My back snapped straight, but Darius wasn’t quite finished.

“We’re done,” he clipped. “You and me. And ‘cause of you, me and Lee and Eddie. We’re done. It’s all done. It’s…”

He kept blasting me with angry words, but I felt another presence. My eyes went around him and they got huge.

Fuck!

“Darius!” I shouted, grabbing his hand.

But it was too late.

Snookie Rivers, or at least the man in the DMV picture Brody got, was there and he was ready.

As Darius turned, Rivers slammed a tire iron in the side of Darius’s head. I saw the blood start to flow even as he went down.

No.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

I screamed, reaching into my purse for my pepper spray as Rivers turned to me.

I started backing up quickly, still screaming.

He was on me before I had the pepper spray out, but I got my hand on it and pulled it out as he shoved me into the side of my car. He swiftly lifted a hand, and I felt a sharp stab in my neck just as I got the pepper spray out and up between us. I blasted him in the face and he reeled away, choking.

I wanted to go to Darius but to get him help, I needed to get away and find somebody.

So I ran.

The problem was I got five steps in, and on the sixth, my leg weirdly gave out under me. I hit the deck on my hands and knees, still shouting, but weaker now, as a strange lethargy invaded my limbs.

I kept crawling, fell to my stomach and started dragging myself before my cheek planted into the cement and everything went black

* * * * *

I heard the gunshots.

One.

Then two.

It took effort but I forced my eyes open.

I managed this, but I couldn’t get my wits about me. My head was fuzzy and I couldn’t focus on anything.

I struggled to get it together and sensed movement.

It was then I struggled to focus and saw something looming over me.

“Shot him in both legs.” I heard. “He wakes up, he can watch, but he can’t move.” Then the voice went on musingly, “If he doesn’t bleed out first.”

I had no idea what whoever that was was talking about, and I didn’t have it in me to put it together.

I did have it in me to feel that whatever I was laying on moved and the thing looming got closer.

So I could focus.

Rivers.

It all came back to me.

Fuck!

His fingers came to my face. “Now it’s just you and me, Ally. Just you and me. Finally.”

Fuck, shit, fuck.

I realized I was drugged, but that didn’t mean I didn’t try to scoot away as he bent over me.

I didn’t succeed and I felt his mouth wet on my neck, shifting up to my ear.

My stomach roiled.

“When we’re done, I’ll get rid of him. Your man. The black one. Then I’ll find the other one, the Italian, and get rid of him, too. And then it’ll really be just you and me,” he whispered in my ear.

He’d seen me with Ren and Darius.

He’d so totally been watching me.

Sick.

“Get away from me,” I pushed out between my lips.

His mouth moved from my ear and his face came close to mine. “Never, Ally. Never.”

It took a lot out of me, but I focused on his eyes.

They were burning with a light that scared even me.

Not a little.

A lot.

I was terrified.

God, I had to get my shit together.