Fast and Furious (12 page)

* * * *

Allie stood in her shop and let out a steadying breath. Although squat good it did. Logan had told her to trust Chase. She did, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. They knew something was up, she could feel it in her bones. Something she’d done had tipped them off. She tried her best to figure out what exactly it was, but couldn’t think of anything.

Allie heard the motorcycles’ engines rev as they pulled from the parking lot. Her eyes widened as realization dawned. The guys had been driving the cycles a lot. Could they be bugged? Is it possible they knew the guys had been following her?

She and Dray had never checked the bikes. They hadn’t really thought they needed to since they never used them. Logan had found them in the back of the shop and asked about them. Had Logan checked them like he had the cars and the shop? Surely he had. Shaking her head, she tried to dislodge the worrisome thought. They were Seals. They knew how to take care of themselves … better than most.

She strolled to the file cabinet, just behind the door of her office. She opened the bottom file drawer and pulled out the pistol she kept hidden inside. She quickly checked to make sure the magazine was full, then clicked it back into place.

The drivers weren’t supposed to carry guns, but tonight she didn’t care. She would do as she damn well pleased. Especially since her life depended on it.

*

Allie sped down Highway US 1 toward Hollywood, Florida, and her next pick-up point. In her rearview mirror, she kept her gaze on the car following her. She’d spotted it five minutes ago and had kept a close watch ever since.

Tonight would be the night they took her out. They would cause her to wreck, then if she survived the crash, they would shoot her. It would happen before she reached her pick-up point. It always did. It was how they’d done all the others in the past. It was how they would do her.

The car moved closer and she put both hands on the wheel, holding tight. She checked her seatbelt and then felt for her gun buried between the bucket seats. She just hoped she was conscious and able to defend herself.

She hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Chase and Blaine. She tried to tell herself she shouldn’t. If she could, they could as well. It was best they remained out of sight. She just hoped they were at least close by.

The car in her mirror came closer and she braced herself. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe it was nothing. The car nudged her back bumper, causing her car to jerk forward.

Then again, maybe not.

“Damn it,” she murmured, glancing around at the light traffic cruising along the highway.

They had no qualms about slamming her into someone else. They’d been known to kill whoever she ran into as well, since they would be witnesses. It always surprised her they would use such a public way of doing things. It wasn’t a darkened road, it was a public highway. It was as though they were deliberately flaunting just how much power they had, just how much above the law they were. They believed themselves to be untouchable.

They bumped her car once more and Allie stepped on the gas, swerving around the car in front of her. The traffic was a little thinner up ahead. There would be less chance she would hit someone else. The car behind her followed, matching her speed quickly and pulling up to her rear, driver’s-side tire.

She knew what was coming and braced herself as they slammed into the rear of her car, shoving her sideways and forcing the car into a flip. Allie cursed as the car rolled three times, finally coming to a stop upside down in the middle of the road.

Shattered glass covered her everywhere, the sharp edges leaving small scratches over her arms. Her head hurt from hitting the driver’s-side glass window before it busted, and her nose ached from the deploying airbag. It deflated immediately, leaving a sagging plastic bag to further pin her in the small space. Smoke drifted past her nose from the explosion of the airbag, and she coughed softly, waving her hand in front of her face to disperse the smell.

Cars all around her squealed to a halt, then quickly turned in the other direction. Allie glanced behind her and saw three pairs of boots working their way over. No doubt they had guns drawn, which is why everyone ran.

Allie felt beside her for her gun, but couldn’t find it. Her heart raced with real fear as she struggled with the seat belt, hoping to squeeze out the passenger side before they could fire. The belt gave way, and she winced as her shoulder hit the ground. She rolled slightly and found the gun beneath the passenger seat, or now above it since the car was upside down.

She attempted to get out the passenger window, but somehow in the cramped space, her leg had gotten wedged against the gear shift. She tugged, trying to force it lose. Glass cut into her hand, and she winced as she moved to grasp her pant leg and give it a tug.

She mentally reminded herself next time not to buy such a damn small car. With the roof caved in like it was, maneuvering around two bucket seats and a gear shift was a damn pain in the ass.

Boots crunching against glass caught her attention, and she stiffened. She stopped what she was doing and turned her head to stare up at the man above her. He’d anticipated her move out the passenger side and smiled as he pointed the tip of his gun at her head. She had no time to raise her own gun. Even if she tried, he would fire before she could get hers up.

Allie swallowed, wishing she’d had the chance to tell Chase how much she liked him—that her last thoughts were of him and his smile.

Two motorcycles raced forward and screeched to a halt a few feet away. Allie didn’t have to look to know who they were. She recognized the sound of the bikes. She turned her head just in time to see both Chase and Blaine raise their weapons and fire off three rounds in quick succession. The men attempting to kill her were caught unprepared and all three hit the ground just a few feet from where she stuck partway out of the passenger window.

Allie cringed at the lifeless eyes of the one closest to her. His gaze appeared to be locked on her as she remained frozen, her head out the window, her bleeding hands on the broken glass. Blood seeped from the wound in his chest and began to slowly pool on the concrete beneath him. Revulsion made her stomach tighten as the thought that all that blood would soon be mingling with her own. They were too close. She needed to get out of this car.

“Allie,” Chase called as he lowered the kickstand and raced to her side.

“Get me out of here,” she yelled as she frantically tried again to work her leg free of the gearshift.

Chase reached inside and helped her move her leg so she could pull free through the window. She stood on wobbly knees and followed Chase to the motorcycle. She climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist as he slid the gun back into the holster strapped to his thigh.

“Are you okay?” Chase asked over his shoulder.

“I’m fine. We need to find Sven.”

“What?” Chase demanded.

“If they get wind of what’s going down, they’ll kill him, Chase. Whoever gets away from the cops will not want any witnesses left to testify against them. Once word gets out that the DEA is taking the distribution point, the higher ups will begin the slaughter. And they’ll start with the drivers.”

“Do you even know where to find him?” Chase asked.

Allie could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. She quickly pulled her phone out and dialed Sven’s number. She’d gotten it from Dray earlier just in case.

Sven answered. “Yeah.”

“Sven, its Allie. Where are you?”

“Allie? As in the street racer Allie?”

“Yes, Sven.” Allie glanced over her shoulder as the approaching sirens drew closer.

“You need to hurry, Allie,” Blaine cautioned from beside her.

Allie nodded. “Sven, listen. The DEA is raiding. The drivers are going to be taken out. Where are you?”

Sven was silent for a second and Allie shouted, “Sven.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m uh … heading west on Hollywood Blvd toward Pembroke Pines.”

“Don’t go past University. We’re on our way,” she said. “We’re on motorcycles.”

She hung up and pointed west. “Follow Hallandale to Pembroke Pines. Turn north on University, then east onto Hollywood. We’ll hopefully approach them from the opposite direction.”

“Element of surprise?” Chase asked as he turned the bike.

“God willing,” she mumbled, as Chase took off at breakneck speed, Blaine close on his heels.

Thank God Florida didn’t have a helmet law. Otherwise they’d be pulled over, for none of them wore helmets. She bent her head slightly behind Chase’s back, keeping her face out of the wind as his motorcycle weaved in and out of traffic. She didn’t like going this fast as a passenger on a motorcycle, but knew better than to say anything. Chase needed to concentrate on the road and the cars; he didn’t need her whining in his ear.

Silently, she prayed they’d make it in time. Sven was too young to die. He had his whole life in front of him. They turned onto University, then at the next light turned onto Hollywood.

She peeked over Chase’s shoulder and immediately spotted Sven’s car. The bright green paint job was unmistakable, especially under the glow of the streetlights. Behind Sven she could see the black car she recognized as the one who always met them at the pick-up point. Reaching down, she grabbed Chase’s pistol from the holster on his thigh. Chase quickly glanced back at her.

“Are you sure you can shoot that thing one handed?”

Allie flipped off the safety and yelled back. “If it uses bullets, I can shoot it.”

She lifted her arm and took aim over Chase’s shoulder as he sped closer. Blaine did the same beside her as they approached the black car.

“Don’t lock your elbow,” Chase yelled.

“I know, I know,” she yelled back, then pulled the trigger.

Blaine pulled his as well and both shot into the front window of the black car, shattering it. At least one of them hit their mark. The driver slumped over then quickly veered to the right, slamming into a power pole.

Chase pulled the bike in front of Sven’s car, forcing him to come to a stop. “Get on,” Blaine yelled.

Sven quickly jumped from his car and onto the back of Blaine’s bike and the four sped down the road toward Aventura.

* * * *

Chase came to a stop outside his Aventura apartment. He turned to look at Allie, who appeared pale, her forehead wrinkling in a frown of pain.

“Allie?” he asked as he lowered the kickstand. “Blaine. Check Allie.”

Blaine rushed forward and helped her off Chase’s bike. She wobbled slightly, leaning heavily against the seat.

“What are we doing here?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about that now,” Blaine replied. “Where do you hurt?”

She lifted her hand to her chest and ribs. Blaine used the tip of his fingers to probe her ribs. Allie hissed when he pressed and Blaine quickly pulled his fingers away.

“They’re probably bruised but I don’t think they’re broken.”

“Why didn’t she notice it before?” Sven asked.

“Adrenaline,” Chase replied as he brushed her hair from her brow. “We need to have you looked at, Allie, but we need to ditch these bikes first.”

Allie nodded. “I think that’s how they found me out,” she said. “Did you check them for tracking devices?”

“I did,” Blaine said. “But I didn’t find anything.”

“Then how did they know?” she whispered. “What gave me away?”

“We’re not sure, but right now that doesn’t matter,” Chase said. “We’ll figure that out later.”

Allie looked at Sven and narrowed her eyes at him. “I should have your head.” Sven took a step back in trepidation.

Blaine handed him the keys to the Spider, which was parked a few feet away. “Take it and get out of Miami. The further away the better.”

He looked to Allie who nodded her head. “I risked my neck to save you. Don’t waste that, Sven.”

He held up the key and nodded before turning and moving quickly to the car. Allie watched him drive away in silence.

“Do you think he’ll do it?” Blaine asked.

“I hope tonight put enough fear into him that he will,” Allie mumbled. “He’s just seventeen. He has his whole life ahead of him.”

“So do you,” Chase said as he led her to the Hummer a few parking spaces away.

With Blaine’s help, she climbed into the backseat. Chase reached across the front seat to grab a phone from the glove box. He flipped it open and dialed a number.

“It’s me,” he said into the receiver. “Allie’s fine, but she’s hurt. Have the chopper meet us at Sawgrass Mall. The parking lot should be big enough for him to land there.” He was silent for a moment, then said, “Hang on.”

He handed the phone over the seat to Allie. “It’s your dad.”

Blaine jumped into the seat beside her and they headed down the road toward interstate 595.

“Hey, Daddy,” she said tiredly.

* * * *

Allie sat on the edge of the examining table and swung her legs back and forth. The painkillers they’d given her worked to lessen the pain, but they left her feeling in a fog—a sensation she didn’t like at all. At least nothing was broken, just bruised by the seatbelt. She would be sore for a few days, but otherwise fine.

She looked around the room and blew out a tired puff of air. She was tired of waiting, tired of being ignored while DEA talked to everyone but her. Logan had joined them shortly after they’d arrived at the Virginia hospital. She’d been thrilled to see him. Unfortunately, he’d been pulled away the second he’d arrived.

The door to her room opened and her father, along with Chase, Blaine and Logan filed into the room.

“There’s still a few left to round up,” her father said. “So for now, I want you out of the country.”

Allie started to say something, but Chase interrupted. “I’ll go with her. She’ll need someone to look after her and after the last couple of weeks, I could use a vacation.”

Allie stared at him in shock. Chase winked at her and her father nodded; all the while a grin tugged at his lips. “Good. Good.”

She thought her father looked awfully pleased with that idea. Was he playing matchmaker?

“They were onto me,” she said, changing the subject from herself and Chase to something that made her feel a little less wobbly. “How did they find me out?”

“Apparently, there were three agencies involved in this operation. They knew about you, but you didn’t know about them. One of them turned you and the cop that was killed in to the cartel to prove his loyalty.”

Allie’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?”

Her father shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, Allie. I guess he felt it was more important to save his own hide and assignment than it was to save you two.”

Her father’s expression softened just a little. “I won’t deny that I’m glad you’re out of that mess. On a lighter note, I had a long talk with Dray.”

Raising an eyebrow, Allie stiffened slightly, wondering just what her friend had discussed with her father. “What about?”

“He says you’re quite good with cars.”

“I like cars.”

“Good. I don’t want you going back to the police, Allie, so I’ve decided to financially back your next shop.”

“Excuse me?”

“I sent Dray out to California to scope out a good location. Unfortunately, the shop in Miami was never really yours. It was just part of your cover, so that as well as all the money earned goes back to the police.”

Anger knotted her stomach. “What! I almost got myself killed and those assholes can’t at least give me that?”

Her father smiled just a little. “The racing money you had hidden in the safe, though … well … what they don’t know about won’t hurt them.”

“How did you know about that?” she asked.

“Dray.”

With a nod, Allie smiled slightly. Of course; Dray. “What did you do with it?” she asked.

“Dray has it.”

Allie trusted Dray as much as she trusted her father, so she knew he would take care of it. Especially since half of it was his anyway.

“How much did you have in there?” Chase asked.

“About a half a million.”

Chase’s eyes widened, Logan coughed and Blaine whistled.

“I don’t know how many races that was or how much danger you were in doing them and I don’t want to know,” her father said as he held up his hand. “Just promise me you won’t do that crap in California.”

Allie started to argue, but changed her mind. Her father didn’t need to know that’s how you built a reputation in the racing world. How could she have a shop designing and customizing street racing cars if she didn’t race?

“You know,” Allie began, changing the subject yet again. “I think maybe Daddy’s idea of a vacation sounds pretty good. I’m thinking Belize.”

Logan chuckled as her father leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “You can go wherever you want. Behave yourself, pet,” he whispered. “You’ll be safe with Chase.”

“I know,” she acknowledged.

Her father touched her cheek before leaving the room. She glanced over at Logan and Blaine. They both looked incredibly tired. “I have a clean bill of health,” she said as she tilted her head to the side, hoping she gave them a provocative pose. She found she enjoyed teasing them.

Logan shook his head, shooting her a chastising look she didn’t take seriously for a second. “You were given a clean bill of health
with restrictions
.”

Allie’s lips twisted as she waved her hand. “Details, details.”

Blaine laughed. Logan and Chase shared a smile as they shook their heads.

“Are you and Blaine coming to Belize too?” she asked, curiously.

“As tempting as it sounds, no. I think you and Chase need some time alone together.”

Allie smiled at Chase. “I agree.”

She definitely agreed. Wholeheartedly. She didn’t know what exactly she felt for Chase but she looked forward to finding out.

She returned her attention to Logan. “Where will you go?”

“Blaine’s mother’s family has been after him to visit now that he’s stateside. I offered to tag along,” Logan replied.

Chase snorted. “You? Visiting family? You don’t even visit your own family.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “The only family I had was my mother, and she died two years ago, smartass.”

Blaine shook his head, amusement making his eyes sparkle. “He’s so damn touchy.” Chuckling, he stepped forward and cupped her cheeks. “I’m gonna miss you, baby. Save me a kiss for when we visit?”

She grinned wickedly. “Most definitely.”

He returned her smile and softly kissed her lips before stepping back. Logan came forward as well and placed a gentle kiss against her lips. “I want more than a kiss saved for me,” he murmured.

“Won’t Chase be jealous?” she asked.

“I don’t care,” Logan replied, and Allie laughed. Chase raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as his friends patted him on the shoulder.

“We’re swinging by the condo to get our bikes, then taking the long way to Tennessee,” Logan said as he opened the door to the room, preparing to step outside. “We should be there in about three weeks or so. Keep in touch; let us know you’re doing fine. Don’t make me come looking for you,” he added with a firm look toward both of them.

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Chase teased.

Logan lifted his middle finger, making Chase snicker. He turned to Allie and winked before leaving the room. “Later, gorgeous,” he called just before the door closed behind him, leaving her alone with Chase for the first time in hours.

She couldn’t believe Chase had offered to go with her. Part of her wondered why. Part of her didn’t care. She liked the idea of his being there. The two of them alone on a tropical retreat, no one to interfere, no one to bug them, no one but them.

“So when do we leave?” she asked.

“How soon can you pack a bag?”

She scoffed. “Pack? Pack what? All my clothes are still in Miami. I’ll have to buy all new when we get there.”

“Well, then,” Chase said as his lips spread into the most enticingly sexy smile she’d ever seen on a man. “We should probably get a move on. You’re father has a Gulfstream waiting for us at the airport.”

She frowned. “How do you know that?”

He winced just a bit. “We already discussed my going with you as your protection.”

“Oh,” she sighed, disappointment making her stomach drop.

So he wasn’t going because he wanted to. He was going to protect her.

“You know,” she said. “I really don’t need a protector. It’s doubtful they’ll find me in Belize if there’s somewhere else you want to go.”

Chase’s eyes widened then narrowed. “I’m going, Allie. I want to go.”

“Really?” she asked, but at the same time hating herself for showing such vulnerability. It was her injuries that made her feel and act so weak. That’s all.

He nodded. “Really.”

She jumped off the table as easily as her excitement would allow. He said he wanted to go and that made her smile inside like a giddy school girl. It looked as though tough-as-nails Allie had finally met her match. Someone who could make her think in terms of lifetime instead of just one night.

After taking two steps, though, she came to a stop and glanced worriedly at Chase. “My purse. I never got it out of the car. I don’t have any money.”

Chase pulled a driver’s license and two credit cards from his back pocket and held them out to her. “New name, sort of. For some reason he gave you my last name, and new credit cards. It’s amazing the strings SECNAV can pull. I wondered what Allie was short for.”

Allie stared at the name on the card. “Allison
Borden
?”

Chase smiled. “It’s a little presumptuous, but you have to admit, it has a nice ring to it.”

She shrugged one shoulder, not wanting to admit just how nice her name sounded along with his. “It is definitely presumptuous. I don’t know what would make him think I would take such a boring name as Borden…”

Allie watched as Chase moved to stand directly in front of her, his eyes narrowed, his hands on his hips. Wow, he looked good when he was being all alpha. “What’s wrong with Borden?” he growled.

“Nothing, if you like—”

Chase’s mouth slanted across hers so fast, she hardly had time to react. With her sore chest and ribs, it was doubtful she could’ve reacted very fast anyway, even if she’d wanted to—which she didn’t.

His lips felt so good against hers, his taste minty and wild. Chase’s kiss and touch left her breathless more so than any other. Her reaction to him always startled her and left her feeling out of control.

The kiss was over much sooner than she would’ve liked, and she stared dreamily up at him, not caring that her attraction was written all over her face.

“Maybe Borden isn’t so bad,” she whispered.

Chase chuckled as he took her hand and led her from the room, Allie following like a lovesick school girl.