The bumpy drive out to the road was torture. Every thump and divot jostled my injured arm, sending lightning bolts of pain through my whole body. Teeth gritted, I drove slowly to avoid the jarring as best I could, but it was difficult with only on arm to steer. I could only imagine the pain Dominic must have experienced spread across the back seat.
Turning the car onto the dirt road when the driveway ended was another monumental task. I used the car’s forward momentum to aid me, but it was still excruciating. Thankful that we had ditched the Mustang with it’s manual transmission for an everyday Joe-schmoe automatic, I drifted past the black car Bill Jennings and company had left on the road.
Well, isn’t that typical, I mused. Crooked FBI agent drives a shiny black Beamer. It was like a scene from a movie, only Allison and I weren’t movie stars. This was really happening to us.
We were on our way home, but I was still scared out of my head. Jennings had said that Ritter was coming, but when? I didn’t want to run into him on the way out. No doubt he would have a driver and gunmen while he sat in the back seat.
Probably wearing a bulletproof vest, and sitting behind bulletproof glass, I though with a sneer.
I was in no condition to be runaway driving. One hand was in no way sufficient to navigate these roads at high speeds with a gun-blazing car on our tail. I kept a sharp eye on the road and forest ahead and prayed.
A few miles out, I caught the glint of sunlight on chrome and glass. My heart stuttered. There was no where to pull off unseen, so I slowed to stop choosing the left side of the road to better hide Dominic.
“What’s up, Ella?” Dominic asked in a weary voice.
“Everyone get on the floor,” I practically whispered. “There’s a car coming.”
Allison was curled in a tight ball under the dash before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt. Dominic flopped onto the floor with a grunt os pain as his wounded leg landed with a thud. He made his large frame as small as he could in the limited space.
I glanced out the windshield as I removed my seatbelt. A silver car was approaching. I couldn’t tell what it was through the trees, but it was large and roundish. Sliding my injured arm through the belt, I shimmied onto the floor, and tired to squeeze myself under the dash with the foot petals.
“Turn off the car,” Dominic hissed.
Fumbling, I turned the key and the engine died.
Crunching gravel froze me in place. The car crept as it came alongside ours, the driver riding the brake. I imagined whoever it was hanging out the window to look inside the Camry. If they were close enough, there was no hiding Dominic as he sprawled the width of the car in back. Of course, I was no better since I didn’t fit under the dash like Allison.
The car drove past us and stopped. A door opened and closed. Then another. The sound of gravel crunching underfoot as someone approached our mobile hideout had my heart about to burst with adrenaline.
I wasn’t sure we could survive another fight if this was Ritter and him men. Surely we would be out numbered and out gunned, not to mention both Dominic and I being in a weaken state.
I held my breath as the footsteps approached. I couldn’t see the window without lifting my head and exposing myself even more. It sounded like two people, but the steps were so slow and measured I couldn’t be sure.
At the sound of a fingernail tapping on the window, I knew we were found. I raised my head and stared into the most beautiful pair of green eyes I’d ever seen.
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