Before I can slide his shirt up any further, he breaks the kiss and traps my hand with his. Leaning his forehead against mine, his kiss-swollen lips brush mine with each word. "We can't, princess. We gotta stay focused." He places a soft kiss against my lips, and I return it eagerly. "But once we're back at the room? You're all mine."
A shiver of awareness trickles down my spine. "Promise?" I ask with a raised brow.
"Aye." He fuses his lips to mine once more, tongue dancing with mine in a dance only the two of us know. It's amazing how similar all the Fitzgerald boys are in some ways, and in others, they couldn't be more different.
Their personalities shine through each kiss. Wolf's kisses always have a playful side—even when he's making me see stars. Rush always has control in his kisses, which allows me to lose my control. I know he'll always be there. And Sully kisses me with all the unrestrained passion he's harboring inside that delicious, tattooed body of his.
His phone rings, interrupting us, which is probably a good thing. I shift back over into my seat, adjusting my skirt and leaning my head against the window, letting the light rain mist over my overheated face.
Somewhere between parking and now, the clouds moved in, mostly covering the moon, and rain began to fall.
Sully answers the phone and puts it on speakerphone. "What did you find?"
"Fuck. What didn't we find. There's so much shit here. So much shit about Red. It's a lot. I sent you a few photos of what we found. Come get us in twenty minutes, and make sure you don’t have a fucking tail. We’re taking all of it with us, and we can’t carry it all to you,” Wolf says.
I lean over the console and look at Sully’s phone. He has his text thread up, and six photos fill the screen. He zooms in on each one and ice fills my veins. “Fuck me. Who the fuck is this guy?”
“I don’t fucking know, brother. But I’m sure there’s something in all of this that will help.”
“Aye. We’ll see you soon.” Sully ends the call and turns the car on. “Buckle up, princess. Time to go.”
I click my seat belt in place and roll up my window as Sully pulls away from the curb. The rain starts to come down harder, but visibility is still okay. If it gets much worse, I’m afraid we’ll have to pull over until we can see.
Five minutes later, headlights from the vehicle behind us shine into our car. Sully curses under his breath and flicks his turn signal on. “We’re detouring, Lainey. I don’t know if this is a tail, and we just saw it now, or if it’s a coincidence.”
I peek in the side mirror, but all I can make out are some large black SUVs. They make the same turn, and my heart starts to pound. “James . . .”
“I know. It’s fine. This isn’t my first time, princess. Just hold on, yeah? I’m going to lose them up here.”
We’re approaching a town square shopping area with several side roads branching off, and Sully turns the wheel at the last minute, racing down the streets. A quick left turn later, and we’re on another road. I’m completely lost after so many twists and turns, but one thing is for sure—we didn’t lose our tail.
“Motherfucker,” Sully growls under his breath when the rain starts to pour even harder, reducing our visibility. A last-minute right turn has us skidding along the pavement, the screech of the tires loud in the car.
Sully wrenches the wheel to the side to avoid oncoming traffic, and the car hydroplanes. The black SUVs behind us keep pace, their bumpers dangerously close to ours.
I twist around to look out of the rear window, my mouth falling open. "They're boxing us in!"
Sully flicks his gaze to the rearview mirror. "I know. The streets get narrow up here. We should be able to lose them then. Hang on."
I face forward just in time for Sully to take the car onto the curb connected to the sidewalk. I'm thankful that it's nearing ten o’clock at night, and this little block of shops is closed for the day. I can't imagine what would happen if it was the middle of the day. Sully would never risk innocent people like that, and we'd be caught for sure.
The car rumbles and groans as two of our wheels protest being higher than the others. I plant my feet on the floor and hold onto the handle above the window to brace myself.
“Watch out for the—” The front bumper clips the patio table and chair from a closed cafe. "Table."
Sully grips the wheel, his knuckles white. "Sorry, princess. Call Wolf again, yeah? We should've heard from them by now."
I slip my phone out of my skirt pocket and dial Wolf's number on speakerphone. Ringing fills the air, and a second before his voicemail clicks over, he answers.
"'Lo?"
Relief tingles in my fingers. "Wolf. Where are you? Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine, Red. Ran into a hiccup, so it took a little longer than expected.”
“What hiccup? What happened?”
“Nothing we can’t handle, baby girl. We’ll debrief you when we see you. Where are you?” Wolf asks.
“Well . . . the thing is, we had to leave.” I wince.
“What do you mean you had to leave? You’re the fucking lookout, Sully!” Wolf yells.
“Aye, we are. And then two blacked-out SUVs came creeping up on us, and I made an executive decision to get us—get Alaina—the fuck outta there,” Sully rationalizes.
“Where are you now? We’ll meet you,” Rush says. It takes me a moment to realize that Wolf must’ve put the call on speakerphone.
“I don’t fucking know. We passed the town square five minutes ago. All these backroads are winding, and I can’t quite shake them yet.”
I hear Wolf curse before Rush says, “Keep your tracking app on. We’ll hotwire a car and come to you.”
Two more black SUVs pull in on either side of us at the same time. The narrow road feels even smaller now.
"Goddamnit," Sully curses, turning the wheel to avoid hitting one of them. At this speed, surrounded by vehicles, a small hit is enough to total us.
“What’s going on?” Rush demands, his tone hard.
“Two more, on either side of us. Four total. We’re fucked if I can’t get rid of ‘em.” Sully’s jaw clenches as he grips the steering wheel tight.
“Hold on, brother. We’ll be there soon. And take care of our girl,” Rush orders.
“And don’t be a fucking hero, Red,” Wolf warns.
I roll my eyes. “It was one time. I walked into a building one time—”
“A building that was crumbling and on fire,” Wolf growls out.
I scoff. “I’d do the same for any of you, so—”
“As touching as this trip down memory lane is, I need to concentrate. Get here soon.”
“Be safe,” Rush says before he disconnects the call. I make sure my location settings are on and shared with him before I slip my phone into the pocket of my skirt.
Sully presses down on the accelerator, and the force of the speed has my back hitting the seat with a thud.
“Hold on, princess,” Sully warns, yanking the wheel to the right hard and turning into a narrow alleyway. The side mirrors scrape along the brick walls on either side, sending sparks flying.
We fly out of the alleyway, the car airborne for a few seconds before we land on the road with a crash. The car fishtails as Sully overcorrects the movement.
I twist in my seat to look out the rear window. “I think we lost them.”
“I think so—oh fuck,” Sully curses, and he slams on the brakes to avoid hitting the parked cars to the right.
Three SUVs come out of nowhere. And the way these ones are driving make the previous ones look like child’s play. I have no idea if they’re new SUVs or the same drivers, but either way, they’re playing for keeps. They’re not messing around anymore.
I hear the accelerator ramp up right before I feel the tap—they bumped us from behind! Sully tightens his hold on the steering wheel, his gaze on a swivel all around him.
The other SUV swerves to drive alongside us, and my heart pounds double-time at the road ahead.
<
br /> It’s a bridge.
The bridge isn’t wide enough for both cars to drive down it like this—it’s only a little bigger than a single-lane. Sully doesn’t slow down, and neither does the SUV—we’re playing a dangerous game of chicken here.
Sweat beads on my brow as I grab the handle. “James . . .” There’s a warning in my voice, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by him.
“I know, Lainey,” he says through clenched teeth. He pushes the accelerator a little more, and I feel like we’re flying. We’re going so fast that by the time I see it—it’s too late.
A fourth SUV comes from the cross street and plows right into the back end of our car, sending us in a dangerous spiral. We turn and turn and turn, the motion sending my body slamming into the door with every rotation. My head cracks against the window, and stars dance in my vision.
After what feels like an eternity, we finally stop, and I grab my forehead with a groan. My heart leaps out of my chest when I realize we’ve stopped halfway down the bridge.
“Lainey! Lainey, you okay?” Sully’s panicked voice sounds muffled, and it takes me longer than it should to focus on him.
“I’m okay,” I say with a groan. “Are you hurt?” I scan him, looking for visible injuries. Through the driver’s side window, I spot a black SUV racing down the bridge, heading straight for us.
Sully spots them at the same time and yells, “Alaina!”
That’s all the warning we get before the SUV clips our rear bumper. The car groans, and something scrapes against the road, the sound shrill. It’s not until we start to tip forward that terror unlike anything I’ve ever experienced races up my spine.
The deep blue river beckons me into its icy depths. It taunts me with its promise of a watery grave.
I push myself back into my seat, my hands flying to my window and the middle console and my feet pushing against the floor in a futile bid to stop our movement.
But gravity isn’t on our side. And we’re trapped in a two-ton machine that wasn’t made to float.
“Oh fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” It’s all I can say as my chest heaves and my vision starts getting dark around the edges.
“Stay with me, Lainey. You fucking stay with me!” Sully yells. I cut my gaze to his and latch onto the commanding tone of his voice, begging my body to obey.
The SUV hits our bumper again, this time harder than the last. It’s enough to tip us over the edge.
And then we’re free-falling.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Alaina
The scream gets lodged in my throat as the car careens off the bridge. The seat belt locks into place as my body fights gravity. My eyes feel like they're going to bug out of my face they're so wide. Breath gets trapped in my lungs as something beyond fear takes over all my senses.
"Brace, Lainey. Brace!" Sully roars, moving his hands to the steering wheel in the ten-and-two position.
I look at Sully instead of the impending river. His gaze is already on mine, and for a moment, it feels like time stands still. Nothing exists outside of him and me and this moment.
Then we hit the water.
I don't think I'll ever forget the sound of metal hitting water. It sounds like an ominous thunderclap.
Streaks of my dark-red hair fill my peripheral vision as my body flies forward with the impact. The seat belt cuts across my chest, knocking the wind out of me. And it feels like my brain slams against my forehead.
It takes me precious seconds to recover enough to talk. Panic threatens to overtake me, rising up my throat as we sink further into the lake.
"James?" I unclick my belt as I look over at him. My heart stops when I see his head hanging forward, the driver's side airbag expelled. Blood smears across the powdery surface, and I can't stop the tidal wave of panic. A sob breaks free as I reach over and clasp his face. "Come back to me, James."
He groans low in his throat, and it's the sweetest noise I've ever heard. "Lainey?" He cracks an eyelid, his gaze focusing on me.
"Oh, thank god. We have to get out of here. We don't have much time." I unlatch his seat belt just as a foreboding gurgle reverberates around the cab of the car. "Hurry, James."
"Oh, fuck. Okay. Okay. We can do this. Open the back window, princess." His voice is clearer than it was a second ago, and I imagine all the adrenaline flooding his veins is helping him focus.
I climb over the middle console into the backseat. Because the car tipped over the edge like it did, it's sinking at an angle that's almost perpendicular to the water, and I'm almost kneeling on the back of the passenger seat. The water hasn't reached the rear windows yet, and I send up a prayer of thanks to whoever is listening.
I push the button to lower the window, and my breath freezes in my lungs when it doesn't move for a second. I release and push the button again. Still nothing.
"James!" My voice is shrill, echoing around the car. "They won't open. The windows won't open!"
I look over my shoulder to see Sully pushing the limp air bag material away from him, fanning the powder away from his face. "Fuck. Hang on, I think I saw . . .” He fiddles with something on the arm of the driver’s side door.
I try not to let my growing panic take over as I see the water rising out of the corner of my eye. Ten more seconds, and we won't be able to open it at all.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
"Try it now."
I slam my finger down on the button, and a sob of relief escapes me as the window rolls down. I eye the slow roll of the window and the rising water, mentally urging the window to go faster. Sweat breaks out along the back of my neck, and my hands tremble. The window is almost down when it stops.
"What? No." I release the button and push it again. "No. No. No." I push the button over and over again. Panic wraps its icy fingers around my throat, choking my air from my lungs.
"Hey, hey, hey. It's alright, princess," James says next to my ear. He's crouched on top of the middle console. “There’s plenty of room to get out. I want you to go through the window and swim to the edge of the lake, yeah?"
My lower lip trembles as the car groans under the pressure from the water. "You'll be right behind me, right?”
“I’ll always be with you. I love you, Lainey.” Sully cups my face in his hands and presses his lips against mine in a quick, hard kiss. “Now go. And don’t stop swimming until you’re at the shore, yeah?”
Water pours through the open window, splashing against the upholstery and filling the car up faster than I thought possible. Each drop that hits my bare legs feels like a tiny cold needle.
“I love you too. Right behind me.” I stare at him for a moment longer, my heart beating hard enough I’m afraid I’m actually having a heart attack. He nudges me forward, and I wiggle out of the open window, half underwater. It takes a little maneuvering, but I’m able to kick myself free of the window, splashing like crazy as I tread water.
I do as Sully says and swim toward the bank right away. I make it two terrible strokes before I look behind me. Fear chokes me when I don’t see his familiar blond head.
Something’s wrong. He should be out by now. The top of the car is still visible, but the entire window is submerged.
I don’t hesitate. I channel my inner mermaid and swim back to the sinking deathtrap. I take a deep breath and dive underwater. My eyes sting as I search the murky water for my boyfriend. He’s hanging out of the window, stuck on something. He’s yanking on his jeans and pushing on the sides of the window, trying to wiggle his way out.
I swim closer and pull on his shoulder, but it’s not easy to get any traction when you’re underwater. Terror seizes me as my lungs strain, but I fight the urge to inhale.
I swim closer to the window and see that he’s stuck on the gun wedged inside the back of his pants. With quick fingers, I push him inside the car a little, wedge my hand inside, and take out his gun.
Sully pushes against the car one more time, his muscles flexing and straining
with the exertion. And like a rocket, he shoots out of the car. He grabs my hand and pulls me through the water and toward the surface.
I break through the surface a second before Sully does, and immediately, I wrap my arms around him.
“Oh my god. Oh, my fucking god.” My words are choppy and coming out in broken sobs.
Sully wraps an arm around me and starts swimming the both of us toward the shoreline. “It’s alright, princess. We’re alright. Just hold on, yeah?”
“I can swim,” I say as I try to untangle my hands from around him.
“Your doggy paddle won’t get you very far. Just hang on, I’ve got you.”
I don’t argue with him, and five minutes later, he’s pushing my butt onto the shoreline. It’s a rocky little patch, and the drop off to get to the water is steeper than a usual beach. I’ve never been happier to see land.
I land on my knees, and Sully collapses to his back beside me. Shivers wrack my body as I sink my fingers into the earth, feeling the rocks dig into my skin.
I’ve never been more grateful to be here than I am right now. The cool night air breezes across me, sending goosebumps in its wake. It’s not particularly cold here this time of year, not compared to New York. But I’m wearing ten pounds of lake water in a mesh shirt and tight skirt.
I wring out the sides of my skirt as much as I can and watch Sully’s chest rise and fall in a deep rhythm. Walking on my knees until I’m leaning over him, I ask, “Are you okay?”
His eyes pop open, and something about the way the color shifted to an endless blue has me tongue-tied.
He curls upward to wrap a hand around the back of my neck and guides my mouth to his. Our tongues tangle in a kiss filled with so much passion—the kind you experience after you nearly die. One that’s rooted in a zest for life and love.
I give him my weight as I lean into the kiss with everything inside me. I pour all my fear and hope and love into this kiss. It feels like a defining moment, this one. The kind that people write songs about.
I’m not sure if it’s because I really thought we were going to die, but an overwhelming sense of gratitude washes over me, and tears slide down my face.
Sully: An Irish Mafia Romance (The Brotherhood Book 3) Page 23