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We turned and walked down a narrow street between two buildings. I didn't think we were<br />
going the right way, but I didn't really have a better idea. I also didn't want to stand around<br />
debating.<br />
We hadn't gone very far when I heard the sound of an engine and squealing tires. Mia was<br />
walking in the middle of the road, and protective conditioning kicked in before I even saw what<br />
was coming. Grabbing her, I jerked her out of the street and up against one of the building<br />
walls. The boys had done the same.<br />
A large, gray van with tinted windows had rounded the corner and was headed in our direction.<br />
We pressed flat against the wall, waiting for it to go past.<br />
Only it didn't.<br />
Screeching to a halt, it stopped right in front of us, and the doors slid open. Three big guys<br />
spilled out, and again, my instincts kicked in. I had no clue who they were or what they wanted,<br />
but they clearly weren't friendly. That was all I needed to know.<br />
One of them moved toward Christian, and I struck out and punched him. The guy barely<br />
staggered but was clearly surprised to have felt it at all, I think. He probably hadn't expected<br />
someone as small as me to be much of a threat. Ignoring Christian, he moved toward me. In my<br />
peripheral vision, I saw Mason and Eddie squaring off with the other two. Mason had actually<br />
pulled out his stolen silver stake. Mia and Christian stood there, frozen.<br />
Our attackers were relying a lot on bulk. They didn't have the sort of background we had in<br />
offensive and defensive techniques. Plus, they were human, and we had dhampir strength.<br />
Unfortunately, we also had the disadvantage of being cornered against the wall. We had<br />
nowhere to retreat to. Most importantly, we had something to lose.<br />
Like Mia.<br />
The guy who'd been sparring with Mason seemed to realize this. He backed off from Mason<br />
and instead grabbed her. I barely saw the flash of his gun before its barrel was pressed against<br />
her neck. Backing off from my own adversary, I yelled at Eddie to stop. We'd all been trained<br />
to respond instantly to those kinds of orders, and he halted his attack, glancing at me<br />
questioningly When he saw Mia, his face went pale.
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