“We should just rush the truck,” Daniel suggests. His voice brimming with determination and recklessness. Angel is momentarily distracted by his Adam's Apple rising up and down behind his intricate dragon tattoo. His steel blue eyes dance with mischief. She smirks at him and presses the implant behind her ear. He’s too beautiful to tarnish with his half-wit ideas.

A deep slow rhythm pulses in her ears. Soft slow singing weaves in thundering bass enveloping Angel in a cloak of brooding anger. She absentmindedly pops a mint toothpick into her mouth and focuses on the truck.

One of the big men jumps out and helps the bleeding man out. The truck springs back up to its full height. The short gangster trails behind them slapping them on the backs and barking orders for them to hurry out of the rain.

The golden goose remains but the model and the driver stay put. Angel smiles dropping her restraining hand from Daniel's chest. Daniel runs his hand through his rain-soaked hair and stands to his feet out of the shadow of the building. Angel grabs his arm and pulls him back.

“What?” Daniel demands confused and impatient.

“I’m gonna get the driver out of the truck, you take Trevor and slip around the other side from the trash cans over there. Luke, you take care of the driver while I distract him. Daniel you and Trevor make sure the princess knows this is her stop.”

Angel stands and shakes off her nerves letting the music in her ears pump her up. The door to Dr. Hammonds slams shut. Angel lets her hood fall so the rain can run the mascara down her cheeks. She bites her lip hard to force some tears and feels warm blood run from her dark-painted lips. Even better, sell it, Angel. She prepares herself.

She limps toward the black SUV crying out, “Help!” She hopes her already torn clothes will signal vulnerability to the driver. She lays on a thick act of desperation and couples it with nervous looks over her shoulder. She slams into the side of the truck leaving room for the driver to exit.

To her surprise, his window opens instead. A tall lanky man with slicked hair pokes his head out, cautioning her, “Go on lady. Get out of here before my boss catches you.”

“Help, please.” Angel sobs and plants innocent, broken, green eyes on the man. She is hopeless, desperate, and afraid. “Please.” She sobs.

The man glances toward the dark alley and then grabs something from the passenger seat. He opens his door and Angel flings herself at him. He tries to look past her over her shoulder for her pursuers. Angel watches as the curious model pokes out her head intrigued by the commotion.

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Meanwhile, Luke creeps up to the back of the truck with a menacing look on his face and a club in his hand. Trevor and Daniel are in position on the other side of the truck. Luke scrambles toward the driver and Angel tries to clutch onto the driver as he turns toward the sound. He proves too strong for her despite his lean stature and pulls free.

It is then that she sees the gun. Angel chokes, her world spins out of control for a moment. Luke freezes. He is too far away to take the gun and too close to be missed. Carmen opens the door and steps out of the truck not seeing Luke. Her eyes are on Angel. Then she sees the gun and stops as well.

Daniel pops open the passenger door on the other side of the truck and the driver spins toward the new sound. Angel springs forward to save Daniel and shoves the driver. A loud pop rings in her ears.

Luke shoves past Carmen and grabs hold of the driver’s offending arm. Another pop. Angel pulls her knife and shoves it into the back of the driver’s leg as she falls on the wet pavement.

Two more pops. Did he kill Daniel? Is Luke shot?

The driver stumbles back and steps on her knife hand. She releases the knife as she yanks her hand back with a scream. She hears another pop, and a splatter of asphalt peppers her cheek. Is he aiming at her head? She bolts up from the ground and the driver falls on his back with Luke landing on top of him.

Angel jumps into the truck and finds the keys still in the cup holder. She presses the starter button and the truck fires up with bass music blasting through the speakers. “Get in.” She screams.

Trevor flops in the backseat. Angel watches as Luke comes up with the gun in his hands. He kicks the driver in the side and runs back toward the truck. Angel lets out a sigh of relief as Daniel jumps in the seat beside her. “He almost shot me.” Daniel held his fingers apart. “He was this close to my head.”

“He hit her,” Luke says from over Angel’s other shoulder.

“Look,” Daniel points at a hole in the door jam. “There’s the hole right there. My head was right here.”

“Angel, the driver shot Carmen.”

Angel spins around to look. The model lays in a puddle in the road clutching her stomach. She is twisted over on her side with her teeth clenched.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Trevor starts scooting away from the passenger side of the backseat screaming. “They're coming. Angel, they’re coming.”

Pop! Pop! Pop! Angel whips her head around again as one of the bodyguards is running down the stairs of Dr. Hammonds. He has a gun pointed in their direction and is firing off wild shots as he charges down the stone steps. “Get in the truck, Luke!”

Angel doesn’t wait she throws the truck in drive as the back door flies open. Luke tries to jump in but Trevor is backed up to the same door. “Move,” Luke demands shoving at Trevor but Trevor is locked up with fear. Pop! Pop!

Angel drops her foot on the gas and the truck tires scream as they lurch off. Luke is nearly flung off the side but clutches the door jam and Trevor’s back. “Either move or I’ll throw you out of the way.” Luke threatens.

Trevor twists out of the way and ends up on the floorboard. Luke rolls the rest of the way into the back seat and with a few tries manages to slam the door shut as Angel slides out into traffic on Main.