Page 88 of Twisted Obsession

A bullet struck the front fender, encouraging me to duck. It also reminded me that I was a target. With no bulletproof protection on, all that kept me alive was willpower and Marcus out there in the darkness with Tina, my sniper rifle.

The driver side door of the SUV had been left open, so I climbed in. I waited with bated breath for the sign I needed. When the muzzle flash of multiple weapons sparked against the darkness, a demented smile passed over my lips. I didn’t want single flashes. I wanted the area where there was a crowd.

After I cranked up the SUV, I threw it into drive, and slammed my foot down on the accelerator. I roared towards the dark area I’d programmed for attack. When I was close enough, I flipped on the lights, ensuring I blinded whoever was unlucky enough to be in my way.

My actions caused bullets to pepper the SUV as they thumped loud against the metal. I ducked and kept moving as part of the front windshield exploded, sending glass raining over me.

The jarring impact of the SUV slamming into something hard send me into the steering wheel. The squeal of a dying man was music to my ears, letting me know that at least one of them had been too slow to move. Random bullets continued to pelt the truck, but it didn’t stop me from exiting. The Mercedes was about a hundred feet away.

As I retreated away from the SUV I’d used as a battering ram, I turned, aimed, and fired two rounds in the gas tank. It was sluggish to blow, so I sent two more hot slugs into the tank. The loud boom that followed the shots shoved my body, the force of the impact strong enough to make me stumble as it blew my short hair sideways.

The shit didn’t blow up neat and contained like it did in the movies. Pieces of metal and fire flew through the air as the deafening sound and force caused my ears to pop. The heat from the flames lit up the sky. The shrill yells of two distinct voices sounded, praying in Spanish as the fire extinguished what little life they had left in them.

The unmistakable sound of sirens in the distance alerted that we were running out of time. The SUV I’d blown up would lead the authorities to us quicker. Tina sounded right before another series of loud moans, indicating that Marcus had taken down another one.

The eerie silence that followed had goosebumps rising on my skin. On instinct, I turned and fired, sending hot lead into head and heart. The man flew back into the darkness from the impact of the bullets. It didn’t matter that I didn’t see but a shadow of his face. As a part of the crew attempting to take Regina, he had been marked for death.

My feet beat up the ground as I ran towards the Mercedes, not caring about my life, but hoping and praying that Regina was alive. I didn’t care if I got there with half my head intact. I was determined to get Regina out of that car. My trek towards the car wasn’t met with any gunfire, which indicated all of them were dead or injured.

The telephone poles were spread wide on this stretch of highway, but the nearest few gave me enough illumination to see JG inside the vehicle. I didn’t see Regina in the front of the car, but it didn’t mean that she wasn’t inside. JG had likely done what I would have done, which was put her in the back seat behind him.

Since the vehicle was turned on its side, driver’s side down, I couldn’t pull JG out. The squeal of the sirens grew louder, causing me to cast a glance in the direction of the sound. Faint traces flashed blue, no more than three or four minutes away.

I climbed on top of the overturned car and peered into the busted passenger side window. The movement of JG’s chest brought a spark of relief.

“Regina!” I yelled, glancing around the darkness and making myself an easy target as I remained on top of the flipped car, searching the back.

“Regina!” I called a second time as I jumped from the car. My heart thundered, threatening to explode. Overwhelming fear pummeled me, refusing to ease its devastating blows. I ran into the darkness in every direction, unwilling to accept what my mind yelled.

Regina was gone. These men were a decoy. They were holding Marcus and Scott back while the person or persons that took Regina made a clean getaway.

“JG!” Scott yelled behind me as he climbed onto and peered into the sideways turned car as I had. He jumped from the car and stood beside me. “We gotta go, Ansel. JG is still breathing but appears to be in bad shape. The medics will get him to the hospital. We’ll get him out later if we have to.”

I heard Scott, but at the same time, I didn’t.

Dread and helplessness kicked my ass with lead boots. I had one friend seriously injured that we’d have to leave. Two more that had been trading fire with motherfuckers who’d led them into an ambush. And the worse news, the news that snatched my heart out…someone had gotten away with Regina. I’d let someone get their hands on her when I was supposed to be the one protecting her. She could be someplace right now being tortured, and that shit was on me.

“Ansel, man, we gotta go!” Scott yelled as he gripped and shook my arm. “There are too many fucking bodies out here. We go and regroup so we can track down Regina.”

Scott’s words jarred me from my trance. I didn’t care if I had to set the fucking city on fire. I would find Regina, and I didn’t care who I needed to go through to get her back.

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