“Yes, sir.” Cole slid onto the seat next to Tomi and placed a hand on herside.
“When should we expect the follow-up?” Adam askedSanchez.
“One to two weeks. We’ll notify you of ourarrival.”
Adam nodded and slid into the seat opposite Cole and Tomi. Clint shut the door and climbed into the front. As they pulled away from the mansion, Adam and Cole both expelled a breath at the same time. Clint pressed the automatic button to lower the back glass and said, “Is thatTara?”
“Nope,” Cole carefully pulled the blanket off of Tomi’s face, pressed his fingers at the base of her neck and checked her pulse. It was strong and steady. Thank God. “It’sTomi.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Clint jerked his head around to the right, staring at Cole with surprised eyes. “Were you expectingthis?”
“Hell, no, I wasn’t expecting it,” Cole bitout.
“What the heck is she doing herethen?”
“I don’t know,” Cole said and smoothed Tomi’s hair back from her face. “But I intend to findout.”
“You’dbetter.”
Adam coughed and then reached up and loosened the tie around his neck, small beads of sweat dotting his face. “Clint, kick up that AC, I’m burning up in this damnsuit.”
“Adam, you feeling okay?” Cole asked. Adam’s pupils were unnaturallydilated.
Clint pulled to a stop at the gate and glanced up into the rearview mirror. “Yeah man, you look white as aghost.”
Adam started wheezing. He yanked on his tie harder, his face turning a mottledred.
Cole’s gut tightened with realization. The whiskey. “He’s been poisoned. Clint, get us the hell out of here. Luis had no intention of allowing us to leave with her.” Cole shoved away from his seat, catching Adam before he collapsed. He lowered his friend carefully onto the cushion and ripped open his shirt. “And warn theteam.”
Clint floored it, gunning down the rest of the private drive and then onto the highway. “Team two, team one coming in hot. Going to need an ambulance, Wise has beenpoisoned.”
Adam stopped breathing. Fear ratcheted down Cole’s spine. “Hurry, Clint. We don’t have muchtime.”
The car jerked left and then right, flinging Tomi from her seat. Cole shoved out an arm to keep her in place and then used the other to keep Adam from flying across his car. “Dammit! Becareful.”
“We got a tail, two cars. What the hell did you do in there? They know something’sup!”
Cole crossed his palms over each other and stacked them on Adam’s chest, hammering out a quick round of chest compressions. Adam got in a couple of breaths before Clint slung the car around again, leaving Cole unable to do anything but holdon.
The car swerved in a zigzag and a split second later gunfire pinged off the backwindshield.
“We need backup now,” Clint yelled into his mic andaccelerated.
Cole shoved Adam back onto the seat and rapidly resumed the CPR. “Come on, Wise, fight it.” He pumped, hard and fast. He blew two breaths, and then two more. “You can makeit.”
“Cole, we need cover,” Clint bit out as he continued swerving, a tactical move to avoid the open gunfire coming at theirvehicle.
Cole cursed. “I can’t. Adam stopped breathing.” He hammered out more chest compressions, carefully controlling his movements as much aspossible.
“We’re all going to stop breathing if you don’t lay down some coverfire.”
His pulse hammering in his ears, Cole shoved to his feet. A quick glance behind them revealed the two vehicles were gaining on them. Fast. Cursing again, he ripped open the hidden compartment in the limo’s back seat, pulled out one of the Berettas stashed there, and cocked it. Then he hit the window down button. Wind tore through the open window, flinging Cole’s shirt away from his neck. He shoved his head out the window, locked his arms, and fired off three quick rounds, taking out the front tire on the right SUV. The vehicle screeched, swerved, and then flipped upside down, crashing with a bang onto the darkpavement.
Onedown.
The other SUV sped up, laying down some serious heat in response, and Cole dove back inside the cab, covering Tomi and Adam as much as he possibly could with his ownbody.
“Where the hell is thatbackup?”
