Page 53 of Queen of Ruin

“Are you kidding me? Look at these fuckers. The river is the only way to lose them.”

“And when they send us into the damn river? I can’t fucking swim!”

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“No, take the exit to the bridge.”

“No!”

“Yes! You’re gonna get us killed!”

“Motherfucker, I’m driving and I say the river. Get off me, man, are you trying to kill us all?!” The bald bounty hunter yells loudly as the greasy-haired one fights him for the wheel. Blows are exchanged between them similar to children fighting over a toy, but before a winner can be decided, one of the chasing cars thumps into our back bumper.

We all jolt forward. Engines roar as two more cars move up on either side of us with windows so blacked out that all I can make out is the reflection of our own car.

“They’re trying to box us in!” I yell as Valentina’s nails cut into my palm. “Drive faster!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Stress turns the bald man’s face and head bright red as he wrenches the wheel to one side, sending us slamming into one of the cars. They skid off to one side and give us more room, but as we turn, the other car clips the corner of our rear bumper as it falls back and we’re thrown into a spin.

Around and around we go with tires screaming, brakes squealing, and the two bounty hunters screaming at one another about who is the worst driver between them, until we crash into another parked car and bounce. The breakneck speed we were driving at coupled with the bounce sends the car rolling onto its side. Valentina screams as she’s thrown against the passenger door and the ground scrapes against her window until it shatters in her face.

“Valentina!”

I can’t reach her. My own seatbelt chokes me as I dangle to the side, arms and legs flailing for a few seconds until another chaotic jolt sends the car onto its roof and we’re dangling upside down like trapped puppets.

Eventually, we come to a stop. The world spins. I can’t breathe from the pressure of the seatbelt keeping me from crashing down onto the roof of the car, and the tension is too strong for the release to free me, either.

Valentina’s in a similar position, her amber hair cascading forward like a velvet curtain, and she throws one arm to the side, trying to reach me. Both the bounty hunters lie crumpled on the roof where they landed after the crash. There were no seat belts to save them.

“Diego!” she croaks out. “Hold on. I think I can…” She yelps as her seatbelt clicks and retracts, sending her crashing down onto the roof with a soft groan.

“Valentina!”

“I’m okay.” She lies there for a second, panting and wincing, but before she attempts to pick herself up, hands reach in through the broken passenger window and grab her legs.

“No!” She immediately starts thrashing. “Let me go! Let me go!”

“Valentina!”

Her scream trails and fades as she’s dragged right out of the vehicle, leaving me gasping for air and in utter silence.

“Valentina!” I yell again.

Silence.

Twisting left and right, I wrestle against my seatbelt and fight to use my weight and momentum to unlock the clasp, but it refuses to budge. Suddenly, my passenger door rips open and a blinding light from a parked car floods inside. Something clicks, then my seatbelt vanishes from around my chest, but before I can thump to the ground, arms catch me and I’m dragged out of the car.

Bathed in burning, bright headlights, I can only make out the shadows of people moving around as dizziness pulls through my mind with a nauseating ache.

“Is that him?” comes an unfamiliar voice.

“Yeah. Fucking hell.” It’s the deep voice from before, and two strong hands grab my arm. “You’re a hard man to track.”

21

VALENTINA

Where the hell am I?