When it finally screeched to a stop, the gallery was pretty much destroyed. The entire front window of the place had shattered on impact, glass flying everywhere. Drywall and wooden beams lay on the floor in broken pieces and splintered wood.
Surprisingly, it seemed as if no one had been directly impacted by the SUV. As I looked around, I could see Burke and Clarke standing toward the back of the room, their mouths hanging open as if they were too stunned to close them.
The noise of the engine grated on the quiet which had taken over the room. I walked over and reached inside the vehicle, turning it off. Lany looked up at me, his eyes glassy as if he was slightly dazed.
“Did I hit anyone?”
Did he hit anyone?
“What in the hell were you thinking?” My fear infused with anger. Lany wasn’t supposed to be driving, and now I knew why.
I pulled the door open and yanked Lany into my arms. I felt as if my heart was going to beat right out of my chest. “You could have died,caro.”
Didn’t Lany understand that?
“There were guys outside,” Lany said as he clung tight to my shoulders. “They were heading into the gallery and…” Lany shook his head as he lifted it from my chest. “I couldn’t find Eddie and Lyn.”
“What do you mean you couldn’t find them?” Even though Lany had stated he couldn’t, I still glanced toward the back of the SUV, expecting to see them there. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know,” Lany said. “I went out to the alley like you said and—”
Lany jerked back, his gaze moving to something beyond my shoulder. I reacted without thinking, pushing Lany down to the floorboard of the SUV while spinning around at the same time. It took but a single glance to know we were in trouble.
I pulled the trigger, aiming for a debilitating shot instead of a kill shot. I didn’t want to kill the guy I was shooting at. I had too many questions for him. I needed the bastard alive.
I watched as the man dropped to the hard marble floor, clutching at the bullet wound in his thigh. The gun he had been aiming went skating across the floor.
“You shot me!”
I smirked. “Oops.”
The other men dropped their weapons and then lowered themselves to their knees, clasping their hands behind their heads.
“I’m getting the feeling these guys have done this before,” Burke said as he walked up to me and Lany.
Gee, there was a surprise.
“Clarke, call for backup and then go out back and look for Lyn and Eddie.”
Clarke’s expression sharpened. “What about Lyn and Eddie?”
“Lany couldn’t find them.”
I watched with confusion, and a healthy dose of concern, as Clarke went tearing off to the back of the gallery. “I hope he remembers to call for backup.”
“What’s going on with him?” Burke asked as he gazed after the man.
I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“He’s got a thing for Lyn,” Lany said.
I turned to find he had climbed back up onto the seat.
“Clarke has a thing for Lyn?”
Lany nodded as if he was positive of what he was saying. I didn’t think so. Clarke liked playing the field too much. Hopefully, he respected Lyn too much to treat him like an easy lay.
Lany held out his arms.
