Chapter 35

::Now it does.::

Before Matt could reply, Vic was storming across the lot. He felt the wind in his ears, a rush like blood that pounded at his senses, drowning out the rest of the world. All he saw were the bikes now bearing down on his elderly landlady. The young bagboy took one look at the motorcycles and must’ve decided the hell with it—Vic heard one thought clear in his mind, Let the old bat fend for herself, then he abandoned the cart to race back to the store. But when he turned, he ran smack into Vic.

Shouldering the kid aside, Vic closed the distance between himself and Mrs. K. The bikes were already circling her like birds of prey, waiting to swoop in for the kill. In her own ornery fashion, Mrs. K brandished her cane at them, shouting obscenities in Polish that were lost in the choppy sounds of the bikes’ engines. One biker reached out, grabbed the end of her cane, and tugged. The old lady stumbled, losing her footing—