“Nova, the driver is knocked out!” she shouted, tears spilling down her face. “So why aren’t we stopping?”

“Fuck,” I whispered, realizing she was right. “Pietro!”

“His foot is trapped on the gas,” the guard called back to us. “I’m trying!” There was a pause quickly followed by, “Motherfucker! Hold on!”

I glanced through the partition in time to see a Hummer-like truck pull ahead of us and turn. All I could think about was Cali and that she was pregnant. Shifting, I wrapped myself around her, using my body as cushioning just as the limo collided with the small tank. The last sound I heard was metal tearing through metal before the world went dark.

38

Ryan

***This chapter may be considered too graphic for some readers.***

She’s going to be okay.

I kept repeating those words to myself in my head as we sped toward the last known location of the limo. It and the SUV were equipped with GPS, but the SUV gave a different position reading than the limo. The app showed me that more than ten blocks separated the two, with more distance growing between them by the second.

While Zio drove and Dad cursed from the back seat, I tried to call Nova over and over again. Switching between her and Ciana each time, I didn’t get an answer from either of them. As soon as I’d lost contact with Nova after her call, we had jumped into action. Pop started making calls as I found the two vehicles’ locations and tried to reach the girls.

The limo’s dot stopped moving on the screen. She’s going to be okay. Whatever idiot had decided to scare her and my cousin wouldn’t live through the night, but she would be just fine.

My hands began to sweat, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might beat right out of my chest, but the erratic pace was somewhat soothing. As long as my heart was still working, then I knew Nova was fine.

The flashing of lights had Zio slamming on the brakes. The scene we drove up on looked like a war zone. Cars on their sides, upside down, dented in so badly that it was hard to tell if they were full-sized or compact. Fire trucks, ambulances, cop cars all had their lights on as at least thirty first responders ran around trying to assist those in need of immediate medical attention.

Without hesitation, I got out and started running. The GPS said that the limo was another block and a half up the street. I heard Pop and Zio yell for me to wait, but I couldn’t. Not when the reason I continued to breathe was somewhere in the middle of all this chaos.

The moment my eyes landed on the limo, I nearly fell to my knees. Six first responders were standing around what now looked like a crushed tin can sticking out of what must have been some kind of military-grade tactical vehicle. Other than what was left of the limo jammed into its side, the damn thing looked intact and was probably still drivable.