35. Gleb

"We really need to get on the road," I insist, tension thrumming through my body as I stuff cash into the check folder at the little dinner where we stopped for lunch.

Mel's just returning from her bathroom break with Gabby, and she nods, sensing my unease. "We're ready."

Grabbing Mel's oversized bag stuffed with all the things a toddler might need, I sling it over my shoulder and lead the way back out to the Escalade. I keep my head on a swivel as my gut tells me we've stayed too long already.

We made good time heading out of Boston, but that did little to ease my nerves. I want to put as much space between us and that crazy fucking Irishman as I can. And though Mel's not a complainer—nor is Gabby—we had to make more bathroom breaks than I would have preferred to accommodate the newly potty-trained little girl.

I know the toddler is doing her best, and frankly, she's far more agreeable to a long road trip than I would have anticipated. It seems that Gabby is about as far from talkative as her namesake would imply. She rode the entire first hour in silence, content to play with the stuffed rabbit her mother handed to her from the front seat.

But as the clock pushed closer to 1 p.m., I knew we weren't going to make it back to New York without an actual break. So, we made a quick pit stop on the outskirts of New Haven. Grabbing a bite to eat at the truck stop diner seemed like the quickest solution at the time.

Maybe not quick enough, though.

As I open the back door of the SUV so Mel can lift Gabby inside, I scan the quiet parking lot for any potential trouble. My eyes land on two men wearing suits, nearly obscuring one of the truck stop patrons with their bulky forms as they stand in front of the big rig driver, holding up a picture.

Blyat.

One's definitely my brother—a brother.

"Get in," I hiss, catching Mel's elbow and hoisting her into the back seat before she's done buckling Gabby into her car seat.

"What…?" Mel's eyes widen as she catches my line of sight, and she complies without argument.

I close the door behind her as quietly as I can, keeping my head turned away so I can watch them in my periphery without calling attention to my face. Still, they catch the sound and turn to look. Miko recognizes me, his brows dropping into a scowl as he bristles.

Then they head toward us.

Vinny must have woken up and immediately sicced his dogs on us because they weren't forty-five minutes behind.

Rounding the front of the Escalade, I pick up the pace, jumping behind the wheel and starting the car before my door's even closed. "Buckle up," I command, catching sight of Mel in the rearview mirror.

She's still working on Gabby's car seat.

"I know, I know," she murmurs, her voice trembling with nerves.

Pulling out onto the main road, I make like I'm heading for the I-95, and as soon as our pursuers are out of sight, I take a sharp jog onto a side street connecting back toward CT-15. It's a narrow, winding back road that will take us to New York just fine. And if they think we've taken the highway, we might just make it out of this without further trouble.

"Jesus, Gleb," Mel says from the back seat, and when I glance at her in the rearview once more, she's clinging to the door handle to stay off the floor.

"Sorry," I grunt. "Now buckle up," I repeat as I punch the gas.

I hear the click of her seat belt a moment later.

No more stops until New York. That's for sure. If Gabby needs to go, she'll just have to use one of the spare diapers I saw in Mel's bag.

"You think they saw us?" Mel asks after several moments of silence.

"I know they did. Hopefully, they believe I took the interstate," I say flatly, keeping my eyes on the rearview mirror as much as I dare.

My stomach drops as a gun barrel gray Hummer rounds the corner behind us.

"Blyat."

That plan blown; I need to see if I can shake him. The city would offer better options in that regard, but at least on the narrow road, he'll be less capable of getting past me in order to corral me onto the shoulder.

Like he's reading my mind, Miko moves into the oncoming lane as he gets closer. Swerving over the centerline, I block him from passing, and he has to check his brakes, the Hummer releasing a squeal of rubber on the pavement. Moving back over to my lane as we round the bend, I narrowly miss meeting a car head-on.

He tries again, forcing me into the center to block him. And this time, I swerve all the way left to slip around the car in front of me that's driving the speed limit. Miko follows a moment later.

My exit's coming up quickly, and I slow just enough to take the curve without throwing the Escalade into a roll. But Miko's not having it. He slams into the back of me, propelling the vehicle forward as the girls scream.

And when he tries to move around me in the moment it takes to recover, I barely manage to block him. Teeth locked, I keep my eyes shifting back and forth between the road ahead and the Hummer behind.

A horn blares in front of me as an oncoming car alerts me to the driver's disapproval. The snap that follows a second later signals the driver's side-view mirror being ripped from their vehicle as it connects with the Hummer's. But Miko seems unfazed as he continues to hound my tail.

I go for another exit, and again, he forces me right past it.

This is going nowhere fast, and I don't like the whiplash Mel and Gabby are enduring every time the Hummer makes contact.

Flooring it, I leave Miko in the dust as I push the Escalade as hard as I dare around the twisting turns. Trees fly by in a deep green blur, and I manage to frog-hop three cars between curves to put some space between us.

Then, on my fourth attempt, I'm nearly halfway past a car when a truck rounds the corner, coming straight at us. Tires screech as his horn blasts, and I slam on the brakes, just making it back onto my side of the road in time. Suddenly, the lead I managed to eke out is gone. And this time when Miko hits us, his right fender meets the left side of the Escalade's bumper.

The steering wheel wrenches in my grasp as we skid, hitting the shoulder of the road at an angle. And the speed combined with the Hummer connecting with the side of the Escalade launches us into a roll.

Screams from the back seat, wrench my gut as the world spins around me. And I instinctually bring my arms up to cover my face. The impact whips me sideways into a cloud of white as the airbags erupt.

Glass shatters, the sound deafening as cool shards cascade around me, stinging my face.

Our roll comes to an abrupt stop as the passenger side meets a tree, and I pant as I hang upside down, suspended by my seat belt. Groaning, I brace against the roof of the car as I assess just how bad our situation is.

"You girls okay?" I ask, the sound of Gabby's wails, ripping at my heart.

And when Mel doesn't answer, my stomach wrenches. Turning my head and torso as best I can, I find Mel hanging limply in her seat belt, her dark hair a waterfall cascading around her head. A trickle of blood at her temple tells me she hit her head. And it must have been hard.

"Mama!" Gabby sobs, her tiny hands reaching for Mel's dangling arm.

Turning my head the other way, I look out the shattered window to see the Hummer's stopped—as is the car that I tried to pass. An older man climbs out of the driver's seat, his movements arthritic. But a look of deep concern mars his wrinkled face as he approaches our Escalade.

"Get out of here, old man," I warn him, digging into my pocket for a knife.

I have a very small window of opportunity to get myself and the girls free and run, so I keep only half an eye on the situation unfolding outside as I saw at my seat belt. I hit the ceiling with a thump as the nylon releases me. I crawl into the back seat to help Gabby out of her car seat.

From the corner of my eye, I watch as Miko intercepts the old man, and though I can't hear what they're saying, I know he's ordering the guy to get back in his car and drive on.

Setting Gabby down gently, I murmur, "Stay right here while I get your mom."

She nods, her nose runny and her round cheeks covered in tears.

With my knife, it only takes a few seconds before Mel's free of her seat belt, and I grunt as I lower her awkwardly to the roof-turned-floor.

A shot rings out, making Gabby scream, and I pull her close against my chest as the old man crumples to the ground in front of Miko. Miko and his partner start to argue as the partner points to the old man, then the Escalade. Clearly, he's not happy that they have another body to clean up while trying to hunt us down.

I don't have a second to spare worrying about what they'll decide to do. Instead, I take the opportunity to sling Mel's arms over my shoulders, pulling her onto my back like a backpack. I know I shouldn't move her if she's injured, but it won't matter much what state her neck is in if she's dead.

"Come on, Gabby," I murmur, offering her my hand, and to my relief, she takes it without question.

Crouching low, I squeeze out through the broken window, doing my best to compromise Mel as little as possible. Gabby follows me out, and I glance around the corner of the car to see what's happening.

Miko and his partner have the old man by his arms and legs, and they're carrying him toward the trunk of the Hummer. Neither are looking in our direction. So, staying in a low crouch, I get a better grip on Mel's arms and pull Gabby toward the shelter of the woods behind us.

Thumb firmly in her mouth, Mel's daughter stumbles behind me, doing her best to keep up. We don't stop until we're entirely out of sight from the road. And I know we don't have time to delay, but I need to make sure neither girl needs immediate medical aid.

Lowering Mel to the ground, I inspect the cut on her temple, then search her quickly for any further bleeding.

"Are you hurt, Gabby?" I ask, turning my attention to her as soon as I'm confident Mel can make it until we get to the hospital.

Gabby shakes her head, her big eyes watching me as I check her over.

"Good girl," I murmur. "I want you to stay close and stay quiet, okay?"

She nods, sucking her thumb harder. Then she tenses, her eyes flying to the woods behind me at the sound of rustling footsteps. They came in after us. Which means they must have left the old man's car to come find us.

Changing strategies, I signal Gabby to climb onto my back, and as soon as she's on, her tiny arms tight against my Adam's apple, I scoop Mel's limp body into my arms. The extra weight makes it more challenging to be stealthy, but we don't have far to go.

Circling back, I approach the scene of our crash from a different angle, keeping my ear out for any sound that Miko and his partner are catching up. Pausing as we reach the road, I scan the area to make sure it is, in fact, abandoned.

The Escalade is still smoking where it lies upside down. The Hummer appears to have taken some damage to the right fender with a broken headlight. And with a body in the back, I don't want to take the risk of driving that into town and seeing what authorities make of it.

So I swiftly make my way to the tiny gold sedan.

The keys are still in the ignition, and the driver's side door is open.

Stooping, I let Gabby climb down, and I open the passenger-side door. "In you go."

As soon as she's inside, I close the door behind her. Then I open the back and gently lower Mel onto the bench seat. Slipping into the driver's seat, I lean across the console to buckle Gabby in. Then, I crank the key in the ignition and pull back out onto the road.