My hands tightened on the wheel. “I really do. I’m not sure why you’re all so obsessed with Noah and me.”
“You’re kidding, right? I think the fact that you’re going to plant a car bomb to blow his ass up is reason enough for us to be concerned. This isn’t about retaliation. This is your own twisted sexual tension making you crazy.”
“Are you going to keep yammering on the whole time or do I need to dump you on the side of the road right now?” I started to slow down the car, ready to pull over and kick him out on the curb.
Auryn’s mouth dropped open as he gaped at me. “Wow, what the fuck? I am not a fan of this side of you, Dom. You need to get your shit together. Whatever. I won’t say another fucking word.”
“Good.” Satisfied, I continued driving, turning onto Noah’s street.
Just as I’d hoped, his car was parked in the driveway. Even though they had a doorbell camera, I would be able to avoid itbased on the position of his car as long as I stayed out of the camera’s reach and got down low.
I parked a few doors down so my car wouldn’t show up on their footage. Even though I told Auryn to stay in the car, he insisted on coming with me. Crouching down low, I crept along the side of Noah’s car to the driver’s door. The best place to put the device was under the driver’s seat on the exterior of the car. The device was relatively small, about the size of a pop can, but it would create a serious blast.
Auryn watched as I got down on the ground, reaching under the car to secure the device in place. “This is wild, Dom. Even for you. Is there anything I can do to talk you out of this?”
“Nope,” I said, popping the P. “Noah and I both know it’s come to this. I’m sure that in the few seconds he has to realize what’s happening, he won’t even be surprised.”
Auryn muttered something beneath his breath. I hadn’t asked him to come along. That was on him.
Once the device was in place, I stayed low while creeping away from the car, standing up when I was far enough away. Auryn did the same. Once Noah got in the car and started the engine, the electricity would trigger the device to blow. I only wished I could be around to see it happen.
The drive back home was spent in tense silence. I didn’t understand why Auryn was so upset. We all hated Noah and Damon. We’d already killed their two best friends for coming after us.
The way I saw it, this had been inevitable.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
NOAH
I was restless as hell. For some reason I couldn’t sit still. Even though I should have been thinking about heading to bed, I was unable to stop moving. The thought of getting into bed made my brain itch.
I tried to busy myself by tidying up the kitchen. Doing the dishes and wiping down the counters. When I’d finished, I found myself staring around the room, trying to come up with something else to occupy my busy thoughts.
Damon had already retreated to his bedroom to work on some schoolwork before bed. I didn’t want to disturb him by running the vacuum. For a moment I even considered rearranging the furniture. No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake this frantic feeling ripping around my insides.
Finally, I decided to head out for a late night snack. Hit up a twenty-four hour drive-thru to kill some time. Grabbing my wallet and my phone, I double checked that my keys were in my pocket before heading out the door.
When I stood outside on the front step, I paused. Searching the night. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. I half expected someone to leap out of the darkness atme. When it didn’t happen, I continued on down the front step toward my car.
I opened the door and got inside, wishing I’d thought to remote start it first. Getting into a cold car sucked. I was about to start the engine when something caught my attention. A subtle ticking sound. Strange.
Thinking it may have been the engine cooling down from when I drove it earlier, I started the car. The ticking continued. That wasn’t right.
The sudden realization of what I was hearing hit hard and fast, propelling me out of the car. I flung myself into the driveway. Not far enough. Scrambling to my feet, I raced toward the street. I made it halfway across when the car blew.
The sound rocked through my brain, making my ears ring impossibly loud. The force of the blast struck me, throwing me off my feet. Sending me rolling across the snow covered street. My head hit the hard ground. Shock waves of pain slashed through my skull. I did my best to cover my head, curling up into a ball as shrapnel rained down upon me.
The next thing I knew, Damon was hovering over me, shaking me while repeatedly calling my name. I must have blacked out.
“Noah. Open your eyes, man. Are you okay? The ambulance is on its way.” His hands were on me, gently feeling me for any sign of serious injury.
“Ambulance?” I repeated, confused, my brain hazy.
“Your fucking car blew up. This had to be the Kings. Unless it was Project X. Something is really not right here.” Damon held me down when I tried to sit up. “No, don’t move. Wait for the paramedics.”
The sound of sirens in the distance gradually grew louder as they drew closer. If the ambulance was coming, that meantthe cops were also on their way. They would have questions. What the hell was I going to say to them?
Something warm and wet slid down my forehead into one eye. I rapidly tried to blink it away. Would Dom have done something like this? Remembering the look in his eyes that night when I attacked him in his car, I decided he would most definitely try something like this.
