Too risky,he mouths.
I nod, frustration inching through my neck and down my spine. Focusing on the truck Mia’s in, I make a silent prayer to the universe that nothing happens to her. The truck swerves across three lanes of traffic. A red car turns sharply right, avoiding hitting her and Sanders but instead collides with the side of a blue people wagon. Smoke billows into the air, obstructing the view for a minute.
We’ve lost visual.
The raspy voice of the pilot comes through my headset.
I text Jonesy.
Alfie:Stay on her.
Mia
The slam and crunch of metal on metal lets me know that the red car we just swerved into has crashed into another vehicle. Idare not look behind to see the aftermath in case it aggravates Carter further. His white knuckles contrast against the black of the steering wheel and they match my own, gripping the edge of the bench.
The sirens blaring behind us aren’t helping. It’s only causing him to drive more dangerously. I place my hand on his thigh, desperately trying to reassure him so we can get off this damn highway. We’re heading north, but he hasn’t told me where to. I presume he’s heading for the border at this point. Especially now that the police are following us.
“Carter,” I say softly.
He grunts, and I squeeze his thigh.
“Carter.”
“This is your fault.He’ssent them here.”
I take a deep breath, looking out the window. The man in the car next to us looks at me, lowering his sunglasses.
Holy shit.
It’s Jonesy.
He holds a finger to his lips, warning me not to say anything, so I flick my head back toward the road. Carter has slowed down a little. We’re not swerving through traffic like we were, but if he spots Jonesy, it’s all over. Twisting so I’m facing Carter, I maneuver my hand behind my back and strain my fingers to spell out the lettersB. A. C. K. U. P.in sign language.
“What are you doing?” he spits.
“I’ve got an itchy back,” I say, leaning forward to show him my fake attempt.
“Okay,” he breathes.
“Hey, why don’t we pull over? Then I can explain to the police that this is a misunderstanding, and I went with you willingly. I’ll tell them how we reconnected.”
He says nothing but continues past an opportunity to pull off the highway. I look out the window and see that Jonesy got mymessage. In my side mirror, I can see him behind us from a car’s distance.
The sirens are closer now as more and more cars move out of the way. Carter weaves across the lanes and at the next junction pulls off at the last second.
Jonesy’s car misses the turn, and I close my eyes, willing myself not to cry in front of Carter.
Another car behind us swerves into place in front of the four police cars, which are now chasing us down a country lane. Fields run parallel to the road, mostly muddy with a hint of green with the beckoning springtime. He’s keeping the same speed as when we were on the highway, hurtling at a pace that is going to kill someone, if not us. By some miracle, there doesn’t seem to be any oncoming traffic.
Up ahead, I can see a car pulled over between two trees. A man throws something out into the road and then dips back behind the car, crouching down behind the vehicle. Carter spots this too, and tugs the right-hand side of the steering wheel down hard, but the wheel must hit something because we start to spin out of control.
The car flips; my body lifting out of the seat. My shoulder strains against my seatbelt as we’re airborne. My hair floats around me, tickling my nose. The feeling of weightlessness is quickly shattered as the noise of crushing metal and splintered glass of the windscreen hit my eardrums. I close my eyes on instinct, and before I can take a breath, the car is thankfully upright again, landing on its wheels rather than the roof.
A scorching pain rips through my leg as my head swims from all the rolls. Bile crawls up my throat as I try sucking in air. My heart is racing, smoke billows out of the engine and I hear shouting, screams, my name being yelled by a familiar voice.
The sirens are louder now, the high-pitched wail emanating before I realize the sound is coming from me. My leg screams atme as I try to shift in my seat. I undo my seatbelt, but an officer runs toward the door.
“Just stay still ma’am, emergency services are on the way.”
