I might’ve drooled a little at the sight of Andre in fitted leather. When he saw my starry-eyed look, he grabbed the helmet and fit it over my head for me. Guess I wasn’t moving fast enough.
He swung a leg over the bike, then patted the seat behind him. “Get on, love.”
Gingerly I slid onto the bike behind him. I was so going to die. And in leather pants of all things.
Andre grabbed one of my thighs and pulled me flush against him. “You need to remain this close to me, or else you risk sliding off.”
Oh, that I could do.
“Wrap your hands around my waist—beneath the leather.”
Again, not a problem. I did as he said, letting my fingers run over all the hard planes of his chest. Beneath my hands, Andre’s muscles clenched. He glanced over his shoulder, a sculpted eyebrow arched.
“What?” I asked, innocently.
He shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. “You’re making this hard for me, soulmate. Very hard.” Sex dripped from his words, making my own muscles tighten.
He pulled a pair of shades out of his jacket pocket and slid them on.
“You’re not going to wear a helmet?”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “That’s a cute thought.”
“It’s called safety.”
He cranked on the engine and the motorcycle roared to life. “Does anything about me strike you as ‘safe’?”
“You’re a horrible role model,” I muttered, leaning into him.
The punk chuckled at that. Chuckled.
He hit a button embedded on the wall next to the bike, and the garage door set alongside the barred door lifted.
He gunned the throttle and the engine roared as we took off, leaving the persecution tunnel. My grip clamped down on him as Andre hooked a sharp left. The tires skidded, and the vehicle leaned dangerously close to the ground. I could already tell I was going to need new underwear after this.
Andre pulled back on the throttle and tires squealed as the bike shot forward out of the turn. So much for being inconspicuous.
The motorcycle propelled us down the alley. I squeezed him tighter as the wind whistled through my helmet.
I chanced a glance behind me.
Big mistake.
Several people ran out into the alleyway behind us, pulling out phones and—
“Gun!” I shrieked. Between the engine, the wind, and my helmet, I doubted Andre had heard me, but even if he had, there was little he could do at this point.
A moment later a shot rang out. Then another. Over the noise of the bike I could hear screaming. We hadn’t been hit, but someone else might’ve been.
I closed my eyes, shoving down my rising sickness. They were trying to hit me. Trying to kill me. I doubted that a bullet would lay me out, but it would really, really hurt.
It would, however, piss me off something fierce.
The backs of buildings blurred as we sped by them. Another gun blast, another series of screams.
I could hear cars turning onto the ally, and I didn’t have to look to know it would be those silver vehicles that had laid in wait outside Andre’s home.
I swallowed back my bile at the thought of getting caught here and now. I had to trust that the man I clung to could get us out of the situation—because at the moment, I was completely useless.
Where the alley emptied onto a busy road, a cluster of individuals waited, blockading our exit. These guys didn’t look quite so official as those tailing us. They were a little rangier, their faces a bit rugged and sinewy. On the good-versus-evil spectrum I’d say they canted more towards the wicked side.
Andre accelerated as we approached them. Guess we were playing chicken. I shuddered at the thought of getting upended from our vehicle. This could get dicey.
Fifty feet. Thirty. Ten.
Five.
At the last possible second, the human wall dived out of the way—though from the slight bounce of the motorcycle, someone didn’t move quickly enough.
I glanced back in time to see a man clutching a foot, his mouth open in a silent wail. I stared long enough to see him and the rest of his group scatter when the line of silver cars swung out of the alley. Behind them, more individuals exited the side street, chasing after us on foot.
Good luck with that.
I faced forward once more, my limbs going boneless. That had been so close. Too close. And we still weren’t out of the woods yet.
Andre weaved in and out of traffic, though that sounded so … tame. What he did was a violent dance—using his supernaturally quick reflexes to speed up then suddenly drop us into openings between cars. Too bad that pasta still wasn’t agreeing with my stomach. I might be a badass vampire chick, but I was getting green with motion sickness.
Don’t barf in your helmet. Don’t barf in your helmet, I chanted.
Cars honked as Andre cut them off. Belatedly I realized that he wasn’t just slipping between cars. He was causing gridlock so that the Mercedes wouldn’t be able to follow.
At the end of the block a green light switched to yellow. Andre laid on the throttle.
“Andre …”
He shouted something back at me, but the wind snatched it away.
Fucking-A, I wasn’t going to have to worry about our pursuers trying to kill me. Andre would do a perfectly good job of it all on his own.
The light turned red and the bike sped up.
I held my breath as we darted into the intersection. Turning my head, I stared down the car barreling towards me.
This was it.
Chapter 5
“You … drive like shit,” I said as Andre swung himself off the bike. We’d stopped at the edge of some farmer’s field after driving out of town.
I sort of slid off the motorcycle. Andre caught me and steadied me on my feet. “You okay?”