Page 14 of Raven's Mark
The alley runs parallel to Cypress Street, the same west exit Knox said was still clear. Headlights sweep across the mouth of the alley as another vehicle pulls into position, blocking the main road.
"Hold on." I throw the truck into drive and punch the accelerator.
Raven braces against the dashboard as we shoot forward, tires screaming against asphalt. Bullets spark off the tailgate. Suppressed rifle fire, professional aim, targeting the rear tires to disable rather than kill. I keep the wheel steady, accelerating hard toward the only gap in their formation.
"They're behind us!" Raven twists in her seat.
I reach behind my seat and pull an AR-15 from its concealed compartment, then thrust it toward her. "Return fire. Don't waste rounds on the body. Aim for the windshield, driver's side."
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere that isn't here."
The next volley of gunfire comes closer, and rounds punch through the rear glass but the reinforced panels hold. A bullet lodges in the headrest inches from my skull and another takes out the passenger side mirror in a spray of plastic and metal.
Raven returns fire through the shattered rear window in controlled bursts, aimed at the lead vehicle's windshield. Glass spider-webs but doesn't break. Whoever's chasing us came prepared.
"They've got armor too." She checks the magazine. "Half a mag left."
"Then make them count."
I take the next turn hard enough to make the suspension groan. A residential street spreads ahead, dark houses and no witnesses. Perfect for an ambush or a massacre depending on which side you're on. Behind us, one SUV makes the turn. The others must be trying to cut us off at the next intersection.
"Hold on." I kill the headlights and yank the wheel right, jumping the curb and cutting through someone's front yard. Lawn decorations explode under the tires. A garden gnome shatters against the undercarriage. We burst through a decorative fence and bounce back onto the street one block over.
Raven grabs the handle above her door. "Are you insane?"
"Probably." I weave through another turn, checking mirrors for pursuit. Nothing yet. "You good?"
"Not bleeding. Not screaming. Still armed."
"Good enough."
My phone buzzes again. Knox. I answer on speaker.
"You're clear for now," he reports. "Cameras tracked you through the residential area. You lost them at the Maple Street junction. They're regrouping near the safe house."
"Roger that."
I disconnect and focus on driving. Fredericksburg's streets give way to highway, then to ranch roads winding through cedar-covered hills. I take a narrow turnoff that most people miss in daylight, invisible at night unless you know exactly where to look. The road degrades from gravel to dirt to little more than two ruts through scrub oak and limestone.
Raven hasn't spoken in minutes. She just sits with the AR-15 across her lap, staring out at darkness broken only by my headlights cutting through the night.
When she finally breaks the silence, her voice carries an edge I recognize.
"Where are we?"
"Somewhere no one knows about." I take another turn, following a path only I use. "I bought this property under a shell company years ago. There's no connection to the Hollister name."
The cabin appears through the trees with weathered wood siding, a rusted metal roof, and dark windows. It looks like a hundred other forgotten hunting cabins scattered through the Hill Country, with nothing to draw attention or interest from anyone passing by, if anyone ever did. It sits in a natural depression that hides it from aerial view, surrounded by scrub oak and cedar thick enough to make it easy to miss even if you're looking for it.
"This is yours?"
"Yeah. Knox knows it exists but not the location. Beckett doesn't even know I have it." I keep my eyes on the road as we approach. "The cartel can tear Fredericksburg apart looking for you. They won't find this place."
"I don't need your protection."
"You've already needed it twice today." I pull up in front of the cabin and kill the engine. "You want answers about the cartel and the ranches. I'm the only one who can keep you alive while you get them."
