though she couldn’t see his ugly face.
He’d hit the gas and headed straight for her.
Jess had a choice, but not much of one. She could leap for the Dumpster, hoping he wouldn’t ram into it and crush her against the wall. But another option had more appeal. And she was pissed enough to do it.
She gritted her teeth and planted her feet, took in a deep breath and let it out. She held up the Python in both hands—rock steady—aiming for the faceless driver behind the wheel. If she were going down, she’d take Lucas Baker with her.
Time to play chicken with six thousand pounds of steel.
CHAPTER 3
Seconds.
Precious seconds.
The SUV barreled down on her, the engine revved. No more time.
Jess held her ground, the Colt Python clutched in her hands. The muscles in her arms taut, her grip solid. Adrenaline surged through her system like coiled lightning.
“Jess? Are you okay?” Seth’s fear-stricken voice shot over her earpiece.
Without hitting her com switch, she held her concentration and muttered under her breath, “Not now, Seth.”
Glare from the headlights nearly blinded her, but once the SUV got close, she could finally see. The bastard’s face came into focus through the murky haze of the windshield. That’s where she aimed—between his eyes. When she saw his sudden panic, she squeezed the trigger.
The Python bucked in her grip. Once. Twice. A fierce plume of fire streaked from the muzzle. Deafening blasts echoed down the alley, magnifying the intense explosions.
Her ears rang then muffled everything that followed as holes punched through the windshield with a weighty pop. The glass splintered, sending fissures across the once smooth surface. With one last measure of desperation, she aimed at his crankcase and let the Python do its worst. Baker collapsed behind the wheel and the vehicle swerved. It hit the wall to her right, spraying shards of brick. The shriek of metal stabbed her eardrums, rippling goose bumps across her skin. In a fiery display, sparks showered the air, a giant sparkler on the Fourth of July.
Jess leapt to her left, narrowly escaping the metal behemoth. The SUV came to a grinding halt down the alley from where she lay sprawled on her stomach, facedown in the filth near the Dumpster. The engine revved, sounding like Baker still had his foot on the gas. But in the shadow of the SUV through the back window, she couldn’t see him. No silhouette. The headlights pierced the night. Smoke drifted from the engine and across the beams with bugs lured to the light. Still no Baker.
She got to her feet, holding her weapon in both hands. On unsteady legs she crept toward the vehicle from the rear, prepared for the worst. Even though her skin felt raw from scrapes, and sweat trailed down her back like unwanted fingers, she kept her eyes fixed on the driver’s front seat. No movement inside.
But as she got closer, all that changed.
Baker loomed in the shadows. He rose from where he’d slumped and hit the gas again, trying to break free of the wall. Metal whined as it grated against brick and mortar.
“Oh no you don’t, you sick twisted jerk!”
Jess secured the Python into its holster and took off running. A full-out sprint. Baker had a lead. If he got out of the alley and into traffic, she’d lose him. In the suffocating heat, her lungs strained for air. Her legs burned with lactic acid at the sudden burst of speed.
Seth’s blue monster.
Baker slammed on his horn and yelled obscenities as if he had the right of way. Surprisingly cool under fire, Seth lurched the van forward when Baker tried to drive around him. It gave Jess time to catch up. She lunged for the handle and flung the passenger door open just as Baker hit the gas. She grabbed for anything to keep her upright but lost her battle. Her hand found an armrest, and with the other, she wrapped a wrist tight into a seat belt. She ran as fast as she could until her feet gave out.
When Baker picked up speed, she struggled against being pulled under the SUV. Her ankles and legs battered against the ground. The friction made them feel on fire. As her fingers strained with the weight of her body, Baker swerved. The door flew wide, pulling from her grip.
“Let go, bitch!” he screamed, his eyes maniacal and cruel.
In the background, Jess heard police sirens growing louder. Baker heard it too. A mean vicious evil swept across his face. He had to ditch her, fast.
He swung the SUV left at the next turn. Her body swept wide, whipping her back against the door. Her spine nearly snapped in two. Although she knew she couldn’t hang on much longer, letting go wasn’t an option until she got what she wanted. If she couldn’t get Baker, she’d take the next best thing. Her eyes fixed on the laptop lying on the floorboard.
With a grunt, Jess shoved from the door handle and swung toward Baker. He reached for her and pressed a hand to her face, blocking her air. Blind, she grappled for the laptop, her body suspended only by the seat belt.
When she grasped the computer bag, she pulled at the strap and let gravity do the rest.
Baker screamed,
He lunged for her, and the SUV veered right. She tried to break free of the seat belt, but Baker held her wrist, almost wrenching her shoulder out of its socket. Jess yanked the laptop to her chest, clinging to the hardware like a lifeline.
He tugged at her arm, pulling her inside. Without her footing, she had nothing to leverage against, and he gained an advantage in their battle of tug-a-war. Police sirens blared from everywhere now. Speeding onto a street with more traffic, Baker drove with one hand and yanked at her with the other. He craned his neck behind him looking for flashing lights. They were an accident waiting to happen.
In a minute he’d get her inside—and have his computer back. Damned if she’d let that happen!
Baker didn’t care what happened to her, she reasoned. He only wanted his property. And with the cops closing in, he wouldn’t risk slowing down. She’d have one chance. She had to make it count.
When he had her balanced on the edge of the passenger seat, he let go of her arm and wrestled for the computer she now clutched to her chest. It was the break she’d been waiting for.
She bit into Baker’s hand until he let go.
He pulled back his hand in reflex, and she rolled toward the open door and fell out the moving vehicle, still gripping the laptop. Her hip hit the street, jarring her teeth and neck. Out of control, her body careened across the road, tumbling and scraping the pavement. Still, she held onto the computer, sheltering it from damage with her arms and chest. For that, she paid the price. It jabbed her ribs and elbows, sending shock waves of pain through her, but her Kevlar vest insulated her from more damage.
When Jess slammed into a parked car, stars burst behind her eyes and through her skull. She struggled to stay conscious, her eyes seeing only a blur. A police car sped past her—siren blaring and lights flashing—hot after Baker. The first cop led the pursuit, but she knew he’d radio the others to find her. Other cops weren’t far behind. Not much time before they caught up to her and she’d have to answer a lot of questions.
Jess shoved the computer into the shadows under the parked car that had stopped her perilous fall from the SUV. With great effort, she lifted herself off the pavement, every bone and inch of her skin aching. With a pronounced limp and chest heaving, she hobbled to the curb and stumbled down the block, away from the prize she’d stashed from the cops.
When she looked down to assess the damage, she only shook her head and kept walking. Her lungs burned. Everything hurt. Insult to injury, Baker had torn her T-shirt and she smelled like puke, but topping her WTF list, she’d lost her White Sox ball cap.
As a distraction from the pain and insult, Jess reached for her com set. The earpiece and microphone dangled
