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Water welled up in Dan’s eyes. His arm hurt and he couldn’t steer the car, which was why they were currently careening across the lanes.
Ben grabbed the steering wheel, trying to correct their course. “Are you okay?”
“I’m hit.”
“I can see that. Are you going to pass out?”
“I...don’t think so. Hurts like hell though.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“Pain will keep you alert.”
Ben ripped open Dan’s shirt sleeve. “Looks like the bullet went clean through, thank God. A little more than a graze but certainly not fatal.”
“I...can’t move that arm.”
“That’s a problem.” Ben inched closer. “I’ll be your right arm.”
“You mean that figuratively?”
“Not today.” Ben eased the car back onto the proper lane. “If we stop or slow down, we’re toast.”
“He’s gaining on us,” Dan muttered through clenched teeth.
“Anything you can do about?”
Dan nodded. “You’re about to be grateful that I rented a luxury car.” He floored it.
The car surged ahead with a burst of speed that took even Dan by surprise. He watched the speedometer. A few seconds later, they were flying faster than 100 mph.
“Is this safe?” Ben asked, wild-eyed.
“No. But it’s better than being plugged by a maniac in a murder van. That low-rent bucket of bolts can’t possibly move this fast.”
“He’s trying.”
In the rear view, Dan could see the van closing the gap. “I’ve reached my upper limit. I can’t drive any faster.”
“Serpentine.”
“At this speed?”
“You’re not just dodging bullets. You’re baiting him into driving too fast and swerving too much.”
The light dawned. “Here we go.” Dan started swerving, without decreasing his insanely excessive speed.
Behind him, their pursuer tried to match his moves. He could hear tires squealing.
“Just a little more, I think,” Ben said. “But not too much.”
“How much is too much?”
“If you smash into a tree, it’s too much.”
“Piece of cake.” He increased his speed so he could surge ahead, then started swerving, even wider than before. The van tried to follow, but it probably didn’t have the same degree of control. He pushed harder on the accelerator.
“You’ve got him sweating bullets. As well as firing them,” Ben said.
“Wait till he sees what’s coming next.”
Dan kept his eyes on the rear view, and when he saw the van positioned directly behind him, he hit the brakes. The sudden deceleration sent the van into a frenzy. It slammed on its brakes, then swerved to avoid a collision. The van went one way, then the other, then jackknifed, doing a complete 180 and skidding off the side of the road. It plummeted across a ravine and straight into a cottonwood tree.
The van hit with such impact Dan thought he could feel it. Smoke rose from the hood.
“He won’t be bothering us again,” Dan said. “At least not for a while. Thanks to my expert driving.”
“Expert? I was a second away from taking your place behind the wheel.”
“Sure. Let’s go back and see who it was.”
“Are you joking? That driver is armed, remember? And possibly not alone.”
“He’s stunned. Or unconscious.”
“You don’t know that. If you go back, he might be waiting for you.”
“But I want to know—”
Ben didn’t release his grip on the wheel. “We got away, Dan. Don’t screw it up. Besides, we need to deal with your wound.”
“No doctors or ERs. I don’t want anyone to know where we are.”
“Just find a drugstore so I can sterilize and bandage the wound. Still hurt?”
“Like hell.”
“Ibuprofen is the best we can do without a prescription.”
“Fine. And then back on the road, right? Finding out who put a target on our backs?”
Ben nodded. “Or at the very least, spotting a UFO.”