Page 41

CHAPTER 41

“F uck you, Herc,” I said because I couldn’t think of anything else.

The phone went dead after I got my cheap shot on Herc.

Then I heard a low humming noise as I turned off my satphone and I wondered if I’d lost my mind.

“Max!” Rose screamed as if from far away.

I belatedly realized the humming was a real noise and spun about.

Rowan Masters’ Cybertruck was accelerating along River Road, much too fast. And then it swerved directly toward me.

The angle of attack gave me no choice but to leap over the railing. I felt the mass of the Cybertruck go by, striking one of my feet with a glancing blow.

I splashed into the cold edge of the Little Melvin. I heard a loud crash of metal hitting rock and water.

Without a rucksack to throw me off balance, I managed to thrash myself to the nearby riverbank, cold water turning to cold air that made me shiver. Then I turned to look. The Cybertruck had smashed into a boulder and both doors powered open. I could tell the airbags had deployed.

I was surprised to see Maggs bound out. Then Rose began to crawl out and I went down to help her get to shore.

“Are you all right?” I asked, shivering.

She nodded. “Airbags all around.” She looked back at the truck. “Rowan is in there.”

I felt like saying “And?” but I reluctantly turned around and went into the water to the driver’s side. He was stuck, trying to unbuckle his seatbelt. I pulled my knife out and cut him free, then assisted him to shore.

I figured my entity should give me a few nickels in the karma bank for that.

I clambered up the rocks to Rose, figuring Rowan could make it the rest of the way on his own. She appeared all right, but it had been a scary moment.

Then I could find out why he’d tried to kill me.

And why Rose had been in the truck with him.

I was more concerned about the latter.

But then she put her arms around me, and I realized she was shaking. “Rose?”

“I’ve had a very bad day,” she said, almost crying. “I need to be safe for a minute. And you’re the safest place I know.”

So I kept my wet, cold arms around her and looked past her at Rowan.

“She said something bad had happened,” he said. “That’s why I was taking her home. She didn’t say what it was.”

I pulled back and looked at her. “What happened?”

“Harvey Ware attacked me,” she said. “He groped me and tore my apron. And then Rowan’s truck tried to kill you. It’s been a bad, bad day.”

I tightened my grip on her. Her apron was almost torn through at the shoulder and I felt a stab of rage and then guilt. I should have been with her?—

“Somebody hacked my truck to run you down,” Rowan said. “I don’t know who Harvey Ware is.”

“First we need to get dry,” I said, trying to keep the rage out of my voice. “And then you tell me everything.”

Rose nodded, and Rowan said, “Okay,” even though I hadn’t meant him, but it was about damn time he talked.

And Harvey Ware was a dead man.