“STEADY!” I screamed. “AIM FOR THE TIRES!”
She fired.
The first shot went wide, sparking off the Tahoe’s hood.
Zoo swerved but didn’t slow down. He was right beside us now, close enough that I could see the murder in his eyes. I sped up.
Mehar fired again. And again. And again.
The Tahoe’s windshield cracked. Spiderwebbed. Zoo jerked the wheel instinctively, and I saw my opening—yanked the Acura hard to the left, forcing him onto the shoulder.
“THE TIRE!” I screamed. “HIT THE TIRE!”
Mehar adjusted her aim. Squeezed the trigger.
The front tire exploded.
The Tahoe swerved violently, fishtailing across the road, and I watched in the rearview as Zoo fought for control. He lost. The SUV spun once, twice, then careened off the road and into a drainage ditch, coming to rest at an ugly angle.
We didn’t stop.
I floored the accelerator, the damaged Acura groaning in protest but still running. The back window was gone. The mirror was gone. The windshield had a crack running through it from the impact. But we were alive.
We were alive.
“Is he dead?” Mehar was twisted in her seat, staring back at the wreckage. “Did I kill him?”
“I don’t know.” I couldn’t see movement from the Tahoe, but I couldn’t see a body either. “I don’t know.”
“Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God.” The Glock was still in her hands, the slide locked back on an empty magazine. She’d firedevery round. Her whole body was shaking now, the adrenaline wearing off, the reality of what she’d just done crashing over her.
“You did good.” I reached over and squeezed her arm. “You saved us. You hear me? You SAVED us.”
She nodded, but her eyes were glassy. Shock setting in.
My phone buzzed. Prime.
Prime:Almost there. Where are you?
Me:Just passed Miller Road. His car’s in a ditch. Don’t know if he’s dead.
Prime:Go to the warehouse. Code is 7491. Wait inside. Don’t come out until I get you.
Me:What are you going to do?
Prime:Handle it.
I turned onto the dirt road that led to the Banks Reserve warehouse—a massive storage facility in the middle of absolutely nowhere, surrounded by trees and silence. The perfect place to hide.
The perfect place to make someone disappear.
I punched in the code and pulled into the dark interior of the warehouse, killing the engine. For a long moment, neither of us moved. Just sat there in the damaged car, breathing hard, listening to the tick of the cooling engine and the pounding of our own hearts.
Then headlights appeared in the rearview.
Prime’s Bentayga rolled past the entrance, heading back toward the main road. Back toward Zoo.
I watched until his taillights disappeared into the darkness.
