Chapter Four #2
“Yeah, at his own expense.” He glared at the man sitting in the car, oblivious to the fury building in his team leader. “We won’t let him get away with it.”
“Neither will Artemis.”
“Then we both better come up with excellent reasons to include us in his mission. Otherwise, he’ll sneak off on his own to complete the mission anyway.”
Not on her watch. Elias Knight had better not think he would get away with that. She’d have several things to say to him and to Brent about the matter. No operative went undercover alone. Her lips curved. Including Elias Knight. “Let’s get out of here.”
She exited the parking garage and turned onto the street. Two turns later, Iona joined the traffic leaving Nashville and headed toward Interstate 40, which would take them to their hometown.
“Where am I taking you, Elias? Your house or mine?”
He stared at her. “Mine, of course. You can drop me off and come back tonight for that meeting.”
She tapped her hands-free device and called Seth.
“Yeah?”
“We’re going to Elias’ place.”
“Figured as much. Teagan is meeting us there. In four hours, Violet and Noah will take our place.”
“Copy that.” She ended the call. So, Elias thought he could chase her off, huh? He was in for a rude awakening.
As she drove, Iona remained alert, checking the mirrors frequently. At the halfway mark, she noticed a truck bearing down on them at considerable speed and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Hopefully, this was just a road warrior who had places to go and people to see.
When the truck continued to close the gap between them, she changed lanes and prayed the truck would keep racing ahead to its destination. The driver, however, ignored the invitation to speed past them. Instead, the driver pulled up alongside her SUV and kept pace with Iona.
She glanced at her passenger. Oh, man. Elias was sound asleep. Although she hated to wake him, he needed to be prepared to react in an instant. “Elias.”
He woke and looked at her. “Problem?”
“Company to our left. I’m afraid he’ll run us off the road or shoot at us.”
He bent over to open his Go bag and removed his Sig. “No problem. I can shoot with either hand.”
Iona’s phone signaled an incoming call from Seth. She tapped her screen. “Get a license plate number?”
“I’ve got it. You ready?”
“If he wants to play, he can bring it on. We’re ready.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Stay behind us. If it’s possible, I’ll slam on my brakes. Might be a good idea if you put on your four-way flashers. Hopefully, neither one of us will end up in an accident.”
“Copy that. Keep this line open, Iona.”
Although she half expected the driver of the truck to encroach on her lane and force her off the road, he lowered the passenger window and aimed a gun at them. Before Iona could react, he pulled the trigger three times. Her driver’s window spiderwebbed.
She slammed on the brakes, controlling the slide as the driver of the truck stomped the accelerator and sped off.
“Are you and Elias all right?” Seth asked.
“We’re good. I think Elias is disgusted because he didn’t have a chance to return fire before the guy rabbited.”
“You bet I am.” Elias growled. “What kind of stunt was that? He could have killed an innocent civilian.”
“I don’t think he cares.” Seth passed Iona and shifted into the lane ahead of them. “You have a few bullet holes in the door panel along with the window damage. You’ll need to have your vehicle repaired by Bear.”
Oh, man. She groaned. What on earth had she done to deserve that kind of punishment? Maybe it wasn’t as bad as Seth thought. “Are you sure?”
“Sorry, Iona. You can’t miss the bullet holes. You two don’t have injuries?”
Iona glanced at Elias, eyebrow raised in silent question. He shook his head. “We’re fine.” She sighed. “I guess I’ll have to call Zane and schedule a pick-up. I hope Bear is in a good mood.”
“So do I. He takes it personally when you mess up one of his rides.”
“I didn’t mess it up. The jerk who fired on us did.”
“You’re just lucky you’re female. He has no pity on men.”
“Truth.” Elias slid his gun into a side-door pocket so it would be handy in case the gunman came back. “I ought to know.”
“I’ll follow you to Elias’ house.”
“Copy that.” Seth ended the call.
No use putting off the inevitable. She made the dreaded call.
“Yeah. Murphy.”
“It’s Iona. You’re on speaker with Elias.”
“Understood. How are you, Elias?”
“Fine.”
“Uh huh. Iona?”
“He’s in pain and nauseated, but he’s better than he was yesterday.”
“I’ll take that. What can I do for you?”
“I need you to set up an appointment with Bear.”
Silence, then, “How bad is the damage?”
She sighed. “According to Seth, bullet holes in the side panel and the driver’s window needs to be replaced.”
“What happened?”
Iona gave the condensed version of events and ended with, “We’re both injury free this time around.”
“Good to know. I’ll take care of setting the appointment. Don’t be surprised if Bear contacts you. He’ll be deeply offended that you allowed someone to damage one of his babies.”
Wonderful. Not. “I couldn’t avoid bullets, Z.”
“You can try that excuse. I doubt it will fly, though.”
“I’ll think of something else.”
“I’m transferring you to Brent. He’ll want to know what happened.”
A moment later, Brent’s voice filled the cabin. “Maddox. Are you okay, Iona?”
“We’re fine. You’re on speaker with Elias. We’re driving to his house in Hartman.” Knowing Elias, he probably had another house or two under different names in different parts of Wilson County.
“Sit rep.”
Iona and Elias told Brent about the incident on the interstate and the condition of her SUV. “Zane is going to set up a repair appointment with Bear for me.”
“Chicken?”
“You bet, sir. I don’t want to set him off. I love my ride, and because of the damage, he may put me in a clunker after this mission is over.”
“I’ll talk to him and explain the situation. He likes Elias, so you might get lucky.”
“I hope so, sir.”
“Elias.”
“Sir?”
“Did you see the shooter?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Recognize him?”
“No, sir, but I recognize the type.”
“Oh?”
“It was a biker, sir.”