Chapter 9
The tires of Elena’s unmarked cruiser shrieked as she slammed the vehicle into reverse, backing out of the driveway just as two dark SUVs turned the corner onto their residential street, their high beams flashing blindingly through the windshield. In the backseat, Lieutenant Miller let out a harsh, mocking laugh, his handcuffed wrists rattling against the safety partition.
"You're driving right into a trap, Reyes," Miller sneered, leaning forward against the cage. "Every patrol car in this sector is on the radio right now looking for a stolen vehicle matching this plates. You won't make it to the federal building."
Elena ignored him, her eyes locked on the road ahead as she shifted into drive and floored the accelerator. The cruiser surged forward, cutting across a grassy median to evade the oncoming SUVs before they could block the intersection. Gravel flew against the undercarriage with a deafening rattle.
In the passenger seat, Sarah operated a secure satellite terminal, her fingers flying across the compact keyboard as she illuminated a tactical map of the city. "Mom, they've set up a roadblock on 4th Street. All federal entry points are being monitored by precinct units on auxiliary frequencies."
"Then we don't take the highway," Elena said, her voice steady as she whipped the steering wheel hard to the right, plunging the cruiser into the maze of industrial warehouses near the rail yards. The labyrinth of rusted container ships and darkened loading docks offered a chaotic labyrinth where modern surveillance cameras were sparse and patrol routes were slow.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Elena asked for a fraction of a second, glancing sideways at her daughter.
"I'm fine, Mom. Just keep driving," Sarah replied, though her knuckles were white as she clutched the hard drive containing the financial evidence against the department. "The DOJ contact—Agent Vance... wait, no, Agent Sterling. She just pinged our secure beacon. She says to meet her at the old rail depot behind the grain elevators."
"That's twenty blocks away," Elena calculated quickly, checking her rearview mirror. One of the dark SUVs had managed to track their turn and was now closing the distance, its headlights slicing through the industrial fog like searchlights. "And we've got company."
"They're gaining on us!" Sarah warned, looking back through the rear glass.
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Elena pushed the cruiser to its absolute limits, the engine screaming in protest as she navigated the sharp, unpaved turns of the industrial district. The pursuer was right on their bumper now, its front grill dangerously close to clipping their rear quarter-panel.
"Hold on!" Elena shouted, wrenching the wheel toward an open chain-link gate leading into the abandoned rail yard.
