Page 32 of King
“What’s wrong?”
Neither answer my question nor spare me a look. Tongue glances at David, giving him a curt nod. David picks up speed and Tongue does his best to keep his face from showing any emotions, but I’m not stupid. I’ve been involved with amade manfor years. I know when shit is going down and shit is going down. Tongue pulls out his phone.
“It’s Matteo, isn’t it?”
Panic chokes me. I frantically look out the back window of the SUV as terror races through me, trying to see if I can see anything that may have put them on edge. I don’t see anything other than normal traffic.
“Has he found me?”
Out of nowhere, two motorcycles come alongside us. One on either side of the SUV we’re riding in. At first, I thought Tongue called some of the guys, but then I notice their leather vests are different. They don’t say Sin City on the back but Savage Order across the top and San Francisco along the bottom. Relief briefly encompasses me. It isn’t Matteo, just a bunch of bikers.
But why are the guys still on the defensive?
“On the floor, Alana!” Tongue shouts out of the blue.
But his order doesn’t come quick enough. The window shatters. I understand immediately why they’re on the defensive.
“Oh fuck!” I yell, dropping to the floor in the back of the SUV.
I cover my head with my hands as more gunfire erupts, the scent of burning rubber and gunpowder fills my nose. Both David and Tongue are cursing, the SUV is swerving, tires are screeching, and I’m praying that my ass doesn’t die today.
God, please. I can’t die today.
Since everything went down with Matteo, I’ve thought my last days on earth would be at his hands, but it looks like I may have been wrong.
“Stay down, Alana!” Tongue yells as gunshots ring out from inside the SUV. I’m not a gun person, and this isn’t the first time I’ve been shot at, or been around guns, but I’m fucking elated someone on my side has one. Maybe I’ll make it out alive after the smoke clears.
The sound of bullets hitting metal sounds exactly like it does in the movies. I’ve been in one other shootout when someone attacked Matteo. The sounds of the bullets, the smell of the gunpowder, and the absolute terror that weighs your body down is indescribable. This time is no different. With each ping I jump, bracing myself for the impact of the bullet and the searing pain that comes along with getting shot. But it hasn’t come. At least not yet.
“There’s one more coming up behind us!” David yells.
“Fuck!” Tongue curses, then leans over my body, his palm pushing my head further down into the floor of the SUV.
I can’t complain even though the way he’s pushing me down is making it hard for me to breathe.
“Stay down, Alana!” Tongue orders.
The explosion of the back window sends glass shards flying over me and Tongue. I scream and he grunts but he doesn’t stop shooting. I don’t know if he shot the glass out or someone else, but it isn’t too long before a loud boom sounds and all the gunfire ceases.
“Get us the fuck out of here, Prospect!” Tongue screams, jumping back in the front seat. “It won’t be long before the cops swarm this place.”
The engine revs and the SUV speeds up.
“You can get up, Alana,” Tongue says. “It’s safe.”
Slowly I rise, careful not to cut myself on the broken glass. Then, I see the blood covering his shirt. “Oh, my God! Tongue you’ve been shot. We need to get you to the hospital.”
He shakes his head. “No hospitals. Are you good?”
I have some scrapes from the glass but other than that I’m fine.
“You’re worried about me? You’re the one bleeding all over the damn place.” He takes in a deep breath, but I don’t like the way he sounds when he releases it. “You don’t sound so good, Tongue.”
I’m really concerned about his injury. He’s bleeding way too much and not breathing right not to go to the hospital.
“I’ve had worse. Are you good?” he asks again.
“I’m fine, Tongue. Some cuts from the glass. But you need to go to the hospital.”
