Her head turns toward me. “Kieran?—”
“Riley.”
“Y-yes. Yes, it’s on.”
I pull my gun free.
My eyes stay on the mirror as I watch the other car edge just close enough that I can make out the vague silhouette of two people inside. Then the gunshot cuts through the air, and my arm instinctively moves to cover Riley.
“Down!”
The first rounds punch into the rear panel of the car, and Riley screams.
Another burst follows.
The back windshield explodes inward, and glass rains over the interior.
“Fuck!” I twist in my seat, aiming a shot right through the back window.
Cars swerve left and right, and horns blare as I continue to fire shot after shot.
My pulse kicks into overdrive as I crank the wheel left, then right, forcing our attackers to adjust, but more bullets continue to land.
I slam my foot to the floor, and the car skids briefly before gripping again, the tires screaming against the asphalt.
The freeway is long and open. It’s too easy for them to keep a clean line of fire.
I need cover, or at least some obstacles so that I can force them into making a mistake.
I drop my window an inch, just enough to clear my muzzle, and fire two shots straight at their grill. It’s not enough to kill the engine, but it is enough to kill their aim for a few seconds as I jerk the wheel and make a hard right down a narrow turnoff that leads to an industrial district.
It’s not far from the warehouse where Finn is kept, so I know the roads well. The streets are tight and unpredictable, full of blind corners that I can use to my advantage.
As expected, the other car barrels after us, so I drop another gear as I speed up, leading them deeper into the industrial district.
“Hold on.” I slam on the brakes as we hit a point between two warehouses, causing the tires to shriek.
The tailing car overshoots, and before they can adjust, I twist in my seat and lean across the console and fire three more rounds toward their driver’s side windshield.
The sound inside the car is deafening, and my ears ring as I land a shot that shatters the glass and another that sends the car spinning out of control.
Their return fire ceases, and I take that as my cue to get the hell out of here.
I slam my car into gear and speed back the way we came, leaving a cloud of dust in our wake.
Behind us, their engine noise fades into the distance until there’s nothing but the sound of the wind howling through the busted rear window.
I don’t relax even when we’re safely back on the highway, heading toward Ronan’s.
My eyes keep flicking to the rear mirror, scanning for any sign that whoever was following us wasn’t alone.
Riley slowly pushes herself up into her seat and brushes her hands over her thighs. “That was close.”
“Too close. Are you hurt?”
“I-I’m fine. Who the hell was that?”
“No idea, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”
