“Cut them loose,” Rollo told the guard. “We want them clutching at each other and screaming. We want drama.”
The guards had sidearms and automatic rifles. Rollo had Riley’s S&W.
“Get in the car,” Rollo said to Riley. “Get in the car or I’ll shoot him. Nothing serious. After all, he has to drive you off the cliff. Still, I could cause him pain. Shoot off a toe or a finger.”
Riley slid onto the passenger side seat, and Rollo closed the door.
“Now you have a choice,” Rollo said to Emerson. “I’ll give you a chance to end this pleasantly. I’ll let you shoot your friends. One clean bullet to their heads. Over and done with. Otherwise, they’re going to go off this cliff in this car. They’re going to be broken and mangled. Probably burned alive in the wreckage. It’s an ugly way to go. Spare them that. You can even finish yourself off the same way, when you’re done.”
“I don’t feel comfortable with that,” Emerson said. “I’m not actually a gun person.”
“Guns don’t kill people,” Rollo said. “Pontiac GTOs being pushed off mountains kill people.”
Riley reached across the gearshift and honked the horn. Rollo turned to look, and Emerson kicked out with his foot, landing a sideways blow on Rollo’s midsection. One of the guards drove the butt of his rifle at Emerson’s chest. Emerson moved with it, grabbed the rifle, and threw it off the cliff. The remaining two guards ran to subdue Emerson, and Riley used the opportunity to jump seats and get behind the wheel. She cranked the engine, slammed the car into reverse, and floored it.
The dirt road was narrow and carved into the side of the hill, and the white panel van blocked her way. Riley hit the brakes, and Günter screamed as his leg banged against the seat in front of him. Riley speed-shifted into second and drove forward toward Emerson. He was in a no-win situation with three armed guards and Rollo. She saw him get thrown to the ground and go still.
“No,” she whispered, slowing to a crawl with nowhere to go. “No, no, no.”
Emerson was lying in a heap on the ground, Rollo poking him with his foot. The driver’s door to the GTO was wrenched open and Riley was yanked out of the car by a guard.
“Emerson?” she asked.
“Dead,” the guard said.
Riley walked to where Emerson was lying. She dropped to her knees and put her hand to his chest. No heartbeat. No sign of life. His eyes were open and fixed. A trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.
“This is a real pain in the ass,” Rollo said. “He was supposed to die in the car wreck, but he insisted on fighting us and hit his head on a rock.”
“Let us go,” Riley said. “Let me take him home so his Aunt Myra can say goodbye. We aren’t going to make problems without Emerson.”
“No can do,” Rollo said. “The boss man wouldn’t like it. And it wouldn’t be any fun.” He gestured to one of the guards. “Get her back into the car, and this time tie her in.”
Rollo got behind the wheel, put the car into gear, and drove close to the cliff’s edge. He put the car into neutral and got out. Emerson’s body was loaded in behind the wheel and the seat belt was fastened around him t
o keep him upright. Riley could see the bloody wound on the back of Emerson’s head. The desert dust had mixed with Emerson’s blood to form a thick mass in his black hair.
“What’s the matter with him?” Xandy asked.
“He’s dead,” Rollo said as he leaned in to made sure the brake was off. “Say a prayer for him. And throw one in for yourself.”
Rollo slammed the door closed and ran back to the van. The van pulled up to the rear bumper of the GTO and nudged the car forward. Riley strained against the rope restraints.
“I can’t get loose!” she said. “Xandy, get up here and help me!”
“Not necessary,” Emerson said. “I think I can do this.”
Riley felt like her heart might explode. He was alive!
Emerson gave the GTO some gas and moved about twenty feet forward to the very edge of the cliff. He threw the car into reverse and plowed into the front of the white van, knocking it back.
“I thought he was dead,” Günter said.
“He g-g-got over it,” Riley told him.
She was sobbing uncontrollably, gulping in air, tears running down her face and soaking into her shirt. She had no knowledge that she was crying. She was swallowed up by the horror of the moment and the relief that Emerson was alive.
Emerson ground through a couple gears and took off. The car skidded out along the edge of the cliff. Emerson turned back onto the road, cut around the van, and slammed into its left side.