Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,81
the black SUV doing the same, still following us closely. The exit is right in front of us, and Alec takes it at full speed, the car skidding at the sharp turn.
“Nick, are you still receiving my location?”
“I am.”
“Good. I’ll try to shake them off before backup arrives.”
Alec clicks off the call, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he watches our pursuers in the mirror. They’re gaining speed, getting ready to slam into us again. Just before they can, Alec turns the wheel sharply, causing us to cut off another car, but saving us from another hit. In pursuit, the SUV runs the same car off the road, once again aligning behind us. I watch in horror as the car spins and skids to a stop on the side of the road.
“They don’t care if they hurt innocent people!”
Alec scoffs. “You expected decency from brainwashed pieces of shit?”
“What do we do?”
“My top priority is to get you out of here safely.”
I slink in my seat in despair. There’s nowhere to go, nowhere to escape. And innocent bystanders may get hurt because of me.
Alec curses, then jumps on the brakes. The tires screech, the whole car shaking. In front of us, another black SUV turns sideways across the road, blocking it. A tiny green Toyota manages to sneak around it, nearly hitting the back bumper. Horns start blaring from every direction, the cacophony too loud for me to think clearly.
Turning in my seat, I see the other SUV has blocked the road behind us, caging us in.
“Alec…” I say, my voice trembling. “Alec, what do we do?”
He looks at me, eyes wild. “Do you trust me?”
He’s asked me that very same question before, in the stairwell, and I said yes. Because it’s true.
“Yes,” I say. I’ll always say yes. “Get us out of here.”
He reaches for me over the central console and brings me in for a quick hard kiss. I gasp, not ready for everything he pours into that brief moment.
“Hold on.”
I barely have a chance to lean back in my seat when Alec releases the brakes and stomps on the accelerator. We’re approaching the car in front of us faster than my brain can make sense of what’s happening. Just before we hit it full on, Alec turns the wheel sharply to the left and manages to sneak through that same gap the green Toyota used. However, our Jeep is much larger, and we ram the back of the SUV, making it spin out of the way. Our front bumper falls apart, debris scattering on the road around us. Moving faster than I can imagine in this situation, Alec opens the window, and then his hand shoots out, gun firing at the SUV.
“Holy shit,” I say, exhaling the deep breath I’m holding. Turning around, I see he’s blown their tires. But the other SUV is already in pursuit, as if unfazed by Alec’s escape or impeccable aim. “They’re behind us.”
“I know.” Knuckles white on the wheel, Alec drives as fast as he can.
Thankfully, the temporary roadblock cleared the road of most of the traffic, and we only have to maneuver around a couple of cars.
The hit from behind comes as a shock even when I know they’re closing in. It’s harder than before, more reckless, as if they don’t care if we live or die.
Alec presses on the accelerator, pushing the Jeep to its limit. The silver Volvo comes out of nowhere in front of us, and there’s no way Alec can brake in time to avoid hitting it head on.
“Look out!” I shout, already bracing for the impact.
Alec swerves the wheel, narrowly avoiding the Volvo, but causing our car to spin out of control. It happens too fast for me to process—one second, we’re driving on the road, and the next, the car is spinning, something heavy hitting it on the side, and then it’s turning on its roof, the seatbelt digging into my body, trying to keep me in place. The airbags blow up, and I scream, not sure what’s real anymore. Everything hurts, everything’s a blur, everything’s too fast, too much…
“Zach! Zach!” Alec’s voice is loud… too loud.
I open my eyes, instantly regretting it. My head hurts too much, and so does my arm. My whole body feels tender when I move, as if I’ll snap in two if I attempt to change my position.
“Zach,” Alec’s voice is quieter now, but the concern in it makes me look at him. “We have to get out