Chapter Forty-One

Rain slammed onto the windshield, forcing Rory to slow down as visibility dwindled rapidly in the stormy gloom. The road was treasonously slippery, and the trees swayed furiously. Every time the car skidded a little, he cursed Creed for forcing their speedy departure.

Thunder roared overhead as they slowly made their way toward the main road.

He didn’t like it.

None of it.

“We’ve got company,” said Nina from the passenger seat. She was sitting sideways, her eyes on the dirt road behind them.

His eyes snapped to the rearview mirror. For a moment he didn’t see anything, but then the hood of a massive truck swerved into view from around the curve. A sinking sensation hit his gut.

It was going fast. Faster than was smart on a road like this, in this kind of weather. Could be anyone. Some hunter on his way home. A fisherman. Hikers wanting to get home in a hurry.

But instinct told him they had real trouble on their asses.

He kept one eye on the approaching vehicle as he carefully navigated through another curve while weighing their options. The truck popped into view again. It was accelerating, rather than slowing down as any sane person would under the present weather conditions.

Another deafening clap of thunder sounded overhead.

“Tighten your seatbelt.”

Nina frowned but did as he ordered. “If that is your little friend, we’ve got bigger problems than a loose seatbelt, Rory.”

Joey?

The truck was rapidly gaining on them.

A hundred feet, and closing.

Rory jerked at the wheel as the rental skidded through another curve. They missed a tree by a hair. Joey braced herself against the dash but kept looking back at the truck. “He’s still coming.”

The driver had to be fucking crazy to drive that fast. The 4x4 swerved from one side of the road to the other as the driver struggled to keep the massive vehicle on course.

What were the chances that this was just some joker who’d had one beer too many?

Slim to none.

Rory slowed a little, hoping that the truck would speed right past them. Instead, the truck shot forward, nosing closer like some sort of monster, until the grill filled the entire rearview mirror.

“What are you doing?” Joey demanded, casting him a startled glance.

“Letting him pass.” The words had barely left his mouth when the truck slammed into their rear end.

Swearing, he gunned the rental. “Hold on!” He muscled the car around the next curve, creating a little more distance between the two vehicles.

The truck kept up as they came out of the curve.

“Son of a bitch!”

Mud flew everywhere and pounding rain seriously obstructed his view.

Not good.

“Is it Creed?” Joey asked. She was barely managing to keep her seat.

“Can’t see. Fucking windows are blacked out.”

Not that it was some big mystery. Had to be Creed.

Behind them the engine roared.

“Hold on.” Rory braced as the truck hit them again. Harder this time. The rental swerved dangerously, the back tires unable to find traction.

Both vehicles slip-slided their way along the curvy road. Right now his biggest fear was that Creed would push them off the road entirely. No way was their sedan a match for the truck’s sheer mass.

Again the truck slammed into their rear end, causing the rental to fishtail madly. It was all Rory could do to keep from swerving straight into the tree line.

“We are so fucked,” Joey muttered.

He didn’t look at her. Didn’t dare.

Keeping the car going was taking every ounce of concentration.

Up ahead the trees broke apart, showing the blacktop of the intersecting highway like some sort of homing beacon. Their rough mountain track was rapidly widening, ending in a T where it met the highway. Slippery rivulets of water and mud streamed down toward the road. It was going to be a bitch making that turn. The mud was likely to make it a sliding fest.

No choice. The truck was right behind them.

He pushed down on the gas pedal and prayed there was no traffic coming from either direction as he made straight for the crossing.

The rental shot from the drenched track onto the muddy blacktop like a rocket. They hit the opposite lane with the squeal of metal. He could feel the tires lose traction, throwing them into a tailspin that almost sent them careening over the embankment on the other side. For one terrifying moment, he feared that he was going to fail. That he wasn’t going to be able to keep Nina alive, after all.

But at the very last second, he managed to wrestle back control of the car.

Traction regained, he slammed his foot on the accelerator.

The truck was right behind them, its massive tires finding it less difficult to keep to the road, while its mass made it tilt dangerously through the turn. For a moment, Rory thought they were going to get lucky. That Creed would tip the damn thing over, but then he, too, regained control and resumed his pursuit.

“He’s still behind us,” Joey called.

No kidding.

Thank God there were no other cars on the road. On the blacktop, their rental had a small advantage over the 4x4. Both hands on the wheel, window wipers swooshing like mad, he barreled southward.

Thunder rumbled violently overhead, fierce gusts of winds slamming into the vehicle with enough force to make driving in a straight line a challenge.

In the rearview mirror, he could see the truck increasing speed despite the hair-raising conditions. The guy was friggin’ insane!

Holding the rental as steady as he could on the slick, wet road, Rory increased his speed as much as he dared. He swore in frustration when the truck caught up and started to overtake them in the opposite lane.

Still no oncoming traffic.

“Here he comes!” Joey shouted.

Rory’s teeth rattled when the truck hit them sideways. The rental fishtailed a little, but he managed to keep going.

“Fucking lunatic!” he ground out, struggling to keep the car just ahead of the truck.

It wasn’t working. Steadily, the truck pulled up right next to him and kept accelerating. The son of a bitch was going to try to cut them off.

“Here. Use this.” Joey held out her Smith & Wesson.

What the hell was he supposed to—

“Shoot the tires!”

Right!

He lowered his window. Rain slapped into him in torrents. Taking the gun, he aimed at the front tire that was coming up beside him.

All he managed was one shot, missing the tire by an inch, before Creed caught up on his plan and slammed on the brakes.

The truck swerved wildly and fell back as the other driver struggled to keep it on the road.

Rory made the most of the momentary reprieve. He wedged the gun at his hip and closed the window. He didn’t believe for a second that Creed would give up.

Joey called, “Here he comes again.”

Not bothering to respond, Rory stepped on it as he tried to think of a way to get rid of their pursuer.

In his mind he pictured the road map he’d memorized and remembered that a small town was coming up fast, along with several turn-offs.

What were the chances of losing Creed there?

Probably not much better than on the highway. They could try for the nearest sheriff’s office, but hick-town law-enforcement wouldn’t intimidate a man like Creed.

“Rory.”

He had to find a way. Anything to keep her safe.

“Rory!”

“What?” He threw her a quick glance.

“Look!” She pointed past his shoulder. It took him a moment to understand that she meant the railway track that ran alongside the highway. And another to register the massive freight train that was chugging along through the pounding rain. They were basically side-by-side, travelling at matching speeds.

“A train. So what?” He didn’t have time for this. Creed was now less than half a mile behind them.

Rolling her eyes, she said, “If you can get ahead of it before the next crossing we can put that train between us and Creed.”

Was she fucking serious?

“You’re nuts!”

“We can make it.”

He wasn’t so sure.

But he was fresh out of options. And the train was long, very long. If it worked, they’d actually have a chance of getting away.

What the hell.

He grinned. “It’s going to be close,” he told her as he palmed the water dripping off his face and increased speed as much as he dared. They nosed past the train.

Up ahead a junction became visible.

“I like those odds better than facing him.” With a tip of her head she indicated Creed’s truck closing in on them again.

So did he.

He floored the accelerator. Creed was less than a quarter of a mile behind them.

His skin icy but his hands sweaty, adrenaline pounded through his body. They had to make it.

Had to.

Rory didn’t let up on the gas until the last possible moment, then threw the car into a controlled skid to make the turn. For a moment he feared they were going to tip over and fought the wheel for all he was worth.

The juggernaut train was almost on them.

Beside him, Joey braced, and whispered, “Holy shit!”

And they shot across the tracks a scant fifteen feet before the train thundered past.

Rory barely flinched.

Both hands on the wheel, he just kept driving.