Estranged Read Online Free Page B

didn’t have time to figure out what
they were. This man’s bare hands were more dangerous than the
weapon she held, and she wasn’t about to let him near those girls.
She lifted her gun as the man scrambled across the hood, reaching
for Kalei. His black-nailed fingers twitched with anticipation as
they closed in on their target, the deep black of the nails
gleaming from beneath the grime like obsidian.
    Seeing those nails brought Kalei’s own
childhood trauma to the forefront and sent a renewed wave of rage
coursing through her body. She squeezed the trigger with a
satisfied smirk.
    His head snapped back and
his body tumbled off the moving car, into the clawing arms of the
dirt-smeared men and women who climbed up after him. Kalei took
them out one by one until the slide on her gun slid back and stayed
there. Out of ammo . But it didn’t matter; only one Estranged remained. The
teenage girl with her heavy, smeared makeup and her bedraggled
brown ponytail didn’t stand a chance as Fenn switched into first
gear and charged down the road. She lost her grip on the spoiler
and fell away, hitting the pavement and rolling in a swirl of torn
sweatshirt and jeans.
    Kalei looked up as the
girl’s body slipped into the distance and spotted three more
figures pulling into the road on street-class motorcycles. Seriously? She returned
to her seat and continued to watch the bikers in the side mirror.
She knew they were Estranged because all three bikers were
helmetless, shirtless (even the one woman), and they were coming
straight at the car with the kind of hell-bent determination that
could only be from an Estranged after a high. It didn’t make any
sense. Why were there so many? She pushed the questions from her
mind and focused on what mattered. Opening the glove box, she stuck
her hand inside where she found napkins and registry paperwork and
tire gauges, but— “Honey, where’s my revolver?”
    “ I didn’t want Teia to
find it, so I put it back in the gun safe.”
    Kalei took a deep breath and pushed
her palm into her forehead. Now was not the time to argue. This
wasn’t the end of the world. Instead, she stuck her hand back into
the glove box and started rummaging through the papers. Once more,
she came up empty handed. “Where are my spare
magazines?”
    “ In the house with the
rest of the ammo. I cleaned the car last week,
remember?”
    Kalei threw her empty gun at the
dashboard and yelled, “Well, it’s a damn good thing I don’t have
any bullets, because I could shoot you!” Kalei regretted those
words the instant she heard them come out of her mouth. The
whimpering in the back seat grew a little louder as Fenn grew
silent. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that...” But it was no
use. The damage was done.
    She turned around and checked on the
bikes. The Estranged were right on top of them now, just a couple
feet behind the spoiler. No ammo, no weapons; just a car holding
what little family she had left. She looked back at the girls and
her heart broke as she watched the tears slide down their small
faces. Kas protectively clutched her little sister as Teia
quivered.
    Then heartbreak turned to
determination as Kalei steeled herself for the plan forming in her
mind. Fenn wouldn’t like it, but it was the only way she could keep
these girls safe. She said, “Kas, Teia, Uncle Fenn and I love you
very, very much. You’ll get to see your daddy soon; Uncle will take
care of you.” Kalei’s emotions threatened to overwhelm her, but she
clenched her jaw and stuffed them back. “Everything is going to be
okay, alright?”
    Kas nodded, grimacing as she squeezed
a couple more tears out of her watery eyes.
    Kalei turned to Fenn. “Whatever
happens, I need you to get them out of here.”
    “ What are you talking
abou—”
    “ I need you to keep the
girls safe— that’s all that matters right now. Take them to the
police station, call your brother, tell him what’s happened. I’ll
meet you