Serena had never dubbed herself as religious. Of course, she said her prayers. When she could, but the influx of deadly pinging sounds that had been bouncing off the bulletproof car followed by the tense waiting moment as the masked men circled them made her spout out prayers randomly, half unaware of what she was saying.
There were four of them. Four mean-looking, brutal men with even more mean-looking guns. Their ammo belts slung carelessly around them.
"Get down, I said" Kincaid yelled at her and she blankly looked at him. She wanted to shout at him not to yell at her again, wanted to tell him it was all his fault that she was in this situation. Not in a thousand years would she have been in this kind of dangerous situation if she had just been at home where she belonged.
But all she could do was tremble as tears came to her eyes. A sinister voice in her head seemed to gleefully shout "You are going to die!"
His alert eyes seemed to fill with sympathy. Then he stretched his hand towards her. "Please get down. I will get you out of this"
Serena slid down on the seat again soundlessly. It was as if her speaking faculty had deserted her and even as she thought fleetingly that his wound would open again and she would have to change him. She couldn't say anything.
A giggle escaped her at the thought. She was about to die and she was thinking of changing a bloodied bandage? Brilliant Serena.
He gave her an askance look "Are you…"
"Bro, what do we do? These bastards meant business" Basset said anxiously from the front after Kincaid ordered the driver to stop.
"I wonder what they were waiting for" Kincaid mused in thought. "Let me have you…"
He was interrupted by the first blast from one of the gunmen.
"Oh, shit" Basset shouted and he made a move to roll down his window.
"Hold on!" Kincaid shouted and looked around again.
The four men were around the car pointing their guns directly at each door of the car. The first blast had been at the door of the driver.
Yeah. Kincaid knew what they intended to do. Take out the driver and the rest would be like sitting ducks.
Well, not on his life. He thought as he looked fleetingly at Serena. He had promised to keep her safe and he was going to do so. He ignored the weakness trying to drag him under and he could feel his wounds pull at him as he reloaded his Sig Sauer.
"Reverse!" he shouted at the driver and the man headed instantly. This could mean ultimate death for them or it could work, he knew but he was going to try.
No goddamn bastards were going to make him feel cornered and just sit on his hand while they plucked him off like a green man. No, not when he had someone counting on him.
The abrupt action caught the men by surprise but then they all started firing at the car. Hoping the car would prove tested and through. He told Basset to flick open the room compartment. The sauce was ready and he launched up with a well-targeted aim.
Not so well targeted as it only flayed off the target's cap, the bastard fired a round of bullets toward the roof compartment but Basset had closed it back the moment Kincaid retract his hand.
"This won't do! Those damn bastards are doing this on our territory, Cade. Let's…"
"No!" Kincaid thundered then told the man to face them in front of him headlong. The man kept firing at the car as it approached at full speed, ducking out of the way in the last minutes.
"Sweet!" Basset shouted and Kincaid raised his head to see what he was so happy about.
"Yeah, sweet," he thought with a smile.
The men had turned away from them now as they have bigger issues. Men had surrounded the riders, shooting sporadically and they have no choice but to turn away from the lone car they had been trying to pluck off to face the bigger danger.
Kincaid recognised his men pouring out from different angles led by… he squinted, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"Is that…?"
"Holy shit! She is the one!" Basset confirmed, he rolled down the window and fired rounds at the riders who were trying to escape now. Two of them were down and his gun caught the third one neatly in the back "Woohoo!" he crowed as he told the driver to stop.
Kincaid shook his head, half in amusement about his brother's bloodthirsty whoop and a half to clear his head as the fatigue seemed to take over again. The crimson on his cloth was spreading steadily but he couldn't give in to the weakness.
He had to… yes, he remembered.
Kincaid bent to her "Hey, it is fine. It is okay. You are safe now" he stretched his hand to hold her and he realised that she was trembling. Or was that him?
Her eyes seemed too big in her face as she looked up at him "It is?" she asked blankly.
He hoped she had not gone into shock as he had no idea of how to deal with that.
"Ye…"
She flinched as a gunshot sounded from outside again and she looked at him as if to say "liar". Kincaid swore and wondered what the hold-up was.
He looked outside and saw his men checking the men for anything that could clue them into knowing who they were. Pity that one of them had not been caught alive.
He looked back at the woman looking at him wearily and remembered that he had not even asked for her name "It is finally over now" he said "I promise" when she looked like she did not believe him.
She rose from where she crouched and looked outside. Just said that for a while without saying a thing.
Then she sagged back against the seat.
And started shaking.