Chapter 14
The unmarked sedan tore down the deserted asphalt of Route 9, its headlights cutting through the dense, midnight fog rolling in from the coastline. Christopher drove with absolute focus, his eyes darting continuously between the road ahead and the rearview mirror, while Lily slept soundly in the back seat, wrapped safely in a wool police blanket.
Detective Miller sat in the passenger seat, tapping rapidly on a secure military laptop. “The DOD inspector general has authorized a full raid on Captain Harrison’s quarters at dawn. We just need to hold out for three more hours.”
“We won’t make it three hours,” Christopher stated flatly, his foot pressing harder against the accelerator.
“Why do you say that?” Miller asked, looking up from the screen.
Before Christopher could answer, twin beams of blinding high-intensity headlights flashed aggressively in the rearview mirror. A heavy black SUV had appeared out of nowhere, tailgating their bumper at terrifying speeds, its engine roaring like a caged beast.
“Hold on,” Christopher muttered, jerking the steering wheel hard to the left as the SUV suddenly accelerated, attempting to ram their rear quarter-panel.
Metal shrieked against metal as the heavy vehicle slammed into the side of Christopher’s car, sending a shower of orange sparks flying across the wet highway. Lily stirred in the back seat, letting out a soft, frightened cry.
“Shh, baby, go back to sleep, Daddy’s got you,” Christopher shouted over the roar of the engine, fighting to keep the sedan from spinning out of control on the slick asphalt.
“They’re trying to run us off the road!” Miller yelled, drawing his sidearm and rolling down the passenger window, braving the freezing rain to fire three rapid shots toward the oncoming SUV’s tires.
The shots struck the hood of the aggressive vehicle, but it didn't slow down. Instead, a masked figure emerged through the sunroof of the SUV, holding a heavy-duty tactical assault rifle, leveling the barrel directly at Christopher’s windshield.
“Duck!” Christopher roared, hauling Miller down by the collar just as a hail of automatic gunfire shattered the front windshield into a million glittering shards.
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Glass rained down inside the cabin, cutting Christopher’s cheek and showering the back seat. Operating purely on instinct, Christopher slammed on the brakes, causing the heavier SUV to overshoot them by thirty yards.
As the SUV skidded to a halt ahead of them to block the two-lane highway, Christopher shifted the sedan into reverse, spinning the car 180 degrees in a cloud of burning rubber, and bolted back in the direction they had come.
