Smacking the magazine in, my eyes survey the damage. As quickly as fear had left me, it comes raging back when I spot the two armored cars entering the freeway.
I slide back into the car, my chest heaving. My breath shudders and I struggle to release it.
Gabe eyes me from the rearview mirror, and from his vantage point, I know he’s already spotted the armored cars catching up to us. I fight like hell to maintain my composure, trying my best to come up with a solid plan to get us out of here.
Beside me Ria is on her haunches, hands planted on the back of her seat. She watches in fear as the enemy flanks us from both sides.
How can I still be living the same day when so much has happened?
For the briefest of moments, I was filled with the hope that we would get out of this… battle unscathed, but in the blink of an eye, we’re surrounded.
And if the grim look on Noah’s face is any indication, we’re screwed.
Beside me, he engages in a silent conversation with Gabe. Then he swivels, grabbing a bag from the back and pulling out a grenade.
He looks up at me with a grimace as he hands it to me. “Last resort. If they aim for us, Ria, I need you to throw that out your window and duck down to protect yourself. Do you hear me?”
I nod, then watch in horror as he climbs out onto the roof again.
Whereas before the enemy was at least thirty to fifty feet away from us, now their cars were nearly aligned with ours.
I already know they had no qualms about wanting my husband dead, but he is putting himself in the line of fire right in front of me. He is undoubtedly good at his job, but he is still my husband and a father.
I pull on his leg. “Noah! The car is bulletproof but you’re not. Get down here.”
He ignores me as he starts blasting his rifle. I’ve never seen Noah in action before and the sight of him in his element is both incredibly appealing and terrifying.
The ham and cheese sandwich Noah forced me to eat a few hours ago threatens to make a reappearance as my stomach rolls over and sweat prickles the back of my neck.
My lungs feel tight and my heart slams against my chest, fighting to get out to wrap itself around the man who owns it.
I watch the open sunroof with bated breath as he changes the magazine out so fast, I nearly miss it.
Instead of aiming at the cars or the heads poking out , he trains his gun at the tires. An explosion drowns out the sounds of gunfire, and cars whip around.
I claw my seat as I raise my head to see over the backseat. Noah has effortlessly blown out all four tires of one of the armored cars. It screeches and Gabe smoothly maneuvers our car out of the way as it misses us and heads straight for the bank two feet behind us, blocking half of the freeway. The remaining cars blast and smash their way through it, causing fragments and bodies to go flying across the interstate.
A bloodcurdling scream reverberates inside the car.
It takes me a second to realize it came from me as I shake from the tremors of what I just witnessed.
I’m suddenly hauled back into my seat and Noah’s face is blurry when it comes into my line of sight. I realize I’m crying and screaming, my throat hoarse, and he cups my face.
“Ria, baby. Gabe and I know what we’re doing, okay? I can’t keep checking on you like this. You can’t pull my leg and stop me either. This is my job. Let me work on getting us out of here. Stay down please, and Ree? Whatever you do, keep your eyes shut. Don’t look anymore.”
He grabs the three magazines I have left in my hands and gently pushes me down onto the floor of the car. With one last lingering look and a peck on the nose, he’s back up again.
“Noah is the best of the best, Ria. He knows how to keep himself safe while taking a target down. Just do what he says. The last thing we need is a distracted sniper.”
Gabe’s gruff voice rattles my insides.
I get it. I really do. I’ve become one of those annoying ‘damsels in distress’ in action movies—the ones we scream and yell obscenities at.
I curl my hands into fists on my knees and focus on my breathing until it becomes even. I use every ounce of strength left in me to summon my memories.
The same day I showed up at Noah’s apartment and agreed to live with him, he signed me up for classes. He knew there might come a day when someone would target me.
I took classes for everything including judo, taekwondo, and self-defense. He also personally trained me to handle guns. If he tossed me that M4 right now, I could easily clear and disassemble it in three minutes. I wouldn’t be able to shoot a target as easily as he or Mina could, but I can definitely protect myself if it comes down to it.