Page 11 of Conquered Betrayal
Reaching into the backseat, I grasped the strap of her satchel and yanked the bag into my lap. Inside, my hand connected to cold metal. I pulled out the gun she’d taken from one of the security guards. The make was similar to the ones I’d used with Walker at the shooting range when he wanted to relieve tension.
“Am I the only one who isn’t carrying a gun in this city?”
“Probably,” came Jolyn’s quick response. “Do you know how to use it?”
I straightened my posture to give her a look.
“Stay down!”
Still folded in half, I said, “I’ve fired one a time or two.”
The window beside me slid down. Roaring wind swept inside the car, doubling the noise level. I hesitated.
“Shoot them!” she shouted.
I didn’t want to fire wildly in the middle of a city. Especially when I didn’t understand what was going on. Maybe I should turn the gun on Jolyn, tell her to pull over so she could face the consequences of her actions. If she were part of a human-trafficking ring, she deserved every punishment the law could throw at her. My fingers twitched.
I peeked over the edge of the door, then ducked down. There were two SUVs, one of them right beside us.Thud thud thud. Bullets hit the door beside me with force, like I could feel them stopping an inch from my body.
Why am I not dead?
“Oh, my God,” Jolyn said, slouched low in her seat to avoid the shots. “I’m so glad you reinforced the doors of this thing.”
My relief was short-lived. Another barrage sprayed the door. The desire to keep out of the problem quickly faded. Jolyn might be on the wrong side of the law, but these guys were worse. If I didn’t return fire, we’d end up dead. Maybe a few shots would get them to back off. From what I’d seen when I’d poked up my head, it looked like Jolyn had driven us onto a less-populated freeway.
“I told you I’d get you a paint job!”
I’d have loved to hear the other side of the conversation. Remembering the position of the SUV as best I could, I lifted the gun over the edge of the door and squeezed the trigger. The gun didn’t do anything.
“Take the safety off,” she shouted at me.
A quick glance and I flicked the switch, then braced myself as Jolyn took another fast corner.
“Shoot now! You’ve got a perfect angle.”
Keeping low, I aimed at the SUV that had slowed to take the corner as well.Bang bang.The noise of the gun rang in my ears and the kickback jerked my hand toward me.
“Good hit! You got their window. Do it again,” Jolyn coached from beside me. “But be careful.”
With the SUV right behind us, I had to lean out the window a bit to get a good angle. The wind pressed against me, trying to throw me back inside. I pushed against it, aiming, and it suddenly felt like someone punched me in the shoulder. Shaking it off, I fired three times, then ducked down, wind whistling above me.
“You could drive faster,” Jolyn said to whoever was listening on the other end of her comm. “We need some backup.”
My arm throbbed and burned. With my free hand, I reached and touched my left shoulder. My fingers came away wet and crimson.
Oh shit.My vision fogged, stars swimming in front of my eyes. The gun’s weight dragged itself to the floor.
“Landon? What is it?”
Jolyn’s concerned voice reached me above the roar of the wind and the engine. I stretched out my hand to show her, the bright specks in my vision turning black.
5
JOLYN
I hummed softly,brushing my mother’s hair. I didn’t know if she liked it, but she seemed to relax. Not that there was a huge difference in her demeanor. But I knew her well enough to feel the change. I always made sure to do the task before the nurse came. When she brushed Mother’s hair, she was too rough.
“It’s pointless, you know.” Emerson walked into the room, making me stiffen. “She doesn’t care.”
