Page 86 of Twisted Revelations

40

Beverly

Luke’s standoff with Kadeem had scared the shit out of me. I knew Kadeem and how easily he snapped and killed people. But at that moment, Luke had frightened me more. Although he’d scared me breathless, he’d also had me overflowing with pride. He’d not spoken a word to Kadeem, yet I got the sense that the men understood each other.

Laura and I had picked up a few new sponsors, including Luke. Hearing the kids raving about the good time they’d had made my heart swell. Luke and Dax were polite enough to help with the cleanup.

Although he’d tried, it was easy to tell Dax wasn’t used to cleaning anything by the way he’d been sloshing dirty mop water across the floor. Luke had put him out of his misery and taken control.

Dax and Laura departed a half hour ahead of us because I wanted to linger. There was still more cleaning to do by the time we prepared to leave, but I chastised myself when I realized I was babying the volunteers who’d assured me they’d take care of it.

Luke marched around the dark BMW M760i, compliments of Dax. He opened my door and assisted me in. Chivalry was a nonexistent practice for most of the men in my world. However dangerous our protectors were, they harbored respect toward women in a way I wasn’t used to.

Luke was my very own big, sexy bodyguard. His strong presence provided a level of security that caused me to believe I was safe from everything. He’d agreed to take me back to my apartment so I could pack a few more of our things. I enjoyed being spoiled, but each time Dax had to purchase things for us, I felt a twinge of guilt.

Luke took my apartment keys, opened the door, and he entered first. He stood me near the inside of the front door after locking it so he could check the rest of the apartment before I proceeded to pack a bag.

I exited my bedroom with a large backpack stuffed with clothes and lots of undies. If this DG6 crew continued the chase, I was determined to at least have clean underwear while running. I took a few more moments to go into Laura’s room that she rarely stayed in and packed her a few things.

We’d shared an apartment for years and had never had one problem. For one, Laura was hardly there. If she wasn’t spending the night at some woman’s place, she’d pass out on the couch in her office at the center. I’d never understood how she slept at the center at night when the surrounding area turned into an active warzone.

“Ready?” I asked Luke as I headed toward the front door. In no time, Luke was at my back, pulling me from the door. “Stay behind me,” he stated, his face serious, gaze locked on the door.

I gladly stayed in place behind him. The small amount of contact with his strong hand wrapped around my arm already had my lust stirring. Why the heck was I lusting at a time like this? Lust should have been the last thing to surface, but there it was, urging me to take in a deep whiff of his spicy-lavender scent.

Once Luke established our pathway back to his car was clear, he took my bag and slung it across his sturdy shoulder as I followed him down the stairs. I didn’t miss the fact that his free hand—his gun hand, was at his side. I couldn’t spot the gun, and anyone passing probably wouldn’t notice it either, but I knew he had it ready.

Once he’d secured me in the car, I scanned my surroundings much like Luke had, refusing to allow complacency to set in. DG6 was a force to fear, and taking the threat lightly wasn’t smart.

“Where are we headed?” I asked peering out my window at the darkness outside. Dax had called and informed that to be on the safe side we would be staying at a different location. At this point, it didn’t matter where he took us because it was always more extravagant than any place I’d stayed in.

“It’s a secluded place about an hour away. He and Laura already have our belongings and are going to meet us there,” he replied as he adjusted the seat. The seats must have been preset because each time Luke entered he’d had to move it back as far as it would go to accommodate his size.

My body relaxed into my seat as I inhaled deeply. Between the new car scent and Luke’s invigorating aroma, a mood candle may as well have been burning.

My head automatically turned in his direction as he shifted the car, heading toward our new destination. We coasted in silence for a few minutes until we reached the busy intersection we needed to take.

“Do you think—”

Bam!

My neck snapped, and my body lurched. Luke maneuvered the steering wheel as we spun out of control. Less than five minutes into the drive and we’d been hit by a vehicle that neither of us had seen coming.

They must have had their lights flipped off. Thankfully, they’d clipped the front fender, so Luke was able to shift the car into gear and speed away. Our tires produced a screeching yell as we made our getaway.

The vehicle gave chase, aiming to ram us and proving it wasn’t a random hit and run. However, their SUV was no match for the car’s V12 engine. I didn’t know much about cars, but hearing Laura’s discussions with Dax about cars hadn’t been lost on me. I couldn’t remember how much horsepower they’d revealed the car had, but Luke was giving it a workout as the SUV struggled to keep up with us.

* * *

The car swerved,squealed, and grunted against the highway to avoid our relentless pursuers, but Luke kept us going. Due to the congestion of the busy intersection, we’d been forced into a residential neighborhood. We avoided a few near misses of people’s empty trashcans that had been flipped onto the road’s edge and forgotten by the owners after trash pick-up.

The rearview mirror revealed a black SUV, fast moving and relentless in its quest to keep up with us. The windows were tinted so dark, it blended with the night and caused the vehicle to appear invisible in certain areas.

Luke made the BMW’s engine roar, but the SUV continued to close the distance, preparing to ram us. I gripped the, “oh shitbar” above my head, preparing for the impact. Their high beams flipped on, blinding us while revealing they were close enough to kiss our rear end.

My eyes fell closed in preparation for the impact, but Luke forced a sharp turn to the left and sped down another street doing sixty in a twenty-five mile per hour zone. The houses and porch lights flashed past my vision. Thankfully, it was too late at 11:34 p.m. for kids or people to be outside.

“I know you don’t like guns, Beverly,” Luke stated before handing me one. I couldn’t have named what kind of gun it was if my life depended on it, but I took it.

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