“I just evaded a portal that opened up in the middle of the road.”
It took a moment for that particular combination of words to make sense to me. Had someone tried to capture us by opening a portal directly in front of the vehicle? That was terrifying.
It was dark. We were on a part of the highway bordered by woodland, and there were long stretches without streetlights.
We drove in silence for about a minute before Graham swore.
“Shit! Brace yourself.”
I’d barely processed the warning when the vehicle hit something on the road. It almost felt like we’d plowed over a bunch of potholes. Then there was a dragging sensation that made my stomach sink as if something had hooked into the SUV from behind and was trying to yank us backward.
Graham swore under his breath. “It’s an armored vehicle. Spike strips won’t stop it.”
Spike strips? My heart slammed against my ribs. They’d really found us. And this time, I didn’t even know who “they” were. They’d come prepared if they’d managed to get ahead of us and set down strips. Was Karim this organized and well-connected? Or was it whoever he was working for?
To my surprise, my anger was stronger than my fear. I was so damn tired of being thrown into danger I didn’t understand. This whole freaking day had been one fresh nightmare after another, and I’d never asked for any of it.
“Shit. Hold the wheel.” Graham grabbed my hand and placed it on the steering wheel.
Heart pounding and palms sweaty, I did as I was told, squinting at the road before us. Graham reached under his seat and brought out a black, compact handgun.
Okay. Don’t panic.
I tried to focus on the road as he opened the window and twisted his body, muttering under his breath about how cramped the space was. From my angle, I couldn’t see what he saw through the rear window, but I didn’t need to because the sharp crack of a shot echoed from somewhere behind the vehicle.
My heart jumped into my throat.
The vehicle swayed as he leaned farther out the window, trying to get a better angle without exposing himself. Something hit theback of the SUV, and I grabbed the steering wheel so tightly in my hands that my knuckles turned white as I realized they were ramming us. Against all odds, I was able to straighten us out and keep us on the road.
I heard several more gunshots, but I couldn’t tell which ones were his or theirs. Everything felt so surreal, and it was almost like I was watching myself on the big screen.
The pursuing engine roared louder, and another impact rattled the back of the vehicle, shoving us forward with the loud grating of metal against metal. I let out a scream as I was smashed back against my seat, and the wheel was torn from my hands.
Chapter 8
Graham
Thewholevehiclelurchedso violently it would’ve thrown me out the window if I’d fit. Meera was smashed up against me, and I spared a hand to hold her in place so she could get a hold of the wheel again.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she righted the SUV.
“Don’t be. You’re doing good,” I said.
She was. She had no training, but she was keeping calm much better than the average person.
A burst of sound cracked past my ear, and I ducked back inside the vehicle, hitting the seat hard, as another round skittered off the exterior somewhere behind us.
The run-flat tires hit another rough patch, jolting the frame. Meera grunted, fighting the wheel. I waited for the opening until the other car pulled out just enough for me to see its front tire through the blur of motion before leaning out again.
Years of training took over. I aimed and fired. The pursuing vehicle jerked instantly, its front-end dipping as the tire blew out. It swerved, fishtailing across the asphalt. The car slipped sideways, skidding off the shoulder and disappearing into a ditch in a cloud of dust.
“Graham!”
I pulled myself back inside just in time to see the barricade.
Fuck!
Meera swerved, and I slammed on the brakes. Her blood-curdling scream triggered something inside me that demanded I protect her. My body jerked to the side, and I realized that with her leaning over the center console, I was going to squish her against the steering wheel.
