Page 159 of Manacled Hearts

“Bartiste’s head is mine!” I warn.

He chuckles then disconnects the call.

“We’re not going to June’s then?” Evie asks as more bullets snap through the air, grazing the car.

“A bit fucking late now!” I shout over the roar of the engine.

We can’t attract attention to Vincent’s mom’s house. We’ll put everyone in danger.

“Where’s your gun? I’ll try to shoot them.” My Evie is brave, but this is not the time.

“Stay down!” CCTV footage shows up on the car screen when I accept the notification that showed up there.

The warehouse is still empty, but not for long.

Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I take a sharp turn on a high-pitched screech of the tires and Evelyn’s yelp, and put my foot down once again, speeding through the quiet street lit by old, yellow lamps. The car behind us follows, but the bullets have paused, and they’re further behind.

“Come on you bastard, come on,” I mutter under my breath, my gaze snapping between the road ahead and the mirror.

“We’re supposed to evade them, not will them closer!” Evelyn shouts from her makeshift hiding place.

“Evade them? I’m not running, darling, I’m fucking hunting!” I roar.

I lift the foot off the gas enough that they’re starting to catch up. A few more bullets fly and I know they hit the back seat from the muffled sound.

“What’s the plan?” she shouts.

“When I tell you, get up and hold the fuck on!”

She doesn’t answer, but from the corner of my eye I can see how she’s bracing herself. The road is quieter the deeper we drive into the estate and my gut is beaming with anticipation.

“Now!” I scream.

Evelyn whips out of her hiding place, plants herself in her seat, and manages to strap herself in as I swerve slightly to the left, and plant my foot on the brake. With a shriek, we’re right next to the car that followed us, only I let us fall back just enough that my front lines up with their back, and pull a sharp right, catching their back with a crashing jolt.

“Gun in arm rest!” I shout as their car turns perpendicular to ours and I accelerate to carry them forward. The noise of blocked tires against the asphalt grits my eardrums, and I wiggle the steering wheel around to keep them in front of me.

Evelyn complies, and without further instruction, she cocks the weapon, lines it up out the window, and pulls the trigger on a loud pop.

“Good girl!” She hit the driver, and the shooter looks angry now. “Hold on!”

I press the foot on the gas and turn the wheel a few inches to the left, guiding them exactly where I want them, then slam my foot on the brake, screeching to a halt. Their car shifts straight into a concrete wall, windows smashing as it jolts.

Wasting no time, I grab the gun out of Evelyn’s hand, and step out. On hurried, unfaltering steps, I reach their car illuminated by my headlights. The shooter attempts to pull himself out through the driver’s seat, climbing over the man who’s grunting in pain. Not dead yet, then.

Anger-driven adrenaline courses through my veins at the thought that the bastards could have fucking killed Evelyn. On echoing pops, I let two shots fly one after the other, and the men take their last breaths as blood trickles down their foreheads. Without a second thought, I whip around and go right back inside the car.

“What’s happening, Finnigan? What are those?” Evelyn asks, eyes fixed on the car screen.

A smirk pulls at my lips as the infrared camera feed shifts between different locations inside the warehouse. Men are strewn all over, standing, sitting, laid down. A small army invades the space through the back entrance, arms drawn. Another group sneaks in through the back, trying to ambush the people already waiting there.

“Seriously, what is this?!”

“Bartiste’s men. Coming for us,” I answer, a calm quality to my tone.

“No! Finnigan, oh my god! We have to do something!” She shifts in her seat, hands trembling as she presses them to the sides of her head, brows drawn up.

She claims she might want to leave, but she cares so much about men she never met, men she only knows as being part of The Sanctum.

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