“Too slow,” Taylor said.
They shouted, swiveled their guns, and she was gone.
She appeared three feet from Sam, who was still staring down the road.
“Taylor. What are you doing?” he asked.
He hadn’t realized she was gone. She laughed in relief. “Two guys with guns behind a big truck, just past the gate, to the left. I don’t think anyone’s actually in the guardhouse. It’s an ambush. If you guys went toward the guardhouse, these guys would be able to shoot you in the back. They saw me.”
Now it was Sam’s turn to be a little stunned.
“You…”
“Yeah.”
“You shouldn’t…”
“Had to. And look, I didn’t see Brianna anywhere.”
“Load up,” Sam ordered. He leaped into the Jeep. “Dekka?”
“On it,” Dekka said, breaking into a run for her own vehicle.
Edilio shouted to his guys to load up as well.
“Thanks,” Sam said over his shoulder.
Taylor felt amazingly happy over that one word acknowledgment. “I could…,” she began, not really wanting Sam to say yes.
“No,” he said firmly. “And keep your head down.” To Edilio he said, “Straight to the gate, but pull over before you reach it. We have to move fast before they can figure out what to do. But, remember, there’ll be one more guy out there. The one that Taylor didn’t see.”
“Yep,” Edilio said. “We’re ready for that.”
Taylor wondered what they were talking about, but it wasn’t time for twenty questions.
The Jeep careened around the curve and hurtled down the hill to the gate. Edilio slammed on the brakes. Dekka’s SUV barely had time to avoid piling into them. The third vehicle followed more slowly.
Sam jumped out. Dekka leaped while her own car was still moving.
Both pelted down the hill.
Taylor heard Sam yelling instructions to Dekka. Seconds later the truck, tons of steel, floated up off the ground.
Taylor saw the two thugs gaping up at it.
Sam raised his hands. “Guys?” he said to the two startled thugs. “Way I see it, you have a choice. Drop your guns, run away, and live. Or point those guns my way and burn.”
The two guns clattered on the pavement. The two boys stuck their arms in the air.
“You have anything we can eat?” one asked.
Dekka dropped the truck back into place.
It made a huge noise, smashing, bouncing but remaining upright.
“Have you seen Brianna?” Dekka asked them.
“No,” the boy said.