The best way to help Delray was a distraction. I needed to get him out of here. Remove him from the situation and give him a day or two, and he might be able to make things right with these guys. I looked around at what we had on our side of the gate.
I had my Escalade. And…an entire amusement park.
I started off. I had to find something fast. Taylor stayed right next to me. When we got to the first building, she watched me bring out some dirty rags and spray cans. Then we trotted back to where I had some booze in the back of my Escalade. When she saw all the ingredients together, her eyes got even bigger, but she nodded.
I pressed my mouth to her ear. “I’m going to go farther down and toss these into the street. I’m hoping it’ll distract them. When they run to check, be ready.”
She nodded and moved her lips were to my ear. “What do you want me to do?”
The gate was locked. I needed it unlocked. And I needed my Escalade ready to go. Everything would have to happen within seconds, and I bit back a curse. Mason was the thinker. I wanted to text him, see where he was, but I didn’t have time. This shit had to happen now.
I pressed the key to the gate into her hand. “Be ready to unlock the gate as soon as the first bomb goes off.”
She nodded.
I kissed her and went to my vehicle. I opened the doors and put my keys in the ignition. Everything was good to go when we had to move. I could hear shouting now from the other side, but I wasn’t listening to them anymore. I liked a good brawl. I liked going in alone or with my brother—either was fine with me. But those brawls were against dickheads from high school or fraternity boys—not real thugs like these guys. I didn’t think Delray had been involved with this crowd last year when I approached him. I’d just been looking for a little fun. This was not fun. If I stayed to fight for very long, I knew it wouldn’t be good. Everything had to move at an almost breakneck speed, and I’d need to go as far as I dared.
And now it was time.
Everything turned off in me then. I couldn’t think about Taylor or those guys. This had to be done. I let out a breath and grabbed a lighter. Jesus. God. Christ. I prayed to all three. We needed to get out of this alive.
Opening the liquor bottles, I stuffed rags into the necks. Before lighting them, I pulled out everything else in my pockets. There had been some firecrackers left behind. I closed my eyes.
I was going to die someday. I hoped it wouldn’t be tonight.
I lit the first rag and tossed it as far as I could over the gate and toward the assorted abandoned cars on the other side. I didn’t wait before lighting the next, then the third and throwing them as far as I could. I heard the crash of the bottles breaking, then the shouts. They’d seen the fire. I braced myself, hoping a boom was coming, but I kept moving.
I lit and tossed the firecrackers, which sounded like gunshots. Someone cursed on the other side of the gate, slamming against it. “Get down!”
The spray cans came next. These things were going to light up the sky. I didn’t light them, as they would’ve seen it coming from inside the gate, but I tossed ’em and hoped they landed close to the soon-to-be-bombs.
After that, fuck being quiet. I sprinted back toward Taylor. I was halfway there when the first car exploded. The air filled with shouting. Taylor saw me coming, and I gestured to the gate.
She unlocked it and pulled it back as I raced to the Escalade, diving in and starting the engine. She threw herself into the passenger seat just as I hit the accelerator.
The only two still outside were Delray and the leader fucker—Rankin, I think Delray had called him that name. I pushed Taylor down. I didn’t want the leader to see her face as I braked between him and Delray.
“Get the fuck in!” I yelled.
Delray’s eyes were wide, but he wasn’t in shock. The street behind him was filled with smoke, different colored smoke, too. It was covering up his guys, but it was helping us, too. They couldn’t see us. That meant it was only Rankin to fight and he knew it at the same time I did. Delray threw himself into the backseat as Rankin came charging and tried to open Taylor’s door.
“Fuck no!” Delray’s boss growled.
Delray slammed the door shut behind him, but his boss had Taylor’s door open.
I reached for her and yelled, “Don’t look at him!”
She grabbed my arm as the guy caught her leg and started to pull her out. He was yelling over his shoulder, “Get back here! It was these guys! No one’s down there!”
“Fuck!” someone yelled.
Delray lunged forward, and I shouted at him, “Don’t you say her name!”
He bit down on whatever he’d been about to say. I punched the guy manhandling Taylor as hard as I could. His head whipped back, but he didn’t let go of her. His face twisted in an ugly snarl. His assholes were coming back, and they were coming fast.
I punched him again, but he still didn’t let go.
Then Mason appeared behind him and ripped him away. The guy fell to the ground. Mason whacked the guy with the bat in his hand, and he fell unconscious.
“Get in!” I yelled at him.
He jumped in Taylor’s seat, covering her with his body, and I hit the gas.
HERE. SAFE. MINE.
LOGAN
I took a crazy path to be sure we weren’t followed, but I drove us to the house. We all trooped inside, and Sam, who’d been lying on the couch in the living room, jerked upright.
“Holy shit. What happened to you guys?” Her nose wrinkled. “And why do you smell like fire? Is that what I’m smelling?”