Temperance: Biker Romance (The Davis Chapter Book 2) Read Free Page B

them. The road wound through the outskirts of Davis, and I did my best to keep edging away from them. After a year, I still didn't know the contours that well, so I found myself slamming on the brakes and barely keeping the car on the road. The headlights behind me never wavered. When I came to a straighter section of road, I grabbed for my cell. I pulled up Kyle's number and held the phone to my ear.

    "Yo."

    "Hey, I'm going to be coming in hot. I thought I could lose them, but I was wrong. Please tell me we are still on," I said, forcing the words out through my very dry my mouth. My tongue dragged over my lips, but they felt more like cracked sandpaper. In that moment, I wish more than anything that I had thrown a bottle of water in my car.

    He replied in an instant, “You didn't hire the best driver in California for nothing. Meeting place is the same. Be ready to go the instant the car is in park. Try to build up some distance. Make three lefts instead of a right. Anything you can.”

    Kyle’s voice was so still and sure. I couldn't imagine being so calm. I was sweating, my eyes were wide and shifted all around, and adrenaline had me shaking worse than ever. Only a few more miles before I'd be riding passenger.

    Most of Davis shut down at night, and that gave me a little bit of freedom. After checking both ways, I crawled through a red light. I saw the flash of the camera that would cite me, but I didn't care. The Land Rovers were still too close for comfort.

    Taking Kyle's advice, I turned the wrong way, then again, then again. Each time I turned around the corner, I breathed a sigh of relief when I lost the headlights in my rearview mirror. It was never for long, though. After a few more hard bumps, the Lexus was squeak squeak squeaking louder than ever. I didn't care. I would drive that car into the ground if it got me away from Conrad.

    The parking lot was close. I thanked God, because my heart wouldn’t be able to take it much longer. I’d done a fantastic job, but I was more than ready to turn it over to Kyle. Another red light was coming up. I focused all my attention on looking both ways, and that’s when the Lexus was slammed into from behind. One of the Land Rovers shoved me forward into the intersection. To my left, a car barreled down on me, but the momentum of the crash spun me forward just in time.

    I watched as the oncoming car slammed into the Land Rover. Cutting the wheel hard and slamming on the accelerator got me back on track. The car whined in protest, the squeak sounding louder and more painful all the time. It was turning into more of a scrape, digging away a little bit of the car each time.

    The Lexus willed itself forward as if it knew my escape was within reach. I pounded on the steering wheel. “Come on, come on.”

    With one SUV left chasing me, I pushed the Lexus as hard as it would go. A warning light flashed on the dashboard with a little temperature gauge. Not one second later, steam started pouring from under the hood and onto the windshield. I flipped on the wipers, only managing to smear the liquid over the glass. I hunched forward, staring out through the small patch of clear windshield in front of me.

    I was going forty when I cut the wheel hard to the right. Kyle’s old muscle car was there, the driver’s side door open. He was standing, poised and ready to take off. I laid on the brakes and slid to a stop. My overnight bag slid forward from the passenger seat and into the foot well.

    My heart felt like it would never slow down again. “God dammit.” I undid my seat belt and reached for the bag. While my body was slumped forward, I heard the gunshot and the glass shatter at the same time. I screamed, but instinct held me down. Tires squealed as more shots rang out. I held my body flat, picturing the Land Rover slamming to a stop right behind me.

    More gunshots rang out, coming from a different location. I heard Kyle’s voice, and my body snapped into action.