If we need to wait for Erika’s people to find transportation, they might be too late to prevent anything.
“Team A? Are most of you still in the area?” They were the team who went ahead of us to scout things out and clear the paths for the kids. “Anyone from team A who’s in the area and has access to a car or other transport option, get in touch with Erika. Make sure the kids get to their next location safely. If you get even a whiff of danger, stay close to them until Erika, Derrick, Timothy or I give the all-clear.”
“Will do.” Petra, leader of team A, gives short orders to the people around her. “Mathew? Erika? We need two more teams to make sure everyone gets escorted to their destination.”
“We’ll take care of that. We’ve got five people here. Can you send me the location of the kids?” Erika seems to be in her element, even though things are very much not going according to plan. “Nathan and the pack were outside the area when the Hearts came in. I think Xavier might have gotten caught by them, though.”
That’s good and bad news. I’ve not heard from Xavier’s pack yet, but Vera, Caleb and Miles are supposed to be with them, so I hope that’s a good sign.
I quickly grab onto the handle of the door as Riley turns another corner at a speed that’s very unsafe and only possible because there are no other cars around.
“Xav and his pack are safe.” My heart nearly forgets to beat when I hear Vera’s voice. She sounds exhausted, but it’s good to know she’s alive. With the pheromones coming off Riley, she clearly feels the same.
“Where are you?”
“Ehh... We’re being held up for a moment.” Then I hear the sounds of gunshots on her side. “I’ll get back in touch when we know more, but everyone is... alive.” Her voice cuts off and I can’t suppress the growl building in my chest.
Riley’s pheromones flare more, the danger and protectiveness rising. Her hands on the wheel are tight.
“We’re not turning around.” I reach out, nearly touching her, but not daring when she’s in this state. “We need to make sure we’re safe before we rescue anyone else. If she was in a lot of danger, she would have let us know.”
“You know she wouldn’t. She’s too headstrong,” Riley grinds out.
“And she’s with Caleb and Miles,” I counter. “Either of them would have stepped in if the risk got too much. Either of them would have called for backup. She’s not out there on her own.”
It’s not that I don’t understand Riley’s impulse to turn around and go over there ourselves, to get them out of there immediately, but we have to trust that the others can take care of themselves right now.
“There’s a car following us.” Timothy’s voice is tense, breaking through my thoughts.
Right. We’ve got to make sure that we get out of here first, before we start thinking of rescuing anyone else. And, right now, that means getting away from the people following us.
I glance in the mirror. It’s the same car I’ve seen a few times since we started driving. The plates aren’t one of ours, so it must be from the Hearts, or someone doing their dirty jobs.
We’ve got to get rid of them.
I grimace at the pain in my leg as I turn to look behind the seat, check what weapons we’ve got there. I need something to either get rid of them immediately, or to slow them down for long enough that we can get away.
I spot a couple of smoke and flash grenades. While that wouldn’t take them out, it would help us get away from them, or at least disorient them enough that it will be harder for them to follow us.
“Don’t look behind us or in any of the mirrors.” I grab a few of the smoke grenades and the next time we’re on a stretch of straight road, I drop them one by one to create the most effective screen.
While the driver will be trying their best to peer through the smoke, the flash grenade should be an extra surprise.
“Don’t startle from the flash or the bang.”
I drop the flash grenade and, moments later, there’s a loud flash and bang behind us. Even though I closed my eyes, I can still see the brightness of the flash.
Then I hear screeching tires and a loud crash.
Sorry to anyone living or working around here. I hope that didn’t scare you too much.
The next couple of seconds are tense as we wait for the smoke to clear and we’re putting as much distance between us and the people from the Hearts as possible.
Until Timothy speaks up, “I don’t think they’re following us anymore.”
Riley nods, her body still tight, and she turns into the next street, before turning again and continuing in the direction we were going, just one street over.
Every few moments, I check the mirrors, but no car shows up. We’re no longer being followed.
