In the rearview mirror, he watched the Hummer close the distance. Much too soon it would catch up to them. As he slowed to take the curve, he mentally willed his tires to grip the snow and ice and stay on the road. As he steered into the curve, he leaned to the right with the momentum.
Come on, come on, come on.
The vehicle straightened out and he punched it again.
“Phew. We made it.” Rae’s voice shook.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. Call 911. Tell them what’s happening.”
“I’m on it!”
While Rae made the emergency call, Liam sped up and almost left the Hummer behind.
“Hello? Yes. I have an emergency. Someone is trying to push us off the road. Please help!”
Rae sighed, then sat silently. “Wait. Could you repeat that? You faded out . . . Uh-huh? I don’t know where we are. Just a second. I’m putting the phone on speaker. Liam . . .”
Liam relayed their general location along the highway.
The connection went silent.
Eyes wide with fear, Rae glanced at him. “Hello? Hello? I think I lost the call. Can you believe it? Maybe they got what they needed to help us. I’ll try to call them back when I get a signal again.”
But law enforcement—Wyoming Highway Patrol or the county—would never make it in time to save them. That burden was on Liam’s shoulders alone.
He wished he could stop, get out, and face off with whoever pursued them. Who was behind them? The man in the black ski mask? But he had no good options.
“I think you’re coming up on the curve too fast,” she said.
“I don’t need a back-seat driver.”
“I’m in the passenger seat.”
“Whatever.”
But she was right. The road had been carved out of the mountain—rock on one side and a gorge on the other. He pumped the brakes to slow them. He had to gain control—accelerate enough to escape their pursuer but not too fast or he’d propel the truck right over the mountainside.
If he could just make it to the valley.
“Liam. Let’s just pull over. Just stop, and let’s face this guy. “You have a gun, don’t you?”
Whoever was chasing them probably also had a weapon. Liam didn’t need to get into a shootout with Rae caught in the middle. Only she wasn’t in the middle—she was the center of the conflict. She was the target. Stopping to face off would give their pursuer the advantage.
Besides . . . “And where would you like me to do that? I have a snow berm on the right masking the rock wall behind it. And a mountain cliff on the left where the berms have fallen away, leaving only a guardrail. I’m doing my best here, okay?” Oh yeah . . . and a bridge coming up.
Liam accelerated.
The driver behind them was equally determined.
Whipping around another switchback, Liam again increased speed on the snow-packed road. “Although I might consider stopping right in the middle of the road and facing off with him if you weren’t in the vehicle with me.”
He pursed his lips as tension built in his neck and his knuckles turned white from squeezing the steering wheel.
“There’s another forest road up ahead. If we can make it to that, I can turn off. We’ll go as far as we can, but then when I stop, I want you to get out and hide in the woods.”
“Would hiding in the woods be less dangerous?”
“For your sake, I hope so.”
After that, he wasn’t sure what he would do.
He’d grown up driving in the mountains on icy, snow-covered roads. This ridge, part of the gorge, was a steep, rocky wall with an ice-covered river at the bottom. It never once occurred to him that he might fall victim to these treacherous roads one day. The thought of plunging down a mountainside had never scared him.
Until now.
Other cars passed him going in the opposite direction. Behind his pursuer, a few other vehicles followed. Maybe the Hummer’s driver would back off to avoid witnesses.
“What if we don’t make it to the forest road? What are we going to do?” she asked. “How do we lose them?”
“I’m trying. See if you can get the license plate while I focus on the road.”
“I don’t see one on the front.”
He slowed again. The next part of the road would involve several twists and turns that could prevent him from keeping the distance between his truck and the Hummer.
“I’m sorry this is happening.” His vision tunneled at the absolute worst time. He felt helpless again.
Helpless to save her.
He shoved the barrage of emotions out of his way.
“Don’t apologize. Just focus on the road. You can do this, Liam. I’ll call the sheriff’s office since I can’t be sure that dispatch got the necessary information. The cell coverage isn’t the best.”
Rae sounded calmer than she should. Maybe she trusted him far too much. She didn’t understand that he was about to fail them both. Liam shifted into four-wheel drive as he made the turn on a steep switchback.
The Hummer cut across at an angle and rammed them in the side.
Liam felt the instant his truck had been captured in the monster’s jaw. The Hummer’s plow pushed against the door on the passenger side.
With the impact, Rae screamed and dropped the cell.
Time shifted into slow motion.
Nothing Liam could do would save them. He tried to dislodge his truck from the Hummer’s snowplow as it continued to shove them across the road toward the edge. Liam’s truck tires spun out on the ice.
The Hummer must have studded tires with imbedded metal to grip the ice like tiny ice picks, because it kept pushing.
Pushing.
Pushing.
Liam’s truck was fully loaded—except for studded snow tires.
“How do we get out of here?” Rae’s voice shook.
With the plow against the passenger side, they weren’t getting out that way. He glanced through the driver’s-side window, and fear gripped him as he looked down into the gorge.
Through the passenger-side window, above the top edge of the plow, he could barely see the driver, whose face was hidden behind the visor pulled low, sunglasses, and a ball cap. Then the man suddenly lifted his sunglasses and looked Liam in the eyes. A murderer wanting the thrill of seeing terror on his victim’s face?
Liam wished he could somehow climb out of the truck and stop the man, but he had lost control of the situation and there was no getting it back. He wanted to reach for Rae. Hold her like he would never get to hold her again. He’d failed to protect her.
A helplessness he’d never known gripped him as the guardrail gave way.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
This can’t be it. I don’t want to die, God!
Rae squeezed her eyes shut as if she could block the sheer terror gripping her. She felt queasy as she sent a thousand prayers for help. Metal crunched as the truck leaned. Were they going to roll? Instinctively, she put her palms against the top of the cab and prayed the seat belt would hold her in place and the cab wouldn’t be crushed. A pathetic cry escaped her throat.
Too many ways to die in this scenario flashed through her mind all at once. She feared a free fall. Then the sudden impact.
Death.
Palms sweating and heart racing, she tried to focus on praying. On trusting God.
Tires spun out and the engine roared as Liam accelerated, trying to gain control. She couldn’t look. Her breaths came faster. Suddenly . . .
The truck bounced and jarred her. Rae shrieked and opened her eyes. The truck lurched forward.
Oh, thank God . . .
“Yes!” Liam shouted. “We have traction.”
She had a strong feeling they weren’t out of danger yet. “This is good?” She squeezed the armrest as the truck cleared a copse of trees.
“We’re at a steep grade, but it’s ma
neuverable. This snowy slope is better for a controlled descent than the straight, rocky drop. If I can just make it . . .”
Her head hit the top of the cab. This was far from controlled. But she saw now what had happened. Liam had maneuvered the truck so it caught a slope, barely missing a hundred-foot drop.
“Hang on. We’re not out of this yet.”
“Have you done this before?”
“What? Drive down the side of a mountain? No.” Terror twisted with the exhilaration edging his words. “Right now, I need to prevent us from hitting that river at the bottom.”
An explosive pop resounded, and Liam lost control. The truck swerved to the right, then toppled onto the driver’s side—all of it happening within a few seconds. Leaning toward her, he held on to her. The truck rocked back and forth. Would it roll all the way?
When it stopped rocking and settled, Rae blew out a breath. “Is it over?”
“I hope so.” Liam slowly released her, and gravity pulled her toward him, though her seat belt fought to keep her in place. She sucked in a few breaths, trying to grasp the events.
“What just happened?” she whispered.
“I think a tire blew. We’re lucky the truck didn’t keep rolling, but it looks like we’re up against a snowbank. It could give way, so we’re still in a precarious position. I don’t want to tip the truck and start rolling or end up plunging to the bottom.” His brown eyes were dark and in them she understood what he didn’t say.
And that would kill us both.
“We’re alive.” He said the words as if he struggled to believe them.
Rae got that. She couldn’t believe they’d actually survived either.
The way breath whooshed from him concerned her. “Are you okay? You’re all right. Please tell me you’re all right.”
“Yeah. Sure.” He unbuckled. “Are you all right?”
“My chest hurts from the seat belt. I feel jarred.” And bruised. “But I’m alive. Thanks to you and your driving. That was incredible. You’re incredible.” The buckle kept her in the seat, so she left it on for the moment.
“I don’t know about that. Listen, we need to get out of here. Whoever ran us off the road might come down to finish the job.”
“You don’t need to say more.”
He positioned himself against the door and dug around in the console.
“What are you doing?”
“Your door isn’t going to open. I have to shoot out the windshield. Cover your head.” He tossed her his coat.
“What about the airbags? Will they deploy?”
“I don’t think so, but be prepared for that too.”
“What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. You ready?”
Rae buried her head in his coat as she covered her ears. She might have screamed with the first blast—definitely with the second. She started to drop the jacket but pulled it back over her head as cold air rushed through the front of the cab.
“Stay there.”
She felt him shift around. Heard glass breaking.
“I’m kicking out the rest. We don’t want to get shredded climbing out and then bleed to death.”
A few more moments, then she dropped the coat to look. Liam had cleared much of the windshield away. He looked cold but determined.
“Here, Liam. You need your coat.”
He dropped back into his seat. “Thanks.”
He dug around in the back seat, then yanked a blanket forward. I’ll cover the glass for our great escape with this.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t just stay in the truck?”
He leveled his gaze at her. “I’m not sure about anything right now.”
Rae nodded and tried to unbuckle. “It’s stuck. It won’t unlock.”
Liam stretched his legs and jammed his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a knife and flicked it open. “I’ve got it. And I’ve got you. You’ll fall toward me once I cut you out.”
She braced herself. “Is it a cowboy thing to carry a knife in your pocket?”
“Nah. Just a practical thing.” Liam quickly sliced through the belt.
The full weight of her body fell toward him. He caught her against him, his face inches from hers. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” With those words, emotion and a deeper meaning lingered in his eyes.
Warmth surged through her. “What next?”
“I’m going to climb out and make sure it’s safe. I’ll need you to use the console and the dash, maybe support yourself up while I maneuver out. I knew I should have waited to cut your seat belt.” He winked. He wasn’t insinuating that he’d wanted her to fall into his arms, was he? She just had an overactive imagination that was taking her to crazy places in the worst of circumstances.
“Once I’m out,” he said, “make yourself comfortable in my seat. Then I’ll help you. Unfortunately, most of the broken windshield glass is scattered on the ground where we need to exit, so it’s going to be tricky, even with the blanket covering the glass.”
Using the steering wheel for support, she positioned her knees at the topside of the console and pushed away from Liam, giving him room.
He grabbed yet another blanket and handed it to her. “Extra blankets can save your life.”
Using the other blanket to protect him against stray shards, he scrambled over the steering wheel and climbed through the open windshield. She slowly lowered herself into the driver’s side. She sat against the door in an awkward position, her legs across the seat and over the console. But it was the best she could do unless she wanted to keep holding herself up. She watched him place the blanket over the ground.
He peered into the truck. “Wait here. I have to make sure it’s safe.”
Then he disappeared.
“Liam.”
Minutes ticked by.
“Liam? Where are you? You can’t leave me in here.”
He wouldn’t leave her. She knew he wouldn’t.
But her heart rate kicked up. She gasped for air. The cab suddenly felt like a box closing in on her, even with the wide-open snowy mountain range blasting arctic air at her.
Rae shoved down the panic. It made no rational sense. And yet she still couldn’t control it.
Whatever. She was getting out of there.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Palming his gun, Liam looked up at the evidence of their descent from the highway above. His heart still raced, and his hands still shook.
From here, Liam could make out a lone figure standing on the ledge, leaning over to look. The guy wore common enough attire—a ball cap and sunglasses—but Liam hesitated to call out for help. That was likely the man who’d tried to kill them. Still, other vehicles were on the road and had witnessed the whole thing. If their attacker was smart, he would have already fled the scene. He’d need to ditch the Hummer too. But if he was as bold as he’d been up to this point, he could put a bullet in Liam right now and then come after Rae.
A siren rang out in the distance, echoing through the narrow gorge. About time. But it sounded much too far away. The man disappeared. Liam guessed their attacker had wanted to see for himself if his handiwork had killed them as expected. But Liam was very much alive. It would be a stretch to hope the man believed Rae had died and would stop his attacks.
Liam eyed the ledge above him, wishing he could scramble up the rocky incline in time to find out who was behind this. Come down here and face me so I can put a fist in your face. Maybe some lead too, he thought. But confronting their attacker now was just too dangerous.
While acid boiled in his gut, he continued to squeeze the grip of his weapon. The rev of a big engine let Liam know the man was fleeing the scene. Liam kicked a rock.
“Liam!” Rae’s voice sounded distant and muffled.
He scrambled down to her. She was halfway through the windshield, but her foot had somehow caught in the steering co
lumn.
“What took you so long?” she asked.
“I told you I wanted to make sure it’s safe.”
“Safe or not, I need to get out of here,” she huffed.
“Hold still. I’ll get you out.” He leaned against the hood, reached through the windshield, and freed her foot. In that position, she couldn’t control her fall and slid right into his arms again.
He peered into her frightened yet determined eyes. This was becoming a habit. A bad one for him. Instead of lowering her to the blanket, he carried her.
“Put me down. What are you doing?”
“Just hold your horses. I’ll let you down when we’re out of the danger zone. You know, the windshield. My boots are better than yours, okay?”
“Now, wait a minute.” But she grinned.
The last thing they needed was to add a bloody injury to this critical situation. They’d been fortunate so far. At the front of his truck, he set her down. She shifted on her feet as if savoring the feel of solid ground.
Liam glanced up at the ledge. A small crowd appeared above.
Then, finally, the sight of a brown uniform worn by Bridger County deputies sent relief whooshing through him. A plain-clothed figure stepped close to the deputy and crouched.
“You okay down there?” Detective Moffett shouted.
“We’re alive,” Liam called. “But we’re going to need help getting up.”
“I’m calling for help. Anyone need medical attention?”
Again, he shouted, “I think we’re good. No medical emergencies, that is. But watch your back up there.”
“Come again?”
“Watch your back. Someone ran us off the road.”
“So I heard. WSP is already on it. It’s going to take a while to get to you.” The investigator turned her attention to her radio. She wasn’t patrol, but she’d come all the same. The squawk echoed all the way down to him, but he couldn’t make out any words.
“That’s just great,” Rae said.
The tension that had coiled in his gut finally eased, if only slightly. Yes, they were alive, but it had been a long day and promised to be even longer.
Liam wrapped his arms around her thick coat. “I’ll keep you warm, Rae. It’ll be okay. You’ll see.”
Don’t Keep Silent Page 17