Page 21 of One (The Towns Syndicate #2)

“I can take care of those,” Arthur said warily.

She studied Arthur. “Grab them for me. I want them before we leave and my jacket.”

My Ally was starting to come back to me and the tightness in my chest was releasing.

“She needs her bulletproof vest, too,” King said.

“Got it,” Arthur said, leaving quickly.

Ally spoke with a few men as we waited for Arthur.

He gave her a bag, her jacket, the vest and a backpack.

They spoke quickly before she glared at him.

Something was going on she didn’t like, and Arthur seemed to be pushing back with the glare he was giving her.

I walked up to them and his expression changed instantly.

“If you find him, do not kill him until I speak with him,” Ally snapped. “Got it?”

“I got it,” he said immediately.

“I’m ready,” she said, walking away from him.

“Don’t fuck up, Arthur,” I glared at him. I had no problem killing him if he kept fucking with Ally.

“Do I really need the vest?” She looked at it like it had offended her.

“Yes, better to be safe than sorry,” I said, helping her put it on as King talked on the phone.

We put on her jacket and helmet next. King took her backpack and she kept the other bag with her.

I climbed on my bike, helping her climb on the back.

She wrapped her arms around me as I adjusted my gun to the front of my jacket just in case.

King and I took off just as it started raining and while it wasn’t ideal, I was ready to get her home with us and in the safety of Halloween Town.

The first hour of the drive was normal as King took the lead.

The roads were empty giving us the space to drive a little faster even though it was a little wet.

We were more careful around the bends but on the straightaways, we let ourselves ride.

Halfway there, I noticed a van approaching us a little too quickly.

I moved into the next lane to avoid getting hit since these mother fuckers didn’t know how to drive in the rain.

I thought we were safe until they swerved at the last minute.

It wasn’t an accident either, it was deliberate, and by the time I tried to speed up, it was too late.

I didn’t fight the fall, all I was worried about was Ally, and making sure she wasn’t going to get hurt too badly.

We hit the road hard, the impact disoriented me, but I shook it off and looked for Ally as we slid off the wet road.

I reached for her, and pulled her against my body.

The sound of gunshots made me hold Ally closer as I tried to get us to stop before the van that stopped ahead of us. Once we slowed down enough, I opened my jacket and pulled out my gun shooting the first man running at us, keeping my body in front of Ally.

“Ally run into the trees,” I yelled, shooting at another man.

“No,” she yelled, as she pointed a gun over my shoulder shooting a man behind the one I had just shot down.

Fuck, she was amazing.

We took out the rest of the people who exited the van like idiots and I helped her up, watching her for any signs of injuries.

The sound of tires screeching was the only warning we received as a car came barreling towards us.

I pushed Alley into the trees as I fired a few shots, hitting the driver and almost getting hit by the car.

The sound of an automatic had me looking around searching for King.

Two shots came from the trees as the passenger died while two more men got out of the car. I shot one in the leg as Ally shot the other one in the head, and I was impressed with her shooting. The triplets had taught her well.

I looked around for King, seeing his bike on the floor, but no sign of him. The sound of the automatic gun made me hopeful he was still alive and causing mayhem.

“Stay there, Ally,” I ordered, popping my magazine and checking my ammo.

“I’m not some?—”

Bullets flew towards us, and I hit the pavement, pain radiated in my leg as I turned around, shooting a man who wasn't even trying to hide behind cover. I shot twice, missing him when I had to roll away as he spotted me. King rounded the van, shooting him in the head.

“Are you ok?” He rushed to me as he looked around.

“How many more?” I asked, as I forced myself to get up and stand through the pain.

“I think two more,” he said looking around, then looking over at me. “Where is Ally?”

“She’s in the woods,” I said as he touched me, bringing our foreheads together, taking a deep breath and letting me go. “Let's get her to steal one of the vans and go.”

I nodded. “Recognize anyone?”

“No,” he said walking backward, watching our six as I made my way to the trees.

Two gunshots fired and a piercing scream cut through the rain. My stomach dropped like it was on a roller coaster and I took off. My body protested as each step burned pain through my body. I gritted my teeth deciding maybe this was the time I needed to pray to someone.

This wasn’t our ending, this was our beginning and so help everyone who threatened her because not even the devil himself would save them.