"Let's lose them first," she yelled back before accelerating. We zipped down the street and headed toward a winding back road. Luckily, they weren't shooting at us. They were following the motorcycle, but if they wanted us dead, we were an open target.
Kaydence started weaving in and out of traffic, nearly clipping a few cars in the process. People honked. The SUV zoomed forward and drove on the shoulder. Some cars slammed on their brakes. Kaydence expertly slid between two sedans that were about to collide.
"Holy shit!" I screamed. She just leaned forward and kept going faster, faster, faster. The force of the air stung my cheeks. A Jeep up ahead flipped us off as we sped past them.
I felt like I was going to fall off every time I looked back at the SUV. It was gaining on us. "On our right!" I screamed when it cut off a truck and nearly bumped into us. I wanted to see who was in the driver's seat, but the tint was so black I couldn't see inside.
Kaydence pushed the motorcycle as hard as it would go, but they still stayed on us. "Hold on," she urged before taking a sharp left and going a different direction. I tried to lean into the chaotic turn and squeezed my eyes shut.
"They won't chase us forever. Prepare for them to start shooting soon," she yelled over the roaring machine and the roaring wind.
"Who the hell are you?" I asked while gripping tighter. Dust kicked up behind us as we went, and another car dodged out of the way, nearly slamming into the SUV. The sound of a gun firing caught my attention, and I almost pissed myself. It was loud and booming, cutting through the air. Kaydence just pressed on, heading toward an abandoned road off the highway.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"It's better I don't tell you," she screamed before swerving to avoid another motorcyclist and accelerating down the long stretch of road away from the SUV. We were gaining distance, going, going.
Another bang. Something hard and hot grazed my cheek. Trees towered overhead as we flew across the sun-bleached road. I looked behind us once more and found myself staring down the barrel of a gun. "Swerve. They're aiming at us."
Kaydence snaked left and right, dodging bullets as we went. I had a death grip on her hips. The road sloped as we climbed. The hill was steep, and I could see the leafy tops of trees below.
"Get ready!" Kaydence yelled.
"For what?"
The words died in my throat as she took a hard right and jumped off the elevated road. We were soaring through the air. Shots rang in the distance as we flew across the tops of trees and landed in a clearing. I swear to fucking God, it was like a James Bond movie. Slow-motion action that should have been impossible. When we landed, my pelvis slammed on the leather seat and pain shot down my legs. Kaydence and I nearly knocked heads.
I looked up in a daze, my eyes straining and stinging with pained tears and shock. I couldn't see the SUV anymore through the tree canopy. "Fuck. I think we lost them," I gritted as Kaydence cut through the woods with precision. She revved the engine, and dirt kicked up behind the tires until she found a worn, cracked, paved road and barreled down it.
I couldn’t help but yelp in excitement as we went. Holy shit, that was the craziest chase of my entire life. “That was insane!”
She revved the engine in response, making me hold on tighter. "Let's catch up with our men, yeah? They're probably freaking out," she said with a laugh. Them? I was still freaking out. Kaydence was a motherfucking badass.
Chapter Sixteen
Alessandro
I clutched the gun in my palm and waited. "Three minutes out," John said in a low voice. When he'd gotten the notification that Kaydence was leaving the house and zipping down back roads at high speeds, I knew in my gut that they were being chased. John insisted that Kaydence was more than capable of handling the situation, but still, we stood with guns at the ready, prepared to take down anyone threatening our women. If she had a single hair on her head hurt, I'd make them pay.
"I still don't understand why we didn't try to go meet them on the road," Nix said through clenched teeth. He looked completely fucked, his hands shaking, his face like gritty stone. I was falling apart, too, but he looked utterly broken. The guilt made every bone in his body coil with tension. I wanted to comfort him, but now wasn’t the time. We needed to save our girl.
"We wouldn't have made it in time. This is a secluded spot. My sister is going to be here soon with her private plane, which will provide for a quick getaway," John explained for the tenth time. I didn’t like this plan. I didn’t like just waiting.
One of us should have stayed behind. It was egotistical of us to think we had more time. No one could have possibly connected us to John. I didn’t understand how they found us so quickly. I took back roads getting there. I rented a car under a false name and paid with an untraceable debit card. No one knew of my connection to John, so I figured no one knew where we were. This was why I couldn't allow myself to be distracted by Nix. I was so excited to spend the day with him that I didn't even consider staying behind to make sure no one bothered us. I thought we were in our safe little bubble at John and Kaydence's house. I thought we had time. I thought it would take them longer to find us. We did everything right. I covered my tracks.
Or so I thought.
I knew
