“Come on, come on,” I chant under my breath, and Apollo runs out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him. I whirl around to gawk at him just as the elevator door dings open. “What about Donatello?”
Apollo’s fingers curl around my arm, and he jumps into the elevator, dragging me along. “He can handle it. We can’t.”
The doors close, and Apollo hits the button for the garage. I still gape at him in shock. “They’ll kill him.”
He whirls around to face me. “Do you have any other ideas? We have specific weapons for vampires back at the HQ, but this thing,” he raises his gun, “isn’t gonna cut it against vampires that old.”
My breath comes shallow, and I bring my hands up to glare at my palms. “If I knew how to use it...”
His hand cups my cheek. “But you don’t. Not yet. So we have to run.”
I gape into his eyes and nod. Apollo’s right, of course. There’s not much we can do. Staying in the apartment will only mean we’ll be trouble for Donatello. My heart hurts when I think of leaving him behind. I hate it. He’s been nothing but good to me, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt this connected to anyone, ever. Not like I am to Donatello and Apollo, and I want them both to be safe.
The elevator opens into the garage, and we burst out, still running. Apollo slows down, his head moving from side to side until he stops.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my heart still beating in my ears.
Apollo punches the air in frustration. “I didn’t get the fucking keys.”
My mouth goes into an O-shape, but I’m only half-worried about it. “I can break into it.”
Apollo whirls around to gawk at me with risen brows. “Do I need to ask why you know that?”
I shake my head. The disadvantages of having a cop by your side. “It’s better for the both of us if you don’t.” It was useful knowledge when I was too poor to have a car, too fearful to hitch rides, too gaunt to get a job. Not proud of it. “But if we break the windows, we might set off some alarm. Let’s try to find one that’s unlocked.”
We spend a couple of minutes searching for it. Looks like vampires don’t trust vampires, even inside their garages. Every window-tinted one we try is locked, and I don’t want to discover what happens if a vampire finds out you tried to rob him.
The problem is not robbing but being caught. Some of these people wouldn’t miss it if I stole money from them. They’re too rich for that. Now, if I’m caught? They’ll be fucking mad, even if the money wouldn’t be missed.
Finally, a door clicks open. The windows are not tinted, but it’ll have to do. At least it’s night outside.
“Apollo,” I call out and slide into the front seat.
“Let me drive, mate,” he says as soon as he’s close enough. “I know the way.”
I nod. “Not going to complain about that.” Then I bend to peer into the glove compartment. “Your senses are also better than mine, so it’s a natural choice. I bet I wouldn’t even need a belt.”
Apollo breathes a laugh. “I don’t use them if I can help it. What are you doing?”
“If this person trusted their neighbors enough to leave the car open, I bet they left the keys inside too.” I flip the visor down, and the keys drop onto my lap. A smile tugs on my lips as I hand them to Apollo. “Here they are.”
“Do you think you could have hot-wired it?” he asks as I slip out of the car and circle it to sit down on the passenger seat. Apollo throws the bags he’s carrying in the back seat and takes his place.
“I actually could, but there’s a cop next to me, so...” I smile at him, slamming the door shut.
Apollo’s smile turns hungry as the engine comes to life. “Well, this cop right here would love to punish you.”
Heat courses through my body, setting my skin on fire. Air escapes my lips, and I press my legs together. Fuck, the mere promise makes my panties soak through. Apollo flares his nostrils and breathes my arousal in, leaning over to nuzzle into my neck. I melt, both out of lust and affection. He pulls back and hits the gas pedal. I watch the garage gate creaking open, every second too much to bear.
“I don’t like leaving Donatello behind,” I murmur, grinding my teeth together.
“He knows it’s more important to keep you safe,” Apollo replies, then we fly out of the garage and into the street, where a vampire waits for us. It’s the guy who got shot in the forehead. He smirks, then jumps onto the car. “Motherf — ” Apollo slams on the brakes, slamming into the vampire. He then puts the car in reverse and is about to make the turn when Donatello crashes his body into the vampire.
“Donatello!” I cry out, relief washing over me. Fuck, I hadn’t noticed how worried I was. He’s alright. He’s safe. I roll down the window an inch. “Donatello!”
He turns on his heels, and his eyes meet mine. There’s something like regret on his face. It doesn’t last long. He runs to us, his white shirt ripped at the chest, showing a good length of perfect skin. He seems unwounded as he opens the back door and jumps inside.
“Get us out of here, dragon,” he hisses at Apollo, and the shifter immediately drives away. He makes a point of running over the vampire, the car bumping with it, and then we’re off.