Page 69 of Vain
“I’m on it. Tell me where you are, and I’ll go through the traffic cams and see if I can figure out who the fuck is chasing you. The girl?”
“Matilda is in the car with me. They were aiming for my side of the car.”
I look at him and frown, wondering why that’s relevant.
“You think they were looking to take you out so they can snatch the girl?”
“That was my first thought, but they’re not exactly being careful here either. If I lose control of the car, we’ll both be in trouble.”
“Just focus, and I’ll see what I can find.”
“Wait,” I jump in before he disconnects. “I took pictures of the car, including the license plate. I don’t know how clear they are, but I can send them—” I squeal when the car is hit again. I squeeze the phone tightly as Aiden curses.
“What the hell is going on? Are you guys alright? Someone answer me!” this Banner guy roars down the phone.
Wanting Aiden to focus on the road, I answer for him. “We’re okay. That asshole hit us again. I’m not sure how long we can hold him off for.”
“I’m not gonna let them get their fucking hands on you, Tilly,” Aiden promises as tears prick my eyes.
“Trust him, sweetheart. Aiden knows what he’s doing.”
I blow out a shaky breath as I fiddle with the phone and send the photos. “I sent the photos,” I tell him quietly.
“I’ve got them. Good job. These are perfect. Aiden, I’ll call you right back on this number.” He hangs up, leaving me staring at the phone.
I look behind me and see the truck dropping back a little. The band tightening around my chest loosens a touch. As Aiden puts more and more distance between us, I take a deep, steadying breath. I begin to relax right before Aiden grabs a handful of my hair and pulls me forward, my seat belt cutting into me at the last second.
“Fuck!” he snarls just before the glass smashes in the back window. The car jerks violently to the right and we’re airborne and flipping. My head smacks against the passenger-side window before blackness swallows me whole.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
AIDEN
When the car finally stops rolling, an eerie silence blankets us. It’s oppressive and heavy, as if it’s waiting with bated breath for the carnage to continue. I can’t hear anything for a minute, and my vision is compromised by the blood running into my eyes.
I feel around in the back of my pants for my gun. I pull it out and check it before releasing my seatbelt and crumpling to the roof of the car.
“Matilda?” I call her name, her face obscured by her hair as she leans toward the window. When she doesn’t answer, I reach over and tug her hair away, sucking in a sharp breath when I see how much blood is covering her face.
“Tilly? Baby, wake up for me.”
Still nothing. I look around the busted vehicle, loathed to move her. The smell of fuel leaves me little choice. I move until I’m in a better position to grab her before I unclip her belt. She lands on me hard, jarring my shoulder. I didn’t even realize it was injured until now. Pulling her into my arms, I use my foot to kick the door open. It takes some maneuvering to get us bothout, and by the time I do, the smell of fuel has grown strong enough to burn my nose.
I drag her as far from the vehicle as I can, ignoring my shoulder, which screams in protest. I lay her on a patch of damp grass and slip her hair away from her face. I press my ear to her chest and hear her heart thump strong and steady, thank god.
The snap of a twig has my head turning in time to see a flash of light catching off something in the copse of trees.
I’m not taking any risks, not when Tilly’s life is in my hands. I aim my gun and wait, keeping a protective stance in front of her. When I see a figure move through the long grass toward us with what looks like a gun in their hand, I fire a warning shot. They duck instinctively, not realizing how lucky they are. If I’d been aiming to kill, they’d be dead right now.
I go still when I hear the sound of sirens in the distance. Our attacker must hear them, too, because they take off running. I consider shooting again, but shooting someone in the back is likely to get me arrested, and then where will Tilly be?
Once I’m sure they’re gone, I holster my gun and drop to my knees. I lift Tilly’s head and rest it on my legs before checking her pulse again just to make sure she’s still with me.
She moans as I smooth her hair away from her face. “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.” My eyes fall on her hand and the ring on her middle finger. Her grandmother’s engagement ring. I reach for her hand, and, as gently as I can, I slide it off before slipping it onto her ring finger.
The sound of yelling and footsteps has me turning. “We’re over here!” I yell. I never thought I would be so happy to see a couple of cops, especially after what happened earlier. When they make it to me, they take one look at Tilly and immediately jump into gear.
“Get the paramedics over here,” one of them yells.
