"Bring her out, Raze."
Simon and the buyer talk quietly, the big driver standing with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning back against the front fender. This tells me that they don't expect anything but a nice, easy transfer of goods.
I get out of the car and open the back door. Andrea has rolled to her side and is leaning away from the backseat a bit. I notice she's tucked her baggy t-shirt into the back of her jeans. Her eyes are open, and I give her a short nod of my head.
Leaning my entire upper body into the car, I say, "Come on, Nikki. Time to get up."
Andrea deftly slips her hand under the front of my own t-shirt and pulls her Glock out of my waistband. My own gun is tucked securely in the back of my jeans.
My body is completely shielding Andrea from their sight, so I say a bit louder while leaning further into the car. "Come on, Nikki. Wake the fuck up."
As I'm leaning in, further hiding Andrea from their line of site, she tucks her Glock into the back waistband of her own jeans. The minute it's secure, I slide my hands under her armpits and start pulling her out of the car. She looks like dead weight in my arms, and her head lolls to the side. When I pull her free, I loop a forearm under her breasts to hold her up … her back is to my front, hiding the gun, and when I pull her free of the door, I turn her toward the men. Reaching up with my other hand, I lightly slap at her face.
"Wake up, Nikki. Time to dance, darlin'." I turn, giving a smirk and a wink to the men, and they grin back cheesily at me. I think I see the buyer lick his lips as his eyes run down Andrea's body, who is now coming awake. She lifts her head, blinks with bleary eyes, and then stands uneasily. I release my hold around her ribcage and take her by the arm. Standing beside her, I look down at her, and say, "You good? You awake now?"
Andrea looks up at me, blinks her eyes again, and then rubs them with her free hand. She then turns slowly, looks at Simon, then the buyer and his driver, continuing to blink away the sleep.
"What's going on? Where's the party?"
"This is the party, baby," I say as I tug her toward the men.
"She's fucking gorgeous," the buyer says, and I notice his voice is nasally. "I might have to fuck her right here in this parking lot … don't think I can wait."
He punctuates this sentiment by reaching down and rubbing his dick through his pants.
While this is a disgusting move, I don't have time to be affronted on Andrea's behalf, and besides, that was the perfect opening for Nikki to start rebelling a little.
She pulls against my arm and digs her heels into the concrete. "What the fuck is going on here?" she asks hysterically, while pointing at the buyer. "He is not fucking me."
"Feisty," the buyer sneers. "I like a good fight."
Andrea starts struggling hard against me, and just as we reach the group of men, she breaks free of my grip. Things happen fast but I manage to freeze everything in my mind, noticing several important things at once.
Simon is surprised Andrea broke free, but he's prepared to protect the product, so he throws his arms and legs wide in case she tries to dart past him. His eyes are pinned on Andrea.
The buyer is completely turned on by her spirit, his erection tenting his pants, and he turns his head lazily to the driver and says, "Get her under control."
Neither of those men are looking at Andrea or me.
It's the perfect time.
I reach behind me, grab my gun, and because I got the jump and I'm standing closer to them, I decide to take on the driver and buyer. Pointing it at them, I yell, "Police."
Exactly point-three seconds after I draw my gun, Andrea has hers out … pointed at Simon. "FBI, asshole. Surprise!"
"Hands in the air," I shout loudly to the two men before me. "Down on your knees … now. Down, now."
My yelling tactics work, as they are so stunned that their hands immediately go up and they're lowering to their knees. If Mike's team is nearby as I expect, they will have heard that as well.
I see a flash of movement from the corner of my eye, and I hear Andrea grunt. I can't take my eyes off my quarry, but I hear the clatter of her gun skittering across the pavement and the receding sound of running feet.
Before I can even tell Andrea to let him go, I hear her curse and then the sound of her feet are pounding … in pursuit of Simon, who is now on the run.
I risk a quick glance, see him tearing up the alley that we came in on toward Devine. Andrea is after him, her long legs pumping hard, and within seconds, they are both out of sight.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I itch to put a bullet in both men's legs before me … hobble them good enough that I can go after Andrea and Simon.