A bullet pinged off April’s shield, but it held.
“Can you keep the shield active over the top of the car while we move?” I asked as Brody climbed into the front seat, wriggling so he stayed below the window.
April shook her head. “I’m not good enough to pull that off.” She briefly stood up, raising the shield with her so she could look over the top of the car without getting shot. She immediately crouched back down. “They’re coming! I saw shapes emerging across the street.”
I pressed myself against the side of the car and carefully poked my head past the front bumper. “I see two werewolves—in wolf form,” I said. “They’re frontline—incoming first.”
Brody stuck the keys in the ignition, then stupidly risked popping his face up so he could peer through the window. “That’s a mercenary Pack.”
Tetiana crawled into the back seat of the car, huddling down so she was beneath the window. “That’s a thing?”
“Yeah—it’s a way for an entire Pack to make good money, and the Pack bond makes them more formidable to take on,” Brody said. “The most famous groups are trained in guns and stuff. This is probably one of the top Packs.”
“Of course, they are,” April grumbled.
I checked again. The werewolves—their wolf forms were a light gray mixed with white that made them easier to see in the darkness—had made it to the street. “April, get in the car,” I said. “Try to cover Brody inside the car—they’re going to start shooting the windows in a second.”
April paused to adjust, then collapsed her shield so she could dive inside the car. She smashed into Tetiana as she placed her hands next to the back passenger window and created a new shield, this one stretching from the back to the front window.
Seconds later the windows cracked, spiderwebbing as bullets punched through smacking April’s relentless shield.
I slammed April’s car door, then had to crawl awkwardly to get into the front passenger seat.
Tetiana whistled as Brody started the car. “Wizard magic is impressive!”
April gritted her teeth, her face grim with determination as she channeled her magic.
I slammed my car door shut and buckled my seatbelt. “Go!”
Brody wrenched the car into drive, then slammed on the gas pedal.
The tires screeched and we raced down the street, nearly running over the wolves on our way out.
“Drive for the Cloisters—but don’t go downtown,” I directed as I yanked my radio off my belt.
“Got it!” Brody made a sharp right turn—going way over the posted speed limit so that we barreled down the road, most likely leaving tire marks—taking us west towards the Cloisters.
“You want to avoid the stoplights?” April asked.
“I want to avoid civilians,” I clarified before I spoke into my radio. “Team Blood, we’ve encountered hostiles at Tutu’s—a mercenary wolf pack. We are en route to—”
“Truck!” Tetiana yelled as a large truck roared out of a connecting street, nearly hitting the side of our car.
It was only Brody’s fast reflexes that had him slamming down on the gas pedal, racing out of reach.
The truck fishtailed, then straightened out. The driver then revved the engine before hurtling after us.
Brody snarled as he made a right turn, taking us north. We careened into the industrial part of town, but if we didn’t go west again soon we’d be hitting the downtown area.
I took a breath in, then resumed over the radio. “En route to Curia Cloisters. We are being followed—by a truck. Unknown number of assailants.” I looked back and saw the truck’s headlights as it turned onto our street.
My words came faster as the truck bore down on us. “Currently in industrial part of town, heading north. Backup requested. Lots of backup—IMPACT!” I shouted before the truck rammed us from behind.
The car flung forward, and I slammed against my seatbelt with the momentum. I heard a tremendous crunch and before our car screeched to a stop, the airbags inflated providing cushion for us.
When the world stopped rolling, I heard the hiss of the airbags deflating. “Anyone injured?” I asked.
April groaned.
“We’re good back here,” Tetiana said.
“Brody?” I asked.
Brody shook himself. “I’m fine, but the front of our car is totaled.”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and had to shove my door to open it. “We’ve got to get out of here. If the car can’t move, the truck will run us over.”