Peugeot didn’t move right and the Hummer’s nose came up on the right side. Then Clayton and his driver realized why the Peugeot hadn’t moved right. It wasn’t because they’d been fooled but because a 1970s Volkswagen Beetle was parked half on and half off the curb.
“Christ,” the Clayton’s driver cursed as he jerked the wheel left. The nose of the Hummer did succeed in ripping off the plastic cover to the 505’s bumper but didn’t cause any real damage and didn’t slow the car’s speed. The Beetle did not fare as well. The right corner of the Hummer clipped the left rear of the tiny car. Being rear engine and rear drive, all the weight was in the rear, so as the Hummer spun the back end, the car pivoted around the rear and the nose slammed into the rear wheel of the Hummer. The truck bounced and it rolled up and over the nose of the Beetle.
“That’s going to leave a mark,” Clayton joked as the large vehicle bounced back to earth. A couple of the team members eked out nervous chuckles. “OK, now what?” Clayton asked his driver.
“I don’t know, I’m thinking,” Clayton’s driver snapped back a bit harsher than he meant to.
Clayton looked forward at the speeding Peugeot trying to form a plan when the road fifty yards ahead suddenly filled with what looked like a wall. In the split second it took Clayton to realizer the wall wasn’t a wall but Doug’s Hummer, his driver was already slamming on the brakes. The 505 locked up its front discs for a brief moment too. Then the driver of the more agile car released the brake, gunned the engine and cracked the car hard down a side straight.
“Well that will work,” Clayton said, the big Hummer’s engine surged to follow the little car. The truck aimed for the small road to the left, clipped the far wall and continued the chase. Clayton shot a quick salute to Doug’s Hummer which was now sitting high on two cars that had the unfortunate chance to be parked across from the alley.
“They are coming to you,” Clayton said into his mic as a small grin crossed his face. The wind picked up speed and the dust bit his cheeks a bit more but he didn’t care. He knew this was coming to an end, they were going to get their man.
Russ’ radio chirped, “They are coming your way.”
“Did you hear that Mario?” Russ asked.
“What? Was I supposed to be listening to the radio?” Mario replied with heavy sarcasm, “Of course I got that. Now, how much finesse do I need in the stop?”
“None, just get him stopped, but don’t put them in the hospital, we need the alive and able to talk,” Russ replied.
“Sure thing boss,” Mario answered. Mario scanned the road ahead and saw about half a block up the road from where the Peugeot would enter, were two cars double parked. He drifted off the gas a bit and the Hummer’s engine deepened a little.
“I said we still need to catch him. Why are you backing off?” Russ asked.
“You want to drive?”
“No.”
“Exactly, now let the surgeon work. 3…2…1.” Then Mario gassed the engine again. Mario swung the large truck over to the right hand side of the road then aimed at the double parked cars. He pressed slightly harder on the gas and the truck picked up a few more miles an hour. Just as the Hummer passed in front of the small feeder road, the Peugeot shot out of the narrow opening. The driver saw the Hummer, jerked the car left and gunned it. Because the Hummer was on the far side of the road the Peugeot easily made the run without hitting the Hummer’s side.
The driver of the 505 mashed the gas pedal and the Peugeot picked up speed but the Hummer was already moving so rather than the little car shooting past the lumbering Hummer, they matched speeds. But Mario’s path wasn’t parallel to the road, instead the nose of the hummer was aimed at an angle towards the double parked cars. Because the cars were matched in speed, the Peugeot couldn’t simply skip in front of the Hummer and
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