Chapter 26 Raine
Raine
The recoil slammed into my shoulder, muzzle flash blinding in the storm. For one endless heartbeat I thought I’d missed.
Then the van’s windshield shattered in a glittering spray. The headlights swerved, carving wild arcs across the trees. Metal screamed as the vehicle fishtailed, skidded sideways, and slammed into the ditch.
The impact shook the Jeep as Boone swerved to keep us upright. “Hell yeah!” he barked, slamming the gas. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
The boy in the back whimpered, his mother clutching him tight. Relief rippled through me, sharp and dizzy, but it lasted all of two seconds.
Because another set of lights flared in the mirror.
Boone’s grin vanished. “Damn it. More company.”
My pulse spiked. How many of these bastards were out here? How many vans, how many masks, how many stolen lives hidden in the storm?
“We can’t lead them to the shelter,” I said, throat raw. “Too many civilians.”
“No kidding,” Boone muttered. He jerked the wheel, taking us down a flooded side road, water spraying over the hood. “Hold on!”
The Jeep bounced hard, tires catching on loose gravel. The survivors screamed, clutching each other as the vehicle skidded dangerously close to the drop-off.
I braced myself against the door, rifle raised. “If they catch up, we make a stand here.”
Boone shot me a sharp look, teeth flashing in a grim smile. “Stoker’s gonna kill me.”
“Not if I kill them first.”
The van’s engine howled behind us, headlights burning through the rain. Closing. Closer.
And I knew—this fight wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. Not with Captain Raine Carter fighting for us.