Chapter 11 - Blood on the Leather
Marcus stood in the gate opening, breathing like a dying engine. His leather vest was torn open at the chest, a dark, spreading stain saturating his gray shirt beneath it. In his right hand, he held the tire iron he had pulled from David’s garden shed.
""Get... in the truck,"" Marcus wheezed, his knees buckling slightly before he caught himself against the fence post.
""Marcus! You're shot!"" David rushed forward, catching his older brother under the arm before he hit the ground. The warmth of Marcus’s blood immediately soaked through David’s sleeve.
""Two in the ribs,"" Marcus grimaced, coughing violently, a fleck of crimson appearing at the corner of his beard. ""Cole's partner... he's done. But Galloway... he had a chase car down the road.""
In the rose bushes, Galloway groaned, struggling to untangle himself, his fingers searching blindly in the wet grass for his lost weapon.
""Come on!"" Elena grabbed Marcus’s other arm, her fear replaced entirely by adrenaline. ""The old Chevy is behind the garage. David, help him!""
Together, they dragged Marcus around the side of the weathered wooden garage where David kept his old utility pickup hidden under a green tarp. Elena ripped the tarp away with one violent heave, throwing open the passenger door.
""Put the baby in the middle,"" Marcus gasped, collapsing into the worn bench seat. ""Hurry... keys are under the sun visor.""
David threw himself into the driver's seat, feeling blindly above his head until his fingers struck the cold ring of the spare key. He jammed it into the ignition and turned it.
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The old V8 engine coughed once, sputtered, and then roared to life with a deep, vibrating shudder.
Behind them, headlights flared in the rear-view mirror as the chase car turned down the unpaved alleyway.
