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Daniel disappeared into the kitchen and then returned. “The SUV is still here, and another has arrived. Men are getting out.” He quickly took charge, herding everyone still in the restaurant toward a hallway that led to the adjoining gas station where they would be able to escape.
Sirens wailed in the distance. The police. Paramedics. Shouting erupted from the kitchen. A waitress and several chefs burst through the swinging door. Daniel directed them to safety, ordering them to lock the door behind them.
“Go.” James’s voice was barely a whisper. “Go now. They’re coming. They’ll make sure you’re dead this time.”
She pushed harder on his wound. It was still bleeding far too much. “I’m not leaving you.”
Daniel appeared by her side. “El.”
The sirens wailed louder.
James rallied, drawing his handgun from its holster before placing it in Ellie's hand. Then he looked at Daniel. “Get her out of here… won’t shoot anyone else… she’s the target…”
More shouting erupted from the kitchen. Metal clanged. Something crashed. A man’s voice barked a command, harsh and purposeful.
Daniel gripped Ellie’s arm, his tone urgent. “We have to go. Now!”
He hauled her to her feet. She clutched James’s handgun, the weight oddly reassuring. Her former boss had shut his eyes. Playing dead? Or had he passed out? Sirens blared. Closer now. Maybe half a block away. She sent up a prayer that it would be soon enough.
Daniel pushed her toward the parking lot. Ellie raced across the restaurant, glass crunching under her tennis shoes. She slid on some water by the broken window before jumping the frame onto the asphalt. Daniel’s boots pounded right behind her as they bolted for his vehicle.
A shout came behind them. Ellie ducked as bullets pinged off the surrounding cars. Glass in a nearby Toyota shattered, spraying her arms with fragments. She didn’t dare slow down. Instead, staying low and moving quickly, she reached Daniel’s Explorer. Seconds later, she was inside. He’d already fired up the engine. With a squeal of tires, he shot out of the parking spot. Flashing emergency lights exited the highway, heading their way.
Ellie lifted her head just enough to glimpse the inside of the diner. Men, dressed in black with balaclavas covering their faces, caught sight of the incoming police cars and bolted for the kitchen. One SUV circled around the side of the building. A parking lot spotlight caught the driver’s face.
Dark hair, angled face, hawklike nose.
Adam Parish. Gideon’s top enforcer.
The Iron Fist had found her.
Ellie’s stomach twisted. She was now at the center of a turf war. Gideon wanted her dead. Tobias wanted to use her. Bothmen would stop at nothing to get the evidence Lena had stolen—either to use it or to bury it.
Daniel punched the gas as he tore out of the parking lot and shot down the feeder road. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” She answered automatically but then paused to take stock. No gunshot wounds. That would have to do for now. “You?”
“No.”
Her relief was short-lived. Police cars flew into the parking lot as the SUV driven by Adam sped onto the feeder.
He was following them.
Ellie's breath caught in her throat. “Daniel, that SUV?—”
“I see it. Put your seat belt on. And stay low.” His jaw clenched as his hands tightened on the steering wheel.
The SUV’s headlights swerved behind them, picking up speed. Gaining ground. Ellie snapped her seat belt in place and realized she was still holding James’s handgun. She adjusted her hold on the weapon. It felt both foreign and familiar at the same time. A tie to her old life, to the person she used to be.
Confident. Self-assured. Fearless. That’s who Special Agent Elizabeth Conway had been. Being shot, losing her identity, and constantly looking over her shoulder had worn away those traits. Facing her past was difficult, and she didn’t want to return to her life as an FBI Agent, but she’d joined law enforcement for a reason. She’d wanted to make a difference. To protect people. To do what was right, even when it came at a cost.
That calling hadn’t disappeared. She’d just buried it, along with every other part of herself when she changed her name.
A calmness she hadn’t felt in a long time washed over her as a sense of purpose brought her sharply into focus. Daniel had saved her life. And if need be, she was prepared to save his.
God, give me strength…
FIFTEEN