“Stay down!” Arran barked and I realised he was the person on top of me.
“Cal?” I cried as I pushed up enough to look around me. His hand had been ripped from mine and I had no idea where he was.
“We need to move, lass!” Arran yelled, then before I knew what was going on, his weight lifted off of me, and he grabbed my arm, hauling me across the space until we were behind one of the cars.
I turned as footsteps pounded behind me and cried in relief when I realised it was Cal. He dropped to the floor beside me and wrapped his arms around me.
“What’s going on?” I asked over the deafening sound of intermittent shots all around us.
“Ambush. I count at least a dozen men. They already took out at least four of our guys. We’re outnumbered,” Arran explained abruptly.
“What’s the plan?” Cal asked.
“We need to get in the car. The only chance we have is driving out of here.”
I looked around me anxiously. Brax, Dom, and the other two guys who had come to Chicago with us were behind the other car, firing shots and dodging those being fired at them. To my right two of Rafe’s guys were laid out on the floor, likely dead, pools of blood spreading around them.
My adrenaline was racing through me, and I could feel my hand shaking where I clutched Cal’s arm tightly.
“We’ll get out of this, Cara,” Cal tried to soothe as he rubbed his free hand up and down my back while keeping us both pressed against the side of the car.
“Get them in the car and get the fuck out of here, Arran!” Brax called loudly. Arran popped up over the car and fired a few shots, then opened the back door and waved us in.
Cal picked me up way too easily and hauled me into the back of the SUV, yelling at me to stay down, then he slid in too, the both of us all but laid across the back seat. I glanced up as Arran climbed in through the passenger door, leapt across to the drivers seat, then started the engine. We sped away, all of us staying low as bullets hit and bounced back off of the car.
“Are ye both alright? Are either of ye hit?” Arran called out.
“We’re fine. Just keep fucking driving!” Cal returned. He was laid partly on top of me and his hands were wrapped so tightly around my waist, I knew there would be bruises later, but all I cared about was that he was there, safe.
“What about the others?” I asked shakily.
“They can hold their own, plus most of the fuckers who were just shootin’ at us, are now followin’ us,” Arran panted. He was breathing hard, trying to drive the car at an insane speed, while also keeping low behind the wheel.
“Oh good. That’s reassuring!” I cried sarcastically.
“Just stay down!” Arran yelled.
Something hit the car hard and it swerved out of control as Cal and I were thrown around. I flailed around for anything to hold on to, but Cal was gripping me so hard he kept me close to him and we remained on the seat.
“FUCK!” Arran roared.
Then everything happened at once. The car flipped over and Cal and I were thrown around. I hit my head on something hard as a deafening cacophony of sounds surrounded me. Glass smashing. Banging and crashing. Metal warping. My own cries mixed with grunts of pain all around me. My body slammed down as the car came to a stop and I felt pain everywhere, then darkness descended and I was out.
***
Usually, when I woke in pain – and I realised as I thought that, that it should not be a sentence anyone should have to say to themselves – I would keep my eyes closed and try to get somesense of the situation around me. However this time the pain was too great and I groaned in agony as my eyes snapped open.
I was in a dimly lit room, the walls around me made of cold grey breeze blocks. It was freezing cold, a strong draught blowing in from somewhere behind me. I took in a deep breath, trying to force myself to remain calm as I assessed my situation.
I was sat on the ground, in the middle of the small square space. My hands were bound before me with zip ties. My head was throbbing badly and I was pretty sure the stiff right side of my face was set hard with dried blood, likely from a cut somewhere on my head. I had been stripped out of my coat and sweater, and I was now only wearing my jeans and the thin camisole vest, which I’d had on under the sweater. The right leg of my jeans was ripped and I could see blood oozing from a deep cut that ran up my calf a few inches. Other than that I looked pretty whole, but my entire body was aching and throbbing. I remembered the car crashing and Cal and I being thrown around, and knew that was likely the cause. I was probably badly bruised and battered beneath the rest of my clothes.
The thought of Cal had me looking all around again, hoping I would see him and Arran, but I was in the room alone. Tears threatened as panic consumed me. Where were they? Had they gotten out of the crash? Were they even alive?
I jolted when a door somewhere behind me clanged loudly. I fought to get to my feet, determined to fight as much as I could, no matter who walked in that door.
I turned just as what sounded like a metal door thrust open and in stepped a slim, shaved headed guy in all black. He was tall and in shape, but not heavy, I scanned him for weapons, but didn’tsee any. I was liking my chances if this guy was alone. I had no doubt he would underestimate me and get close enough for me to take him down.
I stepped back a few steps, as though I were intimidated – which, don’t get me wrong, I was, but I was determined not to allow my fear to overtake my ability to fight. I tried to keep my arms loose, despite the fact my hands were tied together at my wrists, breathing as calmly as I could, pushing against my adrenaline and my bodies natural instinct to tense up.
