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"Shut up," Ty ground out as the side of their car squealed against the concrete The cab ser door screeched and cru his eyes off the road for a second to see Zane leaning and struggling to pull his arain, one of the to be He glanced in the rearviewthat the traffic they had passed was slowing and giving the two dueling cars a wide berth "Hold on," he breathed as his peripheral vision caught the cab swerving for another i collision The back wheels serously as the Ford struggled to go frohty to stop in no time flat Despite the seat belt, Zane was thrown forward and his free hand landed on the dashboard to catch hi to the console between the seats The cab veered into their lane, finding nothing to slaer beside him, then it accelerated in a burst of black smoke as the Ford finally fishtailed out of control and hit the ith its back left panel The front tire blew, then the back, and the rental car left the ground, spinning gracefully into the air and then crashing back down onto its side

Zane gasped aloud as the seat belt caught hiainst the door when the car upended The Ford ser side and slid, only to slow and sla back onto all four wheels

The cru stop just inches froht ahead of the the wheel, knuckles white and breathing hard as sirens began to sound soainst the crunched passenger door, his entire right side aover to the driver’s side, Zane didn’t see any blood on Ty as the lanced up around them to see if help was close, only to see the cab about fifty yards away--facing the as the driver held down the brake and revved the engine All traffic on their side of the highway had come to a stop; the lanes littered recked cars and stunned motorists

Zane’s voice was strained and stunned as he spoke "Ty Ty, we gotta get out Get out of your seat belt" He tried to pull away froh his entire body in burning waves, taking his breath away

Ty sat staring at the rill of the cab in the distance, unave the ruined door several weak sideways kicks, trying to free hian plucking ahat shards relass

Zane sed hard as his vision began to fade and blur He was going into shock "I can’t get out that way," he told Ty, gritting his teeth

Ty looked at him, still in a calm, detached sort of haze "You’re stuck," he murmured as he reached across Zane’s chest and prodded the lanced up at the cab, then reached across Zane’s lap to the seat handle that would lay the seat back It didn’t budge, and Ty turned his head slightly, his nose brushing against Zane’s cheek He glanced again to see the cab begin its run, heading toward theain speed quickly, and then the impact would come The heavy steel construction of the old car would tear the battered Ford to pieces

Ty cla up out of the un He waited a half-second and then opened fire

The yellow paint on the hood of the cab began to dent and explode as the bullets hit, and the safety glass shattered, but didn’t break The illegal tinting inside the windshield kept it fro apart as it was riddled with bullet holes Ty couldn’t see the driver or tell if he was hitting hi for the tires, but his gun clicked empty and he shouted a frustrated curse

He reached for his backup as the cab barreled toward them, but he couldn’t reach it in the sed Zane’s gun frohtened back up, aiet out of the car!" Zane yelled, his voice breaking as the pain began to overwhelm his e car and his lover, and he pushed against Ty’s legs with his free hand

One of the front tires blew out as Ty e Zane’s de speed It was almost on them If the crash didn’t kill them, the man inside the cab would

Ty fired the last round, then reared back and chucked the eun at the cab in utter frustration before he ducked back into the car He just shook his head wordlessly, aardly kneeling on the console as he tried to free Zane’s arm from between the torn metal of the door and the cruot Zane free now, it was too late But it wasn’t in hiive up

"Shit, Ty, you can’t take ony as he pleaded between uneven gasping breaths

"Get out of the car," he ordered weakly

Ty responded with a s of the battered cab’s engine co to shield him from the brunt of the crash He tried not to tense, but his physical discipline was no match for simple human instinct As the cab barreled toward them, he hunched his shoulders and prepared for the iht and waited

"Ty…," Zane choked out as he curled his free ar his face into his neck Christ Forget about not being there This This was Zane’s worst nighth his closed eyelids Ty could see the changing light and dark that told hihts were on top of the tires and the s rubber He raised his head and opened his eyes, knowing the impact should have come already He turned and looked out the crackedat the yellow blur of the cab as the driver turned at the last ht beside their wrecked Ford on the highway He turned out of the spin, gunned the engine, and headed off in the other direction Several squad cars gave chase, flying by the wreck of their vehicle in a blaze of light and sound

The driver knew he couldn’t finish theht another day, and he’d left Ty and Zane alive to do it

When Ty shifted, Zane opened his eyes to blurrily see the cab retreating and police cars stopping around the into shock His ar up into his shoulder and down his back His side was screaet out of this car I a your ass,"

he rasped

Ty didn’t respond He was already clie and his e out the code for an officer down

ZANE sat in the back of the ambulance with a blanket over his shoulders and lap as the EMT worked him over He stayed put, cowed by a tiny woman who barked at him when he’d tried to leave without medical treatment All he’d alloas an IV of clear fluids, and he’d checked the bags What she was doing hurt like hell (he’d also insisted on no painkillers after a very feords with her about the past addiction record) so he was focusing hard on as going on away fro with soiven him any trouble, none that Zane saay The EMT found another broken rib and Zane hissed, jerking away instinctively

"Doing okay, Special Agent Garrett?" the EMT asked

"Still here," he answered hoarsely after pulling away the oxygen lazed with pain

"Feeling light-headed again?" she asked, pausing in her exaet it over with, huh?" he said weakly, leaning his head sideways against the wall

"I told you already, I can’t do anything o to the hospital and--"

"Just do whatever you have to do," Zane interrupted "I have to be able to use that arht arm He sed hard "Set it and do whatever"

The EMT stared at him silently When she spoke, her voice was thin