Page 64 of Rami

“Rami, look out!” Ivy cried.

Rami’s finger hesitated on the trigger as a rush of footsteps sounded behind him. He wheeled around just as the butt of a gun whacked the side of his head.

Pain exploded through his skull, and he stumbled. Before he could right himself, the newcomer’s shoulder connected with Rami’s midsection, taking him to the ground. Ivy’s fearful cries pelted his heart as he wrestled the man on top of him.

“You’re fucking dead,” the newcomer wheezed. The barrel of his gun shifted to Rami’s forehead. Rami tossed the guy to the floor then aimed his gun at the man’s midsection and pulled the trigger.

The cocksucker jerked and gasped. Blood gushed from his abdomen to coat the floor in sticky ooze. Gurgles erupted from the dying man’s lips as he curled on the floor, his hand desperately trying to staunch the wound.

Rami kicked free from their tangled limbs and sprinted for the front of the store, where Ivy had been taken.

“Hey!” the store clerk yelled.

Leaping through the shot-out window, Rami ignored him. The night air met his sweat-soaked skin. Frantically, he scoured the parking lot. His chest heaved. The lights of the gas station illuminated a large white van.

“Rami!” Ivy’s agonized scream separated the airwaves and crashed into his brain. He broke into a run. She hung over the shoulder of one of the masked men, her hair in tangles and her fists slamming the kidnapper’s back.

Rami’s boots smacked the pavement, each stomp reverberating through his joints. “Stop!” he howled at the top of his lungs.

The man running with Ivy didn’t slow. Rami sprinted, his lungs screaming as he pumped his legs. He didn’t dare take a shot at the man while Ivy was in his arms. They weren’t far from the waiting van, but Rami was closing in. He was going to reach them before they got inside.

Crack! Crack!

Two bullets hit him in the back with the force of a wrecking ball, throwing him to the pavement. He sucked in a shuddering breath, the pain like hot shards of glass ripping through his lungs. But no sticky warmth coated his skin, telling him the bullets hadn’t missed the Kevlar. He staggered to his feet and locked gazes with Ivy. Her wide, horror-stricken eyes didn’t leave his face.

Pain pulsed across his shoulders and neck, but he scanned the parking lot behind him. Where the hell was the shooter? The two men inside had to be dead, and even if they weren’t, they certainly wouldn’t have had enough strength to follow him out here. There had to be a fourth—

“Rami, look out!” Ivy cried.

To his right, an engine revved. Headlights flicked on, temporarily blinding him. Another SUV. He lifted his weapon and aimed at the driver. The car gunned forward, on track to mow him down.

Rami fired, the sharp blast mixing with Ivy’s screams. The bullets blew through the windshield, but the SUV didn’t stop barreling down.

Shit.

He dodged away from its path, but the vehicle followed, forcing him into a run—right toward Ivy. He watched as the man carrying her yanked open the door of the van. His heart lurched.

No!

“Stop!” he screamed. Fury vibrated his chest.

A glance over his shoulder showed the SUV hot on his heels. If he didn’t dive out of the way he’d be run over in seconds. If he did, he wouldn’t make it to Ivy.

The screech of tires split the air, making his hair stand on end. He looked over his shoulder to see Taschen’s vehicle gunning toward the SUV gaining on him.

Crash!

Rami jumped as glass and metal crunched and smashed. He lost his footing, and the wind was knocked out of him as he connected harshly with the cement. Taschen’s vehicle had T-boned Rami’s pursuers, sending the SUV skidding ten feet from where Rami lay.

He lurched to his feet. The world tilted beneath him, but he fought the pull of gravity and charged for the van.

The tires screeched as the vehicle tore out of the parking lot. A deep, animalistic roar sounded from his chest. He stopped and aimed his gun at the tires.

Crack, crack, crack!

Each blast sent a shockwave through his tender chest, but not a single fucking bullet hit its mark.

The van disappeared, pulling the air from Rami’s lungs with it.

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