Page 76 of Breathe Me In

“Good.” I pulled back on my speed and waited for them to get closer. “Good. Just keep going like normal. Don’t swerve or anything.” I talked him through it. “The more normal we look, the smoother this will go.”

The two vehicles passed me, then I took my foot off the brake to make sure my brake lights didn’t show. Once they rounded the curve in the road, I pulled a U-turn and headed back toward them. “Okay, Adam, I’m behind him, and he’s tapping his brakes. He wants me to pass.”

“That’s what he did to me.”

I looked around and saw headlights way behind me. I guessed it was Kennedy. Suddenly, an arm popped up out of the window ahead, and the driver waved at me to go around. “He’s getting nervous. I’m going to toss my lights on, so be ready.” I flipped the switch, and my red and blue lights lit up the area around us. Instantly, the truck took off, but Adam was ready and blocked his path. He swerved back, but again Adam quickly blocked him. I grabbed the microphone and made sure I did everything by the book so there was zero chance a lawyer could find fault with me. I knew my dash camera was recording, so that would also work in my favor. “This is the SPD. Pull over.”

Nothing.

I snagged my radio from the dash. “Dispatch, this is Detective Stone. I’m in an unmarked vehicle, and I’m following a wanted suspect going south on the main highway. Suspect is refusing to stop. I will be administering the PIT maneuver.”

“Copy that, Detective Stone.” The rush that normally came with this part of the job coursed through me.

I tried to contain my excitement at finally nailing this asshole. “Did you hear that, Adam?”

“Yes, sir. I’m ready when you are.”

“Speed up so he doesn’t clip you.”

“Copy that.” I heard his engine roar. “You’re good to go.”

I checked my surroundings and saw the coast was clear. Then I pressed on the gas and gunned it. I planned to bump his fender with my brush guard. He shot forward just as I was going to hit him. I got myself in position again, but this time he slammed on his brakes, and I flew off to the side.

“Shit!” I snagged the shoulder and fought to keep the wheel straight. My tires caught the rumble strip, and I was violently shaken. Suddenly, I was swung off on the shoulder when my wheel hooked in a groove. I was forced to drive next to him over the rough ground. My body bounced around like a rag doll. This wasn’t good, considering how large his vehicle was compared with my car. I silently cursed the highway department for not keeping up the roads.

“Come on!” I fought to keep some kind of control. A speed limit sign up ahead was going to make or break this moment. The bottom of my car screamed at me to do something as it scraped along the nearly frozen ground. “Come on, come on!” I shouted at myself. I forced my foot to ease off the gas, and he took off ahead of me. I desperately swerved to get my wheels back onto the pavement. At the last second, I caught traction and skidded back onto the road. I zigzagged, trying to gain control, leaving a trail of rubber behind me.

Adam’s voice pushed through the speakers. “You okay, Stone?”

“Yeah.” I accelerated hard to gain some speed on him again. All excitement was gone. Now I was just pissed. “Get ready,” I warned out loud. I acted like I was going for the right side of the bumper again, but at the last second, I switched to the left. He swung left, too, and I slammed into him, sending both of us into a twisting spin across the highway. Screeching tires deafened me, rocks and dirt flew all around us, but it was worth it when we came to a stop, and all I could hear was a screaming engine.

I tore off my seat belt and ripped my door open as Adam’s car skidded to a stop ahead of mine.

“Cover me!” I shouted as I pulled my weapon and raced across the road where the truck had gone off the highway and hit a tree. “Hands up, Ford!” I yelled as I approached. I wasn’t sure what I was walking up on. “Don’t be dead, you son of a bitch.” I carefully approached and felt Adam behind me. “You’re not gonna get off that easily—” I opened the door and pointed my weapon. My stomach took a massive dive. “Who the hell are you?” I then called over my shoulder. “Smith, call a medic.”

“Ahh.” The man struggled to move, and my disappointment set in. I saw he’d been trying to type a text message. I grabbed the phone from him and read the text.

Zach Savage: Gumbo drive my truck to our meeting spot.

Me: Cops are on to the truck. I’ll stall . . . was all that he’d been able to type in, but he hadn’t pressed send.

Zach Savage, I repeated internally as it pulled at a memory from years ago. Huh . . .

“You got ID on you?” I felt around the man’s pockets as he struggled to breathe. I felt his wallet and pulled out his license. “Rodger Gummy. Wow, that’s quite the last name. I’d stick with Gumbo.” Sirens could be heard in the distance. I checked the man over. “Can you speak?”

“No,” he gasped.

“Well, that’s a start.” I wiggled a glove over my hand and felt his weak pulse. “Wanna tell me why you’re driving Timothy Ford’s truck and why you’re texting someone named Zach Savage about us? Are you involved in those murders too?” His eyes widened and his mouth opened as if he were going to say something.

I felt around his stomach, and he yelped. “You’ve got internal bleeding. Looks like the airbag got you pretty hard. That’s all I can see, but I’m no doctor.”

His mouth opened, then shut again.

“I see you’re wearing a cross.” I gave him a little shake. “Hey, stay with me. Hey, Gumbo, you might wanna do the right thing with the man upstairs and tell me where Timothy is.”

Saliva dripped from his chin as he turned his head ever so slowly to look at me. “This is”—he coughed—“far from over, Detective Stone. So many foxes.” He smiled, then his head fell as he lost consciousness.

There had been a couple of times in my life when something had chilled me to my core. The river murders, the first time I’d witnessed my brother have a PTSD episode, and now this man’s comment.