Leo glides the car out onto the road, and the second SUV trails close behind. “Should I take the back roads?” he asks, glancing at me through the mirror.
I shake my head. “Stick to the main roads. If anyone targets us, they will be more reluctant to attack with civilians nearby.” I drill him with a look, and he understands I’m saying this purely for Sierra’s benefit. If the Russians want to attack us, they won’t give a flying fuck which road we are on or how many civilians are nearby. Unlike us, they don’t care about innocent bystanders and they must think they are above RICO laws.
“We shouldn’t have come,” Sierra says, rubbing her temples. “I hate I let her get to me.”
“Your sister has serious mental issues,” Leo says, and he’s not joking.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Sierra replies, as we round the bend.
“I don’t understand how your father favors her so much. She’s the most troublesome in the family,” I say.
“He doesn’t see it like that. He can’t see any fault in her. He loves that she works for the family business, and she sucks up to him any chance she gets.”
“Yet she embarrasses him in public,” Alessandro says, glancing over his shoulder from the passenger seat.
“That’s a recent development,” Sierra says, looking thoughtful. “She never used to be like that.”
“Who’d have daughters?” Leo quips. “They are nothing but trouble. You’re lucky you have a son.” He waggles his brows at me through the mirror.
A smirk tilts my lips as I sit back and let Sierra handle it.
“I think there must be something wrong with my hearing,” she says, sitting up straighter. “Because I could not have heard that misogynistic comment coming from Leo, of all people. Shocker right there.”
Leo grins, and I know he said that on purpose to get a rise out of her. It’s his way of trying to distract her and lighten the mood.
“Well, I—”
A loud bang cuts him off mid-sentence, and I turn around in time to see the vehicle behind us careen off the road before rolling over a few times. Smoke billows from the SUV as it screeches to a halt, upside down.
Fuck.
Leo puts the pedal to the metal as Alessandro pulls a gun out from under the passenger seat.
“Baby, get down.” I shove Sierra to the floor, lifting the seat to get at our supplies. We didn’t come unprepared. We knew there was a possibility the Russians would come after us today.
“Is it the Russians?” she asks.
“I assume so,” I say in a calm voice as I distribute Kevlar vests. “Put that on, and then cover yourself with this blanket, and stay down until I tell you it’s safe to get up.” I hand the red-and-blue-plaid blanket to Sierra.
“Take the next left,” I instruct Leo. The only advantage we have is my knowledge of the area. We are very close to where I grew up, and if we can’t shake them off, I know a few places we can hide.
I help Sierra put her vest on as Leo takes the next left, heading away from the busy main road up ahead. Sierra screams as a succession of loud thumps hits the rear window. “It’s okay,” I assure her. “It’s bulletproof glass.” Leo and I exchange wary expressions through the mirror as Alessandro leans out the side window, firing back.
Yes, this is an armored car, but it’s not my usual car, which has the thickest bulletproof glass that was built specifically to stop all bullets. Most non-custom armored vehicles are less secure, so I cannot say with absolute certainty that they can’t breach the glass. However, panicking my fiancée at a time when I need her to maintain a cool head won’t help. I press a hard kiss to her lips, clutching the back of Alessandro’s seat to steady myself as Leo zigzags across the road. “Trust me. We will keep you safe.”
She nods, working hard to keep her terror at bay.
“No matter what you hear, just stay under the blanket until one of us gives you the all-clear,” I tell her.
“I will.” She reaches out, taking my wrist. “Be careful.”
“Don’t worry about us. We know how to handle ourselves.” It’s a false assurance because she’s just witnessed my four soldiers getting tossed around in their car back there. I don’t know if any of them survived, but I can’t worry about my men now. Protecting Sierra and getting us the fuck out of Chicago is my sole priority.
She covers her body and her head with the blanket, and I strap my vest on and remove the rifles from the secret stowage compartment under the back seat. I hand a rifle to Alessandro as Leo races up back streets, weaving around parked cars and the odd civilian we meet. Flattening my back against the back of Leo’s chair, I press the button to lower the window and lean out, indiscriminately firing my weapon. Alessandro and I continue shooting at the SUV chasing us, ducking and diving as they retaliate. Bullets bounce off the rear window, some embedding in the metallic panels of the car.
“Aim for the tires,” I say to Alessandro. “On my count.”
He nods, and I count down from three. “One!” I shout, and we both lean out our windows at the same time aiming for the front two tires. Alessandro’s shot goes wide when the vehicle swerves to avoid it, narrowly missing hitting the car parked at the curb, but my shot meets its target, and the front left wheel explodes, sending the car spinning out of control. Alessandro and I plow bullets into their SUV in a relentless stream of firepower. A massive explosion evokes a whimper from Sierra, from under the blanket, and I watch with grim satisfaction as the Russians’ car bursts into flames.
Kneeling on the floor, I slowly retract the blanket. “It’s okay, baby. They’re gone. You’re—”
“Stay down!” Leo roars, and I throw myself over Sierra as the right-hand side back window shatters, raining glass on top of us. I curl around Sierra as bits of glass embed in the back of my head and my neck while Leo accelerates ahead.
“Shit,” Alessandro shouts. “Another SUV has just appeared from a side street.” If I hadn’t bent down to attend to Sierra, I’d be dead, but there is no time to dwell on what-ifs. We need to get off the fucking road before they force us off it.
“Get us out of here, Leo,” I bellow, lifting my head and taking a quick peek to gauge my surroundings.
Alessandro fires at the new SUV, now chasing us from behind, while I form a plan. We’re exposed with the open window, and I don’t like our odds. We need an alternate option, and I think I have one. “Take the next left. Then a sharp right,” I instruct Leo. “At the T-junction, take the right, and it brings you straight into a wooded area. Park and we’ll take it on foot from there.”
Leo follows my instructions as I resume shooting at the SUV. “We need to create a distraction so we can get away,” I shout at Alessandro. “Aim for the gas tank on that red Chevy.” I jerk my head at the vehicle haphazardly parked at the curb. The back end is jutting out, too far onto the road, and it will suit as a temporary obstacle.
“Got it, boss,” he says as I continue trading gunfire with the Russians.
He fires at the Chevy, pumping bullets into the gas tank until it detonates, shooting flames and debris in all directions. The brakes on the Russians’ SUV screeches as they battle to stop before barreling into the flames.