He threw his own body over mine, shielding me from the glass that was beginning to spray into the cabin.

The warmth of his coat covered me as the sound of heavy gunfire erupted outside.

I could hear the metallic thud of bullets hitting the armored frame.

Arthur’s weight was heavy and solid against me.

“Stay down,” he whispered, his hand shielding the back of my head.

The SUV swerved violently, the tires screeching on the wet asphalt.

Through the small space between the seats, I saw a second black vehicle pull out from an alleyway, its headlights blindingly bright as it accelerated directly toward us.

The impact came a split second later.

The steel frame of our SUV groaned as the second black vehicle rammed our passenger side.

My head jerked violently against the leather seat, the force of the collision rattling my teeth.

Arthur held me down, his grip tightening like a vise around my shoulders.

“Hold on,” he muttered near my ear.

His heart was beating fast against my shoulder, a steady, rapid thud that felt incredibly loud.