The impact had her head whipping back just as Jaxson woke up screaming in fear. “Sshhh, baby, it’s okay.” She tried soothe him. Unfortunately, her voice vibrated with her own fright.
“He hangin’ in there?” Case yelled over the boy’s screaming.
“I...I think so.”
“Turn around and hang the fuck on!”
But she couldn’t take her eyes off the SUV gaining speed on them.
Not when it slammed them so hard she hit the door cracking the back of her head off the window.
Not when it rammed them a third time, making them spin out.
“Turn the fuck around!” Casey yelled at her.
She was in some sort of trance. The need to see what was happening as it occurred overriding her fear to listen.
When she saw the passenger side window roll down and a body come out of it, she reacted on instinct. Unbuckling herself as Casey screamed at her again and Jaxson cried, she got one last look before gunfire erupted around them.
“Casey, down!” she screamed as loud as she could, hopping over the seat and unbuckling Jaxson just as glass exploded around them. She slammed onto the floor of the back seat, quickly turning over so Jax was under her and the glass pelted her back as it fell.
A curse came from Casey, followed by a hard hit from behind and some weird pop and hiss noise. She felt the truck begin to slow. Panic consumed her at the thought of being caught by whomever was after them. “Don’t stop, Casey!” Tears flowed heavily down her cheeks as the small boy in her arms whimpered in fear.
Risking a glance at Casey, she saw his shoulder covered in blood, and he was drooping to the side. “Casey?” she called, hoping he’d answer or wake up or something. “Casey!” she screamed louder.
“Sorry, Double D,” he sputtered as the truck slowed even more, and he slumped over all the way.
“Shit, shit, shit.” Acting fast, she held tightly to Jax as she hopped back over the front seat, landing where Casey should have been sitting. Slamming her foot on the gas, she scrambled to get Jax on the floor of the passenger seat. “Stay there, baby, don’t you move.” She tried to smile when he nodded, but even she could tell it was forced.
With one hand on the steering wheel and a quick look to see where the SUV was, she saw it gaining speed on them again, so she floored the gas as hard as she could.
“Casey?” she half-whispered, half-cried in fear that he was dead. Silence was her answer.
*****
As Dom was speeding back to the farm, he heard the quick rapport of gunfire just seconds before he saw it. “Don’t let it be them,” he bit out knowing full well it was going to be. Finally cresting the hill, he was unprepared for the scene before him. Case’s truck was speeding down the highway faster than he normally would, being chased by a dark SUV with a man perched out the passenger’s side window shooting at them. Rage consumed him to the point that all he could see was red. His woman and child were in that truck, and those fuckers thought they could shoot at them? I don’t fucking
think so.
Grabbing his cell, he quickly called it in to the authorities knowing that if he caught up to the assholes attacking his family, he would do as much damage as he could. Just as the SUV caught up to them, Case would book it away from them. Dom was confused because Case knew evasive maneuvers well enough to lose those guys. He’d aced the course in the Rangers. Hell, he’d even made the course better. But now he was driving like a scared soccer mom…“Motherfucker!”
Deidre was driving.
*****
“Casey!” He just couldn’t be dead. She needed his help. She didn’t know what to do. Barely holding onto the steering wheel to keep the truck straight wasn’t going to get them out of this deadly situation. “Casey, please wake up,” she cried.
“Pincess?” Jaxson’s scared voice pulled her out of her terror enough to realize she had to pull it together if only to keep him calm.
“It’ll be all right, baby. We’ll get through this.” Don’t let him hear the fear in my voice.
Another shot rang out making her scream, but it was bigger...louder. Not closer, just more. When the truck lurched to the right and she heard a pop and hiss, she knew they were in more trouble now than before.
“Casey! Wake up, goddamnit!” Her anxiety was back and burning bright as ever.
When she heard him moan, she had hope he was coming to, only for him to let out a huge breath that worried her almost as much as the uncontrollable vehicle.
“Okay, baby, here’s what we’re going to do–” she started to say just as another loud shot rang out and had them hitting the ditch. Jax’s cries grew louder and more panicked as her head collided with the steering wheel.