She covers her body and her head with the blanket, and I strap my vest on and remove the rifles from the secret stowage compartment under the back seat. I hand a rifle to Alessandro as Leo races up back streets, weaving around parked cars and the odd civilian we meet. Flattening my back against the back of Leo’s chair, I press the button to lower the window and lean out, indiscriminately firing my weapon. Alessandro and I continue shooting at the SUV chasing us, ducking and diving as they retaliate. Bullets bounce off the rear window, some embedding in the metallic panels of the car.
“Aim for the tires,” I say to Alessandro. “On my count.”
He nods, and I count down from three. “One!” I shout, and we both lean out our windows at the same time aiming for the front two tires. Alessandro’s shot goes wide when the vehicle swerves to avoid it, narrowly missing hitting the car parked at the curb, but my shot meets its target, and the front left wheel explodes, sending the car spinning out of control. Alessandro and I plow bullets into their SUV in a relentless stream of firepower. A massive explosion evokes a whimper from Sierra, from under the blanket, and I watch with grim satisfaction as the Russians’ car bursts into flames.
Kneeling on the floor, I slowly retract the blanket. “It’s okay, baby. They’re gone. You’re—”
“Stay down!” Leo roars, and I throw myself over Sierra as the right-hand side back window shatters, raining glass on top of us. I curl around Sierra as bits of glass embed in the back of my head and my neck while Leo accelerates ahead.
“Shit,” Alessandro shouts. “Another SUV has just appeared from a side street.” If I hadn’t bent down to attend to Sierra, I’d be dead, but there is no time to dwell on what-ifs. We need to get off the fucking road before they force us off it.
“Get us out of here, Leo,” I bellow, lifting my head and taking a quick peek to gauge my surroundings.
Alessandro fires at the new SUV, now chasing us from behind, while I form a plan. We’re exposed with the open window, and I don’t like our odds. We need an alternate option, and I think I have one. “Take the next left. Then a sharp right,” I instruct Leo. “At the T-junction, take the right, and it brings you straight into a wooded area. Park and we’ll take it on foot from there.”
Leo follows my instructions as I resume shooting at the SUV. “We need to create a distraction so we can get away,” I shout at Alessandro. “Aim for the gas tank on that red Chevy.” I jerk my head at the vehicle haphazardly parked at the curb. The back end is jutting out, too far onto the road, and it will suit as a temporary obstacle.
“Got it, boss,” he says as I continue trading gunfire with the Russians.
He fires at the Chevy, pumping bullets into the gas tank until it detonates, shooting flames and debris in all directions. The brakes on the Russians’ SUV screeches as they battle to stop before barreling into the flames.
It won’t hold them for long, but it’ll be long enough for us to get to the warehouse.
We ditch our SUV at the corner of the woods, fleeing on foot around the perimeter of the forest. Sierra races beside me, with determination on her face, while Leo and Alessandro protect us from behind. Thank fuck, she had ballet flats in her bag because running in her heels or her bare feet would have held us up.
I breathe a sigh of relief when the old warehouse comes into view, around the bend. I haven’t been back here in years, and I couldn’t be sure it was still standing.
“In here,” I shout, racing for the side door. The warehouse is freshly painted, and the roof looks new, so it appears it is still serving the same purpose. Reaching up, I run my hand along the corrugated ledge, silently rejoicing when my fingers curl around the key.
“What is this place?” Sierra asks while Leo and Alessandro keep watch for any sign of people following us.
“You remember I told you about Terry?”
“The guy who was like a father figure to you?”
The door opens, and I bundle her inside, closing it firmly as soon as Leo and Alessandro are inside. “Yeah, Terry was a member of a local MC. This is their safe house. When I was a kid, he showed me this place. Told me if I was ever in trouble to come here and hide. It’s wired with triggers, so someone already knows we are here. We just need to wait it out until someone shows up.”
“What if the Russians show up?” Sierra says, looking around the large space with trepidation. Apart from a few tables and chairs, and a heap of boxes and crates stacked along various parts of the wall, the place is empty, and I can see how it looks like we will be sitting ducks.
“They won’t find us.” I grin, striding toward the middle of the space, tugging her along with me. “Stay here.” Dropping to my knees, I push a chair aside and crawl under the long table. I spread my fingers along the floor, feeling for the latch. They all watch me like I’m crazy, but they’re not doubting me when I push down on the floor in the right spot and a door pops up. “Come on.”
“What the hell is this place?” Sierra whispers, crawling toward me.
“It’s a secret room in the floor. No one will find us here unless they know to look for it. Alessandro, pull that chair back into place after you, and pull this door shut firmly, making sure the edges are seamless,” I instruct, extracting my cell and switching the flashlight on.
“I got it, boss. Get Sierra to safety.” I walk in front of Sierra down the steps, feeling her close to my back as we descend lower into the hidden space below. When my feet hit the bottom, I feel around for the light switch and turn it on, illuminating the space. They have had work done since I was last here. The space is cleaned out, and there is a couch, a table and chairs, and a small refrigerator and pantry. A side door leads to a toilet.
“There’s no cell service,” Leo says, claiming a seat at the table while he frowns at his phone.
“I didn’t expect there to be,” I say, flopping down on the couch as Alessandro appears.
“This is pretty fucking cool.” Alessandro looks around with appreciation in his eyes.
“So, what now?” Sierra asks, taking some waters from the refrigerator.
“Now, we wait for help to show up.”
46
