McKenzie's heart dropped to her stomach as they swerved along the road trying to dodge the bullets. She was crouched under the glove compartment as she clutched the front seat.
"Razor! Get those fuckers off our asses, now!" Dwayne barked into his phone as the truck violently swerved and rolled over something.
The bullets stopped but McKenzie knew all too well that they were just reloading and if they had any chance of escaping now was the time.
As if hearing her thoughts, Dwayne sped up causing her to lunge forward sharply, then backward. Her head slammed against the glove compartment causing a wave of dizziness.
"Are you ok?" Dwayne asked as he glanced at her quickly before refocusing on the road ahead.
"I'm fine. Are they still behind us?" she asked as she rubbed the back of her head.
Dwayne glanced in the rear view mirror.
"I'm not seeing them."
McKenzie climbed up onto the passenger seat and scanned her surroundings. Luckily, she knew the area.
"Take a left here! Now!" she yelled.
Tyres screeched along the road as Dwayne followed her instructions.
"Where are we going?" Dwayne's eyes were dark and his body tense.
"To a friend's place." McKenzie didn't want to say more than she needed to. "Make a right!"
The truck swerved again.
"Which friend? Yellows?"
McKenzie inhaled sharply, "How do you know about him?"
"Well, Kitten, he's the one who called and told me where to find you." He gave her a quick look over.
How did Yellows get Dwayne's number? Did Yellows tell Dwayne anything else?
McKenzie ignored her churning stomach as they drove into an abandoned part of town where dilapidated buildings scowled at them as they passed.
"Take off your headlights," she said abruptly.
"What?" He glanced at her confused.
"Take off your headlights," she insisted.
With a frown on his face, Dwayne did as he was told. To ensure that they didn't run over anything or any one he slowed down significantly.
McKenzie continued to give him directions as they wove through the buildings.
Suddenly, rapid gunfire echoed through the stillness of the night.
"What the fuck?" Dwayne glanced behind them.
"Don't speed up. Don't put your lights on, keep driving."
Dwayne nodded. A few minutes later, they were back on the open road and she sighed with relief.
"You can put your headlights back on," she said.
Dwayne flicked his lights back on. "What the fuck was that?"
"Friends know to take their lights off, foes don't. The gunfire you heard back there was them taking out Alejandro's men."
Dwayne's brow raised. "Them?"
"Yes."
She had no idea who them was. But, it was something Yellows had taught her years ago and she'd seen the benefits with her own two eyes.
"I'll need to borrow your phone to let Yellows know that we're on our way," she stated.
Dwayne slid the phone over to her and asked, "So, how did you meet Yellows?"
Subtly, McKenzie checked Dwayne's phone, no incoming or outgoing calls to Yellows.
Hmmm.
"He's a friend. That's all you need to know," McKenzie responded dryly as she punched in Yellows' number. She made a mental note to delete it after she made the call.
"Zee, I'm on my way to the place of a person I don't know. The least you can do is tell me how you guys met."
"We were fuck buddies."
McKenzie snickered to herself when she saw Dwayne's grip intensify on the steering wheel and his gaze hardened. She and Yellows had nothing going on but seeing Dwayne get bent out of shape over it brought a smile to her face. That'll teach him to ask questions.
Yellows' raspy voice came through on the other end and McKenzie shifted her attention to it.
"Yellows here."
"Hey, Yellows, it's Kitten."
"Hey Kitten, glad to know you're ok. You had me worried for a bit."
"We're heading to the bunker," she said hesitantly. "We're about fifteen minutes away. Is anyone there to greet us?"
"Us?"
She held her breath. She knew better than to bring anyone to the bunker without Yellows' approval first but this was a life or death situation. She hoped he'd understand.
"I'm bringing a friend of mine."
"The same one that came to pick you up at the bus shed with the cop, Richard Maxwell?" Yellows ground out.
McKenzie sighed, her voice grew soft. "Yellows, you trust me don't you?"
"I trust you but I don't trust him."
"He trusted you when you called him to come for me. Why can't you trust him?"
There was a silence on the other end.
"Yellows, please," she begged. "I'll fill you in on everything. But if we don't find a safe place tonight Alejandro will find us and kill us. He's already tried once tonight."
"I know. And tell Dwayne he could send Razor and Canine away. If they show up anywhere close to the bunkers they're dead men."
McKenzie inhaled deeply, thankful that Yellows was going to allow them to stay. "I will."
"Gallows will be there to greet you," he said finally. "I'm caught up in some business right now. I'll see you later today."
The line went dead and she sighed in relief.
McKenzie deleted Yellows' number, handed the phone back to Dwayne and relayed the message to him.
After Dwayne had called Razor telling them to head back to the ranch he turned his attention to her.
"So you trust this Yellows guy more than you trust me?"
The hurt was evident in Dwayne's voice.
"He never gave me a reason not to." McKenzie shrugged as she looked out the window wondering if Jasmine was safe. "He's always been there when I've needed him."
Dwayne inhaled sharply. "Zee, I'm sorry about what happened between us all those years ago. I want to make it up to you. Please forgive me."
They came to a cluster of weathered warehouses on the outskirts of Lancaster. McKenzie pointed to the overgrown storm drain beneath a crumbling concrete bridge, on their left.
"Turn into the storm drain over there and stop when you're under the fifth light." McKenzie said, ignoring Dwayne.
Dwayne sighed and drove into the storm drain. He stopped the truck, the engine still running, when he was under the fifth light.
He turned to her. "McKenzie, what do I have to do to prove to you that I want to live the rest of my life with you?"
McKenzie met his gaze. "Dwayne, this has never been about you. I've been trying to protect you but you just wouldn't let it go. If what happened at the hospital, and a few minutes ago, isn't proof that my lifestyle isn't safe for anyone new to venture into it, then, I don't know what else to say."
Just then, metal clamps locked onto the wheels with a sharp clank.
"What the fuck is happening?" Dwayne asked, startled.
"We're going underground. The vehicle is being secured so it's not shifted as its lowered."
A soft hum echoed through the truck as it began to descend. A few moments later it was followed by a soft thud as they reached the bottom.
Bright overhead lights illuminated the walls of the concrete tunnel. Hidden cameras ran along the tunnel walls, tracking every movement in the tunnel.
Once the clamps had been removed McKenzie said, "Go ahead and drive. In a few yards, you'll see a circular with other vehicles, you can park there."
Dwayne gave her a questioning look but drove anyway.
"When we get there, don't ask any questions. If you fuck this up for me Yellows will never speak to me again. That's a friendship I can't afford to lose. Got it?"
"Yup, I got it." Dwayne's words were icy as they pulled into the circular and he parked next to a Hummer.
Before them stood a large steel door, guarded by two men gripping high powered rifles, Gallows and Blaze. Gallows towering at six-foot-five, was all muscles and covered in tattoos. His thick wavy, black hair brushed just past his neck, complementing his full black beard and moustache. Blaze, slightly smaller at six-foot-two had short brown hair, no facial hair and a single tattoo of his mother on his left arm. The men's tattoos hidden under the black suits they wore.
When McKenzie hopped out of the truck, both men's faces broke into broad smiles.
"Kitten, it's nice to see you," Gallows greeted her warmly.
But the moment Dwayne stepped up beside her, his expression darkened, his grip tightening on his rifle.
McKenzie smiled broadly, determined to keep the mood light. "Nice to see you too, Gallows…and you too, Blaze."
Blaze tipped his head slightly, his eyes trained on Dwayne.
"This is Dwayne," McKenzie said, tilting her head in his direction. "We went to high school together. He saved me tonight from Alejandro's men."
Gallows grip on his gun loosened a bit, but his expression remained the same.
"Kitten, Yellows got you some stuff, it's in your room. No one else is in the bunker, so if you need anything you know where to find me," Gallows informed her.
"Thanks."
Gallows pressed his hand against the scanner, a red light sweeping over his palm before the system beeped in approval. With a heavy clang, the steel door unlocked, and he pushed it open.
When McKenzie and Dwayne stepped inside, the door clicked behind them. For the first time in fourteen years McKenzie felt safe.