Page 38 of Raphael (Belles & Mobsters 5)

Getting behind the wheel, Raphael strapped himself in too, then muttered in Spanish to Caine,“They are on our tail. Call for the plane and have them ready. It will be a bumpy ride.”

His voice was tense. I pretended not to understand, although my heart thundered under my chest. If he was worried, it had to be bad. Raphael put the car in the drive just as his other guy sat on the motorcycle and revved the motor.

“Umm, is your guy really going to ride a motorcycle?” I asked, staring at Raphael’s man mounting a motorcycle.

“Yes.” He put his Mercedes into drive and without delay slammed his foot on the pedal.

I stiffened, my hands tightening in my lap and the motorcycle forgotten.

Raphael kept his foot glued to the floor, sending the speedometer flying. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror and I finally turned around to find three black Ford SUVs behind us, speeding just as fast.

“Is that them?” My voice shook and my eyes widened. Raphael might have showed up at the perfect time or Gabriel and I would have been dead.

“I think so, but I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?” The words were barely out of my mouth when Raphael slammed hard on the breaks. I barely had time to brace my arms around Gabriel and lower his head onto my lap when one car rear ended us while the other two passed us.

“Fuck!” My ribcage burned from the seatbelt when the impact happened but I gritted my teeth and ignored the pain.

“Get down!” Raphael’s voice startled me. I leaned over Gabriel, my face down, just as a blast of gunfire shattered the back windshield.

Gabriel’s muffled scream mixed with Raphael’s string of curses.

“On your right, Caine,” Raphael barked.

ChapterTwenty

RAPHAEL

The fucking road was narrow, one way in and one way out. Yet the two motherfuckers crammed into the narrow road. If a car came from the opposite direction, it would be a head on collision and the seatbelts wouldn’t save us.

Bullets flew around us and I drew my gun from the back of my pants. Caine started shooting the car that was inching towards us from the right. The bastards attempted to surround us.

Opening my window, I leaned over and shot two bullets into the tires of the SUV on my left side. Then I slammed on the brake as the driver lost control of his vehicle. Their car barely missed us and crashed into the one on the right while the one behind us slammed into the back of us again.

“Shit!”

Sailor lifted her head, terror in her blue eyes.

“It will be okay,” I assured her, though I had no business giving her that assurance.

She nodded. My foot hit the gas pedal and we sped down the road.

“I can shoot,” she said, surprising me.

Her voice shook but her hands didn’t. With those three words, I made a quick decision. She unbuckled her seatbelt as I pulled out a gun out of the glovebox, then handed it to her. She took it without hesitation and twisted around, peeking above the headrest.

Gabriel went to move but she stopped him. “Stay down, Gabriel,” she warned him. “No matter what, you keep your head down.”

“Okay, Mom.”

Fuck, this woman had guts. Raising her hand, she aimed, put her finger on the trigger and pulled.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

One hit, two misses. Not bad considering the speed we were going. I assisted with firing bullets of my own, sinking one into the driver’s side tire and sending him spinning uncontrollably.

“Good job,” I commended her.

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