Page 25 of Heathens

“Dom–”

I grab him by his hair and yank him toward me. He lets out a pathetic whimper.

“Stop your whining, you’re going to draw attention to us.”

“We kind of already did,” Luke winces.

I glance around and realize there are eyes all over us.

All over me.

A few of Deschamps’ men are sitting in booths, flanking either side of the dance floor, including Drake Kingston who’s still nursing that broken arm. His eyes are piercing, staring me down, but he’s not what really catches my attention. Off in the back, I catch another glance of Rene and my little redhead. He’s leaned in close, purposely pressing the barrel of her gun to his forehead. She’s holding steady against the second most dangerous man in the city.

Good girl.

As much as I want to see how this ends, Rene’s men are already shifting in their seats, eager to start something I’d rather not have to finish. Look at me, making sensible decisions. Maybe finding the right woman reallydoeschange a man.

I grab Luke and we head for the exit. The warm, humid air feels suffocating, and I can’t help the pang of regret that echoes through my body, already losing a bit of my newfound cool. I want to turn around and rip Deschamps’ heart out with my teeth. I want his blood running down my throat while I fuck that redhead from behind until she screams for me.

The only thing I can think about as I start up the engine and peel away is my little redhead and the fiery look in her eyes. Jesus, I need to fuck her. Hard and brutal. Blood. Bruises. Maybe even break some bones.I light a cigarette and take a long drag.

I think I’d come in my fucking pants if I saw her blow Rene’s head off.

“They’re following us,” Luke’s panic slices right through my thoughts.

I glance in the rearview mirror. Drake’s at the wheel of some unmarked black car with a couple of goons along for the ride. Could this guy be any more pathetic?

“The fuck’s he gonna do?” I snort.

Suddenly, the sound of screeching and twisted metal fills the air, accompanied by a sharp jolt as he rams straight into us. This is not how I wanted to end the night.

I turn back to Luke, ready to dole out instructions, but he’s already leaping into action. He may be an idiot, but when it comes to not so random acts of violence, he’s always ready to go.

He opens the sunroof, his gun in his hand as he climbs to his feet, a little unsteady on the leather seats. I make a sharp right as gunshots consume the quiet night, accompanied by a chorus of squealing tires. Drake rams us again and I’m forced to crank the wheel, making a blisteringly sharp turn as I step on the gas. Lucky for me, Nox isn’t too far from the wharf, territory that I gained from Rene last month. All the twists and turns are fresh in my mind as I keep my foot on the gas.

It comes together as if I had planned it, swerving just in time to force Drake off the main road and toward one of the loading docks. Luke fires a bullet right through the driver’s side window and it nearly hits him as they sail on by. By the time Drake’s straightened out his car, he’s fallen behind enough that the shots he’s firing have little chance of hitting much of anything. He’s tenacious though, I’ll give him that, as he tries to match my swerve toward the wharf.

After a couple minutes of trailing further and further behind, he seems to give up, slowing down and preparing to turn back toward the city.

“Not so fast, motherfucker,” I purr.

I slam on the brakes and flip us into reverse, crushing the gas pedal as hard as I can as we careen backwards and close the gap between us. I can see Drake struggling with the gearshift, his tires squealing on the asphalt as he realizes what’s happening.

“Shoot the tires!” I bellow. “I don’t want him getting away!”

“I’m trying, man!” Luke roars.

It’s only a few more shots before the tires deflate, and Drake and his cronies wrench the doors open. Two of them pop off a few ineffectual shots, but it’s too late. Drake breaks into a run just in time for me to swerve into his path, plowing him straight back into his own vehicle with a wet crunch.

Luke glances down at me from the sunroof, gesturing to the other two vamps who were smart enough to keep running. I shake my head, and he slams himself back into his seat with a contented sigh. It’ll be nice to have someone alive to tell Rene what I did.

“Man, I gotta work on my aim.”

“You’re fucking right you do. I would have had that done in two seconds,” I scoff.

“Then why didn’t you, asshole?!” He pauses for a moment, clearly terrified he’d gone too far. “Because I– I sucked out there. I’m no good at this stuff!”

Looks like he still knows his place. Good boy.

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