Chapter 48
Shivana
It was raining, the occasional thunder and lightning startling us from our silent daze. The champagne was gone, but honestly, who stocks two bottles for six women? It was gone in ten minutes. Which is about how long we’d been driving.
We didn’t seem to be heading back to the clubhouse, but I wasn’t familiar with the area. We were in the country. Nothing but long stretches of road and fields as far as I could see. I got the appeal of being so far off the beaten path, especially for the clubhouse. It wasn’t like you could do what they do and be right off the highway.
Right now, though, I wished for more populated areas. I’d only been out of the clubhouse a few times, but most of the restaurants and shops were nearly forty minutes from it.
One of the SUVs was still in front of us, and the other moved to our side as soon as the road broadened into four lanes.
“I wonder where we’re going,” Jeannie said.
“At least we all made it in before the rain started,” Mama Hen said. Way to dodge that.
Katie was sitting ramrod straight and her face still looked impeccable, but the color had drained from her neck and chest.
“You alright, sweetie?” I asked. “Need a baggie?”
“I’m not going to throw up.” She wrung her hands together. She was seated next to Jeannie, who was jammed in next to Penny, with Mama Hen rounding out that seat. It was a huge, extended limo. I’d been in a few limos before, but not one quite as swanky as this one.
It got quiet again until Penny said, “Fuck,” as her eyes widened and she looked behind me.
Turning so I could see out the back, I said, “Fuck.” We had company.
“Scoot,” Mama Hen said as she smushed in between Lacy and I. “Mother fucker.”
Mama Hen turned, looking around frantically.
“Mama Hen, what are you doing?” Lacy was also looking out the back but turned to see what she was doing.
“Is that Butch?” Daisy asked as she squinted.
“Yes,” Mama Hen and Lacy said in unison.
I’d only really gotten a good look at him the night Lacy and I got plucked off the side of the road. It was hard to recall his features because everything happened so fast, I was crying, and then bullets were flying everywhere. I mostly remember his size and his hair. And these guys were wearing helmets, so it could have been anyone. At least I’d hoped it was anyone else. Because Jackal said we’d be safe, but I didn’t have a great feeling about our number one enemy coming up behind us.
Mama Hen grabbed something, then went to the door, rolling the window down.
“What are you doing?” We all screamed.
The partition rolled down and Petrov echoed us. “Cindy, what are you doing? Please move your hands.”
“I’m old enough to be your mother!” she shouted then stuck her head out the window.
We all lunged for her, trying to pull her back inside. Our panicked voices drowned each other out and overtook Petrov’s shouts.
“Come on, you little shit. Come fucking face me!” she yelled as she tossed a champagne bottle behind the car.
All of our gazes shot to the back, still clutching her dress. The bottle flew back and shattered as it hit the pavement. Butch and the other biker with him swerved but were able to stay upright and keep coming at us.
“This is crazy,” I said before grabbing her shoulders and forcing her back inside. “Roll it up and lock it!” I yelled for Petrov.
Mama Hen tried to fight me, but I held her arms. “Don’t make me hit someone I call mama!”
Mama Hen stopped struggling with me, plopping on the floor of the car and cackling as rivulets of rain rolled down her face. Her short hair was soaked and fell across her forehead. Her eye makeup was nearly intact, but the foundation was streaked all to hell. Her head flew back, and her shoulders bounced as she kept laughing. We all watched, unsure of what to do.
But Penny slipped from her seat and scooted behind her mom, wrapping her arms around her. The cackles slowly turned to sobs, and her body shook, even as Penny held her tighter.
Mama Hen’s hands gripped Penny’s and she wailed, her face twisted in torment. “Raven!” she cried out, new moisture dripping down her face, finally sending her mascara under her eyes.
I swallowed hard, but it was no use. She was in so much pain that it was palpable. Looking around, we had all teared up. My chest jumped as I tried to fight a full-on sob. But as Mama Hen cried harder, we all piled onto them, holding them and shaking ourselves as we all sniffled and cried with her.
“Ladies, please do not worry. I’m rolling this up, but everything is going to be fine,” Petrov said before the partition went up again.
Our circle of tears was disrupted when the sound of bullets pinging the car had us all squealing.
We were already down on the floor, so we all hugged tighter, jumping each time another shot rang out.
“After everything that’s happened, I can’t believe I’m going to die in a car with a mob boss,” I said.
Mama Hen sucked in a breath, clearing her throat. “Jesus, how embarrassing,” she said with a sniffle. “You’re not dying in this car. Do you think they’d put us in a car if it wasn’t bulletproof?” she asked as she wiped under her eyes. Her breath hitched again but she licked her lips. “Now you don’t mention this to anyone, ever.”
She turned to Penny, and grabbed her hand. They shared a look, and Penny wiped her eyes before Mama Hen leaned in and kissed her cheek.
“Mom,” she said, rubbing the spot.
“And there’s my girl.” Mama Hen looked around at us all huddled on the floorboard of the car. “I’m gonna get back in the seat.”
She and Penny climbed back to their seats, but the rest of us looked at each other, still jumping each time a shot hit the car. We didn’t say anything, but we silently agreed to stay put, no matter how silly we looked.
It felt like an eternity as we sat and listened to the gunfire outside of the car. I imagined the large SUVs that were accompanying us were taking part, but I couldn’t see anything from where I was sitting.
Mama Hen grabbed Penny’s hand, and she had a renewed sense of calm in her, so I sat up like a muskrat, peeking out the back window.
“Holy shit,” I said as I watched a limo, like the one we were in, flying toward all of us. “Is that them?”
“I hope so, or that driver probably just lost his tip,” Mama Hen said.
We all piled onto the seat, gripping the top as we watched in awe, or horror, the jury was still out. My emotions were all over the place and my heart was racing.
The bikers must have caught a glimpse of the car flying up behind them, as they sped up even more. Our car accelerated as well, and now we were in a high-speed chase.
“Girls, may be best to sit down and brace yourself, just to be safe,” Mama Hen told us.
It was like a train wreck, though. We couldn’t look away. Instead, we all locked hands, and I forgot how to breathe as I watched the limo catch up to the bikes that were incredibly close to us.
The large SUVs had flanked both sides of us and each had a man hanging out the window with a long barrel aimed at the bikes. There were four bikes now, but I didn’t know when the extra two came into play. When we all realized they were behind us, everything went to shit fast.
Suddenly, the limo gunned it, swerved a little, then broadsided one of the bikes which sent them all sliding across the road like dominos. But the car spun out of control.
We all screamed as we watched the bikes fall, slide, and send the drivers across the road. Lacy and I squeezed each other’s hands so hard, surely we’d leave a mark, but I didn’t care.
More than likely, Jackal was in that car that was about to roll into a ditch. But as it did, we kept going.
Realizing we were moving away from the accident, I finally took a breath and remembered how to speak. “Wa–wait, wait, wait! Stop the car!” I screamed. Scrambling to the other seat, I started banging on the window. “Stop the car! I’m a doctor, are you dense?”
The partition rolled down partially. “Yes, I remember Dr. Raja. But I was instructed to keep you away from the danger, so that’s what I intend to do.”
“Petrov! My son is in that car. Do you want to protect your investment or not?”
“We will pull over and wait, but I am not allowing you to exit the car until I hear from them. End of discussion.” And he raised the partition.
“What a pussy,” I said.
“I think he can hear us,” Penny said.
“And?” I quipped. “He wouldn’t even roll down the little window. Now he has us trapped in here. Good plan.”
Mama Hen grabbed my hand and patted it with her other. “He’s probably right. We need to let them sort it out before we go over there. We’re bulletproof in here. Not out there.”
Clenching my jaw, I squeezed her hand. No amount of arguing would work and honestly, after a few deep breaths, I realized I probably shouldn’t have called this mafia guy a pussy.
Holding Mama Hen’s hand and staring across at my friends, all I could do was take slow, deep breaths and wait to see if they were able to walk away from the wreck and without getting shot at in the process.