Page 57 of Captivated with Them

“Good shooting,” Kodee replied, his grin wide and white.

“Oh, my God,” I covered my face with my hands. My breathing was still too fast, my entire body shaking. An arm slipped around my shoulders, and I found myself being pulled against Ryan’s chest.

He kissed the top of my head.

“Hey, it’s all right. You’re safe now.”

“Not yet, we’re not,” Kodee warned from behind the wheel. “They still might catch up with us.”

“They’re going to look out for the car,” I said. I knew how far Frankie could get his men to search. They were as bad as the cops. “Frankie and Manuel will probably even have their bent cops involved by now, and they know our license plate number.”

I wondered where the car had even come from. It wasn’t one I recognized. I guessed it didn’t really matter.

“Don’t worry.” Ryan squeezed my hand. “We already thought of that.”

Kodee took another turning, and we found ourselves on a quieter road on the outskirts of the city. Ahead was an underpass, and hidden underneath it, pulled off to one side, was another vehicle. My heart lurched again, fearful that somehow Frankie could have predicted which way we were going and set people waiting for us, but then I saw what kind of vehicle it was, and a tiny part of me relaxed.

It was an ambulance, its rear doors standing wide open.

Kodee brought the car to a sudden halt, the wheels skidding as they locked. Even before the car had stopped properly, he’d thrown open the driver’s door and had come to the back and opened the door beside Ryan. With his arm around Ryan’s waist to offer support, he helped Ryan from the car, and I scrambled out behind him.

Two men came running from the back of the ambulance. One I recognized instantly, but the second—a man in his forties—I didn’t know at all.

It was the man I recognized who took most of my attention.

“Dillon!” I exclaimed, my heart bursting with happiness.

He’d cleaned up since the last time I’d seen him. He’d changed his clothes and had showered and shaved. He looked a little thinner, but I figured I probably did, too. We’d all been through a lot.

He scooped me up against him, burying his face in my hair. “Fuck, Rue. It’s so good to see you.”

I clung to him, a part of me wondering if this must be a dream. Did I really have them back? Did I dare hope?

“We can’t waste any more time, people,” Kodee shouted. “We have to keep moving.”

I unraveled myself from Dillon’s arms. “Where did the ambulance come from?”

The man in his forties, who I didn’t know, spoke up. “I called in a favor.”

“Rue, this is Gordon,” Ryan told me. “He’s my prosthetist.”

My mouth gaped, my mind trying to put the pieces together and failing. “What?”

“It’s a long story.” Ryan, still supported by Kodee, shook Gordon’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“You can, but let’s make sure you’re safe first.”

I could hardly believe Ryan’s prosthetist had gone to these lengths to help us. “Aren’t you worried the Capellos are going to come after you?”

He shrugged. “I reported the car stolen. That’s the story I’ll stick to. There’s no reason for them to think I was involved any more than that. Now, let’s get you to the next point so you can all stay safe for good.”

We piled into the back of the ambulance, and Gordon got behind the wheel. He started the engine, and Kodee pulled the doors shut behind us.

“Where are we going?” I dared to ask.

“To the airport,” Kodee replied.

My stomach flipped. “But how?” I wasn’t asking how we’d get to the airport—our mode of transportation was clear. It was what would happen when we got there that had thrown me.

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