Free Nice and Naughty by Jayne Rylon Page B

spot where the man had collapsed but his eyes already glazed, his limbs folded, completely lax, in a unique state reserved for death. A distant corner of his mind registered the car screeching up to the curb and the telltale ping of a bullet ricocheting off the pavement near his feet before Justin’s shout rang out.
    “Let’s go, it’s too late for him.” Then, a second later, “Jason! Move it, now!”
    Jason stumbled to the car waiting open for him and slid inside. Justin reached through the open window to slam the door shut with one hand while firing a few shots at a target Jason couldn’t see.
    The memory of the stricken informant obscured everything else.
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Seven
    Alexa set her iPod on the center console, thankful that Jason had arranged to have someone grab a few essentials from her apartment last night. She attached the cables to the car stereo a moment before all hell broke loose. Justin shouted at her to pull forward, Jason stumbled back into the car and shots echoed with an eerie whine when Justin returned fire on an unseen assailant. She slammed the stick in gear and peeled away. Filtering all distractions from her mind, she focused on the job at hand. Rounding the corner, she forced her muscles to relax and let years of training take over. “Turn on the music,” she instructed Justin without removing her eyes from the road flying by faster with every gear change.
    “Holy shit, now is not the time!” He spun around, scouting out the road behind them.
    “There are two black sedans and a motorcycle in pursuit.”
    She waited for him to finish reloading the gun before reiterating. “Press the dial at 6
    o’clock and hang on.”
    Avoiding a semi, she tucked them into a space barely larger than the car itself. Justin’s shoulder slammed against the door, resulting in additional cursing. www.samhainpublishing.com
     
     
    “Sit down, put your belt on and play my damn music!” Her command left no room for argument. He settled himself as she wove into the current of traffic on the highway, avoiding another injury.
    “Not like I can keep a steady line now anyway.” He grumbled before flipping down the mirrored visor to check on Jason. “You are okay, aren’t you?”
    “Yeah.” Jason’s monotone response reached them.
    “Alexa, step on it, they’re still right behind us.”
    She observed the vehicles in her rear and side view mirrors, aware of their exact positions. “Turn it on.”
    “Jesus Christ, you’re stubborn. Fine. Here.” He stabbed the button harder than necessary, the result of too much adrenaline, and the heavy beat of her selected score enveloped them.
    She always accompanied her drives with music. It helped her get lost in the rhythm of the lines blazing by and focus on the opportunities between the drivers she streaked past. She edged ahead within moments, taking carefully weighed chances. She calculated each turn, pass and merge before accepting the risk. Beside her, Justin whooped with her successful movements, each increasing the distance between them and their tails. His enthusiasm faded to the background as the song transformed into a precise staccato refrain. She evaluated her options and studied the pattern of traffic before ditching from the highway at the last safe moment to exit onto an industrial strip of road. Warehouses lined the narrow street and huge trucks transporting goods abounded.
    Only the biker remained behind them.
    The skilled rider had the advantage, his motorcycle faster and more agile than Jason’s sedan, though Justin had obviously worked his magic on the car at some point. It responded with a roar when she needed power and accelerated quicker than she expected. Still, her chance to get away lay in being a smarter driver.
    “What time is it?” She spoke in a calm, even tone.
     
     
     
    “Time to go home,” Jason protested from behind her and she risked a quick glance at him. His pale face glowed against the dark leather