“You think you’re its daddy now, do you?” he muttered, not bothering to protest as he tossed the axe into the back and I flashed him a crocodile grin.
“Oh yeah, I’m her daddy alright,” I agreed, dropping my gun into the pocket in my door and starting the engine up without any further time wasted on bullshit. Mateo was still well able to attack me while I was driving, but the desperate need in his eyes told me he wouldn’t risk Brooklyn for a taste of my blood, meaning I was safe enough from his hatred at least until we had her back.
I slammed the Jeep into reverse and swung her around before hitting the gas and tearing out of the trees in the direction of the main road.
“They went east,” Mateo said in a low, dark tone, all full of malice and violent thoughts.
“East? What are you, Captain Compass? They went right,” I replied, scoffing at him and he scowled at me while I kept my gaze fixed firmly on the road which was whipping past us at an incredible speed, the trees lining either side of it nothing but a blur in the darkness.
“I still can’t figure out how you earned your reputation,” he muttered in distaste, clearly not appreciating my lack of knowledge on the position of the North Pole right now, but if he was all about sticking a magnet up his arse so that he could ingrain a compass into his flesh then more power to him. I, on the other hand, relied on something far more infallible than the polarity of this globe we were all sitting upon. Pure, brutal, instincts.
“North, east, left, right. End of the day, there’s only one direction that matters to either of us, el burro,” I pointed out. “So I’ll be heading due Brooklyn and not fucking about with nonsense along the way.”
“Disfrutaré destripándote cuando esto termine,” he muttered and that sounded like one hell of an agreement to me, so I just grinned as I pushed the car as fast as it would go and tore up the road in pursuit of the transport vehicle ahead of us.
Every second that slipped by had my heart thumping to an ever more frantic rhythm as we passed along the empty road, my eyes hunting the darkness for any sign of the fucking bus up ahead, doubts beginning to slip in alongside fear for the ramifications of us having made a mistake. She couldn’t be lost. I refused it. So help the god of a world which let me lose her, for I would wreak hell and havoc on everyone and everything in my path until I held her in my arms once more.
“They went this way,” Mateo insisted, either convincing himself of the fact or me, his hand fisted on his lap, his knuckles blanching as he stared out into the dark with the same intensity I was feeling, hunting for her, praying for her.
“I know,” I spat, my anger not really aimed at him, more insisting it was true to the universe despite me knowing that bitch didn’t give one fuck about me insisting on anything.
The universe hadn’t given a fuck when I’d been hunting for Ava all those years ago. It hadn’t listened to me then. Hadn’t given me the chance to get her back and make everything I’d ruined right again. I knew what a cruel mistress fate could be and as the seconds dragged, the memories of my dead wife’s screams began to pulse throughout my skull, their volume only intensifying with every thump of my erratic pulse.
Not again.
Not this time.
“Watch out!” Mateo barked and my eyes snapped into focus as a suicidal deer leapt into the road, a curse spilling from my lips as I was forced to swerve.
I turned my head as the car lurched to the right, my eyes meeting the startled big browns of the beautiful creature in a moment which seemed to stretch between us, its life flashing between both of our eyes.
For a moment there I was a little fawn munching in the long grass while mammy deer stayed close, all warm and furry and loving. Then I was gambolling about, making deer buddies and having the time of my life as I munched on the flowers in some big fancy garden, escaping the crack of gunfire as the owners spotted me and I bounded away. I was loving herd life, in my damn prime and then I was hopping out into the road as some Irish fucker in a Jeep sped towards me and threatened to steal it all away.
The deer skidded to a halt and my wing mirror damn near clipped the big fella as I yanked the wheel hard to the right, the wheels locking up in the dead leaves which were clogging the tarmac as his death hung in the balance.
Then we were past him.
My heart tried damn hard to leap outa my chest as I glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw him looking back at me, a note of thanks in his big browns as he was left to go on living his best deer life in the wake of my close call.
“Go get all that deer pussy, big fella,” I said as I gave my full attention to the road once more. “Live your dreams.”
Mateo was staring at me again and I was pretty sure that was a reverent kind of awe I felt coming from him. Or at least I did until he spoke again.
“I knew you were still too drunk to drive, you fucking idiota,” he hissed.
I opened my mouth to tell him about the connection me and that deer had just formed, but before I could waste my breath on his close-minded ignorance, I spotted brake lights through the trees ahead.
“Bingo,” I said, grinning darkly as I felt my little psycho drawing all the nearer and Mateo murmured more nonsense in his language as he spotted it too. Though I had to admit, it sounded like he shared my thoughts in that moment, and they were all entirely focused on one stunning, crazy girl.
Mateo brought the satnav up on the screen on my dash as I raced up a long hill, chasing after the distant taillights with a ferocious need building in me which had my blood pumping all hot and hungry.
“There’s a curve coming up,” Mateo said. “The road narrows, if you can get ahead of him, you should be able to drive him off the road there.”
“I don’t need instructions on how to force a fella offa the road,” I replied angrily. “And I don’t need no planner coming along trying to plan out my life like we have a wedding to arrange or some shit like that. You ain’t my type, el burro. I’m not walking you up the aisle and I’m not making plans like some fucking Nancy ball rider. Today isn’t a plan kind of day. I’ll play this loose and free or not at all.”
“It’s the best chance we have at forcing them off of the road,” he snapped, clearly unimpressed with my way of doing things but I was more than happy to prove to him just how impressive my brand of improvised chaos could be.
I ignored his suggestion as I sped up the hill and my eyes lit up like the first lights of Christmas as I spotted the bus ahead of us, just like I’d known she would be.
“Thar she blows!” I called excitedly and Mateo clipped his seatbelt into place as the engine roared and we closed in on our prey.
The transport vehicle was easily six times the size of my trusty Jeep, but she didn’t pack the horse power I had at my control, nor did her driver pack the driving ability of a bloodthirsty O’Brien to be able to contend with me.
I shut my headlights off, using the dark as my mistress and she shrouded me obligingly as I closed in on the big bastard of a bus.
“What are you doing?” Mateo demanded as I remained in the shadow of the transport vehicle, aiming squarely for the back of it and grinning as I dropped a gear to give the Jeep a whole lot more growl.
“I’m just gonna give her a little kiss,” I said.
“You’re going to ram it?” he asked incredulously like I was insane.
“Yes, el burro, I’m going to ram it,” I said with a huff as he took the thrill of the surprise from me. “Then the back doors will pop open and my little psycho will be able to hop right out.”