Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“You guys okay?” someone asked, making Carmen violently jerk as I wrapped her tighter, about to reach for a rock near my feet just in case, when I saw a shirtless blonde surfer type standing near the front of the car. “That shit was crazy.”
“Was anyone hit?” I asked, moving up just high enough to look over the car, checking the road for any suspicious tan cars.
“No, man. I checked. You guys good?”
“You’re good, right?” I asked, forcing Carmen back far enough to frame her neck, waiting for her to nod her answer.
“Yeah, we’re alright. Did someone—” But even as I was about to ask, the sirens of the cop cars wailed, moving closer. “Did you see anything?” I asked before the cops could get to us. “The driver? Passenger?”
“Two guys,” he said with a shrug. “But they had bandanas across their lower faces.” Of course they did.
“License plates?”
The surfer’s brows pinched. “You know, I don’t think they had ‘em. Or maybe they were from out-of-state.”
Which might excuse not having front ones, but if the backs were missing, that was a surefire sign of an experienced criminal.
I didn’t get a chance to ask anything else, though, as the cops swarmed the lot, hands on guns, faces tight, some of them seemingly relieved to have missed the action, others disappointed.
I couldn’t pry the shaken Carmen from me, so I tucked her at my side and tried to answer the questions for both of us, but nudged her to answer when it was clear the cop was frustrated with not getting her side.
“Really, we didn’t see much. As soon as I saw the gun muzzle, I got us down.”
“Smart to hide behind the front wheel,” the cop said. “In the movies they always crouch down in the body of the car. Like some flimsy modern car door is gonna stop a bullet.”
These guys weren’t from Navesink Bank. And I also didn’t have my cut on. So no one was putting together the pieces about who I was and what this crime could possibly be about.
Eventually, the cops cleared out, one by one, until it was just us and one cruiser on the street.
“What do we do now?” Carmen asked, voice still quivering, but she was getting some of her spirit back.
“Now, we get anything you need out of the car because the cops are gonna tow it. And then we call for a ride.”
“Okay,” she said, sniffling.
“Croft,” I cut off my brother as he immediately started to try to give me shit.
“What is it?” he asked, voice tight.
“I’m in the lot of that old restaurant with the lobster on the sign near the bridge at the beach. There was a drive-by.”
“What?” he barked. Then, trying to be calmer, “Are you guys okay?”
“Yeah. We got lucky. But I want us off the street ASAP.”
“On my way.”
“Not alone,” I clarified.
“No, I’ll have Vas call in the cavalry. Hang tight. Fifteen minutes, give or take.”
“Don’t speed. The place is crawling with cops.”
“Got it.”
I ended that call and immediately made another.
“Miss me already?” Junior answered.
“Tan sedan, two people in the front, black bandanas, no plates.”
“Got it. What’s going on?” I could hear him trying.
“Drive-by.” I gave him the same details I gave my brother, and the cops, and left him to try to do his thing.
“Croft?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Do I have to worry about this?”
“About what?”
“About them finding out that this is the second drive-by involving me?”
“No.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Cops don’t always share information across different departments. Besides, technically, the one at your house would be under Chip’s name, since he made it seem like that was about him. You guys were just witnesses.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Do you have to worry about it?”
“Believe it or not, I have no criminal record. And cops out this way have no idea who I am or what I’m associated with. Besides, we did nothing wrong. This was done to us.”
“Okay.”
“It’s gonna be okay,” I told her, pressing a hand to her cheek. “But I think maybe you and me, we’re gonna be spending more time in the clubhouse for the time being.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, barely able to look at me because her gaze kept scanning the streets, expecting to see the car again, even though we still had a cop parked a few yards away.
I pulled her close, tucking her head under my chin. She was stiff as a board for a moment, but slowly started to melt into me. Until she heard the crunch of rocks under tires as the club SUV pulled into the lot.
“It’s Croft,” I told her, giving her a squeeze before moving her to tuck her at my side as the doors opened.
Cain was behind the wheel and Croft jumped out of the passenger seat to rush toward us.
“You okay?” he asked, looking at us both.