Page 87 of Twisted Revelations

“I don’t, but I know how trigger happy these DG6 people are.”

Luke drove like a mad man; his last sharp turn caused my stomach to flip-flop as we cut the corner onto a dark, lifeless street that housed the back of a shopping plaza.

A loud, demanding punch struck my window, and I instinctively ducked, straining against the seatbelt to take cover.

“Don’t be afraid, Beverly, the vehicle is bulletproof.” Was the knowledge the vehicle was bulletproof supposed to ease the stress of us being shot at? Bullets continued to punch at the windows with maddening force as we raced down the dark street being chased by black death.

When Luke slowed the BMW, I prepared to ask if he was crazy until he spun the vehicle around so fast that my body was slung across the center console, my head nearly brushing his shoulder. The shock of our sudden turn had my arms and hands flailing about, attempting to find something to catch a hold of.

The bottom portion of the seatbelt gripped my lower half, warning of our erratic movements. Luke had turned the vehicle so we faced the bad guys. The lights of their vehicle grew closer, lighting the way around us. They weren’t stopping, and Luke wasn’t moving. He’d just flip out our headlights so we’d die an even darker death.

“Please tell me you’re not about to do what I think you’re about to do,” I challenged, knowing the inevitable truth. After that standoff with Kadeem, I was convinced nothing frightened this man. However, this type of shit terrified me. I wasn’t on his level. I was afraid to die. I was afraid to get shot. I was deathly afraid to die in a head-on collision.

“Luke.” My tone was low and shaking with fear.

The tires screamed, shaking under the car, attempting to convince Luke to shake off this crazy idea. We took off with the BMW lurching onwards like it was on a suicide mission. With no headlights on, my vision was playing tricks with my eyes, and I couldn’t tell how far we were away from the vehicle speeding toward us. I slammed my eyes shut. I didn’t need to, nor did I want to see the moment before the impact.

“Lord, please forgive me for all my sins. I tried to do right by Your glorious name and pray that I’ve done enough good to win Your favor. All I ask is that You take me fast.” I prayed with my eyes glued shut.

My heart was in competition with the revved-up engine. I could feel it beating in my throat, the speeding thumps spilling from my mouth as I continued to pray.

“Jesus, please take that wheel because the driver has gone completely mad.” My eyes were shut trembling tight, my voice throaty and filled with begging intensity.

As we sped ahead to meet our assured death, my brain chose to acknowledge time on a whole new level. We had to have been speeding toward death for an hour. With my eyes clenched tight, I recognized the squeal of tires and the unmistakable sound of a car crashing.

I pried my eyes apart and whipped my neck around at the cloud of dust behind us. It wasn’t us. We’d survived. We weren’t dead. They’d been the ones to chicken out, and I noticed our headlights were on now.

My lips fell apart as I glared at Luke in the dim cab of the car. I started slapping at his right arm like a child throwing a tantrum. My hands bounced off his hard arm, my licks not affecting him one bit.

“I can’t believe you almost killed me,” I whispered as I hit his arm once more for effect. The solid smack sounded off inside the cab of the car, and he had the nerve to smile, which urged me to hit him a few more times.

When he slowed and started to turn the car, my lips parted again.

“What are you doing?” I questioned. He flipped the light to dimmers, making the inside panel light cast an eerie glow against his face.

“I can’t leave them there to come after us again. I think they were camped out near your apartment building.” He parked about four car lengths from the flipped SUV.

I knew we were taking a risk going to my apartment, but I’d been hoping that DG6 had given up the chase by now. These people were persistent. Were Laura and I ever going to be able to go home?

The sound of metal connecting with metal led my eyes to Luke screwing a silencer on the barrel of his gun. “Stay low, lock the doors when I get out, and shoot anyone you don’t recognize.”

Those were the words he’d left me with before he exited the car and slammed the door shut behind him. The rest of my questions died on my tongue as I peered after him, gun in hand as it sat like a heavy weight across my lap.

I engaged the lock using the switch on my door panel. The moon’s glow cast enough light for me to spot Luke running toward the SUV that had flipped at least twice and landed upright. It’s bent and broken body sat crumpled on its warped tires, part of the hood peeled back to the windshield. Thick white smoke billowed from the exposed engine that continued to hum.

The dimness must have been playing with my vision because it appeared Luke had ripped the passenger’s side door off the car. The muzzle flash of his weapon gave me a glimpse of the passenger’s terror-filled face before the dark spray of his head contents dotted the headrest behind him. Another muzzle flash revealed the driver slumping as his shadowy body convulsed against the steering wheel.

Luke reached into the car and took something from the dead men. What was he doing? Was he taking their wallets to find out who they were? Was this my life now? I’d been transported into an action film without a script. I’d been surrounded by death and danger all my life growing up in Crestwood, but this was on a whole other level.

The light on Luke’s phone revealed he’d lifted it to his ear. He spoke on the phone and strolled back to our car leisurely like he hadn’t just played Russian roulette with two tons of fast-moving metal and killed two men. I popped the door locks for him to get back in, angling my head and turning so I could observe his every move.

He cracked the door and peeked inside. “I’ll get this taken care of as fast as I can,” he confirmed before he continued his conversation on the phone.

“Yes. I led them to a back road, so the vehicle shouldn’t be spotted. I’ll take care of the bodies.”

What in the hell did I just hear?My ears perked as I fought for understanding. This was the second time taking care of bodies had been mentioned. The first time was with the men at the airport and Dax hadn’t been too worried about leaving Luke there alone.

He continued giving someone a set of what I believed were grid coordinates. What the hell did it all mean?

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