shoot you. He’s still gonna shoot at you, so watch your six, but he’ll spend most of his time aiming for me.” I push the car door open, swing my bag over my shoulder, and take a pistol in each hand. “Stay low. Find the girls. Don’t get shot.”
“You got it.”
“Get them out. That’s the main objective. No matter what else is happening, no matter what you see, if you get a chance to move the girls, do it.”
He nods and follows me across the street.