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An exit was coming up. I pointed to it, and before I could say anything, Shaw nodded as if he’d picked up on my idea. He waited until we were almost past the exit, then took a sharp left turn, heading off the highway and onto a back road. My seatbelt tightened painfully as I swayed toward the window with the force of our turn.
The SUV bounced as we flew down the dirt road; the car chasing us sailed past, trying to make the last minute turn but failing.
I held my breath as Shaw raced down the quiet country roads. He was going far too fast for safety, but slow was even more dangerous.
Then suddenly, the trees were right in front of us. Shaw veered off the road, crashing through the bushes.
We were surrounded by trees now, the car kicking up dirt and mud as Shaw rolled us through the forest. I could feel the car shuddering with each bump, but Shaw kept it under control. He sped through the trees, taking every turn and getting closer and closer to another open road on the far side.
Finally, we broke free of the trees, emerging onto a road a few miles away from where we had entered the woods. We had managed to lose the Longroad pack, and now we were flying down the curving county roads.
Shaw glanced in the rearview mirror, making sure that there was still no sign of our pursuers. He then pushed the accelerator to the floor, only letting up when he navigated the tight hairpin turns. “It looks like we lost them.” Aiden’s voice was full of relief.
Suddenly, a car pulled in front of us and slammed on its brakes. Shaw spun the wheel to the side, trying to keep us moving. We bounced into the grass.
"Spike strips," Shaw said shortly as we bounced over the grass and slammed back into the road. "That's fun. I'm suddenly really glad Stone sprang for the full-paranoia trim line on this baby."
"It didn't blow out our tires?"
"They're airless tires." Shaw's jaw was set as we accelerated along the twisting country roads, barely staying on the road. "They've forced us out of neutral territory. I don't like being this far off the highway."
Aiden said tensely from the backseat, "This looks like Weston pack territory. They're Longroad allies."
The car slid around a corner, and as the trees parted, the sight of concrete barriers rose in front of us.
"Looks like life just got a lot more complicated," Shaw said evenly.
I gritted my teeth right before we slammed into the concrete.
CHAPTER25
Liam
Rose’swild scream echoed in my ears as the car spun around Shaw trying to turn it before it slammed into the concrete. But it was too late. The concrete barriers loomed in front of us. We slammed into them with a sickening crunch.
Shaw’s head slammed forward into the air bag, then hit the glass to the side as the car whirled around. When we came to a stop, he was unconscious, blood trickling from his temple.
“Amelia?” I called, needing to know she was okay. I checked on Rose and Aiden for her sake. Rose was unconscious, so she wasn’t screaming anymore. Aiden looked dazed, and he shook his head like he was trying to clear it, only to wince in pain.
“I’m okay,” Amelia groaned, sounding anything but okay.
“We’re going to have to fight our way out of here.” Aiden leaned forward, shaking off the last of his confusion. Amelia’s pack seemed like a bunch of assholes, but somehow Aiden and Amelia had turned out alright.
I was already dialing my brother. The car would hold for a while, but we needed backup.
Stone answered right away. “What?”
For once, I was glad my brother was a dickhead who didn’t do small talk. “We’ve been ambushed by the Longroad pack and the Weston pack.”
“Where are you?”
I looked at the mass of wires sticking out where the transmitter used to be. No wonder Stone wanted to track us all.
I told him to the best of my ability, watching as dozens of shifters converged on the car. It. Was bulletproof, but that didn’t mean it was impenetrable. Sooner or later, they’d find their way in.
I dragged Shaw out of the way, struggling to get his legs out from under the dashboard, and threw him over the rear seat to Aiden. “Get him strapped in so he’s safe as we get out of here.”
I struggled behind the steering wheel. The car’s whole side was badly crumpled and I couldn’t see anything with the airbag, so I grabbed the knife I knew Stone would keep in the console and punched it. Dust from the airbag filled the car and my eyes watered as I coughed, but our top priority was getting out of here.
