Page 14

Hunt

Thank God the brakes failed driving uphill, not after she dropped me off. At least the steep incline will slow us down.

As she white-knuckles the wheel, I bend forward to switch off the ignition, hoping to kill the engine. For a second, nothing happens. Then, a sharp crack erupts under the dash, followed by a sizzle. The control panel dark, the SUV lurches as if yanked by an invisible chain.

Possessed, it comes to a dead stop.

A beat of eerie silence passes without incident, before we begin to roll backward.

“Hunt! Oh God. I’ve lost power steering.” Kelly swivels in her seat, panic flashing over her face while she struggles to stay on the road. If she backs us into a truck climbing the mountain, we’ll be counting our sins at the pearly gates.

When blinding headlights flare in the rearview mirror, my stomach bottoms out. I yank instinctively on the wheel. We bounce across the asphalt. As my back teeth clunk together, we swerve into the opposite lane, missing a Greyhound bus by mere inches.

Not done fishtailing, metal shrieks as we collide with a guardrail.

Goodbye, bumper.

The best news? Although we’re rolling the wrong way, at least we’re moving with the traffic. Intending to throw the transmission into neutral, I grab the stick shift, but it won’t budge. The person who sabotaged her electronics knew exactly what they were doing.

I assess the situation. Steel barriers line both sides of the highway. To hit them again would put us in a deadly tailspin.

“Hunt, what do I do?” Twisted, looking out the back window, Kelly bites her lower lip.

“Think, you know this road. Where’s the closest pull-off?” Despite the fast approaching sports car, I keep my voice calm.

A car horn blares. Lit by our headlights, a young couple waves their fists. By some miracle, they swerve around us, vanishing in our rearview.

“The next turn’s on our right. We’re going too fast! We’ll never make it.” Her panic rises, becoming almost palpable.

I need to be her rock. “Gotta do it, babe. I’ll help you turn, you tell me when.”

“Now!” At her scream, we both yank hard.

Her Kia slams into the rusted guardrail, grinding along the metal’s curve nestled into a narrow dirt road. After the rear tires catch in a gully, we’re jerked into a spin. Pine boughs slap the windshield as I wrench the sluggish helm the opposite way. No way in hell are we heading back onto the highway.

The ground beneath us drops away. Our vehicle pitches forward. We tumble into a ditch, flipping on one side, but we keep rolling downhill.

When we finally stop, we’re upside down, wheels spinning, a turtle on its back.

“O’Malley, you okay?” Bending my knee, I slip a knife from my boot holster.

“Oh, my freakin’…my car!” Her head turns, eyes unfocused, in shock.

“Babe, listen. Are you hurt?” I tap her cheek until she stops struggling and coughs.

“Huh? No. I don’t think so.” Her green eyes land on mine. “I’m fine. Can you get me out? I’m choking.”

Relieved she’s coming around, I saw through my seatbelt. The moment it gives, I face-plant into the dash.

Knees braced against the vehicle’s fabric headliner, I find her buckle. “Careful. When I release you, you’re gonna drop onto the console. Ready?”

“Do it.” After she falls with a grunt. I fish my phone from my pocket and call 911.

The dispatcher says someone’s already reported us. The State Police are en route.

Next step? Get us the hell out of here.

With side doors jammed, we scramble over the seats, and kick open the back hatch. As we back away, my lizard brain registers a soft pop near the gas tank.

Oh fuck. “Move!” Grabbing the dazed woman, I launch us into the gully. A heartbeat later, a blast wave carries us a few more feet.

As I land on top of her, the scene changes to the endless desert. The air thickens with dust and burning fuel. My Hummer must’ve hit a landmine. Ears ringing, I have no idea how I got here.

“Jack, Scott—whoever the hell you are today—answer me, dammit.” A hard slap to the face shatters the illusion.

Blinking, I sense the recent snowfall below me, thankfully cold against my blistered back. Groaning, I shift my weight, but the body underneath me shoves weakly.

“I can’t breathe,” she gasps. “Move. Please, Wildlife. Do it for me.”

Somehow, I roll onto my back, staring up at the night sky. Damn, the snow on my naked flesh feels awesome.

“Agent Hunter,” she hisses. “Your jacket. It’s disintegrated.”

I grunt. “Always wondered about The Incredible Hulk. His clothing bills must be insane. In my defense, I might have a concussion.”

She’s not laughing. Instead, she grabs my arm, eyes sharp, glowing with urgency. “We need to hide. The perp who blew up my car will want proof we’re dead.”