CHAPTER TEN
SIENNA
A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, drowning everything else out as my eyes fluttered open. The world around me was a blur, the pain in my head an incessant throbbing that made me want to close my eyes again. I forced myself to keep them open as my mind replayed what had just happened.
The guy in the hoodie. The dead end. The car ramming into us. Eve!
“Eve, you okay?”
My voice came out as a soft rasp. She didn’t answer. In that moment, I forgot to breathe, fear freezing my heart. Then she groaned, and the relief I felt almost made me forget about how sore I was.
“I’m here,” she whispered, tone laced with pain.
The stench of smoke filled the car. We needed to get out of the vehicle. I turned my head too quickly and instantly regretted it. Pain shot through my skull, making my vision swim. I took a deep breath, blinking rapidly, forcing my eyes to focus and take note of our predicament.
The airbags hadn’t deployed. Most of the windshield was shattered, shards of glass covering Eve and me. The front end of the car was crushed in on Eve’s side, the hood bent up, smoke curling up from underneath it.
My gaze slid back to Eve. She was already moving, slowly, leaning my way, trying to lift her legs so she could crawl over the seat. The driver’s side door was against the building, so she couldn’t exit that way.
“How badly are you hurt?” I asked.
She winced, blinking a few times before looking over at me.
“Nothing serious,” she replied, touching her hand to her bleeding forehead.
“I’m not so sure about that. Do you think you’ll be able to get out?”
“Yeah. I have enough leg room to crawl out on your side. I see you didn’t lose your grip on your gun,” she teased, half smiling.
I chuckled, tightening my grip around my weapon.
“A bad bitch never does,” I joked, flinching when a car door slammed behind us.
I turned to stare out the back window. The black car had backed up some, but was still blocking our path. Not that we could move Eve’s car anyway. It was totaled. The red light near the other car's rearview mirror was blinking, recording everything.
Was this the car from the cooking class parking lot? My grip tightened around my gun as I watched the driver approach us on foot. He was moving cautiously, gun in his hand, pointed at our vehicle.
“Shit. He’s coming this way,” Eve rasped.
“I’m guessing they want us alive,” I told her, talking fast. “They’ve been recording us instead of trying to kill us.
I’ll wait until he opens the door and tries to pull me out before I attack.
I’ll handle him. You work on getting out of that tight spot, finding your gun, and then watching my back in case the other guy comes out,” I whispered.
“Okay. Keep your eyes on his gun.”
With a nod, I slumped forward, pretending to be unconscious. I lowered my hand to my side to keep my weapon out of sight. From the corner of my eye, I saw Eve reaching for a large shard of glass that was in her lap.
Gripping it, her shoulders slumped, and her head lolled forward. The guy’s footsteps were getting closer, gravel crunching as he approached us. All we could do now was pretend to be out of it and wait for him to open the door. I took a deep breath and released it slowly.
Just a little closer. Just a little more.
The footsteps stopped right outside my door. For a second, he didn’t move. Then the handle pulled. The door opened. Cool air rushed in, carrying the smell of smoke and burnt wires or something.
I could feel his breath against my face as he leaned into the car. I held myself completely still when his finger touched my nose, like he was checking to see if I was breathing.
“Damn, man, why did you ram their shit like that?” someone called out.
The guy removed his hand from my nose. I opened my eyes, staring toward the door in time to see the driver stepping away from the car, the gun at his side.
“I had to keep them from leaving,” the driver called out.
“Why? We were only told to record them as we followed them, keeping track of where they went and how many guards were tailing them,” the other guy yelled.
“They saw you and found out where we were hiding out. I couldn’t just let them leave,” the guy responsible for the wreck said.
“It wasn’t like they could’ve gotten in. We could’ve found another hideout spot,” Mr. Hoodie stated.
“They came back to the cooking class, which meant they’d already realized we were watching them,” the driver explained. “They were on to us. I had to do something.”
“Fuck, man. Are they dead?”
“The passenger isn’t. I think they’re both unconscious. I’ll bring them in. We don’t need their guards finding us. Call the boss and let him know what’s going on.”
“He’s going to be pissed with you,” Mr. Hoodie stated.
From their conversation, I knew whoever their boss was, he wanted us alive. Could it be the O’Callaghans? Had they finally found me? The sound of gravel crunching let me know the driver was returning to my side of the car.
I watched him from the corner of my eye as he approached, shoving his weapon into its holster.
He grabbed my arm and tugged, pulling me out of the vehicle.
I allowed it. Once I was fully out, I brought my weapon up, pressing the barrel of my gun against his throat as I stood up. He started to reach for his weapon.
“Move, and I’ll blow your brains out,” I hissed.
He opened his mouth to speak.
“Say one word, and it’ll be your last,” I told him.
His eyes widened, but his mouth closed.
“How many people are in that building?” I whispered. “Speak,” I hissed when he remained silent.
Eve moved, climbing over the console.
“Be careful of the glass,” I told her.
The driver suddenly found his voice, but the bastard didn’t have anything nice to say.
“You bitches are going to die if you don’t…”
I didn’t let him finish that sentence. I slapped him across the face with my weapon, splitting his lip as Eve climbed out of the car, grunting. She searched the vehicle, found her purse, and retrieved her weapon. She pointed it at the driver.
“My sister asked you how many men were in the building,” Eve said.
The man swallowed, his gaze moving from me to Eve. Though fear shone in his eyes, I could tell he was underestimating us, not believing we would pull the trigger. What he didn’t know was that he was already dead.
There was no damn way we were letting him leave here alive. He’d made us wreck Eve’s nice ass car. Our cakes were in that car. Now they were splattered all over the back seat and the floorboard. For that alone, I should pistol-whip his ass.
“Answer me,” Eve hissed.
“One,” the driver forced through clenched teeth.
“We’ll see. I’m going to go check it out,” Eve told me, approaching the building, limping.
“Stay to the side,” I reminded her. “Out of the view of the other guy.”
“I will,” Eve whispered.
“You don’t know who you’re messing with,” the driver told me. “Our boss doesn’t want you dead. But if you hurt any of his men, he will make you wish you were dead. He doesn’t like it when his plans go wrong.”
“Your boss doesn’t have the abilities to make me wish for a damn thing,” I told him. “So fuck him and his plans. Fuck you too.”
His face contorted into an expression of rage. He opened his mouth to speak. I did so before he could.
“I haven’t killed anyone in a few months. I’m itching to pull this trigger. Give me a reason to.”
If his eyes got any bigger, they’d pop out of his head. Eve moved to stand by the door leading into the building.
“Turn around and head to your hideout,” I told the driver.
He didn’t move. Defiant bastard. I smiled at him.
“Are you giving me a reason?” I asked.
Grunting, he turned and started walking. The door to the building opened.
“Hey, how should I explain what happened to the boss?” the second guy called out as he stepped outside, his attention on the driver.
Then he saw me. Saw the gun I had pointed at his boy’s head. He froze. For half a second, nobody moved. Then Eve stepped into view, her gun raised, trained on the second guy.
“Don’t move,” she ordered.
His gaze dropped to the gun. For a moment, it seemed as if he would obey Eve’s command. Instead, he turned and ran back into the building. He didn’t get far. Eve followed and fired, striking him in the leg. He dropped hard, a shout tearing from his throat as he hit the ground. The driver tensed.
I pressed the barrel to the back of his head and whispered, “Don’t even think about it.”
Eve moved quickly, closing the distance between her and the guy writhing on the ground, her gun still trained on him.
“Get up,” she ordered. “Or I’ll shoot you again.”
He groaned, clutching his leg, his fingers slick with blood as he tried to push himself up. Once on his feet, he limped forward. Eve followed him inside.
“Come on in,” Eve called out. “The coast is clear.”
“Go on,” I told the driver, pressing the barrel harder against the back of his head.
He hesitated. I nudged him forward.
“This seems to be the backroom of an old furniture store,” Eve called out as the driver strode ahead of me.
I followed close behind. We needed to get out of the alley before someone drove by and saw us. We were almost at the door when the driver spun around. He moved fast, his hand going to his holster. I didn’t hesitate. I fired.
The bullet struck his shoulder, his body jerking as a cry tore from his throat. He stumbled backward before tripping over his own two feet and falling to the ground. Approaching quickly, I removed his gun from his holster and then slapped him with it, splitting his lip open.
“Get the fuck up and go into the building before you piss me off,” I yelled as he placed his hand over his wound, trying to keep it from bleeding out.
“You shot me,” he cried, disbelief lacing his tone.
“No shit! If I have to tell your weak ass to get up again, I’m going to kill you right here, right now. I only need one of you alive to get answers.”
Fear filled his gaze. Grunting, he pushed himself up, favoring his shoulder now, his movements slower as he turned and stumbled toward the door. I stayed right behind him. Inside, Eve had already gotten things set up.
Two wooden chairs sat side by side in the middle of the room. Mr. Hoodie was seated in one, his hand pressed to his leg as he glared up at Eve.
“Sit down,” I ordered the driver, nudging him with the gun.
Stumbling forward, he dropped into the empty chair, wincing. I was ready to get answers. First, I needed to check and make sure the building was secure. I handed Eve the driver’s gun.
“Keep an eye on these two while I go and look around to make sure we’re really alone.”
Accepting the gun, she pointed both of her weapons at our prey. My gaze roamed over her. It was good we’d worn long sleeves and jeans. That prevented our arms and legs from getting too scraped up by glass from the shattered window.
Though I was sore, I was fine. Aside from the bruise on the side of her head and a couple of scratches on her face, Eve looked fine, too.
“Stop staring at me,” she muttered, staring straight ahead, not taking her eyes off our enemies. “I’m good. Go do a perimeter check. I’ll keep an eye on these bastards.”
“If either of them moves, kill him. We don’t have time to play around,” I told her.
“With pleasure,” she drawled, smiling at our prey.
I stepped out of the back room, leaving Eve with our two unwilling guests. The air in the main part of the store was stale, heavy with dust that tickled my nose as I moved forward, gun raised.
I walked slowly, noting every creak of the floorboards beneath my feet. My eyes darted from corner to corner. If there were more of these bastards waiting to ambush us, they’d get a bullet between the eyes before they even realized I’d spotted them.
Unfortunately for us, there were plenty of places to hide in here. The store was a jungle of old furniture. There were couches pushed against each other in awkward piles, some stacked so hazardously I was surprised they hadn’t toppled over.
Dust coated everything, thick enough that I could see my own footprints forming behind me as I moved. Table sets and dressers lined the opposite wall, their once-polished surfaces now dull from years of neglect.
I stepped around a recliner. The leather was cracked and peeling, revealing yellowed stuffing beneath. My eyes swept the room as I listened for movement. The place was silent except for the occasional distant sound of traffic.
I made my way toward what looked like the front of the store, pushing open a door that squeaked in protest. Beyond it stretched an empty sales floor. A long counter ran along the back wall, with a cash register sitting on top of it.
Sales receipts littered the floor, their edges curled, browned with age. This place had clearly been closed for a long time. It was a convenient place for scum like these guys to use as a hideout.
A sudden noise sounded from my right. I turned fast, gun raised, finger hovering over the trigger, every muscle in my body tensed for action. Something darted across the floor, and I nearly screamed before I realized what it was.
“Damn, that was a big ass rat,” I muttered under my breath, lowering my weapon a fraction.
My heart pounded, adrenaline surging through my veins. I took a slow, deep breath to calm myself. My head still throbbed, a persistent reminder of the accident that bastard had caused.
I took one last look around, making sure I hadn’t missed anything hiding in the shadows. I hadn’t. The building was clear. Satisfied, I turned and headed back to the room where Eve was guarding our captives.
It was time to interrogate those bastards. Yay! I hadn’t interrogated anyone in far too long. Too bad I didn’t have my duffel bag with me to make things really fun. Maybe next time.