Repercussion: The Clandestine Saga Book 3

Chapter 3-5

"Damn it, I wish we could switch places," he muttered. "They could shoot me all freaking day, and it wouldn't matter."

"Let's do it," she replied, already making the move before he had time to respond. She stashed the Berretta back where she had found it and watched as he set the cruise control. "Over or under?" she asked.

He was momentarily confused. "Who over? Who under?" She didn't give him a chance to answer that either. She placed her left hand on the steering wheel and wedged her left leg across him between his leg and the door. Realizing her technique as her a*s flashed before his face, he avoided the distraction and pulled himself up and to the right, as she slid into the driver's seat. "Any contact there was purely incidental," he said, once he was mostly in the passenger's seat. She punched him in the leg, possibly harder than she had intended to, and flicked the cruise control off. Somehow, they had managed to keep the car mostly in the correct lane and the Hummer was now only a few hundred yards in front of them.

"What's the sitch?" she asked as he double-checked the Beretta.

"Taking out the driver," he answered.

She nodded and concentrated on getting the car in such a position so that he could easily do just that. She knew he was probably an even better shot than she was, so she just needed to hold her line and try not to get shot herself.

Aaron also preferred the Beretta, so he holstered his Glock and grabbed the larger weapon. He didn't attempt the acrobatics he had just seen displayed on the window sill. He did pull himself out of the car a bit but only enough to steady his aim. As Cadence pulled next to the vehicle, he carefully aimed at the driver. The Vampire in the driver's seat was a burly, older man who looked like he may have been a biker in his human days. Despite his girth, he was doing a good job of keeping out of Aaron's crosshairs. He fired once, but the driver jerked the wheel in an attempt to ram the Aventador. Cadence saw it coming and swerved out of the way. The Vampire seemed to think this was a good technique, however, so he employed it a few more times, each time getting a bit closer.

"What do you want me to do?" Cadence asked, not sure whether letting the Hummer ram them would cause her to lose control at this speed.

"Hold your line," Aaron replied, still taking aim. The passenger had opened fire now, shooting around the driver. His aim was poor, but Aaron had to consider a stray bullet could potentially hit Cadence. He needed to end this now. As the Hummer came lurching at them again, Cadence followed directions and kept the car pointed straight. This actually helped Aaron aim, as his target grew closer, and he was able to shoot the driver in the side of the head, causing his skull to explode in a puff of ash.

However, the driver was still pulling to the left when he began to vaporize. The Hummer continued to careen into the Aventador, the passenger unable to correct the course in time. "Swerve! Swerve!" Aaron directed, as he pulled himself back into the car.

Cadence had already started to take evasive action once she realized he had landed the shot. However, it wasn't in time, and the Aventador began to slide, fishtailing as it went, and she knew she was losing control. The Hummer slid into the side of the Lamborghini, brushing against the sports car slightly as it continued to plow across three lanes and into the median. The Aventador was following close behind.

Aaron grabbed the wheel, and Cadence let him have it. They were approaching a small copse of trees between the north and south bound lanes, and she braced herself for impact. In front of her, she saw the Hummer crash into a tall tree, its speed still nearly what it had been during the chase, the engine immediately catching fire. She was aware that, if their car met a similar fate, she wouldn't die, but every ounce of her body knew this was going to hurt.

Just before they reached the trees, Aaron shifted the car into neutral, turned the wheel the other direction, and Cadence instinctively slammed her foot down on the brake. The car spun the opposite way before Aaron corrected it. It came to rest just inches from the trunks of the trees.

She didn't realize he had his right arm braced against her until they had completely stopped. Clearly, he had been trying to protect her from the airbag. They locked eyes, and she finally let the breath out she'd been holding for the entire skid.

She opened her mouth, intending to say thank you, when she realized there was one last Vampire. It had been a hard impact, and it appeared that the flames had actually reached the cab, but that did not stop the skinny thug from throwing open the passenger door and charging the Aventador, which had come to a stop approximately fifteen yards away.

"s**t!" she exclaimed, realizing she had another flaming Vampire to contend with. He was now unarmed, which was a plus, but he was also extremely angry. He came rushing at them almost as quickly as his companion had flown down the stairs.

Without hesitation, Aaron grabbed the Glock from his holster, swung out the open window, and emptied the chamber into the charcoaled ghoul. He fell on the hood of the car and immediately turned to ash, the fire extinguishing.

Cadence also climbed from the car, weapon in hand, relieved she didn't have to dispatch this one, the weariness suddenly returning and hitting her full force.

"Damn," Aaron whispered under his breath, inspecting the paint on the hood, which had bubbled from the heat.

Cadence glanced at the rest of the car and realized that was the only damage. It didn't seem possible. "Holy hell," she said, and dropped onto the hood. She knew that, despite the lack of traffic, someone would report a high speed chase, shots fired, and a vehicle on fire. They only had a matter of time before the emergency vehicles began to arrive.

"You all right?" he asked, coming around the car to stand in front of her.

She nodded. "We need to get out of here," she replied, rubbing her face with her hands.

"We've got some time. And your friends are on their way. Should be here in a few."

Cadence realized she hadn't even checked in with the rest of the team. "Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied, staring down the highway the way they had come, as if he could somehow see them approaching.

"Cale got shot a couple of times. He's all right, isn't he?"

"He's fine," Aaron assured her.

"That's gotta hurt," she said more to herself than him.

"Tell me about it," he replied.

Cadence looked up. She hadn't been thinking. She knew that Aaron had also been shot--only by a Hunter--while defending her against Holland. And those bullets didn't bounce. He almost died. "I'm sorry. I didn't' mean to..."

"Don't worry about it," he said dismissively. He turned and walked a few steps away from her.

"No, Aaron wait," she said following him. She could see vehicles approaching in the distance and assumed it was the rest of the team, though she didn't check the IAC to make sure. "Please don't walk away from me."

"You're the one that left," he shot back at her, clearly frustrated that she was so concerned about Cale.

"You can't blame this on me!" she reminded him, running around to stand in front of him. "This is your fault!"

He stared into her eyes for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "What do you want me to say?"

She heard cars behind her but didn't hear any doors. She suddenly realized her IAC was still on. She turned it off. "How about 'I'm sorry?'" she suggested, her arms flailing, her soul lurching forward.

His expression was one of disbelief. He waited a moment before replying. Finally, he said, "You want me to SAY I'm sorry?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"You want me to SAY I'm sorry?" She nodded and watched a myriad of expressions flicker across his face before he finally stepped towards her, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her. Despite the anger and resentment that she'd been holding on to for so long, she returned the kiss, parting her lips and letting him back in. A torrid of memories flooded over her, and even before he released her, she realized she was crying.

Taking a deep breath, he met her eyes and said quietly, "Cadence, I'm sorry."

As he began to walk toward the driver's side of the car, confusion washed over her yet again. How could he kiss her and then just walk away? She was vaguely aware that the others had exited their vehicles and were standing nearby. At the moment she didn't care. She caught up to him just before he slid into the car. "Where are you going?" she asked, tears still streaking down her face.

"Home," he replied, a tone of nonchalance in his voice that she could not comprehend.

"But..." she stammered.

He started the engine. "I'm sure Cale will give you a ride. And, Cadence, don't let anyone else make your plan from now on, all right? You almost got yourself killed tonight."

"You can't just leave…," she shot back at him. He was clearly not listening, however, as he rolled up the window, and threw the car into reverse.

Cadence watched in utter disbelief as he pulled the car through the median and headed back the direction they had come. "What the hell?" she asked, shaking her head. Even though Meagan and Aurora were at her side now, the question was directed at the universe.

"I'm sorry, hon'," Aurora offered, slipping her arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay? I mean, physically?"

Cadence didn't respond to the question. "I don't.... How can...?" she stammered.

"It's all right," Meagan offered. "You don't need him."

Cadence nodded, feeling herself starting to slip back into the self-imposed numbness she had been operating out of for the last few months. But the recent experience of feeling alive, of feeling whole, was still clinging to her senses, and she wasn't willing to give up without a fight. "No..." she said quietly.

"What's that sweetie?" Aurora asked, not sure what she had said.

"No," she said a bit louder this time. She shook herself free. "No! No, no, no!" She turned to look at her friends, avoiding the stares of the Reno team, who clearly had no idea what they had just witnessed, except for Cale perhaps. Cadence pushed him out of her thoughts completely. "He can't do that. I'm not going to let him do that to me again! It's not fair!" Without asking, she sprinted over to the bike she had seen Aurora get off of, popped the kickstand, and revved the engine. The audience seemed frozen in awe, and despite the blare of approaching sirens, no one seemed to move as she directed the motorcycle back the way Aaron had disappeared. She wasn't sure where he had gone, but she knew she would find him.