Page 40 of Royally Embraced: RBMC

“We’ve been hit. It’s an ambush, Kendrick. Fuck, I’m going to kill the motherfucker.” He pulled the gun out of his back holster, took the safety off, and looked around them.

Tori was still pushing the pedal on the car, getting them away from the wreckage as much as possible. The poor vehicle couldn’t take much more damage.

A big black SUV turned in front of them, heading in their direction. He aimed the gun at the windshield.

His phone rang. “What?” he yelled.

“Don’t shoot.” Kendrick’s voice was icy. The big vehicle came to a rocking top next to theirs, followed by another, blocking Jeter and Tori’s car from view. A huge man, Jeter recognized as his brother’s second, climbed out, holding a black umbrella. Andre moved to the driver’s door and waited.

He got out, walked around the car, and nodded to Andre.

Bending down, he knocked on Tori’s window. “Come on, Vita Mia. Let’s go.”

She tried to open the door, fear making her pale face ashen.

Andre handed Jeter the bulletproof umbrella. “I got this,” he growled. His hand gripped the parts of the door that gave him leverage, and he pulled.

The metal door protested with a loud screech and finally opened when he gave a hard pull. Jeter returned the umbrella to Andre, swooped down, unbuckled Tori, and lifted her into his arms.

“I got you,” he murmured low enough that only she could hear.

He slid her inside the first SUV, meeting Kendrick’s hard gaze. “We need to end this.”

“On that, we agree. This was a complication I didn’t see coming, brother.” He looked at Tori wrapped in Jeter’s arms.

She sat up, seeming to snap out of the shock gripping her.

“Can someone please explain to me what the fuck is going on?” she screamed.

Chapter Twenty

Blood dripped down her forehead. He grit his teeth, daring Kendrick to open his fucking mouth. “Do you have any wipes in this bitch?”

A hand stretched from the backseat, placing a pack of wet wipes on the seat. Jeter opened it and attempted to wipe some of the blood off of Tori’s face.

“Stop it. Just stop treating me like a fucking child, dammit. Why is he here and, obviously, already in place? And why the fuck didn’t I know about the plan? Was it always set up that Enzo and his woman wouldn’t come? Jesus fuck, I totaled her car and several others. There’s probably an APB out for me right now. We need to go to the police station. Someone tried to kill me. Again.” She broke down, her cries shredding his soul.

“Truth time.” She snorted, but he continued, “Yes, Kendrick was always going to be here. No, I didn’t maneuver Enzo and his ole’ lady out of the picture, but I’m fucking glad they weren’t in the car with us. I didn’t tell you about Kendrick watching my back because I didn’t think there would be a reason for him to show his face. Hell, I was being hopeful we’d get in, get your stuff, and get out with no issue. I don’t know how anyone knew where we were or what we were driving. It doesn’t make any fucking sense.”

“Where’s my purse?” she asked. Her gasp had him looking around.

Andre held it out to them. She spilled the contents out onto the seat between them. When nothing looked odd, she began looking through the interior, her fingers digging, and then she stopped and looked at him. Her eyes widened.

He watched her lift her hand out. Between her fingers, she found a small round disc. “A tag. I got a notification a few nights back, but the other bartender at Hoolihan’s said it belonged to him and was on his laptop bag. He showed it to me, and stupid me, didn’t think anything was amiss. Why the fuck would I? Stupid me dismissed the notification and continued working with the guy. He tagged me.”

Jeter rolled down the window and tossed the device out the window. He texted Keys, giving him the kid's name and information. The fucker’s name got added to Jeter’s list of people he planned to take out.

“Shit. Hold on,” Kendrick’s driver said.

Jeter secured his arms around Tori, reaching to buckle them into their seatbelts. The window next to him sounded like a boulder hit it. He did a double-take. “Damn, brother, bulletproof windows. I’m impressed.”

“Frankie, get us the fuck out of here. I don’t care if you have to drive over ten cars to do it.”

“On it, boss.”

“Keep your heads down. Nothing is foolproof,” Kendrick shouted. He rolled his window down, lifted his arm, and began firing from his weapon. The two men in the back must’ve followed suit as more shots rang out from behind him.

Tori put her hands over her ears. He stared at Andre, then at the shit around them.

---