“Nope,” Aiden said, sliding his left foot back so slowly it was barely discernible.
“Then you’re a snitch,” Spider sneered.
The judge held the gun on Aiden. “I’ve looked through all the case files and haven’t seen your name anywhere. It’s odd with your rap sheet that you’re out of prison. It’s almost as if your history is made up perfectly.”
“Good to know,” Aiden said evenly.
“Judge?” I ignored the pain in my ribs and flattened my feet beneath me. “You haven’t killed anybody and can still get out of this. Heck, you’ve acted insane the last year or so and probably can plead insanity. That was the plan, right?”
His gaze flickered my way.
Aiden kicked for the gun. The second I saw him move, I jumped up, chin down, and charged Spider right in the gut. My head plowed into his stomach, and we flew across the cement to land hard and skid. His gun skipped farther into the garage. He threw me off him, and I landed on my arm, crying out at the shocking pain.
Then I scrambled for his gun on my hands and knees. Small rocks and cement shards sliced into my already damaged palms.
Spider grabbed me around the waist and threw me to the side. I kicked out, nailing him in the knee. It buckled, and he went down, swinging.
I moved for the gun, and he grabbed my shoulder, twisting and throwing hard. Pain shot down my arm, and I tumbled head over tail, hitting the rear tire of the car.
Spider got the gun.
Panicking, I threw myself under the car, rolling until I got to the other side. He fired, and bullets pinged off the metal. I crouched next to a tire, looking frantically around. The judge lay prone on the ground, where Aiden must’ve slammed him. Right now, Aiden and Sal traded punches, Aiden definitely winning.
Until a bullet shot from Spider hit him in the upper thigh.
“Aiden!” I yelled, crab-walking to the front of the car.
He slammed Sal’s head into the side of the garage and then went down, clutching his leg. Blood welled between his fingers, pumping out a dark red. He shook his head like he’d taken a blow to the temple.
The clicking of a gun echoed through the small space. Spider needed to reload.
“Run, Anna,” Aiden groaned, pulling himself up to sit by Sal. He started searching the unconscious guy’s pockets with the hand not plugging what looked like an artery.
I stood and looked over the hood at Spider. He was on his knees, furiously whipping through his coat to drag out a silver clip, which glinted like evil in the dim light. I could make it to the door, but Aiden was a sitting duck. There was only one option. I yelled as loud as I could and rushed Spider, reaching him and kicking him as hard as I could beneath the chin. He fell back, and I stomped on his face out of sheer panic, trying to keep his beefy arms from swinging up again.
He grabbed my left ankle, so I jumped up and nailed him in the temple with my right foot.
His hold loosened and he flopped back.
Sobbing and grunting in sheer terror, I kicked him again, right where his jaw met his temple. It cracked loudly. He clutched it, tears streaming down his face.
I ripped the gun away from him and threw it, turning to see it smack Aiden in the head.
“Ouch!” he howled.
Then the whole world descended upon us. Men in full tack gear dropped on ropes from a helicopter, and emergency vehicles screeched to a halt on either side of the car hauler. Black SUVs with lights, patrol cars, even nondescript cars with red and blue lights.
Pierce jumped out of a patrol car and ran for me, his vest over his dress shirt. “Anna.” He reached me and paused, sucking in air. “You’re okay.” He planted his hands on his thighs, partially bent over, breathing heavily. “All right.” He tilted his head and looked at Spider, who was bleeding profusely from the head and face. “Your work?”
Almost numb, I nodded.
Nick Basanelli leaped out of a still moving SUV and headed straight for me, his chin down, and his gaze seeing everything. He stopped right before touching me. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” I really needed to get out of that garage. Holding my rib cage, I staggered over to Aiden, where a paramedic was cutting away his jeans to reveal a very