Page 42 of Deliverance

Officer Callahan, as he introduced himself, looked at me in the rear-view mirror. His sandy blonde hair and blue eyes were meant to be charming, but there was a coldness to them I recognized. This man was a killer.

“The 12th precinct.” He referenced Detective Patel’s precinct, but it didn’t comfort me.

“There’s some traffic on 13th,” Officer Michaels said. “We’re taking the long way around.”

The excuse was plausible, but something still didn’t sit right with me. Officer Michaels was sitting sideways in his seat a bit. I could try to dig out my phone, but he would see me if I moved. I kept my posture loose as I contemplated my options. Did Evelyn and the guys know something was wrong? They would if I didn’t show up at the precinct to meet the lawyer. But by then it might be too late.

I didn’t say anything as we sped through town. When we turned out of the city, though, my stomach dropped. Fuck, this wasn’t good. They outnumbered me two to one. If they got to wherever they were taking me, there could be more of them. Or if they were taking me somewhere to kill me, I would be at a disadvantage as soon as I got out of the car and they had room to move. I eyed the trees along the side of the road as we sped down it. Did I risk forcing the car off the road, taking one of them out and making a run for it? I didn’t know the area, but sitting here and doing nothing wasn’t an option either.

I kept my posture loose as I shifted in my seat lightly. My hand fell to my side as if I was scratching my leg, but I was preparing to unbuckle and throw myself forward. Officer Callahan was driving, but Officer Michaels would be an issue. What choice did I have?

I took a deep breath, and when I exhaled, I moved. Clicking my seatbelt off, I lunged forward, grabbing Officer Callahan’s seatbelt and jerking it up around his neck. Officer Michaels cursed and drew his gun. I pulled the seatbelt back tight with one hand, and Officer Callahan clawed at my arm. Officer Michaels pointed his gun at me, but I knocked his arm away with my hand. We struggled as he tried to swing it my way again. The car swerved wildly, and the gun went off.

Warm blood sprayed against my face. Officer Callahan’s head slumped forward, a gaping hole in the side of his head. I jerked the wheel hard to the right, and the car flew off the road. Officer Michaels cursed as we hit the ditch. The car flipped once, twice. I released the seatbelt and cradled my head with my elbows. I grunted as the car slammed to a stop, the door next to me popping open as it did so. Officer Michaels was groaning in the front seat, but he was still alive. Dizzy and my body stinging with cuts from the shattered glass, I forced myself to move. I had to get into the trees and find cover.

I staggered out of the car, my legs buckling, but I stumbled along. I was almost to the tree line when a bullet whizzed by and buried itself right above my head.

“Stop!” Officer Michaels barked.

I turned around slowly. He was bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow and holding his ribcage, but the hand that held his gun was steady. I could run, but he would shoot me in the back before I got far.

He approached slowly, grinning savagely, his teeth stained with blood. “That was a good try. I’ll give you that.”

I straightened as I stared him down. “Who do you work for? Kingfisher?”

He spat a wad of blood into the grass. “Does it matter?” he asked. “They paid a lot of money to kill you.”

“It might not matter to you, but it matters to me,” I countered. “And if you’re about to kill me, why does it matter if I know or not?”

Officer Michaels shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. Yes, it was Kingfisher. Turns out you and that whore have pissed him off. And now you’re paying the price.”

I bristled at the name he called Evelyn, and he laughed. “You’re about to die, and you’re worried about that bitch? Don’tworry, I’ll tell her all about your death when I string her up and have my turn with her.”

I growled and stepped toward him.

He waved his gun at me. “Ah, ah,” he chided. “Kingfisher wanted it to look like a suicide, but now that you killed Callahan, I have a better story. Turn around.”

“No,” I said. “If you’re going to shoot me, you have to face me.”

Officer Michaels shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.” He raised his gun, and I braced myself.

Tires screeched behind us, and Officer Michaels whirled around. A black SUV slammed to a halt, and Evelyn spilled out of the passenger seat, gun in hand. Michaels raised his gun, but Evelyn was faster. A crack echoed through the forest, and Michaels crumpled to the ground, clutching his throat. Evelyn advanced, her face hard and wiped of all emotion. I wasn’t looking at Evelyn; I was looking at the leader of the Archers. Michaels gasped for air as she stood above him. She knocked the gun out of his hand and stared down at him impassively, then shot him twice in the chest.

Sebastian appeared next to me, and I jolted. He holstered his own gun and held his hands up. “Easy,” he said. “Just me. Are you okay? Where are you hurt?”

I groaned as the adrenaline slipped away, and the pain surged forward in its place. “Not sure.”

“Can you walk to the car?” Sebastian asked.

I nodded and took a step, almost stumbling. He caught me easily, sliding under my arm as he supported me. A soft arm circled my waist from the other side. Evelyn held me gently, her hazel eyes shining up at me.

“Are you okay?” she asked, voice soft and fragile, all traces of the fearless leader gone.

“I’m fine,” I reassured her, wanting to wipe the pained expression from her face.

“He’s not,” Sebastian said. “But he will be. We made it in time, darling.”

Evelyn released a shaky breath, and both of them helped me to the back of the SUV. Adrian stood by the cop car, examining Callahan’s body. Sebastian helped settle me into a sitting position.