Page 31 of Dalla’s Royal Guards (Second Chance #3)

“Hang on,” he said, slamming on the brakes.

“Bloody hell, Musad. I don’t want them in the back seat with us,” Nasser growled as a motorcycle collided with the back of the SUV, sending the driver up onto the roof before he bounced off.

“It stopped them,” she said, watching as the escort car behind them rammed the second motorcycle.

She winced when the front of the vehicle lifted off the ground. Unfortunately, the destruction of the motorcycles stopped the two friendly vehicles behind them from following. The only way for them to rejoin them would be if they backed up and went a different way.

“Looks like our company is still with us,” Raja gritted out.

She turned in time to see the friendly vehicle ahead of them T-bone a vehicle that had stopped at the end of the alley.

The force of the collision pushed the vehicle away from the entrance.

The scent of burning tires, the screech of metal-on-metal, and the smoke rising from the tires gave evidence of the strain of the friendly vehicle trying to clear a path for them to get around.

“Go-go-go,” Raja said as soon as there was enough room for them to squeeze by. “Hussain, catch up with us if you can.”

A shudder ran through Dalla when Musad clipped the corner of the building on her side. Her eyes widened when the vehicle that had blocked them tipped over onto its side. She twisted in time to see their lead vehicle squealing tires in reverse so they could catch up with them.

“Well, we are down to three,” Nasser muttered.

Dalla shook her head. “No, there are four. Do not forget about the little car.”

Nasser groaned. “Let’s hope that one gave up.”

“Don’t lose them,” Detri snapped at his driver.

“I won’t,” Luther replied, swerving around several cars and into oncoming traffic before cutting across the lines to the blare of outraged drivers. Detri clung to the handgrip as Luther took a sharp left followed by a right.

He glanced in the rearview mirror. The other two vehicles had blocked Hadi’s last two escort vehicles and were in a heated firefight. Dristol had gone around the block to cut off Hadi and the Al-Rashid brothers’ vehicle. He didn’t know what had happened to the two men he had on motorcycles.

He glanced around, trying to see if he could see the black BMW M2 that Stella had been driving. He had noticed her tailing the convoy. He was furious that she hadn’t taken the men out while she was at the hotel. Kyle had told him that he’d located the room Al-Rashid had booked.

“I see them,” Luther muttered.

It looked like Al-Rashid had made it out of the alley and taken the lead. A second black SUV was following a short distance behind. From the battered front, it looked like Dristol hadn’t stopped them.

“We’ve got them,” Luther said, speeding up.

Detri gritted his teeth when Luther slammed into the side of the black SUV before they knew what happened.

The force of the impact drove the vehicle into several parked cars.

Luther jerked the wheel to the left, missing the backend of a car that was pushed out into the street.

The cars coming up behind them weren’t so lucky, colliding together in a multi-car pileup that caged the damaged SUV in the middle.

Luther gunned the accelerator, speeding up to catch up with the tan vehicle entering the expressway. Detri’s lips curved into a determined smile as he checked the automatic rifle in his hand.

Let’s see if you can survive this, bitch! he thought as the distance between the two vehicles shrank.

Minutes before:

Stella snarled when one of Detri’s vehicles swerved ahead of her and opened fire on the rear SUV. Detri had turned up faster than expected.

Arrogant ass! He and his team were going to blow her shot.

She veered right, twisting and turning. Her mind raced ahead, trying to guess where they were heading, when her phone chimed.

Flight plan scheduled for Narva. Simdan Executive Airport Terminal.

A quick glance at the text made her smile. Maybe she wouldn’t kill Kyle after all. There was no sense in dealing with Detri and his buffoons when she could intercept her targets from a safer distance.

She turned, angling for a bypass that would take her to the eastern overpass—the one with sightlines to the road Raja had just routed them toward.

Several minutes later, she did a U-turn and pulled up into the emergency lane on the overpass. The interstate below was the only road nearby that led to the airport. They would have to pass under her.

Stepping out of the low car, she walked around to the trunk and opened it, pulling out a soft case.

She ignored the traffic. Most people wouldn’t look twice, and those that did wouldn’t understand what they were seeing.

She opened the passenger door, unzipped the case, and in seconds had the sniper rifle assembled with practiced ease.

In the distance, she could see the tan SUV approaching, followed by a black one.

She extended the tripod under the rifle and rested it on top of the concrete barrier, just under the metal railing.

Breathing deeply, she focused the site. Her lips curved into a delighted smile as she aimed for Musad Al-Rashid’s head.

She took slow, measured breaths as she counted down.

“Let’s see you dodge this.”

She smiled.

Perfect line of fire.

She exhaled, finger poised on the trigger.

“Come to momma,” she whispered before she squeezed the trigger.

The report from the rifle was like a clap on the shoulder from an old friend. She stared through the scope, visualizing the strike of the bullet through the windshield and the explosive thud as it ripped through Musad Al-Rashid’s chest.

“No!” she breathed out. “No, damn you!”

Her head jerked up, and she watched with growing rage as her perfect shot ripped not through Musad, but through Detri’s driver as Musad swerved at the last second and Luther sped up to draw even with the tan Land Cruiser.

Stella glared at Raja Hadi as the vehicle passed under her. Detri’s vehicle veered, and her gaze jerked back to it as it smashed into the side barrier and exploded in a shower of fire and metal.

Stella shielded her face, cursing as her window of opportunity vanished in a wall of smoke and burning wreckage.

“Dammit!” she hissed, gripping her rifle and wishing it was Detri’s neck.

The SUV was gone. Slipped through her fingers.

“For now,” she muttered, tossing the rifle into the seat and striding around to the driver’s side.