Page 121 of Dagger

Shotgun wasn’t a brother I’d had much to do with because, if I was honest, I got a snaky vibe from him. I’d been around enough liars and cheats to recognize them instantly. I wasn’t surprised he’d done something to piss the club off, but what I was surprised about was that nobody else had picked up on it, especially after Sophie told me about his role in John’s fight with Colt.

A cell phone suddenly rang through the car’s speaker system. Shot leaned forward, clicked a button on the in-car system, and barked, “Yo!”

Reno’s voice came over the speaker “Brother, Layla’s throwing up. Can we pull over for a minute?”

I held my breath.

Shotgun scraped a hand down his face. “I’ll meet you at the airport. No point in us all being late.”

“Already called Prez to ask what to do,” Reno argued good-naturedly. “He ordered us to stick together. He’d rather us be late than get separated. Colt will do somethin’ to the airline computer to get them to stick around.”

“Fuckin Colt,” Shot muttered.

There was a pause, and I bit my lip nervously, on the edge of my seat, waiting for Shotgun’s reply.

After a pause, Reno asked, “What was that, bro?”

Shot heaved out a breath. “Nothin’.” He checked his watch, then the mirrors. “Follow me. I’ll pull over as soon as it’s safe.”

“Gotcha,” Reno said breezily before the line went dead.

Sophie grabbed my hand again and squeezed. “Wonder what’s wrong with Layla,” she murmured out loud. “Lucky there’s a doctor in the house, though she’s probably picked up some of her kid’s germs. They’re little super spreaders at Sunny’s age. It’s always best to check it out though, just in case.”

Shot kept his mouth shut and began to slow down.

I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear with trembling fingers. Adrenaline coursed through my bloodstream so forcefully that my ears whooshed. With a conscious effort, I attempted to settle myself down, trying to think clearly.

We needed to get out of this car and over to the others without setting Shotgun off. There was safety in numbers; Reno and Maze were no doubt armed, so if we could lull Shot into a false sense of security, there was a chance we could get out of thisshit show with no casualties. Both cars were filled with kids; we had to disable him somehow without them getting hurt.

“Wonder if Layla’s pregnant again?” Kennedy murmured thoughtfully as if she had no care in the world.

“It wouldn’t shock me,” I replied, trying to keep the conversation flowing as the car slowly came to a stop.

Keep it together, Elise, keep it together, I chanted in my head, throwing the door open. “Come on, Soph. I’ll help.”

“I’m gonna call Kit while we’ve stopped,” Kennedy declared. “Get out, kids. Dad will want to talk to you before we fly out.” She threw her door open. “If we call him now, we’ll have more time at the airport.”

“Gonna make a call,” Shotgun muttered, watching us all climb out of the car.

Without looking back, we all walked toward the car behind us, which was slowing to a stop. My stare automatically slid to the SUV Maze was driving, which was pulling up behind.

The walk took about ten seconds, but every step felt like I was moving in quicksand. My limbs felt heavy, and panic rose in my throat. I had to remember we had two men, likely armed, and two cars full of women, one who was badass and the others who’d had badass training. Plus, I could bitch slap with the best of them and, given half the chance, would pull Shotgun's long hair out at the root before kicking him in the balls.

I pulled my shoulders back and walked with purpose.

We could do this.

Reno exited his car and jerked his chin toward the back, silently guiding us where he wanted us to go. He plastered a grin on his face and put his sunglasses on, as if he were some movie star. “Yo, Shot!” he yelled at the other car. “You got any smokes?”

Shotgun called something back, and Reno nodded, shouting, “No problem, bud.” He turned back toward the SUV and fellinto step beside us. “The boys are five minutes away. We got a twenty-minute head start, but we stayed under the speed limit. The boys are doin’ a hundred at least, so they’ve caught us up. Get to the car, make out you’re sorting Layla, and if anything happens, you keep your heads down. I’m packing, and so is Maze, and Layla’s got my spare gun. Ammo’s full, but it’s all we have.” He checked his watch, “Four minutes now. Get in the car and keep the kids close.”

Sophie and I exchanged worried glances. “It’ll be okay. Help’s coming,” I assured her quietly.

“I know,” she whispered back. “But if shots are fired, please don’t jump in front of a shower of bullets this time, Mom. My heart can’t take it.”

Somehow, her words hit the spot, and I smiled. “I won’t.”

A soft moan carried over the breeze as we approached the SUV.

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