14. Coen #3
I hop out of the car we borrowed from one of our trusted runners, Axel, and assess our surroundings.
I reach into my waist holster, pull out my gun, and verify that it's loaded.
After sliding one into the chamber, I assess the rest of my weapons.
Another pistol on my ankle, another in the waistband of my jeans. Various knives secured around my body.
Dominic does the same, checking each of his weapons and climbing into the driver’s seat of the van. “You ready?” he asks me.
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Let’s fucking do this.”
He turns the key, starting the engine and securing whatever fate has in store for us.
I ignore the thoughts that run through my head, the regrets I have for all the lost years with June. They fester and try to force their way in but if I want to make it back to her, I cannot afford to allow the distraction. I have to be sharp, vigilant, and focused on the task at hand.
We aren't on the road for more than five minutes before I spot a vehicle tailing us. This plan is almost too fucking easy, too fucking quick.
“We’ve got one on our six.”
“I’ve got eyes on him,” Dominic confirms. “Any others?”
“Just the SUV for now. Keep with the route.”
Dom maintains the speed limit while following the path we spread word of that this envoy would be taking. It’s clear we have a mole within our organization, we just aren’t sure who.
“You think they’ll take us on sixth?” Dom asks me.
“Yeah, that’s where I’d do it. Minimal witnesses, no traffic cams.” I continue to scan our surroundings, noting the distance the vehicle maintains behind us.
The small car signals, gets into the other lane, and speeds up. Was I wrong? Was this a random car on this random street going about its random business?
But when they pass us, my doubts are erased by the barrel of a rifle that is pointed our way.
“Dom, get down,” I scream, throwing myself over him and reaching for my own weapon. I shoot it out Dom’s window, nicking the passenger of the car but not before he fires a few rounds our way.
Dom swerves the van, almost side-swiping a parked car, and pushes on the accelerator. "Fucking bastards," he spits out. "Are you hit?"
“No,” I steady my breath. “Are you?”
The car that attacked us veers and hits us in our back corner.
“They’re trying to pit maneuver us, Dom. Don’t let them.” I steady my aim behind him, waiting for the bastards to get back up in my line of sight again.
“Give me the AK.”
Our plan was to save the heavy artillery until we needed it, but there’s no time like the fucking present.
I reach under the seat, pull out the weapon, and shove it across to Dom.
“Take the wheel,” he tells me.
I comply, doing my best to steer from the passenger seat.
Dom releases his pressure on the throttle and we slog back, the car trying to hit us coming into view. He aims the AK straight at them, blasting at least a dozen rounds into the car.
Shots fire back and I swerve to avoid them from hitting Dominic.
“Gas, Dom!”
He pushes while continuing to shoot, and I yank the steering wheel to turn us down a side street where there will be fewer civilian casualties.
These fuckers fired on a semi-busy fucking street, no doubt causing more chaos than was necessary. They want us dead, but that doesn't mean innocent people need to die, too.
“Shit, we’ve got two more on our ass, Dom.”
He heaves the gun into my chest and takes the steering wheel from me. “Do your worst, kid. I’m going to try to shake them.”
Because this wasn’t the plan, not here, at least. We were going to guide them where we wanted them and attack where we knew we had an advantage. Not go to war in the middle of a fucking road.
One of the vehicles, an SUV with blacked-out windows, approaches from the passenger side of our van. I roll my window down and shove the AK out, firing it directly at the hood. Bullets ricochet off and do minimal damage.
"Bulletproof," I yell at Dom overtop the loud road noise.
“Aim at the tires.”
"I'm fucking trying." I pull the trigger, the shots reverberating through my chest and body. The noise blares in my ears. The shell cases buzz past my face and singe the skin of my cheek. "Yes!" I call out when I finally fucking land one in their tire. "Take that you fucking prick."
But when a bullet hits me, I know I’ve celebrated all too soon.
I fall into the van, my hand clutching my arm. I pull it off and glance down at the blood gushing out of the wound. “God damn it.”
Dominic flits his attention toward me. “Did it go through or is it still in there?”
“I don’t fucking know, but it hurts like hell.”
"We've got to stop the bleeding." Dominic presses on the gas but uses his knee to steer while he shifts his attention to me. "Your shirt, take it off."
I drag the thing over my head, barely able to get it around my injured arm. “Here.”
Dominic rips the fabric with ease, his hands going back to the steering wheel for a second to navigate us around traffic and then onto me.
"Hold this." He circles the wound with the remains of my shirt and ties it tight, applying enough pressure to hopefully stop the excessive bleeding.
"There, that'll have to do until I can get you out of here. "
“No,” I tell him through gritted teeth. I latch onto the AK and stare right at him. “We’ve started this, now we end it. There’s no turning back now.”
“You’re one crazy son of a bitch.”
“Thanks.”
“What do we have? Two on our tail still?”
I glance in the mirror and assess the situation. “Yeah, the one I hit isn’t back there anymore.”
“Hang on, I’m going to do something stupid.” Dominic slows down, letting the cars gain on us. At the last second, he shoves his foot onto the throttle and goes left into oncoming traffic.
“Jesus Christ,” I call out while bracing myself on the door.
"I told you to hold on." Dominic keeps checking his rearview and darts around the oncoming traffic.
Horns blare, people slam on their brakes, and some cars crash into each other to avoid us.
He continues going the wrong way, his hands gripping the steering wheel like his life depends on it. Because well, it sort of does.
I push away the pain and focus on staying alive.
I knew this would be dangerous, but this would be a hell of a lot easier if I weren’t gushing from a gunshot wound.
We haven’t even gotten to the fun part, and I’m already down for the count.
I refuse to let a little blood stop me from following through with our plan. I’ve been through and survived worse.
Dom cuts down an alley, blaring his horn at the people that are walking in our path of destruction.
They jump out of the way in the nick of time.
We cut through another side street, demolish the mirror of a car as we pass, and continue on.
“They still on us?” Dom asks as he navigates this ride through hell.
“Yep.”
Dom slams on his brakes and turns left. My whole body slams against the door no matter how hard I try to brace myself.
I can’t help but laugh at being thrown around like a fucking rag doll.
“You doing okay, kid? You’re not losing it on me over there are you?”
I chuckle. “No, I’m good. Never better.” I grab onto the handle and wait for the van to come to a stop. The second it does, I jump out with the AK in my grasp, slam the door shut, and rush to a dark corner of the warehouse we just pulled into.
Dom no doubt does the same, grabbing his own rifle and positioning himself in place.
I steady my breath, willing myself to hold it together even though the blood loss is making me a bit woozy.
“Come on, Hayes,” I whisper. I don’t mean to, but I allow my mind to wander to June…
the girl I fell in love with when I was just a broken-hearted kid.
She was everything to me then, and everything to me now.
Will she ever truly understand how much she means to me?
And how I would give anything to make sure she’s safe?
I’d rather die than let anyone hurt a single hair on her beautiful head.
And even though he has a shit way of showing it, I think Dom feels the exact fucking same.
That’s why he’s here today—risking his life to come one step closer to finding out who has threatened her.
He won’t stop until they’re six feet in the ground, and I will be with him to see it through.
My only hope is that we succeed, because I can’t leave this world knowing that threat is still out there, lurking in the shadows and waiting for one of us to slip up so they can finish what they started.
The sound of tires skids along the pavement as the vehicles approach.
My heartbeat pounds in my chest, and I bite at the inside of my lip as I steady myself for what’s to come.
No matter what happens here today, I will not go down without a fight.
And I will take out every single person who stands in my way.
Concealed in my spot, I watch both of the vehicles roll to a stop and park behind our empty van. I squint to look across the way, to where Dominic should be. But just as I am, he’s done a good job hiding himself in the darkness that lies beyond.
Three men exit one vehicle and two come out of the other.
Five to two. Not great odds, but we’ve had it worse and managed to make it out alive.
I wait, not yet moving and showing my cards. I’m at a disadvantage being injured so I have to be strategic about how I attack.
Dominic does the same, biding his time for an opportune moment.
“Spread out,” one of the men says to the others. “They could have gone on foot.”
“I fucking clipped the passenger,” one guy reveals arrogantly.
“Doesn’t mean you fucking killed him, asshole.” The first guy shoves the other. “Come on, they’re just runners. Follow orders, finish them off, and burn the product. Then we can get the fuck out of here.”
"Whatever." The guy who shot me holds his gun in hand and turns in my direction but doesn't spot me kneeling out of his line of sight.
Two of the other guys head toward where I assume Dominic is, and the other two make their way to both sides of the van.