“What’s the hold up?” We heard from the back. “The longer we take on breakfast, the longer it’ll take to get to the mall –”
The person stopped speaking because she’d pushed her way to the front and we saw it was Olivia.
“Muthafucka,” she breathed when her eyes hit me.
“All right people!” I shouted. “Everyone move back. Back!” I screeched.
Everyone moved back except Ren and Dom because somehow they disappeared, vanished, no longer in sight.
Crap!
Noah moved us forward, my posse stayed close but moved back. We did this all the way across the lobby, everyone else in the hotel watching our progression in stunned silence as I heard the noise of faraway sirens.
When we hit the doors, Noah took the gun from my head, grabbed my hand and pulled us through. He ran down the sidewalk, taking me with him. I stumbled, nearly falling on my high-heeled wedges and I cursed my mother for her meddling into my wardrobe choices (though flip-flops wouldn’t likely have been any better, I had learned that lesson the hard way).
He didn’t break stride and kept dragging me. I righted myself just as we ran into traffic, straight to a car that was stopped at a light.
Noah pulled open the door, shoved the gun in the driver’s face and clipped, “Out.”
“But… this is my car,” the driver said, eyes wide, obviously not thinking clearly because all of a sudden on a sunny Denver day he found himself staring at a gun.
Noah moved the gun to the side, pulling the trigger and drilling a round into the pavement.
I jumped, the driver jumped and then Noah pointed the gun at the driver again.
“Out!” Noah shouted.
The driver got out.
Noah shoved me in first. I scrambled over to the passenger side and Noah got in behind me. Before I had myself settled, we took off on a squeal of tires, running the red light and making cars swerve and honk.
“Noah!” I yelled. “I mean, Walt! You’re gonna kill us.”
“Shut up!” Noah shouted.
I put my seatbelt on which wasn’t easy. Noah was driving erratically, jerking the wheel back and forth, passing cars, speeding up then stopping fast and running red lights willy-nilly.
Once I got my belt on, I turned to the front.
You would think I’d be scared. I wasn’t scared. I was pissed way the hell off.
I’d had enough.
“This just cuts it,” I grumbled. “I cannot believe you just kidnapped me. First, you charm your way into my pants. Then you steal my money and Aunt Ella’s jewelry, leave me high and dry and make me swear off men. Then!” My voice was beginning to rise. “I find myself a good guy, the best guy ever, and he wants to protect me and he goes after you. Instead of taking it like a man, you take it out on me.”
“Ava, shut up.”
“I will not shut up. You’re a jerk. You dry humped me. What was that all about?”
“You have a sweet ass,” he said, as if that explained it.
“So? It isn’t your sweet ass anymore, it’s Luke’s,” I snapped. “Did you tell your partner I tasted like cherry pie?”
“You do,” he replied on a reminiscent grin.
I growled then bit off, “Men!”
The phone at my ass started ringing, I leaned forward and pulled it out.
“Don’t answer that,” Noah ordered.
“Fuck you,” I shot back, saw the display said “Luke calling” and flipped it open. “Yo.”
“Babe,” Luke replied.
“I’ve been kidnapped again,” I informed him.
“I know. I’m following.”
I turned my head to look around my seat and saw Luke’s Porsche behind us. He was at the wheel talking to me on the phone. Next to him was Ren’s Jag; Ren driving, Dom sitting beside him. I kept looking and saw Ally’s Mustang behind Ren, Daisy sitting beside Ally, more people in the (I couldn’t really see but I suspected they were my sisters). Olivia’s Lexus was beside Ally, Shirleen sitting next to her what I reckoned was my Mom in the back. I couldn’t be certain but I thought I saw Riley’s Pathfinder trailing the pack. They were all speeding and weaving, following Noah and me down Speer Boulevard in a highish speed chase.
Fuck.
Fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck.
“You got a convoy,” Luke told me.
I turned forward. “I can see that.”
“Get him to slow down,” Luke demanded.
“He isn’t exactly listening to me.”
“Ava, get off the phone,” Noah cut in.
I looked at Noah. “Be quiet, I’m talking to Luke.”
That’s when we heard sirens. Not far away sirens. These were close.
“Fuck!” Noah snapped. “Get off the fuckin’ phone.”
“Kiss my ass!” I yelled.
“Beautiful, not sure it’s a good idea to get him riled,” Luke said in my ear.
“I don’t care if he’s riled,” I told Luke.
“I care if it means he’s gonna put a bullet in you,” Luke returned.
He had a point.
“He’s concentrating on driving,” I assured Luke.
“Ava, I’m not gonna say it again, get off the fucking phone,” Noah shouted.
“Glad to see I’m not the only man in your life who has to repeat himself,” Luke remarked.