Lost Then Found

Chapter Eight

I had to admit, Laura's expression was not what I was expecting. Her face, a beautiful face for sure, scrunched up into something that marred her beauty. I had expected her to simply look confused, in that doe-eyed innocent way she often had, but instead her expression turned stony as she peered at me with steady amber eyes.

No, she didn't seem confused at all. Rather, she looked as if she was finally beginning to understand perfectly. What she was beginning to understand, though, I wasn't sure.

Alex, however, looked exactly how I was expecting. At my big reveal she had initially opened her eyes wide, her lips parting in surprise. She probably said my name in that scolding tone of hers, angry that I had revealed my true identity, but I couldn't hear it over the sound of the engine, not to mention the bullets that would occasionally slam into the back of the car.

I wasn't sure why they were even bothering to shoot at us, really. This wasn't The Fast and the Furious. They were welcome to try hitting a moving target from a moving vehicle, but personally I was going to save my ammo.

Despite knowing this, my heart still skipped several beats anytime I heard the sound of a gun.

"Boss," Claire growled to me through gritted teeth, keeping her eyes focused intently on the road ahead of her as she swerved down another road. "Where am I going?"

I didn't know. I hadn't expected the Costa to have a car on us so soon, not to mention I hadn't expected so many passengers. In my original plan, I would have convinced Alex and Laura to leave the party before anything bad happened, and I could quietly slip out and head back to the Greco Estate before any violence broke out. Instead, Alex and Laura tagged along, and Gabe had joined them.

I glanced over my shoulder to peer at the people whose lives I had unwittingly made myself responsible for. Alex sat between Laura and Gabe, though she was pressed closer to Laura, with her arm protectively draped around the Costa daughter. All three were bent at the waist, keeping their heads as low and as far away from the back window as possible.

Technically the entire car was bulletproof, including the pitch black-tinted windows, but better safe than sorry.

"Laura," I said, my voice sounding tenser than I had intended—a high-speed car chase wasn't exactly a soothing experience.

Laura glanced up at me, her eyes meeting mine so violently I forgot to breathe for a second. She let out a terse, "What?"

"Is there someone you can call to get these Costa guys to stop shooting at us? Tell them you're in this car, with friends, and safe."

Laura must've been frozen in fear, because the thought of moving seemed to petrify her. She made shaky movements to reach for her bag and then to search through it. Alex, noticing this immediately, leaned forward to help Laura locate her phone. I could tell the blonde woman was doing her best to remain as calm as one possibly could while being shot at, and she was doing a remarkable job. There was that Sterling training at it again.

"Boss," Claire growled at me, shooting a glare at me for only a split second as she slammed her foot on the gas and turned down another street so quickly it almost threw me into the window. "Where am I going?"

"My house," Alex said from behind us, before I even had time to think.

I turned to look at her, "Not a chance in hell, Sterling."

Alex peered at me with her dark ocean eyes, willing me to trust her. I did trust her most of the time, of course, but she was still an idiot when someone she loves is in trouble, and Laura was certainly in trouble.