Shade raced back to the SUV. Malik had made no effort to leave; on the contrary, he had one foot out the door and Cruz had begun to open her own door.

The fools are coming to help me? Against . . . that?

She vibrated to a slowness that was barely tolerable and said, “Get. Out! Run! Run!”

Then she popped the back door, shoved the gate upward so hard and fast that one hinge snapped and the whole rear door hung by a thread. There she found what she was looking for: the golf bag that had belonged to the owner of the SUV.

Monster, Chapter 22