“Right,” he said grimly. He looked toward her. “Can you trade places with me?”
She gaped. What was he talking about? This wasn’t a television show. “Sure.” This was crazy. She gingerly set her gun on the dash. His seat was all the way back, so she nudged over and almost sat on his lap, putting her hands inside his on the steering wheel. He smoothly slid out from under her, and her butt hit the warm seat. She tried to scoot forward to touch the gas pedal.
“Use the button,” Denver said patiently, keeping his foot pressed to the gas.
The snowy world sped by outside.
She looked and found the button on the door, pressing it forward until she could reach the pedal. Then she set her foot next to his, and he let up.
She kept the pace going.
“Whew,” Tina muttered from the backseat. “You two are insane.”
Noni clutched her sweaty hands to the steering wheel. “What’s the plan?”
He took out his own gun and shoved the temporary plastic away from the passenger side window. “I’m going to shoot the tires. As soon as they stop, you stop. The two of you stay in the car.” His hand looked steady as he pointed the gun out the window. “Try not to hit the ambulance if we go into a slide.”
Panic clicked through her until she couldn’t speak. So she nodded instead.
Denver glanced over his shoulder. “Tina? Seat belt.” Then he took in Noni. “You too.”
They both fastened their belts.
Denver turned back to the window again, aimed, and fired. Even though the gun was outside the window, the sound was deafening. He shot again. The right rear tire of the ambulance blew into pieces. The vehicle swerved crazily, smashing up the snowbank into the hill.
Noni pressed on the brakes and the car skidded. She kept control and rolled to a stop on the passenger side of the ambulance.
Denver was out of the SUV and firing toward the front of the ambulance before she could take a breath.
Tina screamed and scrambled out of her belt. “Don’t shoot Jamie.”
“He won’t.” Noni released her belt and grabbed her gun, pushing from the car. She pointed it toward the back of the ambulance and slowly walked toward the rear doors.
Denver was instantly at her side, shoving her behind him. He reached the back and yanked open the door, staying behind the metal.
“What the holy fuck?” came from the back.
Denver peered around the door. “Malloy?”
“Yeah. Get me the hell out of here.”
Tina rushed forward and leaped into the back of the ambulance.
Noni peeked around Denver to see Malloy sitting up and hugging Tina. His legs were strapped to the gurney, but it looked like he’d gotten his arms free. “I’m, ah, drugged. Who did you just kill?”
Noni gaped and looked beyond Malloy to a man in all black slumped over the steering wheel. His head was turned and his dead eyes seemed to look back at her.
“We have to go,” Denver said, jumping into the vehicle and releasing Malloy’s legs. “Can you stand?”
“Yes,” Malloy snapped, his brown eyes somehow both cloudy and furious. He stood, and Denver shoved a shoulder beneath his arms.
Tina scrambled around and grabbed several medical supplies from bins. Noni braced her feet and helped Denver get Malloy out of the ambulance, then into the backseat of the SUV. Before she knew it, they were speeding in the other direction, Tina double-checking Malloy’s bandages.
“I need to get to the station,” Malloy barked, his face pale.
“You’re getting out of town,” Denver returned, taking a sharp turn on the ice. “All of you. There’s a helicopter that will provide transport, and you’re taking it.”
Noni shook her head. “I’m not leaving.”
