took another swig of chocolate milk and grabbed the walkie.
“Old Yeller to X,” he said, for the fourteenth time. “Damn it, X, report.”
He didn’t need a blood pressure cuff to know his was escalating.
“Kade, relax,” Tiny said. “They could be out of range, or the battery might have
died. If the road is clear, they should be fine.”
He couldn’t relax. Ashton was out there, and he didn’t know if she was okay.
The SUV swerved across the road, swaying the trailer behind, before skidding to
a stop. Tiny stood on the brakes to avoid hitting the trailer. The bags in the bus
poured forward like an avalanche, burying Kade in the front seat. A hard case of
road flares smacked into the back of his head while a bat bag landed on his lap,
pinning him under the weight. Argos whined at the pile of gear that trapped Kade.
Tiny laughed, then started digging Kade free.
“ We’ve got a flat. Just going to be a quick minute while we fix this ,” Lucas’s voice
said over the walkie.
Back in the cop car, Mick grabbed the door handle to go help, when the headlights
from the Wilsons’ van illuminated the interior. The van plowed into the police cruiser.
Mick fought the steering wheel away from the ambulance. The impact sent the police
car across the shoulder and rolling over the embankment. Mick’s forehead crashed
into the steering wheel, knocking him unconscious.
The screws of the bulletproof lining in the police car punctured the gas tank. The
car rolled onto its roof, causing the screws to spark against the metal. The gas
ignited from the spark setting the rear of the car ablaze. The flames were too much
for the rain to put out, and each drop landed with a hiss. Mick dangled upside-down
unaware of the fiery doom creeping toward him.
Lucas stopped jacking up the SUV and rushed to the side of the road. The blaze of
the fire reflected the panic in his pupils.
The slap of his shoes against the pavement changed to the wet slop of mud. Lucas
dropped to his knees beside the upside-down car and grabbed the thick fabric of the
seat belt. His hands slid along the belt toward the clasp. The heat drove sweat from
his body.
A gunshot broke through the night. Lucas was slammed against the police car. Blood
rushed down his shirt from a bullet hole. The moment he saw the wound, pain coursed
from the disconnected muscles. With the pain came the realization that they were
under attack, which gave Lucas the boost of courage he needed to get Mick to safety.
He gritted his teeth and unhooked the seatbelt. Mick fell onto the roof of the car
and Lucas pulled him out through the window. Mick’s eyes blinked and focused on Lucas’s
face. Mick smiled like he had just awakened from a nice dream.
“I got ya,” Lucas said, before a bullet tore through the base of his skull, bursting
teeth and blood out the front. Lucas’s body collapsed beside Mick, who rolled onto
his belly searching the darkness for their attacker. He patted his holstered handgun
to be sure it was there before he crawled around the burning vehicle. For the first
time in Mick’s life he felt rage. He pushed the rage aside and cleared his mind to
focus his efforts on the attack and not on the loss of his friend.
Like popcorn, the ammunition in the backseat discharged as the fire crept to the
interior. Mick threw himself behind the engine. The popcorn effect burst into rapid
succession as the flames found more powder. Covering his head, Mick buried his face
in the mud.
On the road, Will made his way along the passenger side of the convoy. He stood on
his tiptoes to see into the ambulance. Victoria had wedged herself on the ground
between the seats and curled up with her hands on top of her head. Satisfied she
wasn’t a threat, Will moved forward with his AK-47 aimed at the doorway of the bus.
The stop sign extended as the door opened and Kade stepped out. Will tapped two shots
into Kade’s chest, sprawling him near the front tire of the bus.
Will glanced over
“Old Yeller to X,” he said, for the fourteenth time. “Damn it, X, report.”
He didn’t need a blood pressure cuff to know his was escalating.
“Kade, relax,” Tiny said. “They could be out of range, or the battery might have
died. If the road is clear, they should be fine.”
He couldn’t relax. Ashton was out there, and he didn’t know if she was okay.
The SUV swerved across the road, swaying the trailer behind, before skidding to
a stop. Tiny stood on the brakes to avoid hitting the trailer. The bags in the bus
poured forward like an avalanche, burying Kade in the front seat. A hard case of
road flares smacked into the back of his head while a bat bag landed on his lap,
pinning him under the weight. Argos whined at the pile of gear that trapped Kade.
Tiny laughed, then started digging Kade free.
“ We’ve got a flat. Just going to be a quick minute while we fix this ,” Lucas’s voice
said over the walkie.
Back in the cop car, Mick grabbed the door handle to go help, when the headlights
from the Wilsons’ van illuminated the interior. The van plowed into the police cruiser.
Mick fought the steering wheel away from the ambulance. The impact sent the police
car across the shoulder and rolling over the embankment. Mick’s forehead crashed
into the steering wheel, knocking him unconscious.
The screws of the bulletproof lining in the police car punctured the gas tank. The
car rolled onto its roof, causing the screws to spark against the metal. The gas
ignited from the spark setting the rear of the car ablaze. The flames were too much
for the rain to put out, and each drop landed with a hiss. Mick dangled upside-down
unaware of the fiery doom creeping toward him.
Lucas stopped jacking up the SUV and rushed to the side of the road. The blaze of
the fire reflected the panic in his pupils.
The slap of his shoes against the pavement changed to the wet slop of mud. Lucas
dropped to his knees beside the upside-down car and grabbed the thick fabric of the
seat belt. His hands slid along the belt toward the clasp. The heat drove sweat from
his body.
A gunshot broke through the night. Lucas was slammed against the police car. Blood
rushed down his shirt from a bullet hole. The moment he saw the wound, pain coursed
from the disconnected muscles. With the pain came the realization that they were
under attack, which gave Lucas the boost of courage he needed to get Mick to safety.
He gritted his teeth and unhooked the seatbelt. Mick fell onto the roof of the car
and Lucas pulled him out through the window. Mick’s eyes blinked and focused on Lucas’s
face. Mick smiled like he had just awakened from a nice dream.
“I got ya,” Lucas said, before a bullet tore through the base of his skull, bursting
teeth and blood out the front. Lucas’s body collapsed beside Mick, who rolled onto
his belly searching the darkness for their attacker. He patted his holstered handgun
to be sure it was there before he crawled around the burning vehicle. For the first
time in Mick’s life he felt rage. He pushed the rage aside and cleared his mind to
focus his efforts on the attack and not on the loss of his friend.
Like popcorn, the ammunition in the backseat discharged as the fire crept to the
interior. Mick threw himself behind the engine. The popcorn effect burst into rapid
succession as the flames found more powder. Covering his head, Mick buried his face
in the mud.
On the road, Will made his way along the passenger side of the convoy. He stood on
his tiptoes to see into the ambulance. Victoria had wedged herself on the ground
between the seats and curled up with her hands on top of her head. Satisfied she
wasn’t a threat, Will moved forward with his AK-47 aimed at the doorway of the bus.
The stop sign extended as the door opened and Kade stepped out. Will tapped two shots
into Kade’s chest, sprawling him near the front tire of the bus.
Will glanced over
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