Page 44 of The Rough Ride (Sanctuary, Inc. #3)

N ick jolted in horror as the bullets riddled Lana’s car and her Jaguar zig-zagged between two lanes. He shouted into his Bluetooth, “Lana, are you hurt?” She didn’t answer right away as he held his breath. Seconds later, she responded.

“Hell, no. But my car’s gonna need a shit-ton of body work. What’s the plan, boss?”

He inhaled a gulp of air and relaxed a fraction. “There’s road construction and a traffic jam in three miles. The police alerted DDOT crew to get off the road and into their trucks. This perp’s going to have to slow down or crash. Stay close behind me.”

Nick turned his attention to his precious cargo in the backseat. “Arlene, we’re going to slow down and stop soon. My Kevlar vest is on the truck floor back there. Put it on. Now.”

Arlene, wide-eyed and shaking, undid her seat belt, hoisted the heavy bulletproof armor, and slipped her arms in the holes. “I’m in.” Ella was in the car seat beside her, wide-eyed, gazing at the flashing lights speeding by.

“Good. When I stop the car, I want you to get Ella out of her car seat, set her on the floor, and cover her with your body. Do it quickly. The driver who kidnapped Liz already shot at a car. I want you and Ella protected. Got it?”

“Oh, dear Lord.” Arlene swiped tears from her cheeks and nodded. “You be safe out there, Nick. Get my girl back for me in one piece.”

“That’s the plan, Momma.” His brain rapid-fired scenarios, probabilities.

But one thought arrested his attention for a millisecond.

Was this pursuit the reason he’d passed two police cars and a fed SUV on Arlene’s street as he’d hurried out of the neighborhood?

Had the feds realized Liz was in danger?

Traffic slowed to twenty miles an hour, then to ten.

As far as Nick could see, the four lanes condensed into two like an army of ants on a detour.

The police car veered left onto the shoulder and continued with lights and sirens.

Nick veered toward the right a couple cars behind the sedan as the white blanket drifted like a kite across the trunk.

With no warning, the perp’s sedan jerked onto the shoulder and sped off. Nick floored it and pulled right behind them. In the distance, a guy took a leak at the guardrail. He glanced at the vehicles rushing toward him, dropped his pants, and dove over the barrier onto the grass.

A delivery truck made a quick swerve onto the shoulder in front of the sedan, causing it to screech to a halt. The perp reached out the window and fired a shot at the truck. Cars scrambled left to get away from the sedan; the cacophony of horns near deafening.

The truck driver ambled out of his cab. Nick threw his vehicle into park and leaped out, waving at the driver. “Get back in the truck! Get back in the truck!”

The perp leaned out the window and shot the truck driver in the leg as he scrambled onto the running board. He buckled, screaming, and fell flat onto the blacktop.

The sedan darted left, but another swarm of cars blocked it thirty feet later.

A woman jumped out waving a gun, pointing it in a wide arc at different cars. Passengers screamed and ducked out of view.

Nick dragged the truck driver from the line of fire and advanced toward the woman threatening the traffic. He aimed his gun for a kill shot if necessary.

He spoke into his Bluetooth. “You with me, Lana?”

“On foot, left shoulder, twenty feet behind you. Cop got T-boned by a driver who didn’t yield.”

Nick grunted. The perp looked familiar. Different but similar. His stomach pitched when he locked eyes with her. The bar honey.

She pointed her gun at him. “Fancy meeting you here, Nick Flannery. It’s been a while.” She snorted loudly and smirked.

It was definitely not the flirty giggle that had distracted him weeks ago. “Not long enough, Bonnie.”

“Oh, come on now. Didn’t you enjoy the lip stain and nail polish? I so tried to be memorable.” She swaggered a few feet closer to him, gun aimed at his head.

“Your right shoulder is bleeding. What happened?” He swung slightly left to force her back toward the guardrail.

“That piece of shit you call a girlfriend shot me.”

Pride filled his chest. Good for her. “Where’s Liz? ”

“She’s dead. In the backseat. You wanna see?” She smiled and cocked her gun.

Nick’s heart lurched, and his pulse raced. No. No.

Lana spoke into his Bluetooth. “There’s movement in the backseat, Nick. She’s alive.”

Thank God. “Where you at, Lana?” he whispered.

“Fifteen feet from the perp. Hiding in the traffic. Behind her now.”

The sedan trunk latch popped, and the back door opened. Liz stumbled out near the guardrail and crawled to the trunk, flung it open, and wailed a heartrending cry. She wheeled around. “Don’t shoot her, Nick. She’s got Ella.”

He steeled his eye on Bonnie’s hand and shouted, “No, she doesn’t. I’ve got our daughter, Liz. And your mom.”

“Did you ever tell her about us, Nick?” Bonnie sidestepped closer to Liz and yelled over the sound of approaching police sirens. “This man has a mighty fine chassis, Lieutenant. Took me for a ride a few weeks ago.”

Liz stood trembling and grabbed a tire iron from the trunk.

“I know all about it. He pretended you were me the whole time. Guess you weren’t that exciting.

” Liz twirled the tire iron like a baton and took a step toward her captor.

“You tricked me into thinking you had Ella, you vile witch. How’d you do that? ”

Bonnie sneered and started boasting. “The day you went to the zoo? I was on you like white on rice and collected information to use later. It came in handy. I recorded her cries when that bird pecked her finger. Then, I pinched her thigh in a tight crowd to get her really wound up. A mother always recognizes her own baby’s cries, right? ”

She continued, shaking her head. “I should’ve just killed you then, but I’m more deliberate than Jazz. I enjoy the torment. Fucking up your work files was pure fun. I kept waiting for you to lose your job, or at least your security clearance.”

Liz took another step closer. “And my car?”

Bonnie curled her lip and backed up a few feet. “It was supposed to be quick and clean. Merciful—which you don’t deserve. You’re just too stupid to die.”

“That’s enough, babe. Move back.” Nick stepped into the line of fire between the two women.

Lana’s voice pierced his earpiece. “While you guys are up there playing true confessions and who-did-who, I’ve got a bead on this bitch. You want her dead or alive?”

“Alive. For the feds. No collateral damage if possible.” Even so, he refocused his aim for a kill shot. “You still do that kick?” he whispered under his breath, but loud enough for the Bluetooth to catch.

“Hell, yeah. We’ve practiced it enough.”

“Go for it.” He took a step closer to Bonnie. “You planning on putting that weapon down anytime soon?”

“Fuck you.” She danced a few strides sideways, fired a shot at Liz and missed.

Shock and fury crossed Liz’s face. She catapulted the tire iron in Bonnie’s direction. It slammed into the woman’s chest causing her to stumble backward.

Lana’s high-flying kick came at Bonnie from the side and knocked the gun from her hands.

Bonnie lunged to grab it, but Lana’s reverse kick plowed a combat boot into her face.

Nick caught the stunned woman and shoved her face-down onto the roadway, zip-tying her hands behind her back, then her feet .

Bonnie lifted her bloody face and sneered, “You trying to ride me again, soldier?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, lady.” Nick stood and nodded at the officer who’d abandoned his cruiser and run toward them. The police could take her into custody. A chopper whirred overhead, and the sound of car horns sounded intermittently.

A few steps later, he tugged Liz into his arms. She was a limping, bruised, bloody mess. He kissed her forehead. “I love you, honey. I’ll get you to medical as soon as they arrive.”

She buried her face in his shoulder and cried. “Please tell me you really do have Ella.”

He picked her up and strode toward his truck. “I can do you one better, babe. Ella and your mom are right here. See for yourself.” He opened the back door and helped Arlene remove the vest. Then, he lifted the crying Ella and offered her to Liz.

Liz choked a sob and wiped tears off her cheeks before reaching for her daughter. “Oh Nick, thank you…thank you.” She dotted the baby’s entire face with grateful kisses.

Arlene burst into tears. She framed her daughter’s face in her hands and looked Liz in the eyes. “I was scared to death listening to the gunshots and car horns. You’re alright. I love you, sweetie.”

Liz cocked her head and broke a small smile through her tears. “It pays to have a great security team.” She lifted a trembling hand and caressed Nick’s face. “I only went outside because I thought that woman had Ella. I never would’ve left the building otherwise. I really believed she had Ella.”

“Shhh…babe, it’s alright.” Nick wrapped his arms around all three of his girls and pulled them close, kissing the top of Liz’s head over and over again. He leaned down and kissed Ella’s rosy cheek, then Arlene’s .

They stood there for several minutes while his heart swelled with gratitude. In all his life, he’d never experienced this emotion of being safe and complete. He nuzzled Ella’s chubby cheek again. She belonged to him. They all belonged to him.

His family.