Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 173392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 867(@200wpm)___ 694(@250wpm)___ 578(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 173392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 867(@200wpm)___ 694(@250wpm)___ 578(@300wpm)
“Ah, shit,” Dallas grumbles.
“Dammit!” I bark. “You little shits.”
“Just keep going!” Dallas shouts. “Hurry!”
Tall trees and heavy brush surround us, and we bounce over the tracks, into Sanoa Bay. Taking a left and then a right, I don’t see any taillights ahead of us.
A small fork lies up the road, and I charge as fast as I can, swerving as low-hanging branches hit my windshield.
“Gotta get there before he makes the turn!” Dallas shouts.
“I know that! I can’t see.”
Ben Calderon’s driveway appears, and I jerk the wheel right, speeding up a small incline and slamming on the brakes. A thick row of trees blocks the view of the street from the driveway, and I yank my door open, glancing in the back seat before I jump out.
“I’ll deal with you two later,” I grit out. “Stay here!”
“Yeah, right,” JC replies, but I’m in too much of a hurry to fight with him.
Hopping out of the truck, I move to the tailgate, pulling it down. Sliding one of the many containers toward me, I flip open the lid and find the spikes.
I grab them.
“Hurry!” Dallas yells.
I hand him one side and take the handle of the other, leading the way through the trees and looking both ways. No cars coming. I walk to the other side, Dallas remaining where he is as we stretch the chain link of spikes across the road.
“This isn’t gonna kill them, is it?” I shout.
Iron had a lot of fun with these things back in the day. As long as they’re not going fast, it should be fine, right?
But Dallas yells at me, “He attacked our sister! And likes to beat up on women!”
“Right.”
I mean, it can’t be that unsafe. They sell them on Amazon.
I drop the chain, making sure it’s straight.
“They’re coming!” he shouts, running back for the brush.
I follow, both of us situating ourselves out of sight as Mars and JC come up to watch.
I grab them and pull them back.
The Audi gets closer and closer, rain dancing in front of the headlights. Almost there, almost there. I hold my breath, the fear that a stupid prank could turn bad making my stomach churn a little.
The car zooms past, and shots pierce the air. Pop, pop, pop, pop.
The car swerves and the tires expel their air, the sound of rain and the deflated rubber hitting the street filling my ears.
The car goes off the road and disappears into a shallow ditch, its taillights sticking up in the air.
Dallas smiles. “Never gets old.”
JC will keep his mouth shut. I look down at Mars. “Snitches get stitches.”
He nods once, totally on board.
I race to the other side of the street, hearing some girl and guy screaming in a way that sounds mad and not injured, while Milo’s seat belt hits his window and he shoves his door open.
I back up before he can see us.
“Who’s that?” I hear Dallas ask.
I follow his gaze, seeing another car coming.
“Get the chain!” I whisper-yell.
But he stands his ground. “It’s probably more of them.”
I watch, realization hitting when I recognize the make and model of the car that owns those headlights.
“It’s Conroy!” I tell him. “Pull it back!”
He doesn’t. Just shrugs.
“Dallas!”
Goddamn him.
I don’t have time to stop her. She flies past, her tires popping instantly.
Ah, shit. Macon’s going to fucking kill us over more tires down the drain.
Son of a bitch.
She swerves left and right, finally skidding to a halt ahead, and I run up to her, pulling her out of the car. Trace jumps out the passenger side.
I hold her by her upper arms. “You okay?”
“Are you serious?” she shouts, scowling. “My tires!”
She looks back at the road and the spikes, and I glance toward the ditch, but Milo and his pals are still down there and can’t see us.
Yet.
We have to get out of here.
I take her hand, pulling her into the trees and back toward my truck, leaving her dad’s Benz in the road.
“Where’s my brother?” she demands. “Why’d you take him? Mars!”
“Shh,” I insist.
Milo will hear her.
I drag her back up to my truck in Calderon’s driveway with Dallas and Trace following.
I point at Mars. “You sleep at his house,” I say, gesturing to JC. “Get home! Both of you. Hurry!”
JC grabs Mars by the elbow, leading him away. We’re not far from home.
“Let’s go,” I say, then to Trace and Dallas, “Take the truck. I’ll meet you there, and we’ll load up some tires to bring back for her car.”
They climb in and shove off, racing down the road the short distance back to the house.
I feel pretty fucking stupid for being that petty with that piece of shit, but I forgot how good it felt to do something that’s not work, and end the night with something pretty.
I take her in my arms, then notice the white dress she’s wearing. Sleeveless and ending at mid-thigh, it has straps across her chest and back, showing slivers of skin. Her hair is soaking wet now, but she feels just as good.