Free Thresh: Alpha One Security: Book 2 by Jasinda Wilder Page A

thing as being involved in the violence.”  
    She shuddered. “So I’m learning.”
    Once we hit the street, I put away my pistol and draped my shirt tail over it, then took Lola’s hand in mine, threading our fingers together. There was no sign of cameras, which meant hopefully, given the fact that I’d worn gloves and that there hadn’t been any witnesses, there wouldn’t be any way to trace either the unconscious guy in the car or the dead guy in the stairwell back to me. What I did see was a Range Rover a couple blocks away inching around the corner toward us with two men in it; one of them lifted a cell phone, dialed a number, and held the phone to his ear; he spoke briefly, and then ended the call.  
    “Shit.” I tugged Lola into a power walk, away from the scene, toward the Jeep.
    “What is it?” Her voice was surprisingly even and steady, considering the events of the last few minutes.  
    “We’ve been made.”
    “What does that mean in normal person lingo?”
    “It means that Range Rover over there is a very bad thing, and those two guys in it are very bad men.”  
    “What about the good guys? Does the man you work for, Harris, does he know you’re in trouble?”
    We reached the Jeep, and I gestured for Lola to get in. “I’m assuming he does by now. I made a call of my own. We should have help at some point, but for now…we’re on our own.”  
    Once in the Jeep, I started the engine and pulled away, resisting the impulse to floor it. We didn’t need attention, just now. The Range Rover followed closely behind us.  
    Things were about to get fun, and quick.
    I turned left at the nearest intersection, and as soon as I was around the corner, I buried the pedal. The engine roared, torque kicked in, and we were both pressed back into the bucket seats as the powerful SUV leaped forward, hauling ass past the slower-moving cars. I had to do a bit of creative driving, jinking and swerving into oncoming traffic, back into the proper lane, then far right, left again…I chanced a glance in my mirrors, and saw the Rover following close behind, wending its own route through the traffic.  
    “Which way to a freeway?” I asked.  
    She blinked, hesitating a split second to think. “Left here,” she said, giving me just barely enough time to hit the brakes and drift around the corner, tires squealing, smoke curling, the suspension doing its damnedest to keep us level as centripetal force fought to push us into a roll.  
    Two blocks passed in a matter of seconds, but it felt like minutes as I constantly swerved and braked to avoid cars and pedestrians and buses. Then she indicated left again, and then a right after another few blocks, and then the on-ramp was angling away and down. I hit the gas hard and we barreled down the on-ramp and onto the freeway, which one I wasn’t sure and I really didn’t care. Away , that was all I cared about.  
    It was oddly calm and quiet for a minute despite the fact I was doing 110mph and was still accelerating. The Rover was behind us, seemingly content to merely follow us for now. No shootouts on the freeway, I guess? I wasn’t complaining. Hitting anything from a moving vehicle is hard enough as it is, much less trying to manage it one-handed. God, seriously, fuck this gimpy arm.  
    I kept an eye on our pursuers, who stayed a couple of car lengths back. When it became obvious they weren’t going to mount a mobile assault, I backed off the accelerator until we were back to legal speeds.  
    Once we were cruising smoothly, Lola dug out her cell phone and called the hospital, claiming an unexpected family emergency that would keep her occupied for several days. After that, we drove in silence for a while, passing out of Miami and away from the urban and suburban areas.
    “Where are we going?” Lola asked.
    I shrugged. “No idea. They’re just following us for now.” I eyed her, noting her thoughtful expression. “Why? You got an idea?”
    She bobbed her