I didn't call John. Partly because I had forgotten and partly because the sun and pool were glorious. We enjoyed the amenities, especially the cabana, and then showered, changed, and headed off to dinner. We ate at the Italian place on the golf course as the sun set. The golfers had already finished their rounds, so there was no chance that we'd be accosted by a stray golf ball as we sat on the patio. The scene was out of a movie, it was that perfect.
"I've enjoyed the day," Imogen said, toasting with a glass of white.
"Me too, my love," I said, moving my glass toward Imogen's. "Except for the Bill part."
"I'm not toasting to that," she said. "Try again."
"OK, to us," I said.
"Lame," she said, and then we clinked glasses.
Dinner was delicious, and before we knew it, darkness had enveloped Delmar. We picked up the check, signed for it, then took a golf cart shuttle back to the main clubhouse.
"Home or a drink?" I asked.
"I'm tired. Let's call it a day," she said.
I told Imogen to wait in a chair in the lobby while I fetched the car from the valet. She protested, citing what had happened the last time that I proposed that same plan. I told her not to worry, that I would keep my eyes peeled for charging old bulls. She laughed and sat down.
I made it to the valet station without incident, retrieved my car and my wife, and then we headed home.
"You OK to drive?" she asked.
"It's a little late for that question, since I'm already driving, but I'm fine. Haven't had a drink since dinner."
"Good. I think I drank too much wine," she said.
"You just about finished the bottle by yourself," I said. "Just close your eyes and enjoy the ride."
She took my advice. I drove along the back roads of Manors admiring the homes. Even in the darkness I could still make out how nice they were. Streetlights illuminated some of the roads, but some of the neighborhoods had lights few and far between. They were the last remnants of the old, true country roads that used to snake their way through this entire town. There was still one of those roads here in Manors that could have been on a number of car commercials. It was a beautiful, winding, desolate road, lined with trees and a slight cliff off to one side. I loved it.
As I drove along through the neighborhoods, I noticed a car behind me with his brights on. It was blinding me. I pushed the button on my rearview mirror, launching it into night mode, and carried on. The lights became more intense as he closed in on the back of my car. Then he hit me. Hard. But he kept driving, pushing my car forward.
"What was that?" Imogen asked.
"Someone is trying to run us off the road. Hold on," I said.
I gunned it. My car took off like a rocket as I wound my way through the back streets, turning, weaving at speeds that were way too high. But the lights followed. I could hear the car behind me screeching around the turns, trying to keep up with me as I sped along.
As fast as I was driving, I couldn't lose him. He came up again, this time going even faster, and rammed into the right side of my bumper. The collision knocked Ginny and me forward. He was trying to spin me out. I held onto the wheel, floored the car, and turned the car left to straighten it out. Then my back window shattered.
A bullet had flown through it and cracked it on impact.
"Get down!" I screamed. "Someone is shooting at us."
Imogen slumped in her seat. I tried to get down low enough to avoid getting shot in the back of my head. I turned left, trying to avoid the shooter. I weaved right. I sped up as fast as I could while making turns, driving through the neighborhoods. We were quickly approaching Snake Road, the old country road. Bullets were ringing out, hitting my car in different places. None of the bullets had managed to get through the cracked back window.
The car shooting at me had caught up, managed to get next to me, and was now speeding dangerously close, almost level with me, as we turned onto Snake Road, the cliff off to my right. A bullet flew through my back driver's side window.
"Shit, he's close," I said.
"Floor it, Max," Ginny yelled.
I tried to see who was driving the car. I couldn't. He was in my blind spot. Then he rammed us on the left side of my car. The Audi was pushed to the right. My front wheel was slipping off the road onto the dirt, heading directly for the cliff at a dangerously high speed.
I yanked the wheel hard to the left, my tires screeching and the rubber burning. I knocked into him, and his car bounced left. I was back on the road. I pleaded with my car to give me everything that she had. I floored it as more shots rang out. My window shattered, the bullet hitting my roof. Inside. That was way too close.
The car collided with me again, and this time it had pushed me even closer to the edge of the road. My front and back right tires were now on the dirt as more shots rang out. He was trying to kill us. I held on and forced, then willed the car to right itself. Then I slammed on the brakes.
I was thrown against my seat belt. The ABS took over as my lungs were compressed. Three brake pumps later, my two front wheels were hanging over the edge. We were on a bend, and we were dangerously close to tipping over.
I watched the car that was trying to kill us slam on his brakes as he passed. I could smell the smoke coming off his tires as they left what were surely marks on the pavement. He was backing up, trying to ram us over the cliff.
He charged at my car in reverse, trying to angle himself perfectly for one good shot. I flipped my car into reverse and, despite my panic, tried to take it slow. I needed to calmly reverse out of this mess. If I went too fast I might just spin my wheels. But I was lucky. My car had all-wheel drive.
The red lights were approaching quickly. I stepped on the gas as he charged at me. My car moved, and then I felt both front wheels back on the dirt. I floored it in reverse, but I was too late. The car slammed into the side of my hood, spinning me around. When the car stopped, I was facing the part of the road that we had just driven. I floored it again and started to speed away. But my pursuer was relentless. More gunshots rang out as he turned his car around and sped toward me again.
He was getting closer. He finally managed to get himself almost alongside Ginny's side of the car.
"Can you see who's driving?"
"No!"
"Hold on!"
It had taken all of my strength. I turned the wheel with all of my might into him. I kept my foot firmly pressed on my gas pedal, forcing the car next to me into rocks on the side of the road. His car hit a large rock formation that jetted up from the road, forming a wall of sorts. His car spun around and around, and then I saw smoke. I didn't care. I just kept going straight. Speeding as fast as my car could take us. Away from the scene.
"You OK?" I asked, once I knew we were safe.
"Yes. My God! What was that?"
"Someone just tried to kill us," I said.
"They almost had us," she said.
"Almost."