isn’t exactly a habit of mine, either.”
“I’m not all that strange.”
“Ah, well. That makes me feel better.” She pulled back to look in his eyes. “I need to talk to you too. I want to ask you …” Nadia hesitated.
Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest, but she smiled again and stroked his jaw. “I need to know if I can trust you. If you woke up in my bed tomorrow, would you break my heart?”
Dante abruptly pulled away from her.
“I can’t do this,” he muttered, and pulled a hand down his face as he paced underneath the pink glow of the neon sign.
Nadia’s mouth went dry. It took some effort to force the words out. “You can’t do what?”
A burst of gunfire shattered the night around them.
Nadia screamed and Dante threw himself at her. He jerked her off the hood into the gravel beside him.
“Stay down!” he shouted, and grabbed a gun from his calf holster.
Gunfire peppered around the truck when the bodyguards stationed in the parking lot returned fire.
Nadia watched in horror when the bar doors burst open. Ronnie and Waynie led the charge. A big red flower appeared on Waynie’s shirt.
Then he went down.
“Waynie!” she screamed.
She started crawling to him. Sharp gravel bit into her palms, nearly slicing them when Dante seized her ankle and yanked her backward.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he demanded.
“Let go of me. I’ve got to help Waynie.”
“Waynie would want you to be safe. We’ve got to get out of here.” He yanked open the door to Waynie’s pickup and pushed her inside. “Keep your head down.”
Dante reached around her, fumbling for the switch. He cursed and Nadia realized the keys were missing.
“Help them,” she said. “I can do this.”
Without waiting for his reply, Nadia jerked a handful of wires from underneath the dash. Dante slid out of the cab and she heard the report from his weapon when he moved around the side of the truck.
She worked fast. Red, purple, green. The wires sparked and the engine roared to life. She scooted behind the wheel when she heard Dante fumble with the passenger side door. Dante threw himself in the seat and Nadia stomped the accelerator, sending up a spray of gravel when they rocketed past the neon sign.
“How did you do that?” Dante asked. He ejected an empty clip onto the floorboard and reloaded.
“You’d be surprised at the things I can do,” Nadia said absently, checking the rearview mirror.
A pair of headlights swung out of Charlie’s parking lot, but she had the jump on them. She tromped on the gas. The needle on the speedometer hit 90, and the little truck began to shimmy.
“I bet. But I know hotwiring cars. It’s not like the movies, not that quick of a process. How did you know which wires?”
“You’re assuming I haven’t hotwired this truck before,” she said. “Waynie …” Sudden tears stung her eyes, and she couldn’t finish her sentence.
Dante’s voice was soft, concerned. “I’ve got my phone. Do you have Ronnie’s cell number?”
Nadia nodded and blinked back tears. Now was no time to cry.
She rattled the number off to Dante. Her mind was racing. She had to shake their pursuers. Nadia almost missed the turnoff before she realized where she wanted to go.
Wheeler Town. That would be perfect. She twisted the wheel and shot down the narrow back road.
“Ronnie? Hey!”
Dante grunted when she threw him against the dash. He dropped the phone and pawed around the floorboard for it. “Yeah, I’m still here, and we’re both okay. It’s only Nadia’s driving.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Waynie said you’d better not wreck his truck.”
“Oh!” Nadia’s breath left her in a rush. She pressed a hand to her mouth. “Waynie’s alive?”
“Yeah, but we won’t be if you don’t put both hands back on the wheel. Ronnie wants to know where we’re going.”
“Hold the phone up here so I can talk to
“I’m not all that strange.”
“Ah, well. That makes me feel better.” She pulled back to look in his eyes. “I need to talk to you too. I want to ask you …” Nadia hesitated.
Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest, but she smiled again and stroked his jaw. “I need to know if I can trust you. If you woke up in my bed tomorrow, would you break my heart?”
Dante abruptly pulled away from her.
“I can’t do this,” he muttered, and pulled a hand down his face as he paced underneath the pink glow of the neon sign.
Nadia’s mouth went dry. It took some effort to force the words out. “You can’t do what?”
A burst of gunfire shattered the night around them.
Nadia screamed and Dante threw himself at her. He jerked her off the hood into the gravel beside him.
“Stay down!” he shouted, and grabbed a gun from his calf holster.
Gunfire peppered around the truck when the bodyguards stationed in the parking lot returned fire.
Nadia watched in horror when the bar doors burst open. Ronnie and Waynie led the charge. A big red flower appeared on Waynie’s shirt.
Then he went down.
“Waynie!” she screamed.
She started crawling to him. Sharp gravel bit into her palms, nearly slicing them when Dante seized her ankle and yanked her backward.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he demanded.
“Let go of me. I’ve got to help Waynie.”
“Waynie would want you to be safe. We’ve got to get out of here.” He yanked open the door to Waynie’s pickup and pushed her inside. “Keep your head down.”
Dante reached around her, fumbling for the switch. He cursed and Nadia realized the keys were missing.
“Help them,” she said. “I can do this.”
Without waiting for his reply, Nadia jerked a handful of wires from underneath the dash. Dante slid out of the cab and she heard the report from his weapon when he moved around the side of the truck.
She worked fast. Red, purple, green. The wires sparked and the engine roared to life. She scooted behind the wheel when she heard Dante fumble with the passenger side door. Dante threw himself in the seat and Nadia stomped the accelerator, sending up a spray of gravel when they rocketed past the neon sign.
“How did you do that?” Dante asked. He ejected an empty clip onto the floorboard and reloaded.
“You’d be surprised at the things I can do,” Nadia said absently, checking the rearview mirror.
A pair of headlights swung out of Charlie’s parking lot, but she had the jump on them. She tromped on the gas. The needle on the speedometer hit 90, and the little truck began to shimmy.
“I bet. But I know hotwiring cars. It’s not like the movies, not that quick of a process. How did you know which wires?”
“You’re assuming I haven’t hotwired this truck before,” she said. “Waynie …” Sudden tears stung her eyes, and she couldn’t finish her sentence.
Dante’s voice was soft, concerned. “I’ve got my phone. Do you have Ronnie’s cell number?”
Nadia nodded and blinked back tears. Now was no time to cry.
She rattled the number off to Dante. Her mind was racing. She had to shake their pursuers. Nadia almost missed the turnoff before she realized where she wanted to go.
Wheeler Town. That would be perfect. She twisted the wheel and shot down the narrow back road.
“Ronnie? Hey!”
Dante grunted when she threw him against the dash. He dropped the phone and pawed around the floorboard for it. “Yeah, I’m still here, and we’re both okay. It’s only Nadia’s driving.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Waynie said you’d better not wreck his truck.”
“Oh!” Nadia’s breath left her in a rush. She pressed a hand to her mouth. “Waynie’s alive?”
“Yeah, but we won’t be if you don’t put both hands back on the wheel. Ronnie wants to know where we’re going.”
“Hold the phone up here so I can talk to
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