Page 161 of Vampire so Virtuous

Cally couldn’t reach it, bent double across the center seat, but Zoey released her, and she sat up, grabbing the seatbelt. It caught as she pulled too hard. Outside the window, a gunmetal-gray SUV raced almost level with them. It swerved around another car, then swung back across the road to sit just off their rear.

Cally clicked her belt into place as Noah swerved wildly, skidding across the road, barely missing a pickup that flashed past the window and was gone. “There’s a third car. We need support, Zoey.”

“On it.” Zoey dropped back into her seat, a heavy black bag landing between her and Cally. She had a compact machine gun of some kind in her hand, and rested it across her lap as she pulled out her phone, pressing buttons. “Keep your head down.”

“Who are you calling?” Cally asked.

“Antoine.”

Cally blinked in surprise—he was up and it wasn’t even noon yet. “Why the phone? Can’t you do the mind talking thing?”

“Out of range,” Zoey replied brusquely, and lifted the phone to her ear. “Where are we, Noah?”

“Northwest on Route 28, coming up on Blue Hills Parkway.”

“Did you catch that, Antoine?” Zoey listened for a few seconds. “Can we make Fisher Hill?”

“No chance,” Noah grunted, swerving around a pickup truck and clipping its fender, jerking the SUV to the side.

Zoey listened again. “Can we make Avery Street?”

“Shit. Gabriel’s place?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe, if they don’t get too rough down I-93.”

Zoey concentrated on what Antoine was saying. “Got it.” She dropped the phone into her lap and grabbed her weapon. Cally glanced at the phone; she needed to talk to him, but this wasn’t the time. “Head for Gabriel’s. We’re being met. They’re en route.” Zoey reached for Cally’s head with surprising speed, pushing it down hard enough to make her shoulder protest. “Head down, please, Princess.”

“I’m not a princess,” Cally said into the footwell.

“Brace,” Noah said, swerving left as red traffic lights flashed overhead. Then he spun the wheel, and the car skidded right, horns blasting all around. “Did he say anything about cops?”

“He said do whatever it takes to get her safe,” Zoey replied, righting herself in her seat and opening her window.

“My kind of instructions,” Noah said, and the car shot forward, houses flashing past as they tore down a two-lane road. He straddled the middle line, flashing his lights at the oncoming traffic, occasionally ducking back in only to swing out again.

“They’ve fallen back,” Zoey reported.

Noah grunted, focused on driving, then slammed on the brakes as a car pulled out from a side street. Cally was jolted forward into her seatbelt, and winced as it tugged at her shoulder, though the pain was less than before. The cut from Zoey’s knife stung, a sharp contrast to the deep ache beneath.

They swerved around the car in front, and Noah hit the gas again. Racing down a narrow, tree-lined road, large houses on one side, Noah hit the horn and held it down as they approached an intersection, ignoring the red lights. Cally braced herself, but they crossed in a blink, cars swerving out of their way.

“One of the SUVs crashed, but it doesn’t look permanent,” Zoey reported, watching out the rear window. Cally tried to turn, but Zoey gripped her head again. “Seatbelts don’t work so well when you’re not facing forward, Princess.”

“Stop calling me princess.”

“Stop calling her princess, Zoey,” Noah barked, swerving the wrong way around a triangular traffic island, cutting past slower cars. He slammed the brakes again. The car skidded, failing to slow in time, and struck the rear of a much smaller car. It spun off, mounted the sidewalk, and slammed into a tree. “That works,” Noah said, as he accelerated once more.

He took a left and the trees receded. The road widened, and he used all of it, shooting past a family car. Through the windows, the kids stared, wide-eyed and grinning.

“Crossing I-93.”

They sped over the bridge, and Cally checked the interstate. It was clear, traffic flowing.

“I’ve lost them,” Noah said, spinning the wheel to take a left at the junction. The light was green, another car turning outside them, and they sideswiped it as Noah fought for control, metal crunching against metal, the other car careening off.

“You drive, I’ll look!” Zoey said, twisting around.