“Hold on.” He knew that didn’t mean much, but he said it anyway.
She looked at him, confusion written all over her face. “What?”
He couldn’t hide the facts. She needed to be ready. “We have company.”
She shifted in her seat and turned around as the truck tapped their bumper. The move sent her flying forward. “What is he doing?”
“Letting us know we’re not wanted around here.” When the truck drifted in again, Shane turned the wheel and swerved the car into the empty oncoming lane.
The truck surged, then fell back. This was a game of chicken played out in three-thousand-pound car and a massive seven-thousand-pound truck. Not exactly Shane’s idea of a good afternoon, especially since the size advantage was not on his side.
He shifted in his seat, sitting up higher as he started weaving from one lane to the other. The move would steal some of his speed but make him a harder target to hit.
His luck held out and the oncoming lane stayed empty. Shane just had to get them across. He hit the gas, thinking to outrun the larger vehicle in a race. But the truck wasn’t ready to give in. He shot forward and smacked into the car’s tail end. The move had the vehicle bobbling and tires screeching.
Makena grabbed the dashboard with stiff arms. Shane shouted for her to get down just as the truck ran alongside the car. Not even, but Shane could see the truck’s heavy front out of his peripheral vision. See the make and the dark metal. Then the truck slammed into them, crashing them into the guardrail and snapping their bodies forward as far as the seat belts would allow.
The crunch of metal against concrete. The deafening screech as the car scraped against the wall. Shane kept his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel, forcing the wheels straight and willing the car to stay on the bridge. The water seemed to get closer. It could have splashed up over the side and he wouldn’t have been surprised.
With another slam, the car teetered and the wheel shimmied under his hands. He felt the front give and Makena’s side ram into the concrete. They bounced and the world spun around them. The tires squealed and the smell of burned rubber and gasoline filled the air.
He could hear Makena’s screaming as the force of the blow had her bouncing around in her seat, even with the seat belt. Shane fought against the skid and struggled to hold on to control. His heartbeat hammered in his ears as the car’s back end crashed into something. The hit jolted his body until his teeth rattled.
A car horn honked and the sounds of skidding ran through his head. The car bounced and rocked on its tires. It left the ground and he waited for them to flip. A crack echoed around him, and then the car shuddered to a halt.
When his breathing slowed and he focused again, steam swirled out from under the hood. His gaze shot to the other side of the car. Makena had been pushed up against the door and rubbed her head as she mumbled.
He wanted to undo his seat belt, but he didn’t know where the truck had gone or if they were alone. Still, he needed to know. He reached over and touched her hair. “Baby, are you okay?”
She nodded and blinked a few times. When she finally looked up at him, tears stained her cheeks and her hands shook. “You kept us from going over the edge.”
The car felt uneven and pieces of concrete and car parts littered the road. He wasn’t sure part of the car didn’t hang over the edge of the bridge. Just the thought of that had anxiety punching his gut. “Barely.”
He looked up and saw two cars parked ahead of him. People poured out with terror on their faces. He glanced around and realized they’d spun around and now sat on the opposite side of the road, facing the wrong direction. A quick scan sent a pain shooting up his neck. Shane ignored it as he looked for the truck.
He undid the seat belt and reached for his gun. As soon as his hand touched it he dropped his arm again. The people surrounding the car were shouting about the police coming and asking Makena if they were okay.
Friendlies, not hostiles. Someone might have seen something, could possibly identify the driver of the truck. Shane vowed to ask all those important questions once the ache in his side eased. He leaned his head against the seat and said a quick thank-you to the universe for keeping them from going over the edge. He knew how to escape a flooding car, but that didn’t mean he wanted to practice the skill.
His head rolled on the headrest and he looked at Makena. “We should have gone the long way.”
She reached over and took his hand. “Next time.”
He’d spent his entire life thinking he didn’t have an ounce of luck. Anything that could go wrong did. He’d had to earn all he possessed the hard way. But he looked at her, felt her warm hand in his and decided he might be lucky after all.