Beau stood back as Cassidy walked out of the room.He walked out behind her and closed the door. She could almost hear the wheels spinning in his head.
“We need to talk to Vaughn,” he said.
“We have to find him first. Once we do, we’ll have to be very careful. Like Tate said, if he’s got those kinds of connections, he could be a very dangerous man.”
The bouncer was absent when they reached the bottom of the stairs. They made their way out to the parking lot and headed for the car. Unfortunately, the bikers who had pulled in behind them formed a human wall across the rear of Beau’s BMW; one of them Cassidy recognized as the guy Beau had tripped on the porch.
“Here we go,” Beau said softly, and she couldn’t mistake the gleam in his eyes. Cassidy opened her mouth to tell him to chill, try to talk the situation down, but it was too late.
“I’d appreciate it if you gentlemen stepped away from my vehicle,” Beau said pleasantly, but there wasn’t a hint of friendliness in eyes that now looked cold as ice.
The biggest of the three, barrel-chested with a long, pointed beard, just grinned. “Yeah, well, I’d appreciate it if you’d hand over the keys. Me and my buddies want to go for a little test drive. You’ll get your car back when we’re finished.”
The smile Beau gave them looked utterly feral. “I don’t think so. The only ride you’re going to get is on the end of my boot.” Cassidy gasped as Beau’s foot shot up, catching the biker full force in the groin. He dropped like a stone, hugging his privates and moaning, which galvanized his friends.
With the click of a switchblade, a knife glinted in the overhead lights of the parking lot. “You shouldn’t have done that,” the guy from the porch said. “Now your pretty face is gonna get carved up even more than it already is.”
Beau’s features hardened. He whirled, his foot shot out,and the knife went flying. The guy from the porch rushed forward and threw a punch. Beau ducked and elbow-jabbed him beneath the chin, then threw a hard punch that landed in his midsection, doubling him over.
The third guy rushed forward. Beau’s knee jerked up, landing in the man’s solar plexus, then a hard right sent him flying backward.
Beau clicked the locks on the car and started the engine remotely. “Get in!” he shouted, which Cassidy would gladly have done if the fourth man hadn’t quietly slipped behind her, locked an arm around her neck, and dragged her back against his chest.
“Let me go!”
“I’ll let you go, sweetheart, after we’ve all had a little fun.” He cupped her jaw. “Such a pretty mouth. I can think of all sorts of things to do with a mouth like that.”
“Last chance,” Cassidy warned.
The guy just laughed. Cassidy didn’t hesitate a second time, just pulled the little .380 nestled in her jacket pocket, aimed the gun at the big foot she could see on the ground between her legs, and fired.
The man howled and started dancing, and Cassidy broke free. Running for the car, she jumped into the passenger seat just as Beau slid into the driver’s side. He jammed the car into gear and the vehicle shot backward. She heard the roar of a motorcycle firing up, then another.
“Hang on!” Beau cranked the wheel, and the next instant they were tearing out of the parking lot, tires spinning, careening around a corner and shooting off into the darkened streets. A single headlight appeared behind them, followed by two more.
“They’re coming after us!” Cassidy’s heart thumped wildly. Gripping the seat belt, she dragged it across her chest and clicked it into place.
Beau downshifted, the car slowed to round a corner, then he hit the gas and the BMW shot forward with the speed of a gazelle. The BMW roared full-throttle down the road. Beau turned into an alley, turned again as they shot out the other end. He rounded two more corners, hit the gas, and just kept going.
“I don’t see them,” Cassidy said, still peering through the rear window. Beau didn’t slow. In minutes he was heading up an on-ramp, pulling onto the freeway, merging into the traffic. Keeping his speed even with the rest of the cars on the road, he wove in and out, staying on the freeway for a couple of miles, then taking an off-ramp. He wound his way through the streets, following a circuitous route back to the office, where the helicopter was waiting.
“I think we lost them,” Cassidy said, relaxing back into her seat, finally able to breathe.
“Kid’s play,” Beau said, slanting her a sideways grin. “I could have lost those guys when I was fifteen.” His grin widened. “I can’t believe you shot that guy.”
Cassidy huffed out a breath. “I aimed for his foot. He’s lucky I didn’t aim for his family jewels.”
Beau laughed. “I thought you didn’t carry a gun.”
“Jase suggested it. I’m licensed. Since I wasn’t sure what we might run into, I thought it wasn’t a bad idea.”
Beau chuckled and just kept driving, finally pulling into the underground garage.
“We should probably report the incident to the police,” Cassidy said.
“Or not. Guys like that don’t want trouble with the cops any more than we do.”
Cassidy didn’t argue. Beau was right. And even though she was the one who had fired the weapon, it could still mean trouble for Beau.
