Page 80 of Silk Shadow

He nodded, assessing their surroundings, and a short time later pulled up outside a mini supermarket. "Tell me what you want, and I’ll go and get it. You wait here and keep the doors locked."

A soft sigh. "Okay, sure." She gave him a verbal list, then sat back, her mind elsewhere. The items were easy to find, and ten minutes later he was back in the car, driving her home.

He turned into her street and pulled over in front of her block. Luckily, there was a parking space right outside. Viper pulled in and turned off the engine. “I’ll help you upstairs,” he said, getting out of the car. Izzy opened her door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

A black SUV crawled up the road.

Four-wheel drive. Blacked-out windows. No plates.

His senses went on high alert. "Izzy, get back in the car!"

She looked up, confused. The SUV sped up, its tires growling on the pavement. The side window opened, and the steel nozzle of an automatic pistol poked out.

"Get down!" Viper yelled, reaching for his gun.

Izzy dove back into the car, groceries spilling onto the street. She crouched low, her breath quickening.

The concierge stepped outside, concern etched on his face. Viper shouted for him to get back just as the shooter opened fire.

CHAPTER 33

Izzy screamed and covered her ears. The gunfire was deafening, echoing around her, bullets pinging into the car.

"Stay low!" Viper yelled over the chaos.

A bullet tore through the soft canopy of the convertible and embedded itself in the back of the seat where she'd been sitting moments before.

Holy hell. That was too close.

Why had she insisted on a convertible? No one had warned her it would be a risk in a shootout.

"Viper!"

He had maneuvered around to the other side of the car and was firing back. She could see him through the open door, his face a grim mask of concentration. His gun discharged in rapid succession, providing cover.

The noise was overwhelming.

The shooting seemed to last forever, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. She kept her head down, praying she wouldn't get hit.

Then, suddenly, silence. She heard the screech of tires as the SUV sped off down the road, disappearing around a bend.

"Quick, get out of the car!" Viper shouted, reaching for her.

Izzy grabbed his hand, letting him help her onto the sidewalk. They sprinted toward the front door. The concierge unlocked it, and they slipped inside. Viper kept his eyes on the road behind them.

"Is this bulletproof?" He tapped the thick glass with his gun.

"I don’t know," said a stunned Lewis. He held a baseball bat, ready to swing if anyone came through the door. Izzy hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

"Call the cops," Viper barked. "Get them out here before that car comes back for another drive-by."

"Was that a warning, or did they mean to kill me?" Izzy couldn't stop shaking.

"Those weren't blanks they were shooting," Viper said. "That was for real."

"Oh, Lord." She sank down onto the tiled floor, her legs giving out. "Thank God you saw them coming."

He put his big, callused hand over hers. She fought the urge to cling to him, like she had in Mexico. "You're okay now."

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