Page 136 of Inked in Devotion

“Rurik?”

“Kinda busy, comrade,” he clipped.

I kept my eyes forward while Dimitri kept me apprised of the surrounding situation. Rurik was dealing with the hostile SUV. Our rear-guard vehicle was trying to cut off the motorcycle. No one was shooting until we saw a gun.

The motorcycle sped up on Dimitri’s side. I swerved toward it, but it evaded me.

“Could it be Marena?” Chloe asked. The rider had unmistakably female proportions outlined by the black catsuit she was wearing. The helmet and the black face shield made it hard to identify features. When the motorcycle weaved in front of our SUV, I also noted the bronze detailing on the rider’s back. She went parallel alongside me before the bike revved up and shot ahead.

A scout.

“Vehicles on the move from a parking lot in Englewood.”

“We just passed it,” I growled.

“Showtime,” Rurik announced just as an explosion rocked the vehicle. We weren’t hit. But Rurik cursed just as gunfire and chaos ignited.

Having the attackers behind us wasn’t ideal. But moving in tight formation mitigated the situation.

“Rurik! Report!”

“Forge ahead,” he ordered amidst the onslaught of gunfire.

“They would have to fall back once we reach the George Washington Bridge or draw the attention of the cops.”

“Yeah, that’s what they’re avoiding,” Sato said.

“You think?” I muttered.

A few bullets bounced off our windows.

“They’re aiming for the tires,” Feliks, who was behind us, said.

Mine were bulletproof. I wasn’t sure if the others were or how resistant they were.

“You have three vehicles on your ass,” Rurik said.

“Get them off my ass,” I growled.

A blast sent my Escalade careening.

Plink, plink, plink.

Their bullets continued to bounce off the rear windshield.

We heard a pop, the screeching of tires, and our rear-guard vehicle fishtailed and spun out of control.

“Fuck,” Dimitri said. “They took out Feliks.”

“I can’t get to you,” Rurik shouted. “These assholes are pissing me off.”

“Swap positions with Lev, Kolya,” Kirill ordered. “We’re almost to the bridge.”

I sped up while Lev slowed down and rolled behind me. I was catching up to Kirill’s Porsche when metal crashing into metal took out one of our attackers’ SUVs and caused a chain reaction. I glanced briefly in the rearview mirror, and Lev barely avoided the ensuing pileup.

“What the hell was that?” I yelled.

“Cassano. The Italians came through,” Kirill muttered.