Splinter (The Machinists Book 2) by Craig Andrews

Allyn’s door, and Jaxon nearly lost control. He slid beyond the intersection, bouncing off a parked car before finally righting the vehicle.
    Crash!
    Allyn looked behind them. Steam bloomed from the hood of the Mercedes, obscuring the white Impala that had slammed into it. Jaxon must have hit the Mercedes hard enough to block the intersection.
    We did it , Allyn thought. It worked! The driver stepped out of the Mercedes just before Jaxon turned down a side street. Somewhere, buried under his relief, Allyn felt bad for the other driver.
    “See that traffic signal up ahead?” Allyn asked. “That’s Lovejoy. Turn left onto it and follow it up the hill.”
    Jaxon nodded and slowed to a more reasonable speed. The sirens had grown faint, but Allyn still didn’t want to attract more attention . Though a Town Car with a shattered headlight isn’t exactly inconspicuous .
    Turning his attention to Nyla, Allyn felt concern quickly replace exultation. She was slumped against the seatbelt, blood dripping from her face. Leira unbuckled and climbed between the front seats to get into the back with them. She took Nyla’s hand in hers, and white pulses of energy immediately rippled up Nyla’s arm, disappearing under her navy compression armor. When they reached the top of her head and the tips of her fingers, they reversed course, returning back through Nyla’s body to Leira’s hand. With each returning ripple, Leira would learn more about Nyla’s condition.
    Leira’s expression softened. “She’s got a bump on the head and some moderate bruising, but other than that, she’s fine.”
    “Can you wake her?” Jaxon asked.
    “In a moment,” Leira said. The waves of energy took on a new intensity. The white light grew brighter, causing Nyla’s skin to glow, and shot through her with greater urgency. Nyla stirred. Allyn knew that somewhere under the mess of silver hair, the cut on Nyla’s scalp was healing, and another was simultaneously forming on Leira’s head. Because they were mostly minor wounds, Leira had healed them only enough to stop the bleeding. She shouldered the pain with Nyla without taking it all on herself.
    As the ripples dimmed and dissipated, Nyla regained consciousness. “What happened?” Her voice was strained and groggy, as if she’d been woken up in the dead of night.
    “We escaped.”
    “And me?”
    “We were in an accident,” Leira said. “You’re okay now.”
    “Thank you.” Nyla gave Leira a small smile and sat up to scan their surroundings. “Where are we?”
    “We’re—”
    The engine sputtered.
    Jaxon frowned at the dash, obviously confused. The car sputtered again, and the headlights flickered. Half a block later, the engine died, leaving them coasting.
    “What’s wrong?” Leira asked.
    “I don’t know,” Jaxon said. The dash lights had gone completely dark.
    “Are we out of gas?” Allyn asked.
    “No.” Jaxon turned the key. Nothing. He did it again, pumping the gas. Still nothing. Not even a click. “Come on,” he urged the car.
    “Find somewhere to pull over,” Allyn said.
    That was easier said than done. The neighborhood was full of older homes without garages. Cars lined both sides of the street, not an empty space among them.
    Still coasting, Jaxon continued to try to start the car. Eventually, the car came to rest in the middle of a four-way intersection. Jaxon cursed, slamming his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. He turned to the three of them, fury in his eyes. “Out.”
    Allyn hesitated. Jaxon’s anger made him uncomfortable. The man was usually so practiced in hiding his emotions. Nyla and Leira attempted to exit the passenger side, but the door wouldn’t open. They turned to him, wearing the same impatient expression.
    Allyn popped open the door and jumped out. Seeing the car from the outside, he was amazed it had gone as far as it had. The driver’s door was caved in, and a long red dent trailed behind it like a tail from a meteor. The rear