Simon jerked the gear shift into reverse. Dee hoped the garage door was open enough.
Bullets plowed into the windshield. One. Two.
Dee shot right back. The bullet hit the guy high in the shoulder. Not a flesh wound, a deep thud of bullet into muscle and bone. And so down went one jerk in black. The other dove for cover.
“Fuck! Behind us!”
She spun around. Two more men, revealed now by the opening in the garage. Guns up. Since when did vamps hunt in the daytime? And wear ski masks?
“Hold on,” he growled and the car flew backward even faster.
Because he was aiming right for the men.
They jumped away at the last second, flying to the overgrown side of the road before the Mustang rammed them.
Simon shifted quickly. The Mustang snarled forward, horses pounding away.
Dee stared back at the men. Not giving chase. Not yet. Too busy picking their beaten butts up off the ground.
And the way Simon was driving…hell, no, they wouldn’t be following them anytime soon.
The Mustang was easily pushing one hundred on the long, empty stretch of road.
Dee took a deep breath. The first she’d had since she’d risen from her cover in his den. Her shoulder burned like a bitch. Carefully, she unlocked her white knuckled grip and clicked on the gun’s safety before she put in on the floor-board.
Wincing, she touched the wound. Okay. A lot of blood, but the bullet hadn’t gone in the shoulder, just grazed her. No big damage. She’d keep living.
Dee eyed Simon. “Are you hit?”
He growled at her. Seriously, growled.
Dee reached for him. “Simon?”
His head jerked toward her. “Back off.” His teeth snapped together.
What? Her hand hovered in the air between them.
He shook his head even as his knuckles whitened around the wheel. “Don’t touch me now.”
Her fingers fisted, then fell. “I-I didn’t think someone would come after me.” Not so quickly. But, hell, she should have known. Someone could have easily followed her and Simon from that death pit.
And that someone had wrecked his house. Nearly killed him.
Yeah, because all that will put a smile on a guy’s face. No wonder he was growling at her. She’d just brought her usual death and danger into the guy’s life.
“You didn’t ask for this,” she said, even as she glanced back to make sure they still weren’t being followed. This time, she was alert enough to spot a tail. Being unconscious had really slowed down her game before. “I-I’ll contact Zane at the first safe stop. Get him to come for me and—”
“The hell you will.” Guttural, but without the dark fury of before.
“Dammit, don’t you see what being with me is doing to you?” He had to see it. “Those bastards were after me, Simon, they wanted—”
“Fuck what they wanted.” He spared her a burning glance. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
What?
He shifted in his seat, flinching a bit. “And those weren’t vampires, babe. Since when do vamps hunt in the daylight? And use guns on prey?”
Hardly ever. Vamps didn’t explode in the sunlight. That was just some BS myth Hollywood had invented. Good old Bram had been right when he’d said that vampires could walk in the daylight. They were just weaker in the hours of light—human weak. Dee had always figured Bram must’ve had the inside track on the vamps.
As for using guns…why shoot your prey? For vampires, that was just a waste of good blood. Dee swallowed. “Why would vamps send humans after me?”
“After us.”
Her eyes narrowed. Sweat beaded Simon’s upper brow.
“They know I’m helping you,” he muttered. “Now they’re trying to shut us both down. Not. Gonna. Happen.”
The car jerked a bit. “Simon?”
He shook his head. “All…right.” His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, but his eyes began to drift shut.
“No, you’re not.” Her heart slammed into her ribs. “You’re hit, aren’t you?” Don’t touch me now. Gruff and angry. Had to be man slang for I’m hurting. “Stop the car, let me see what—”
“No! Won’t…let them…take you…”
Uh, being all macho and protective was kind of sexy, especially since she was usually the ass-kicking one, but…
The car swerved off the road and headed straight for the line of twisted pines.
“Simon!” Dee lunged for the wheel.
Chapter 6
Simon stared at the grim-faced reflection in the broken gas station mirror.
He’d f**ked up. Gotten distracted by a sexy smile and curvy body.
He hadn’t been on guard, hadn’t known the attackers were going to hit until it was too late.
Running—his only option. He hated to run.
When the gun had fired, he’d taken the hit. Taken it hard, right in the back. A human would have died.
Good thing he wasn’t a human.
Dee had saved his ass when she taken the wheel. A head-on crash with trees. Never good.
But if he didn’t do something, fast, Dee would be stalking her pretty little ass into the dingy restroom and demanding answers.
She knew he was hurt, but she hadn’t figured out how badly. Not yet.
If he had his way, not ever.
Simon jerked off his shirt, gritting his teeth as the pain knifed into his back. He spun around, craning his neck to see the wound in the mirror.
Dee waited just outside the door. She’d tucked the gun into the back waistband of her jeans and the woman was standing guard.
But he doubted he had more than a few minutes time until she burst in to see what the hell had happened to him.
The wound was open. Deep as hell. The bullet had lodged inside. No way could he get it out now. Eventually, he’d find someone to dig it out. He just had to stop the blood loss now.
Because if he didn’t stop bleeding, his ass would be in serious trouble.
Human attackers. That bastard Grim was playing smart. He hadn’t sent his vamps because they would have been weak in the growing sun. But humans, probably puppets desperate for that immortal kiss, had done his dirty work.
And really screwed Simon over.
The door squeaked open. The scent hit him instantly. Cigarettes. Coffee.
“Hey, hey, buddy!” The door swung closed behind the guy. Balding, but young. Fit. “What the hell happened to you?”
Simon cocked his head. Shouldn’t…
But there was no choice.
“Do you—do you need some help?” Ah, a good Samaritan. Wouldn’t those guys ever learn?