“Don’t be a martyr.” Alpha pushes back from the table and stands. “Faith could get hurt.”
“Yeah, but even if we get to the bikes before they see, they’re going to notice when we start and it’ll be fucking last night all over again. You wanna take bets on if the train gets us this time? We go in hot because that’s our only chance to surprise them” Ripper stands too, looking grim but eager to get into it.
“They’re going to fucking assume that we know and act like it. Whatever God damn hero complex you’re building, let it go.” Blade’s voice is cool, calm and deadly.
“Hey,” Alpha says as he approaches the guy behind the counter. The guy looks nervous as Alpha towers over him. “Where’s the back door?”
I feel bad for him. He’s just a teenager. “I’m—I’m not supposed to let—”
“Back door.” Blade leans onto the counter, and there’s suddenly a knife in his hand. “Now.”
The guy points at the kitchen door behind him. “Through there, but—”
“C’mon.” Ripper waves for me to follow.
“Thanks! Sorry,” I say with an apologetic smile, but the guy doesn’t look relieved at all. Guess I wouldn’t either if I were him.
We get some strange looks from the people in the kitchen, but apparently nobody is being paid enough to say anything. Ripper pushes open a metal door with a green emergency exit sign over it and waits a moment before peering out. “Clear.” Then he slips outside, waving for us to follow with his stump.
If the Pit Vipers are looking for us, they haven’t come around to this side, at least not yet. “Maybe they’re doing something else,” I whisper hopefully.
The guys shake their heads. We stay close to the wall, Blade taking over lead, with Ripper and Alpha keeping me between them.
At the corner, Blade signals for us to stop. “Fuck. Two of them are checking our bikes. I can’t see the rest.”
“Inside?” I ask.
“Probably. Or waiting in front.” Ripper grimaces. “What do you think, Blade? Can we liberate the bikes?”
“Need a distraction.”
“Now you’re speaking my language.” Ripper pulls his gun and runs to the other side of the building.
“Fuck,” Alpha grunts and puts his heavy hand on my shoulder. He nudges me forwards until I’m right behind Blade. “Be ready to run when I say. I love that pain in the ass but things are about to get interesting.”
Ripper disappears around the corner, and a moment later we hear him yell, “Hey, looking for us, motherfuckers?” A gun goes off with a boom and I barely flinch. A couple days ago I’d be on the floor crying. Is this progress? It doesn’t feel like the right direction.
“They’re running,” says Blade. “Quick, Faith, on my bike.”
Does he think I’m going to argue? I’ll do whatever I need to do to not get shot. “Is Ripper—” I can’t even finish that.
“Not now.” Blade takes the lead, darting across the parking lot with knives ready in both hands.
Alpha takes my hand and pulls me behind him, keeping his big frame between me and the Pit Vipers. I have to sprint to keep up with his big strides, and I’m pretty sure he’d just throw me over his shoulder if I stumbled.
Once we’re close, I risk glancing towards the front of the rest stop. Shovelhead’s there with the rest of the Pit Vipers. More must’ve come while we snuck around the back, but Ripper’s got them distracted so they’re all looking the other way, for now.
Blade throws himself on his bike, and I get on behind him, gripping his jacket for all it’s worth. The shocks on Alpha’s bike creak slightly as he settles his weight on the seat.
“On one,” says Alpha quietly. “Three, two, one.”
They fire their bikes at the same time, both of them revving hard to make them roar. Pit Vipers whirl to face us, several with weapons out already.
From behind a car on the far side of the building, Ripper comes running. “Go go go!” he shouts.
Blade’s bike lunges like a horse out of the starting gate. He and Alpha gun straight for Ripper, sliding around him to buy him enough time and cover to get on his own. I hold tight to Blade’s back, praying that none of the bullets find their mark. All around us, people are screaming.
“Watch it, you fuckers!” yells Shovelhead’s growly voice! “He wants her alive!”