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We were far from safe, but at least I had a second to catch my breath and think. Slash’s idea to hide here was brilliant, as was his plan to drain the drone. But I didn’t know what else we could do. We were essentially a sitting duck.

At least from our position, Tito and I could keep a lookout to the left side of the road while Slash and Xavier could look to the right. Elvis continued working in the back with the drone control signal detector.

“With our most recent maneuvering, I have been able to get additional lines of position so that I am pretty confident where the operator is positioned,” Elvis reported. “The operator is behind and above us, on that ridge to our right. When I overlay the position on Google Maps, I see that he, or she, is just off a hiking trail. The trailhead is off the main road and just past the turnoff for this road, not far from where the police set up their roadblock.”

“Keep tracking them,” Slash said. “Xavier, give Basia a call and update her on what’s happening so she can pass along Elvis’s coordinates for the drone operator. Let’s get the Secret Service and police working that angle.”

“Roger that,” he replied. Shortly afterward, he started talking quietly into his cell.

We sat in silence for a minute watching intently, waiting for the drone to appear. I began to wonder what everyone back in the church was thinking. The last they saw of us, we’d raced out of the parking lot with a drone chasing us, the Secret Service firing at it. Everyone was probably frantic.

“Do you think it might have run out of juice and crashed?” I asked Slash while still watching intently out my side window.

“Did you hear an explosion?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then it’s still out there,” Slash answered grimly.

“I have a visual,” Xavier suddenly said. “Drone to the right, coming down the road ahead of us.”

The drone wasn’t moving very fast, as it was obviously searching for us.

"Lexi, go back the way we came,” Slash ordered me. “Now.”

I floored it, and the SUV shot forward from our hiding place. The drone must have spotted us at about the same time we saw it, because it accelerated forward even as I spun the tires, hurtling us back down the road we’d just come.

The drone, instead of climbing as it had in the past, stayed right behind us, following along the road. It was game time. It inched closer as I had to slow a bit to make a couple of sharp turns. Looking out the rearview window, I could see it was now within thirty feet or so of our bumper.

“Holy crap!” I exclaimed. “It’s right behind us. Does the phrase ‘objects in mirror are closer than they appear’ apply here?”

Slash pulled out his Glock and rolled down the window, but I didn’t hold much hope he’d hit anything at this angle and while both the car and drone were in motion. It was a move of sheer desperation.

“It’s wobbling,” Xavier shouted at me. “It is running out of juice. Give her all you’ve got, Lexi.”

I slammed my foot on the gas to the floor just as a huge explosion rocked the car from behind. I glanced in the rearview mirror to see the drone become a fireball and disintegrate into a zillion pieces. Someone was shouting, but I kept my focus, concentrating on keeping the car going as fast as I could on the road.

Slash reached over and put his hand on my forearm. “You can stop now. It’s okay.”

My hands shook as I brought the car to a rolling stop. The car was dead silent as we turned around in our seats and watched what was left of the drone burn. There was no cheering, speaking, or even smiling. We all just looked at each other, stunned we’d survived.

Xavier spoke first, his voice shaky. “I’m really glad I sprang for all the upgraded bells and whistles on this vehicle.”

“As are we,” Slash said with feeling.

“I was thinking it’d be great for a tailgate party,” Xavier continued. “But it turned out to be a lot more valuable than that.”

“It may have some dirt and dings on it,” I said. “Sorry about that.”

“Sorry? You just saved our lives, Lexi,” Tito said. “Damn good driving. You can be my driver anytime.”

“Yeah, I’ll take dings over annihilation every day,” Xavier said. “I mean that with all my heart.”

“Thanks, guys,” I said. My hands were still shaking, and I felt a little sick to my stomach.

Slash leaned over and closed his hand over mine, calming me. “Excellent driving. But that was a little too close for me.”

“Me, too,” Elvis squeaked from the back.