Page 68 of Torched

“YES!” I shout.

“Keep going, Gen!” Jeremy booms with clear pride in his voice. The SUV in front leads us into town, and when I look through the back of the car, I see our following car running off the road, colliding with one of their Jeeps. Two are still following behind us, and I reload the gun.

“Get us to Main Street. They won’t dare to shoot us there!” Liam commands.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Jeremy argues.

“We’ll have to take our chances!”

The car speeds through every corner, leaving skid marks behind. Tires screech as we all lay low, and the driver takes us away from whoever is after us as we hold our guns below the windows. We reach the center of the little island town within a minute, and I take a deep breath, figuring this will be the moment where we can all recenter ourselves. But my hope is short-lived when I hear another bullet enter the already damaged back window.

“They don’t give a shit!” Cristina huffs. “You have to cut me loose!”

“Not yet.” Jeremy throws Liam the keys of her handcuffs when we speed into an alley, toward a deserted warehouse. My eyebrows knit together when I look inside, though I shouldn’t be surprised at what I’m seeing. A second car seems to be waiting for us in the form of a black van, and we all exit the cars as fast as possible.

“Go, baby.” Liam gives me a push, and I follow Jeremy. The men in the first SUV head into the back of the van, their guns aimed to cover us as I hurry inside with my gun close to my side.

When I take a seat on the hard bench, I look at the SUV I just came out of, my heart almost jumping out of my chest when I hear the Jeep close to the warehouse. Cristina has a hard time getting out of the car with her hands cuffed in front of her and Liam pulls her to her feet when she falls from the vehicle.

“Get up!” he shouts at the same time the Jeep enters.

“No!” Gunshots ring in my ear, the sound deafening, even though it becomes completely silent in my head. The entire scene plays out in slow motion, my brain registering Liam’s frantic calls.

“Go! Go! GO!” he shouts, waving his hand up and down. “I will meet you at the house!”

Jeremy protests, but Liam shakes his head, his eyes briefly finding mine.

“Get her out of here!”

“No!” My cries are hysterical, and I find the strength to get up, ready to jump out of the van. My legs are moving with frantic speed, even though it feels like they are held back by time, but the moment I want to jump off the tailgate, a set of hands grabs my upper arms. I’m roughly pulled back into the van, falling to my ass at the same time I feel the car moving forward.

“STOP!” My heart falls to the floor when Jeremy jumps in, closing one door behind him, then starts shooting the men exiting the Jeep to give Liam and Cristina time to get out of the way. My eyes are caught by the hunk of a man, a scruff beard on his jaw, and an appearance that makes him a human hulk. He’s huge, and he’s angry, with green eyes that act like lasers as he fixates his glare on Liam. A salvo of gunshots is attacking my ears, but my glossy eyes stay fixated on Liam as he scrambles out of the way until we round the corner and away from the warehouse.

23

LIAM

PRESENT DAY

“Ifyoudon’twantto die, I suggest you get on your feet and run, Reyes.” I pull her off the concrete while the gunshots are still flying around our ears, then push her toward an empty hallway.

“That would go a lot faster if I wasn’t handcuffed, Liam!”

“Not yet, sweetheart. Not until I know you’re not part of this.”

“They are shooting at both of us, asshole!” We find our way into the hallway, then take off as fast as we can, expecting the men who are after us to follow right behind. Cristina’s heels are tapping on the stone floor, and I whip my head around to look behind me.

“Lose the boots!”

“What?” she huffs as we continue to run forward.

“Lose the boots, or they will be able to hear whatever fucking way we are going!”

“My hands are cuffed and we’re running, Liam! How the fuck do you want me to take a seat and take off my boots!”

Okay, she’s got a point, but I’m not going to admit that.

“Well, better run faster then, or they’ll catch up to you, and I’m not in a saving mood.”

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