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He opened the passenger door and nodded at her to get in. “The guys in the house are dead. The ones racing down my driveway right now aren’t.”
Her mouth popped open. “Shit.”
“We need to go now.”
She wet her lips, staying rooted to the spot. “They’ll come looking for us, like the last people did. We can—”
“They’ve probably tried to call their friends already and know something’s up.”
“So they’ll go to the house first. Let’s wait until they arrive and as soon as they go inside, we’ll drive out.”
“They’re going to follow us. I need you to be ready to shoot.” His voice held a note of defeat, as if he’d somehow failed.
She smoothed a hand up his bicep. “I’ll drive. You shoot.”
He nodded and breathed through his mouth. “Yeah.” His eyes grew small. “I thought we were safe here. I let down my guard.”
She shook her head. “You couldn’t have known they’d find us.”
“I’ll find out how. I fucking swear to god.”
Something was off with him. Yes, their circumstances were dire, but the panic in his eyes and the signs of exertion on his face didn’t make sense. He’d carried her through the forest after their accident and had remained as calm and steady as a captain who’d navigated hundreds of ships through stormy seas. Something had sparked fear in him.
Savannah rounded the car and got in the driver’s seat.
The rev of an engine split the air outside the garage. “Get ready,” he said.
She quickly buckled her seatbelt. Toth stood by the window. The slam of two car doors echoed around the garage.
“They’re going in the house,” Toth reported. “Start the car.” He hopped into the passenger seat and smacked the garage-door button.
Her hands went clammy as she turned the key in the ignition. The vehicle fired up, the rumble of the motor as loud as a jet plane. She winced. Terror nipped at the base of her spine. Any second they’d come shooting.
The garage door rattled open. Savannah shifted into drive, waiting as the metal moved at a snail’s pace. She lifted her foot off the brake.
“Not yet,” Toth cautioned. Back was his reassuring tone, although a hint of unease made his words short.
“Someone’s in the garage!” a voice boomed from the house.
Savannah stomped on the gas pedal. The vehicle shot forward.
“Shit!” Toth yelled, as they soared toward the half-open door. He covered his head with his arm and Savannah ducked.
The SUV sped through the opening, metal grating on metal as the hood scraped the garage door. A man and a woman ran after them. Bullets popped off the vehicle’s bulletproof exterior as Savannah steered down the driveway.
Toth blew out a curse. “You just about took our heads off.”
“Sorry,” she muttered. “Are they coming?” She sent a glance at the rearview mirror, but tree branches blocked her view of the house.
“Yup,” he said, as they made their way around the bend in the road. “Just saw them get into their car.”
The driveway snaked through the forest. It would be pretty if it weren’t slowing them the hell down. She sat ramrod straight in the seat, her hands gripping the steering wheel. Her heart beat ferociously against her ribcage.
She glanced again at the mirror. Their assailants were in hot pursuit.
“Keep the car steady. Try not to jump if they shoot at us. Our biggest concern is them blowing out a tire. The glass and body are protected.”
Even though she’d already known the vehicle was bulletproof, hearing him say that gave her a little bit of comfort. There wasn’t much she could do to protect the tires aside from driving really, really fast, though.