Sure enough, another blast ripples through the building, this one larger, shaking the floor. Sam rushes past me, and I follow, overtaking him to slam feet-first into the glass. It breaks under my flying weight. I roll on the lawn, Sam right behind. We find our feet and pelt toward the fence but don't quite make it before the guards notice us and shout. We slam ourselves to the safe side of a small outbuilding before machinegun fire comes our way.
"Shit," Sam says. "The fence is back on."
Sure enough, the metal hums and crackles with electric charge, probably enough to knock a shifter unconscious.
"There." Sam points to a hole in the fence, metal slashed open.
I give a silent thanks to the newly freed lion. Sure, he was crazy. But I'm beginning to fear Sam could give him a run for his money.
"We can get to it if we have a distraction. Got any more explosives?"
Sam shakes his head.
I hear the guards getting closer and put my hand on my gun. I just hope they're not shooting to kill. Or, if we're captured, that the pack is close behind.
I'm about to dart out and make my last stand when something whistles and pops overhead. Sam and I duck at an explosion. But instead of an earth-shattering blast, the sky lights up with colored lights.
Fireworks. Beautiful, loud fireworks, exploding above the guard tower. A perfect distraction.
"Foxfire," I whisper before grabbing Sam and shoving him first through the shredded hole in the fence toward freedom.
~.~
Foxfire
Green lights explode above me.
"That's a little too close for comfort," Sunny calls. I ignore her, lighting three more and letting them sing off into the night sky. They blossom white, red, and blue. A little early for the Fourth of July. Maybe that's why the guy behind the counter looked at me like I was nuts when I bought out his stock.
"So patriotic!" Sunny crows with delight.
The compound's alive with red alert. Lights, alarms blaring, shots fired.
Hopefully, this is enough of a distraction. We just gotta set them all off and get out of here before someone comes to investigate.
"This one's a big one." Sunny hands me another. I set it up farther away, light the fuse, and run.
A screech and the sky pops with purple rain.
~.~
Tank
Sam and I slog up the hill. The alarms and lights are still behind us, along with enough rocket's red glare to make me worried Foxfire won't escape in time. There are guards after us-a few bullets spattered the earth behind us before we took to the woods, but the rest might go after my mate and her mother.
"Where are we going?" I call to Sam, and nearly run into a giant blade.
"Here." Sam ducks around me and pulls off the camo netting covering our escape vehicle.
Make that, our escape helicopter.
"Get in." Sam straps himself into the pilot's seat.
"You have a freaking helicopter?"
"It's Jackson's. Kylie found it and thought it'd be cool." He flips switches, and the comms come on. "It's actually a Bell 222, but we modified it for stealth mode." He grins, an eerie sight. "I call it the Air Wolf."
~.~
Foxfire
I shoot the last of our rockets off and run to the car.
"Shut the doors," I scream to Sunny. "We've got to move."
The little bus squeals as I tear out of our hiding place across the road. We pass the compound, still bright and full of chaos. I hope.
"Come on, come on," I whisper to the bus as it chugs up a hill.
"Foxfire, we need to go faster," Sunny reports. "I think they saw us."
Sure enough, a caravan of black Jeeps tears out after us. We pass one coming up the road the opposite way. It does a U-turn and follows.
"Hang on!" I press the gas pedal to the floor. Daisy hurtles down the highway, shaking as it goes faster than it's ever gone before.
It's not enough. The guards are hanging out the Jeep windows, and they have guns.
And they're gaining on us.
~.~
Tank
"Closer," I shout to Sam. We're hovering over the road, our lights spotlighting the action below.
"I can't," Sam says. "They've got guns."
"Closer, goddammit." Foxfire and her mom are in that bus. They're in danger. She risked her life setting off fireworks.
"What are you going to do? Jump on one of the Jeeps?"
"If I have to."
"They're not gonna get anywhere close to her. Just hang on."
"Fuck that." I rise up from my seat, steadying myself as the helicopter dips.
"Nothing's gonna happen," Sam soothes. I'd rip his throat out if he wasn't flying the helicopter. "We got backup."
"What?"
Shots ring out below us. I shout, gripping the side, watching the VW bus from above, helpless.
But Foxfire and her mom don't slow. Instead, the Jeeps skid on the road. Some veer off, others jerk and roll to a stop, blocking the highway. The last vehicles crash into them.
"What's happening?"
"I told you," Sam says. "Backup."
Then I hear it. The roar of motorcycles. One by one, they tear out from under cover where they ambushed the Jeeps. They weave easily around the wreckage. More shots fire, but the bikes all get clear. They zoom down the road and surround the VW bus.
Sam flies overhead, the spotlight skimming a few of the helmets, including two red ones. Jared and Trey got teased mercilessly for choosing that color. They bring up the rear, escorting the VW bus. Leading the pack is a huge Harley. As Sam swoops the helicopter lower, Garrett raises his fist in salute. The rest of the pack does the same, and even though they can't see us, Sam and I raise our fists before zooming back up to cover the pack as they protect my baby and bring her home.