Just before they reached the trees, Aaron shifted the car into neutral, turned the wheel the other direction, and Cadence instinctively slammed her foot down on the brake. The car spun the opposite way before Aaron corrected it. It came to rest just inches from the trunks of the trees.
She didn't realize he had his right arm braced against her until they had completely stopped. Clearly, he had been trying to protect her from the airbag. They locked eyes, and she finally let the breath out she'd been holding for the entire skid.
She opened her mouth, intending to say thank you, when she realized there was one last Vampire. It had been a hard impact, and it appeared that the flames had actually reached the cab, but that did not stop the skinny thug from throwing open the passenger door and charging the Aventador, which had come to a stop approximately fifteen yards away.
"Shit!" she exclaimed, realizing she had another flaming Vampire to contend with. He was now unarmed, which was a plus, but he was also extremely angry. He came rushing at them almost as quickly as his companion had flown down the stairs.
Without hesitation, Aaron grabbed the Glock from his holster, swung out the open window, and emptied the chamber into the charcoaled ghoul. He fell on the hood of the car and immediately turned to ash, the fire extinguishing.
Cadence also climbed from the car, weapon in hand, relieved she didn't have to dispatch this one, the weariness suddenly returning and hitting her full force.
"Damn," Aaron whispered under his breath, inspecting the paint on the hood, which had bubbled from the heat.
Cadence glanced at the rest of the car and realized that was the only damage. It didn't seem possible. "Holy hell," she said, and dropped onto the hood. She knew that, despite the lack of traffic, someone would report a high speed chase, shots fired, and a vehicle on fire. They only had a matter of time before the emergency vehicles began to arrive.
"You all right?" he asked, coming around the car to stand in front of her.
She nodded. "We need to get out of here," she replied, rubbing her face with her hands.
"We've got some time. And your friends are on their way. Should be here in a few."
Cadence realized she hadn't even checked in with the rest of the team. "Is everyone okay?" she asked.
"Yep," he replied, staring down the highway the way they had come, as if he could somehow see them approaching.
"Cale got shot a couple of times. He's all right, isn't he?"
"He's fine," Aaron assured her.
"That's gotta hurt," she said more to herself than him.
"Tell me about it," he replied.
Cadence looked up. She hadn't been thinking. She knew that Aaron had also been shot--only by a Hunter--while defending her against Holland. And those bullets didn't bounce. He almost died. "I'm sorry. I didn't' mean to..."
"Don't worry about it," he said dismissively. He turned and walked a few steps away from her.
"No, Aaron wait," she said following him. She could see vehicles approaching in the distance and assumed it was the rest of the team, though she didn't check the IAC to make sure. "Please don't walk away from me."
"You're the one that left," he shot back at her, clearly frustrated that she was so concerned about Cale.
"You can't blame this on me!" she reminded him, running around to stand in front of him. "This is your fault!"
He stared into her eyes for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "What do you want me to say?"
She heard cars behind her but didn't hear any doors. She suddenly realized her IAC was still on. She turned it off. "How about 'I'm sorry?'" she suggested, her arms flailing, her soul lurching forward.
His expression was one of disbelief. He waited a moment before replying. Finally, he said, "You want me to SAY I'm sorry?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"You want me to SAY I'm sorry?" She nodded and watched a myriad of expressions flicker across his face before he finally stepped toward her, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her. Despite the anger and resentment that she'd been holding on to for so long, she returned the kiss, parting her lips and letting him back in. A torrid of memories flooded over her, and even before he released her, she realized she was crying.
Taking a deep breath, he met her eyes and said quietly, "Cadence, I'm sorry."
As he began to walk toward the driver's side of the car, confusion washed over her yet again. How could he kiss her and then just walk away? She was vaguely aware that the others had exited their vehicles and were standing nearby. At the moment she didn't care. She caught up to him just before he slid into the car. "Where are you going?" she asked, tears still streaking down her face.
"Home," he replied, a tone of nonchalance in his voice that she could not comprehend.
"But..." she stammered.
He started the engine. "I'm sure Cale will give you a ride. And, Cadence, don't let anyone else make your plan from now on, all right? You almost got yourself killed tonight."
"You can't just leave…," she shot back at him. He was clearly not listening, however, as he rolled up the window, and threw the car into reverse.
Cadence watched in utter disbelief as he pulled the car through the median and headed back the direction they had come. "What the hell?" she asked, shaking her head. Even though Meagan and Aurora were at her side now, the question was directed at the universe.
"I'm sorry, hon'," Aurora offered, slipping her arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay? I mean, physically?"
Cadence didn't respond to the question. "I don't.... How can...?" she stammered.
"It's all right," Meagan offered. "You don't need him."
Cadence nodded, feeling herself starting to slip back into the self-imposed numbness she had been operating out of for the last few months. But the recent experience of feeling alive, of feeling whole, was still clinging to her senses, and she wasn't willing to give up without a fight. "No..." she said quietly.
"What's that sweetie?" Aurora asked, not sure what she had said.
"No," she said a bit louder this time. She shook herself free. "No! No, no, no!" She turned to look at her friends, avoiding the stares of the Reno team, who clearly had no idea what they had just witnessed, except for Cale perhaps. Cadence pushed him out of her thoughts completely. "He can't do that. I'm not going to let him do that to me again! It's not fair!" Without asking, she sprinted over to the bike she had seen Aurora get off of, popped the kickstand, and revved the engine. The audience seemed frozen in awe, and despite the blare of approaching sirens, no one seemed to move as she directed the motorcycle back the way Aaron had disappeared. She wasn't sure where he had gone, but she knew she would find him.
