Not really comprehending what she meant, I ducked down to look inthe rear of the car. Only when I saw there was no one else with her, did understanding dawn.
Motherfucker!
I’d kill him, I would kill him with my bare hands for breaking Riley’sheart and then I’d find a way to bring him back to life and inflict the pain on him all over again.
Ducking down behind the Audi, I sat down and held her against my chest, trying my fucking hardest not to squeezeher but needing to feel her skin against mine, needing to know she would be okay. I shuffled us so I was sitting with my back against the car with her in my lap, and I held her there, thanking whichever greater power was out there for letting my girl live.
The gunshots around me eventually died down until the only soundsleft were the screams of people who had witnessed the gunfight, and the distant sound of sirens.Two sets of footsteps pounded the ground before Hendrix and Miles'faces appeared at the trunk of the Audi.
“Cops will be here soon, Kai,” Hendrix panted. His clothes weresplattered with blood, but he seemed uninjured.
“I don’t give a fuck,” I said quietly, resting my head against Riley’s. Mynumber one priority was getting her medical attention. Besides, the majority of the police department were on my payroll, they’d clear the mess up without asking any questions once they knew I was involved.
“Check the rest of the car,” I instructed even though it was pointless,Danny was long gone, and he would know better than to leave any clues as to where he was headed.
Still, Hendrix disappeared, doing as he was told.
“Want me to get the Doc on standby?” Miles asked, nodding at Riley. He hadn’t quite gotten out of the fight unscathed, blood trickled downhis arm but he wasn’t bothered by it so it couldn’t be bad.
“Yeah.”
As delicately as I could, I stood holding Riley in my arms, intent ongetting her into the back of my car and getting her to Harris’ place so he could assess her. Hendrix reappeared, confirming the car was indeed empty.
The first of the ambulances arrived, EMTs hopping out and straightover to a body. Ignoring their calls to bring Riley to them, Hendrix, Miles, and I headed over to our abandoned SUV which, unsurprisingly, was covered in bullet holes.
“Where’s Frank?” I asked. Not that I needed them to tell me what Ialready knew.
He was nowhere to be seen.
“He didn’t make it,” Miles replied.
Shame, Frank was a good man, a loyal one, he’d be missed. Suchwas the risk in our lives though and Frank knew that, and as cruel as it sounded, I’d rather it be Frank than Riley.
Refusing to let Miles or Hendrix take Riley from me, I managedto get into the back of the SUV with her remaining in my arms, not once did she regain consciousness.Needing to feel that she was still with me, my fingers found her pulsein her wrist as Hendrix got behind the wheel and started to maneuver the car away from the crime scene. Miles followed in the car he had arrived in.
As we pulled away, I surveyed the carnage. Bodies lay dead in theroad, guns strewn across the pavement, and innocent bystanders stared, traumatized by what they had witnessed. Cop cars started pulling up with their sirens blaring and lights flashing, followed by several more EMTs.
The whole scene was fucking surreal.
Shit like this did not happen in Hollows Bay.
In my city.
In the rearview mirror, I could see Hendrix taking in the scene like Iwas. He was white. His eyes flicked to the mirror and met my gaze.
“We find Danny and we find the fucker behind this. And when we do,we will make them pay for every fucking hit they’ve taken at us, for every one of our men they’ve killed. We take back what they owe us and then we fucking end them,” I growled venomously.
“Damn straight,” he whispered.
Hendrix hit the gas as soon as we were clear of the street and as heheaded towards the private hospital Dr. Harris owned, I stared down at my gorgeous girl who was caked in blood and dirt and held her close against my chest.
Silently, I vowed to protect her with everything I had.
Even if it meant I would die as a result.
To be continued…..