He jumped in the car when the men were only a few steps away. As he hit the road, he gunned the engine, so the tires squealed, laying down a trail of rubber and a satisfying cloud of acrid smoke.
Behind him, he saw the men jumping into cars. He also saw guys running from vantage points in nearby buildings. He sighed with relief.
Good, looks like I got them all.
Ray drove like a maniac, twisting through lines of traffic and swerving around slower cars. The guys behind him followed, trying to keep up with his fierce moves. Ray floored it as they came out onto a deserted bridge, relieved that there were no other cars around to get caught in the inevitable crash.
Because all these fuckers are going down.
He slowed, letting two of the cars flank him. They slammed together, pinning his car. Ray slowed more, not fighting the pressure as the two cars jammed him in and drifted back and forth.
Suddenly, he slammed his foot on the brake and spun the steering wheel into a full lock. His car did a spectacular spiral, throwing one of the other cars across the road. It skidded, out of control, right through the barrier and over the edge of the bridge.
The other car was right in front of him, and he threw his car in gear so he could ram it. Before he could, the third car finally caught up and slammed into him at full speed.
His car made horrible screeches as it was pushed across the road toward the broken barricade where the other car had just taken a bunch of De Lucas to their deaths. Ray swiveled the wheel and pumped the gas, trying to wrench the car free.
He thought he was a goner for a few seconds, that his only chance would be to leap out of the car and swim back to the condo. He braced himself, tightening his hands on the wheel.
Then the other car stalled. Ray laughed in triumph, spinning his car around and flooring it toward the one which was still stationary at the opposite edge of the bridge.
To his dismay, the goons were no longer in it. He turned again, the full-speed swivel burning rubber against the asphalt. That was when he saw all the bastards jump into the last car.
Perfect.
As he came out of the turn, he pointed the nose of his car at the last one and smashed his foot onto the gas pedal, flattening it to the floor. The other guys hurried into the last car while the driver tried desperately to start it.
With his keen shifter eyes, Ray could pick out every detail of their terrified faces. It made him feel even more vicious and triumphant.
The two cars hit with an incredible crash. Ray roared as he pressed his foot down, his muscle car slowly pushing the other one off the edge of the bridge.
Poor baby, you’ll never be the same after this.
Wait, am I talking to my car?
Ray laughed to himself, pumping the gas pedal until the engine roared. The other car’s back wheels went over the edge of the bridge, and, with an evil grin, Ray threw his car into reverse and left them hanging, the vehicle tipping back and forth like a broken seesaw.
He took a good look at their horrified faces as he pulled away, giving them a salute. Then he drove as fast as he dared back to his apartment.
He cruised through the underground garage. He could tell immediately that Augusta was not there. He thought about going straight to the mall, but his instincts were screaming at him to check his apartment first.
Shit. What if there were guys up there already?
Ray cursed himself for a fool. Logically, they would cover his apartment from the inside. He had been stupid enough to send her up there alone.
Once he made it into the stairwell, he shifted and bolted up the stairs in panther form. He was faster as a cat than the elevator. Even though his ribs still ached, he moved with precision and grace.
When he hit the landing, he opened the door very slowly. He could smell the guys, a thick, overpowering scent of sweaty strangers crowded into a confined space. Among it, he smelled Augusta’s delicate, sweet perfume, the scent that had enticed him before he had even met her.
Ray stood in the hallway, not sure what to do. He was about to hatch some kind of crazy scheme … maybe sneak around the outside of the building and come through a window … but then he heard a sharp click right behind his head.
“I’ve got you covered, Ray. No sudden moves.”
Shit!
He’d been so distracted that he hadn’t even noticed the guy sneaking up on him.
“Shift. Get out of your panther shape.”