I make it there in 15.

About half the time it would take me to get to this side of the city normally, but not this time. I drive like a maniac and break just about every traffic rule in the book on the way there, so I make good time.

I also drive a yellow corvette, however. A newer one, too—I don't even like to think about the amount of money I've poured into this thing. It's flashy, and that's one downside I've had to deal with on multiple occasions. It's recognizable.

So, I swing onto a side street a few blocks over and kill the engine. Then, I sprint.

It's a parking garage next to a mall, and there's a theater contained in it mall, which is probably where Winter and her dad just were. The image I was sent appeared to be showing them entering on the last floor, so I don't even bother with the elevator. I just find the stairwell and book it, trying not to make a lot of noise. I have no idea where they went, but I don't want them to know I'm here.

I need every advantage I can get, because they have leverage. Human leverage. Hopefully I can intercept them before they actually get to Winter and Vaughn, though. If I don't, I'll have to resort to plan B, which I really don't want to do. Not even for their sake—for Winter.

I'm sure Vaughn could stomach it. He already hates me, I'm not sure his opinion could get any lower.

Winter, though? I don't want her to see what I can do to people. Ever.

But I still have the silencer on.

I stop at each floor of the four story parking garage just to make sure, and there aren't many cars. It is getting late, the mall is technically closed at this point. So, it shouldn't be too difficult for me to spot Vaughn's truck. It's not ridiculously large, but it's a good size—solid black with a grille guard. Dirt on its wheels.

Anyway, most people seem to have gone home. Which is good, I don't exactly want any witnesses to whatever is about to happen, but it also puts me more on edge. I can't really blend in or hide all that well without a crowd. Obstacles.

Especially since, when I finally spot Vaughn's truck, I'm on the fourth floor of the garage. Also, there are only three other cars, most of which seem to have been here a while judging by the lack of water underneath them when it's been overcast today and rained last night.

Also, Scooter has already gotten to them.

"He has two minutes," Phone Girl says next to him, staring at her screen. "You really think he'll show?"

"He'll show," Scooter replies simply, and I'm currently ducked behind one of the few cars, on the other side of a divider that separates me from them.

When I slowly move closer to the divider, I find Vaughn. Standing in front of them, arms crossed, jaw clenched, a human barrier between them and the truck. Stationary, unmoving.

No Winter. At least, not in any obvious location. It takes me a second to figure out what Vaughn is doing at the moment: guarding. She's in the truck, possibly hiding. I can see the top of her head, though, so they might already know she's there. Maybe they really are waiting for me to show.

Why isn't Vaughn doing anything, though? He's just standing there, tense, eyes unmoving from them. He could easily take this guy on, Vaughn is huge. And scary. And wearing a black shirt that hugs his biceps. With ripped, mud stained jeans. And his heavy boots.

His hair jostles in the breeze, and I see him lick his teeth and clench his jaw when Scooter makes a sudden movement. Seems like he's also just checking the time, though.

Fuck. What do I do? Winter is in the vehicle, sure, but she will still see. She has a front row view of the whole fucking

show.

"Who?" Vaughn asks through clenched teeth, finally. Scooter flicks his gaze over to the man. Vaugh continues, "you have the wrong people."

They don't. He's about to find that out, no doubt about it... and then what?

"One minute," Phone Girl says, and I'm growing nervous. I have to intervene, but I don't know these people well. I'm confident in my ability to get out of this, but it's still an unpredictable situation. Also... I really don't want Winter to see that side of me.

I'd rather her be scared of me than dead, though. Looks like I might not have much of a choice.

I begin to creep closer, crouching and shuffling along the wall as I try to get closer. I stay low, maintaining cover, managing to be even more discreet than expected.

Except... then there's a pebble.

I don't see it. Because it's a fucking pebble.

Normally the noise would be inaudible. However, unfortunately for me, the parking garage is already dead fucking silent. You could easily hear a pin drop, let alone a pebble tumbling across the concrete.

I immediately freeze, wincing. They definitely heard.

Sure enough, "what was that?"

When I'm able to catch a glimpse, I find the both of them looking around in confusion. Then, I watch Scooter's eyes widen. He's immediately reaching back, and my body freezes when he pulls out a gun in a swift movement. It's similar to mine, but I have a pistol. This one appears smaller, like some sort of micro-compact. "He's here."

Scooter begins pointing it in my general direction, but he's off by like twenty feet. He's pointing where the pebble landed. Vaughn tenses further when he brandishes the weapon, subconsciously taking a step back toward the truck. Closer to his daughter.

"Come on, Hello Kitty!" He calls, and I can't help my spark of irritation. This guy is so fucking annoying. "If you don't, your girl's done."

Vaughn narrows his eyes. The gears seem to be turning. He may be figuring it out.

I didn't realize Scooter had a firearm. It explains why Vaughn is so tense and stationary, though. If this guy wasn't armed, Vaughn would've gotten rid of these people a while ago.

This is not gonna end well.

Scooter doesn't wait that long for me to answer, scanning his eyes over the lot, and then the girl speaks. "We're not wasting any more time. I have plans. Come out or they're dead."

I don't believe her. Absolutely not, in fact, I'm pretty sure that coming out would almost ensure their deaths. And mine. Cover is my best option when I'm outnumbered and guns are involved, especially when dealing with people who I know won't hesitate to kill us all. That's clear from one look at their faces alone.

Finally, Scooter turns to the girl. "Whatever. Get her out, we don't have all day."

Instantly, adrenaline fills my body. I watch the girl nod and turn toward the truck, taking a few steps forward, but Vaughn is in front of her before she can round the passenger side. He looks ready for a fight, ready to suffer whatever consequences necessary to protect his daughter.

"Me, not her," he tells them lowly, reminding me of last night when I basically said the same thing. I watch Scooter roll his eyes.

"He doesn't give a shit about you," Scooter replies, looking at Vaughn like he's stupid. Scooter has no idea how wrong he is, the lengths I'd go for both of these people. I'd even villainize myself as long as it kept them safe, which is looking more and more likely by the minute. He has no idea what he's dealing with.

"We don't want collateral," the girl adds on, giving him an unimpressed look. Also reaching for a concealed weapon, it seems. Vaughn still doesn't budge. "But I'll put you down if you get in my way."

Vaughn doesn't move.

Scooter begins to turn his weapon on the man.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, this isn't any better. I glance around the ground, finding another pebble by my foot. This one is larger, appearing to actually be a piece of asphalt that broke off. I don't even think about it, grabbing it and throwing it across the garage. It lands with a loud thud on the other side of the divider, but there aren't any places for me to hide. It's empty over there, clearly it was a misdirection.

These guys don't seem to figure that out, though, immediately turning their attention over there and appearing to almost forget about Vaughn.

Who takes the opportunity.

Vaughn is immediately landing a blow on the side of Scooter's head, once the guy is no longer focusing on him. Evidently Vaughn can hit pretty fucking hard, too, because the guy drops like a fucking anvil. Vaughn even makes a move toward him again, wasting no time, but the girl jumps into action.

She doesn't play around like the guy does, and moments later she has a gun pressed to the side of Vaughn's head. He freezes, and she smiles.

"That was stupid," she tells him, as Scooter scrambles to get up. I see Vaughn's eyes widen, clearly not having picked up on the fact that she was also armed. It is pretty discreet, I only noticed because I can't not.

"Just don't touch her," Vaughn says. Scooter finally drags himself to a standing position, nose and mouth bleeding, a bruise already forming on like half his face. Holy shit.

Scooter sneers. "What, you gonna stop us?"

He says that like Vaughn didn't already stop them once. Phone Girl clicks the safety off. I nearly have a heart attack.

Then the truck door opens, and Winter stumbles out.

Which isn't any better.

"Wait!" She's already crying, I can tell from her voice alone. I see her hands shake when she holds them up in a stopping motion, stumbling toward her dad. "Stop. Please don't hurt him."

"Winter," Vaughn's voice is low. Warning. Scared. "Get back in the truck."

She doesn't.

Phone girl turns her gun to Winter. She grabs her roughly, muscles I hadn't even noticed before flexing. She then wraps her arm around Winter's neck, pressing the back of her head to the girl's shoulder. Then, she presses the cold barrel of the gun against Winter's head.

Scooter aims his own squarely on Vaughn, whose eyes widen upon seeing his daughter quite literally taken hostage right in front of him. He doesn't even seem concerned with the danger he himself is also in, his eyes unmoving from Winter. Phone Girl's finger stays on the trigger, willing to press it at any moment.

I basically black out.

Seriously, it's like I lose complete control of myself. The only other time something like that has happened was the day Winter and I met, and maybe the few other times I caught her being bullied, though not as bad. I just lose it when someone dares to treat her in any way that is remotely unkind, let alone when there's a fucking gun to her head.

I don't wait, not even a little bit. They get no chance before I'm jumping over the divide, rolling across the lot and stopping behind them, gun trained. They immediately begin to turn around at the noise of my movement, but they don't even get halfway.

I shoot them at an angle, away from Winter and Vaughn, though I have to exercise more caution with Winter since the girl is so close to her.

Four shots total, all in the span of a few seconds. A bullet in their left shoulders, and a bullet in their right kneecaps. Hardly a sound ringing out because of my silencer, seeing red the whole time.

They drop their guns first.

Then they collapse.

Winter is immediately stumbling forward, the loss of balance showing how tightly the girl was holding her. Vaughn catches her easily. She collapses against him, and I watch his arms immediately circle around her in a vice grip. He holds the girl flush against himself and buries his face in her hair.

She's trembling. She's still crying. Even Vaughn's hands shake a bit, though she can't see. He almost lost his daughter.

I try to be quiet, but I can't. My adrenaline is too high, blood rushing in my ears, trying to resist my tunnel vision and focus on the people who matter. The people I just fucking traumatized.

My footsteps reach their ears as I draw near, and I see Winter slowly pull away to look at who made the noise. Vaughn also lifts his gaze, no longer ducking his head, and loosens his grip on her so she has more room to move freely. His arms are still around her, though.

They meet my gaze at the same time.