12. Tate
CHAPTER TWELVE
TATE
I knew something was about to go down when the car sped past us with no license plates. I sensed trouble ahead, and I wasn’t wrong.
I'm never wrong.
Everything happened so quickly. Initially, I assumed it was just the one vehicle. Turned out, there were three.
They came at us from all directions, and one was at a standstill in front of us. Before I could develop a foolproof plan, we got rammed from one side, then the other. The dickhead up my backside raced up my ass so fucking hard the back tires were lifted from the ground.
Sian is screaming to the high heavens behind me, Rick is emptying the barrel of his gun at the car on our left and reloading again, and I’m trying to keep the car intact as much as I can until Clint and the others arrive and firing bullets at anyone approaching us.
I try to steady the car for as long as possible, but luck is on their side, and they flip us. I watch as a black van quickly approaches us.
“Brace yourself,” I roar just before the van hits the back end of the car. That’s the moment I realize whoever is behind this is trying to send a fucking message. If they wanted us dead, that van would have hit us dead center and caused us some real damage.
Once the car stops spinning, Rick and I spring into action. I crawl into the back of the car, mindful of Sian’s body hanging limply, and retrieve the gun bag from the trunk.
I leap from the car, joining Rick on his side, just as backup arrives. I use that distraction to check on Sian. She’s awake but dazed. There’s a cut above her eye and a dark red patch in her hair. She’s no doubt suffering from a concussion.
There’s some back and forth between us before I give up trying to talk to her. There’s still time before the car blows, and it’s not like I haven't got other pressing issues going on outside of the car. I need to take care of what’s going on before I can pull her out safety. For her to survive, I need to not get shot.
I race back around to the driver’s side of the car and grab the gun bag I tossed out of the window to Rick before climbing out myself.
I can faintly hear her shouting for me not to leave her, but I need my knife. I dig into the bag and locate my blade. I glance at the fire spreading through the car, roughly gauging how long I have left to get her out. A few minutes max.
Her sobs fill my ears as I get on my hands and knees, ready to crawl in beside her.
“Rick, give me cover,” I call and wait for him to slide down the open side panel of the door. I tuck the blade at the back of me, securing it in place.
“You’d better hurry, Tate. The car is about to blow, and the heat is singeing my eyebrows off.”
“Give me two minutes,” I yell over my shoulder as I crawl on my back. I graze my arms on the broken shards of glass lying around, but that doesn’t stop me. Seconds later, I’m face to face with Sian. Her eyes are firmly closed, and she looks like she’s given up.
I gently brush the loose strands of hair from her face, careful of her injuries. “Hey. You ready to get out of here?”
She coughs harshly from the smoke she’s inhaled. She blinks a couple of times before she registers it’s me. “You came back.” Her voice is raspy.
“You thought I wouldn’t?” I narrow my brow.
“I had my doubts.”
“Well, I was going to ask if you trust me.” I reach behind my back and pull the blade free, popping it between us. Her eyes widen and dilate. “It’s to cut the belt from around you.”
“Do it,” she tells me, now with more confidence and hope.
“When I cut it, you’ll fall instantly and hard, but I’ve got you.” For a moment, I could have sworn she moaned. I rip through the material with ease, and she falls onto my chest with an oomph.
She lifts her head from my chest. “Oh my God. Thank you.”
I smirk. “Anytime.”
She blushes and drops her head back down to my chest. No doubt she will feel how fast my heart is beating, but it’s not from the danger we’re in or the adrenaline running through me. It’s something new and foreign to me. Time stands still as I feel her arms wrap around me, and her heartbeat against mine has my blackened heart beating again, and it's pulsing for her. I don’t like being touched, but her touch has sparks igniting within me. She has me under a spell and only she can break it.
“Any chance you guys wanna get moving? My face is on fire and the fuel tank won’t hold any longer,” Rick shouts.
“You ready to get out of here?” I ask Sian as I start to wiggle us out.
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” She mumbles against my chest.
I shimmy the rest of the way of the car. Rick takes my hand and pulls me to my feet; the whole time, Sian is clinging to me. We make a hasty retreat towards Clint and the others just in time before the car blows, filling the air with a burning hot flame and black smoke for as far as the eye can see. Sian jumps in my arms at the loud bang of the fuel tank blowing, pushing her body closer to mine.
She’s been through a lot the last few days. Can it get any worse for her?
The bright orange embers part, and in the distance, I can make out the taillights of the cars that rampaged at us.
Not only do I have shit going on in my clubs, but I also now need to find out if this was connected. Now that we’re not under attack, I can process what the fuck just happened and work out a plan for how we can get these motherfuckers.
I look around at the debris and dead bodies all around us and automatically shield Sian’s eyes by tucking her head into my neck, so she doesn’t see the aftermath.
“Anyone get a glimpse at the plates?” I shout. I get a round of nos and head shakes. “Fuck. Clint, get the cleaners here. Make sure this doesn’t come back on us. It needs to be done pronto because the flames are high and someone will have already seen it.”
He nods, sliding his phone from his pants pocket.
I reach the passenger door, open it, unwrap Sian’s legs from around me, and place her on the seat. I take her chin between my thumb and finger and tilt her head back so I can see her. “You’re safe now. It’s all over.”
She starts shaking uncontrollably, the aftermath of her adrenaline subsiding. “Is this what your life is like… all the time?”
I want to tell her no, but something deep inside me is telling me not to. “Not all the time.” I smirk and rub her chin in soft circles with my thumb.
“Why don't I believe you?” She gazes into my eyes, like she's searching for answers far down in my soul. She won't find anything there. It's a black hole of nothingness.
“I need to sort this out before the cops arrive. Stay here. I’ll be back in a sec,” I tell her to avoid her question. I swiftly shut the car door and spring into action.
“Rick, help Clint and the others to load the three bodies into the van. We don’t have time to search and dispose of them, so we’re gonna have to do it at the estate.” I pull my phone from my pocket and dial my guy on the inside. He picks up on the second ring.
“Tate? I’ve just heard from one of my officers that there’s some kind of disturbance your way. I’m guessing that’s why you’re calling?”
“Yeah, only this time, it wasn’t me. My vehicle got rammed up the ass. I’m cleaning as we speak, but it’s a messy one and I don’t have time to clean it up properly. I need you on scene just in case we’ve missed anything. I wanna know of any findings.” “On it. Leaving my office as we speak.”
“Thanks, Walter.” I hang up, knowing he’ll follow through on his word. He’s the only fed I trust. He got caught up in a gambling debt with some high rollers, and they threatened his family. He took a risk in seeking me out, but we made a deal. I’d pay his debt and keep his family safe, and he’s worked for me ever since.
I watch as Rick and Clint finish emptying the Rover of anything that will lead back to us and erasing prints, and two of my other guys pile the last of the bodies into the van.
Thankfully, it’s facing the same way as the car Sian’s in so she can’t see, even if she looks through the back window.
“Rick, let’s go. Clint, Walter is on the way. Round the others up and get moving. Meet me in the office when you’re back. We have work to do.”