Under Fire (Love Over Duty #1)(40)

"You don't happen to know how to use that, do you?" he asked as they pulled off the driveway.

"I signed the gun control registry."

"Of course you did," he said with a wink as he pulled a hand-brake turn out of the hardware store.

Louisa grabbed the handle above the door and clung on for dear life as they sped up to the junction and then braked hard. The car was on his tail. Part of him wondered for a millisecond whether he shouldn't take her back to the Eagle Securities compound, but traffic heading into the city was always worse this time of day, so heading away made sense.

"Please tell me you have a plan," Louisa said as he took a hard left to double back on themselves.

Six looked in the rearview mirror and spotted the car. It was gaining on them while he tried to avoid the other vehicles around them. "I always have a plan. I'm like Hannibal."

"Lecter?" she asked.

"No, from The A-Team," he said as he beat the lights at a major intersection, trapping the car behind them. "I love it when a plan comes together. We're about to lose the car." He double-checked behind them. "Shit," he growled as the car followed them straight through. It had been gaining on them all along. "Grab the gun, Lou. If the car comes alongside and starts shooting, lean back behind the seat belt pillar, but feel free to shoot back. Aim for the tires. It will be enough to get them off the road."

Plus, he didn't want her to have to deal with the reality of killing a man.

He sped onto the highway, moving quickly across the lanes to get around trucks and slow drivers. The car followed his path. An exit was coming up, and he checked the lanes. The car was trapped with a vehicle alongside it, so Six swerved the truck straight across the lanes, across the gravelly shoulder, and up the exit ramp.

Louisa cried out next to him. "Oh, shit."

He reached his hand out to pat her leg in comfort.

"Hands on the wheel, Rapp," she said, shoving his hand away.

Six hollered as he checked the rearview. "Now they're gone," he said, keeping his foot on the pedal.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Louisa said.

"For real?" he asked. "Because I'm not sure we'll be cool if you puke in my truck." Louisa gave him some serious side-eye, and he couldn't help but grin. Civilians never really understood the need for lighthearted banter in the direst situations, but many a time it had kept him sane.

"Well, in my quest for life or death, I'll do my best to not soil your precious vehicle. Are you sure they're gone?" she asked, turning in her seat to look out of the rear window.

There was no way the car could have followed him off the exit. "Definitely."

"So where are you taking me?" Louisa asked as they passed another exit.

"My house."

* * *

Louisa couldn't remember the last time she had made the drive to Encinitas, but she'd forgotten how lush and green it could appear compared to her own neighborhood. Though the grasses were dead, they drove past shrubby hedgerows vibrantly decorated with red flowers.



       
         
       
        

She attempted to quell the panic rising inside her. They'd called Officer Meeks from the car, and Louisa had been stunned by all the small details Six was able to recall, from the vehicle's license plates to descriptions of the men who had been sitting inside. All she could remember was the way she'd been tossed from side to side as Six had taken the corners and turns at high speeds. Oh, and her desperation to avoid being shot. And the way Six had held her, his lips brushing her neck, before he'd lifted her into the truck. He hadn't touched her since which told her it had all been a decoy to get her into the truck safely, which she deeply appreciated and yet  …

She'd tried to pay attention as Six explained to her why what had happened was a good thing. Something about CCTV and road traffic cameras increasing the chances of the police getting a hit on something. Louisa understood the logic, but she was still processing the sheer terror of realizing somebody really was out to get her and she didn't know why for sure, although she'd have to be an idiot to not conclude it had to do with the lab.

"Would you mind if we turned the air conditioning off and opened the windows a little?" she asked, flexing her fingers for a moment to try to get the blood flowing through them. They felt like icicles, and she tucked her hands between her thighs for some warmth.

"Sorry, Lou," Six said as they turned off the road they'd been on for a little while onto a quieter side street. "I should've realized you might have been cold sooner, but we're right here. You okay?"