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They make it look so easy in the movies, but it’s not as simple in real life. With the rocking motion of the car, the howling wind and the slippery roof, which is not as flat as it always looks in the movies, either, it’s flipping treacherous up here.
Suppressing my fear, I get ready to launch myself across the gap. On a wing and a prayer, I pick up speed and take a flying leap. My gaze drops to look between the coupled cars and I see the track rolling by fast below. Before I can even be scared, my feet land on the roof of the next car and I stagger forward, somehow keeping my balance, and I continue racing forward. We’re losing more speed which means I can run faster, but it also means so can Goliath.
Cursing under my breath, sprinting into the wind, I hear pounding boots behind me.Oh, no.He’s catching up and I swap caution for speed. The next jump between cars is approaching fast and I get ready to leap, emboldened by the success of my last attempt.
Just a little further…
Almost…
You’ve got this,I tell myself.
The moment I spring into the air, a hand grabs the back of my jacket, startling me and completely derailing my plan. It breaks my momentum and screws up my trajectory.Royally.I fly backward and drop down hard on my ass. Goliath manages to rip my jacket off, knocking me off-balance, and I fall sideways.
Then I roll right over the edge of the car with a high-pitched scream.
Chapter Nine: Dash
The moment I’m about to step into the next train car, the second to last one, I hear the scuffle above and then Lake’s scream pierces the air. My blood turns to ice as I shove the exit door open, hustle up the adjacent ladder, skipping half the damn rungs, and leap onto the train car’s roof.
A behemoth of a man is leaning over the side, trying to grab Lake who, by the grace of God, is hanging onto the side of the train, flapping in the wind like a flag. By the time the man looks over and notices me, it’s too late. My Glock is out and I shoot him in the shoulder. He flies backward, lands on his back and rolls off the side opposite Lake and into thin air.
I don’t waste time trying to find him. Running to the edge, I drop, skidding over on my knees and peer down to see Lake still swinging in the wind. Stretching out on my stomach, I grab her wrists.
The panic in her brown eyes diminishes slightly once she’s in my secure grip.
“I’ve got you!” I yell. Then I heave her up over the side and straight into my arms. The icy terror that filled me when I thought she’d fallen lessens somewhat as I check her over, searching for injuries, running my hands over her arms, legs, then back up through her disheveled hair and cupping her pale face. “Are you okay?”
She presses a shaky hand against mine and nods, brown eyes blinking rapidly.
“Jesus,” I hiss and lean my forehead against hers. Struggling to get my rapid breathing and pulse rate under control, I look back up as the train pulls into the station, horn blaring. Loosening my hold, I help her stand up. “C’mon, Red. We’re getting off this fucking train.”
I tuck my gun back in the holster beneath my jacket and guide Lake over to the ladder. She’s still trembling, but she climbs down and I follow right behind her. As the train slows to a complete stop, I step down onto the platform then reach up and help her.
“Let’s move.” Taking her hand, we hustle through the crowded station. My hyper vigilant gaze moves back and forth and, once we clear the station and step outside, I feel better.
“What now?” she asks.
“Now we borrow a car and get the hell out of here.”
“Borrow?”
“Steal,” I clarify.
“Oh!” Her legs move fast, trying to keep up with my long-legged strides, but I don’t slow down. For all I know, there might be more mercs around and I won’t feel safe until we’re far away from here.
I pull out two small devices from deep within a cargo pocket and discreetly move them around, trying to pick up the signal from a nearby key fob as we weave through the parking lot. I’m really hoping for a Volkswagen and not one of these little electric supermini cars. We’ll take whatever starts first, but I prefer something with a real engine.
Beside me, a small blue and white Microlino starts and I almost don’t notice because it’s silent.Oh, for fuck’s sake.Out of all the cars in this lot, we’re going to be stuck in one smaller than my closet. “Here,” I say and roll my eyes, shoving the RF device back into my pocket.
“This is a car?” Lake asks.
“Hard to believe, right?” I pop the front of the bubble car open and it swings upward, opening to reveal two small seats inside. “After you.”
Lake climbs in and then I get in beside her, pulling the entire front part of the car back down, trying to bend my long legs just right so I can actually close the damn thing around us. It’s a tight squeeze and our shoulders touch. At least it’s nondescript and we’ll blend right in.
“I feel like we’re on a carnival ride,” she says and I chuckle. “What were those boxes you were waving around?”
“An RF device,” I say, driving us out of the lot. “It allows you to steal a keyless-start car by picking up the radio signal from the key fob and transmitting it back to the second device which unlocks and turns the car on.”
