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She suddenly looked past me. The blood drained from her face.
I looked over my shoulder. A pair of headlights flickered through the trees in the distance.
“They followed you,” she whispered.
“Who followed me?”
“Let me go.” She wrestled out of my hold and began frantically gathering random items. “They’re here. Oh my God, they’re here. They followed you.”
“Who?”
“Kusma’s men.”
“There’s no way someone followed me. If someone from Black Cell is here, it’s because they were watching you long before I showed up.”
I knew it was bullshit. Somebody very likely could have followed me. I hadn’t been watching my tail. Hell, I didn’t know I needed to.
“Stop,” I said, reaching for the gun on my hip. “Stop running around like a madwoman.”
Sophia whirled, a book tumbling out of her hands. “Why should I trust you?”
“Looks like I’m the only option you have right now, sweetheart.”
She stilled for a moment, the proclamation resonating with her.
Make her feel safe.
“I’m going outside to meet whoever this is. Hide behind that couch and stay there until I get back. Do you understand me?” I grabbed the bat she’d tried to behead me with earlier. “Here. If anyone tries to come through the window behind you, don’t hesitate.”
Sophia nodded, her eyes wild with fear.
“You’re going to be okay. Just stay down.”
Once I was certain Sophia was out of view, I stepped onto the front porch. The snow had already picked up, obstructing my view. The second wave of the snowstorm that Leo had warned me about was here.
The mystery vehicle stopped at the end of the driveway. Ten seconds passed, twenty, then—
Bullets whizzed past my ear, hitting the house behind me.
“Stay down!” I yelled, diving into the snow.
Shards of wood and glass rained around me as the assault continued.
I heard two gunshot echoes. One in front of the house—and one behind it. The vehicle at the end of the road was a diversion.
I pushed off the ground, and double-fisting my gun, stumbled around the side of the house, my boots sliding and sinking into the snow.
Pop, pop, pop. The windows shattered above me. Shards of glass peppered my hair, pinging off the back of my neck.
“Stay down,” I yelled into the cracked windows, over and over.
At the corner of the house, I pivoted and ran into the trees. There I stopped and crouched down, allowing my eyes to adjust to the inky blackness. I held my breath, straining to hear anything beyond the whipping wind.
A twig cracked in the close distance, then another, and another.
I took off toward the sound, following the thud of heavy footprints. The snow stung my eyes, blurring what little vision I had to begin with. I was practically running blind through the darkness, risking getting knocked out by a tree branch. Whoever I was chasing was running far too fast for the conditions and so was likely wearing night-vision goggles, which suggested I was dealing with no amateur.
Soon, I became aware of the distance I’d run and the space I’d put between Sophia and me.
