I slouched lower and kept my grip on the dashboard. “Did he just try to run us off the road?”
“Seems like.” Lee slowed for a curve, tires squealing, then straightened out. “Here he comes again. Hang on.”
“Can’t we outrun him?”
“Maybe but I don’t want to because… Brace now!” He flung one arm sideways across my chest as Chuck hit us in the rear again. The pickup jumped and shuddered.
Fighting the wheel one-handed, Lee stomped on the gas to gain space, then a siren sounded close behind us. “Hell, yes,” he muttered. “Helloooo, Sheriff Tomlinson.”
“Are we stopping?”
“Let’s see what Chuck does first. I don’t want him plowing into us.” After a few seconds, Lee added, “He’s not slowing down. The sheriff’s on his ass.”
“Now what?”
“If you can manage without getting tossed around, take off the dress and the shawl. Stuff them under the seat. Take down your hair. Leave the hat for last. Chuck’s too busy to pay attention now.”
I wasn’t sure what Lee had in mind, but I would always back his plays. Ripping the dress off my body was harder than I expected as the truck’s speed jostled me against the door and then tried to slide me across the seat, but I managed. A few moments later, I was in respectable Levis and T-shirt, and down to the hat alone from my disguise.
“Brace again. I’ll try slowing.” Lee eased off the gas, then powered up again as Chuck tapped our bumper.
“Is he crazy?’ I asked. “He’s hitting us in front of a cop.”
“He can’t handle the idea that Peggy’s getting away from him. We’d better pray she gets clear, or I think he’ll kill her.”
“Not on my watch,” I muttered, and my wolf growled down in my chest.
“Well, now…” Lee’s attention focused forward, and I heard it too. Another siren approaching. “That makes life interesting.” He frowned, and I recognized Lee’sget us out of this messlook.When he got that expression on his face, I used to know to not ask questions and just follow his lead.
“Right,” he said. “Brace up good. I bet that approaching car is going to try to stop us by blocking the road. I’m going to head up the embankment around them. Let’s see what Chuck can do.”
I glanced at the steep hillside to our right. “Embankment? Won’t we roll?”
“Have a little faith. I drove a Jeep through the mountains of Italy along roads that doubled as goat tracks. Hold tight!”
Chapter 5
Lee
Stepping on the gas, I spared one second to make sure Micah had his feet braced and a two-handed grip on the dashboard. We rocketed toward the approaching sheriff’s cruiser, which slewed to a stop across the road, lights flashing, siren wailing. I had to slow a bit, judging angles, which gave Chuck an opening to tap my bumper again, hard.Right in front of the lawmen. Thanks, asshole.
Then I sped up to open a gap, spun the wheel, and steered my truck up the roadside embankment, our nose in the air, wheels churning. Micah yelped and hung on for dear life as we climbed past the cruiser with feet to spare, our upside wheels lifting, defying gravity. I willed the downslope tires to keep traction,fighting the steering, muttering curses. My pickup had a higher center of gravity than those workhorse 1940s jeeps.
Come on, you heap of junk, stay with me. No rolling.
Then the lifting wheels found the earth with a thud, all four tires gripped again, and we slid downward. I controlled the skid, fought the spin as we hit gravel, and came to rest on the shoulder.
An unholy crash behind us marked Chuck’s Buick burying its nose deep in the fender of the cruiser.Hell, yes!
My gasp of breath became a bark of laughter. “That’ll do it.”
“Should we keep going? So he doesn’t realize I’m not Peggy?” Micah released his white-knuckled grip on the dashboard.
“Not necessary.” I peered into my mirror and grinned. “He’s not chasing anyone in that car. Take that hat off and stuff it real deep under the seat. Come on.” I swung my door open.
Micah yanked off the hat and jammed it down past his feet, bent for a moment to make sure his whole disguise was well-concealed, then got out and followed me along the roadside. The sight of Chuck’s Buick leaking steam from a busted radiator with one tire blown flat filled me with glee. Even better was the sight of the two cops pointing their guns in his windows at him. I called to them, “You got him! Thank you! Did you see what he did to my truck?”
“You!” Tomlinson turned to us as the deputy hauled Chuck out of his car, shoved him up against the side, and began patting him down. “What the hell is going on here?”
