Best Friends (New Species #15)(5)

Timber leaned forward on the straightaway and messed with the dash. She hoped he wasn’t going to turn on music.

Her mouth opened in horror as the SUV gained ground on a truck ahead of them. The urge to scream choked her; it seemed as if the canine driver planned to ram right into the back of the vehicle.

But he swerved, barely missing the blue truck at the last second. It was lucky there wasn’t any oncoming traffic on the two-lane highway. He went back to the right side of the road after they’d cleared the truck.

A soft ringing started, and she though it must be in her ears. But a voice came on next.

“Talk to me. Situation?”

That helped clue her in that they were using a Bluetooth-synced phone.

Snow twisted his body a little in the seat and turned his head. “Wind is conscious but bleeding heavily. Jinx is applying pressure to slow the bleeding. We also have a human female who’s been shot in the upper arm. She’s losing some blood but it’s not bad.”

She dared to glance at her arm. It was really bloody. She wondered what his definition of “bad” was. It looked pretty bad to her.

“We’re coming in hot,” Timber warned. “Make sure those gates are wide open and nothing gets in our way to Medical. Are they prepared?”

“Yes,” the person on the phone answered. “We’re ready for you. Old Doc Harris and Ted are on standby. Doc Alli is on her way in.”

Mel opened her mouth to scream but terror kept her silent when Timber took a turn and crossed into the oncoming traffic lane. It was a good thing he did, since they seemed to skid a bit from how fast they were traveling. She regretted not being buckled into a seat belt.

They made it to another long straightaway, and she saw a line of dark NSO SUVs coming toward them from the other lane. She counted six vehicles. They were moving fast and didn’t slow as they passed.

She turned her head, peering into the side mirror. Five kept going, but one hit the brakes. White smoke rose from the tires of the SUV as it skidded to a halt. The vehicle turned around on the road and came after them.

“We’re almost there,” Snow stated.

“We have an eye on you.” The man on the phone paused. “Slow for that last turn. There’s a civilian car in front of you heading in this direction.”

“Understood.” Timber didn’t slow, though.

The trees were thick on both sides of the road, and she wondered how anyone could see their vehicle from Reservation unless they had people in the woods as lookouts, or possibly cameras.

A big turn came up. Timber finally hit the brakes by punching down on them for a split second. It threw Mel forward but Snow didn’t let her slam into the dash. It hurt a lot, though, since the fast motion wrenched her left arm. She closed her eyes and, for once, did what her mama always told her to do. She prayed.

Please don’t let us wreck. I’ll be good. I’ll call my folks more often. I’ll stop taunting my mama no matter how much she annoys or pisses me off.

She was pressed against the door again when they took the turn too fast. Don’t look. Just don’t! She breathed instead, and focused on Snow’s arm around her ribs.

What does that name mean to him?

Really? I’m going to wonder about that now? I’m shot!

Shit. Mama and Papa are going to order me to come back home. They’ll probably drive their pickup all the way here to hog tie me and force me back if I don’t wanna go.

No. No. No.

“We’re at the gates,” Snow announced.

Mel opened her eyes. She’d never seen Reservation before. Nobody in town ventured there out of respect for the New Species and fear of Sheriff Cooper. Big walls were all she could see on the right and left of the road, disappearing into the tall trees.

Two massive gates were wide open, and at least a few dozen armed men wearing riot gear stood on top of the walls and beside the road next to the gates. It was a small army. They drove right past them, and then through a second set of open gates.

The land next to the road had been cleared of trees for a ways. A building stood to the right, but they breezed by that and kept going. Another building appeared after a turn in the road. That one Timber slowed for. Five people waited outside by the front doors, and they had two wheeled gurneys. She didn’t see any hospital signs. There wasn’t even a name on the building.

Timber applied the brakes and bile rose in Mel’s throat as Snow’s arm dug into her chest to keep her from slamming into the windshield like a bug. She managed to choke it down, not wanting to puke on him. That would be humiliating.

Timber stopped the SUV and shut off the engine. He threw open the driver’s door. “Wind’s in the backseat,” he yelled.

“Hang on,” Snow rasped next to her ear. “Let them get the male first. He’s worse.”

Mel managed to nod. She couldn’t remember if she’d spoken at all since they’d left the diner. Her mind was still blank.

I was shot. I think I’m in shock…



Snow worried about the female. Melinda remained still in his arms but her rigid body on his lap assured him that she hadn’t lost consciousness.

A male nurse jerked open the passenger door, prepared to take the female from him.

He growled low in warning, and the male stepped back. Snow adjusted his hold on Melinda and slid out with her in his arms. He ignored the gurney and carried her inside the building.