Page 57 of Maximum Bet

“Natalie, keys,” Cecilia says as she and Natalie go to the driver and passenger seats. Natalie tosses them over the top of the navy hood, and Cecilia grabs them expertly with one hand.

Within sixty seconds, we’re all in, and the engine is purring to life.

“Get your seatbelts on, ladies,” Cecilia says. “This might be a bumpy ride.”

Pushing a controller on the visor, Cecilia opens the garage door. She doesn’t wait for it to rise all the way before she speeds out as if the house is on fire.

Which it may be at this point.

I didn’t have time to check.

We take a sharp left, the back wheels squealing over the driveway pavers and, unfortunately, drawing attention.

“In the trees!” Natalie screams, pointing to a set of enemy combatants dressed in black, their semi-automatics pointed our direction.

The men open fire as Cecilia floors it and speeds away from them.

I grab Sadie’s head, pulling her low as bullets clip the back window.

“Bulletproof glass,” Cecilia repeats her earlier explanation.

“Doesn’t make it foolproof,” I mutter.

Sadie begins crying, and my heart sinks.

“We’re going to get out of this,” I whisper. “I promise, you and the baby will be safe.”

“You don’t know that,” Sadie says between sniffles. “Cassie, what about Lucas? Is he out there?”

I sit up, watching out the window as we pass through the opening front gates. The men in the front must have seen us coming.

“I don’t think so.” I rub Sadie’s hair as her head rests on my lap. “He sent a text to all the associates right before the attack started. I don’t think he’s here yet.”

“I’ll text him now,” Natalie says, pulling Sadie’s phone from her purse. I realize it’s the only phone we have, since we left the rest at the house.

As Natalie types out a message, Cecilia glances repeatedly in her rearview mirror.

“What?” I ask, placing my hand on her shoulder.

“I’m not sure.” She picks up speed, flying through a stop sign. “But I think we’re being followed.”

I turn to look out the window in time to see a black Lexus running the stop sign after us.

“I think you might be right.” I grimace as the Lexus inches closer. “Cecilia, you’ve got to speed up.”

Her forehead creases as her attention flits between the road in front of her and the car behind. She floors it. We race through the streets of the gated neighborhood, getting honked at by residents. A woman walking a golden retriever jumps back as we pass.

“My neighbors are going to hate me,” Cecilia worries but takes the next turn at a concerning speed.

Natalie’s hand flies up to hold the “Oh Shit” handle while I brace Sadie against me.

“Hold on, ladies. We’re about to exit the community.” With Cecilia’s warning, Natalie gasps, and I scream because one second we’re zooming by the security building and the next we’re crashing into a barrier arm.

Metal scraps across metal as all four of us release a chorus of curse words.

Cecilia makes a hard right, leaving the neighborhood as the rest of us sit in stunned silence.

Cecilia sighs, changing lanes to pass a Land Rover. “They’ll definitely bill Vincent for that.”