Chapter Four
Jules ran to her vehicle, hitting the remote starter before she was halfway there. The instant she was inside, she shifted into drive and followed. No way was he getting away from her. No way in hell.
Swooping in and out of traffic, she rounded a curve. Meeks was five cars ahead of her. She could see the unique taillights of his SUV. He had opted to stay off the interstate, which made things a littler trickier for them both. He was a good driver and had no issues with speeding and changing lanes, but the heavy traffic wasn’t conducive for a quick getaway. Jules, on the other hand, was caught behind two cars whose drivers seemed determined to go the same speed and hold up both lanes.
Keeping her eyes on Meeks’s vehicle, she pressed the screen on her dashboard and brought up her most recent calls. While Zeke Sheridan might not be happy about her continued involvement in the case, he needed to know about this.
The instant Sheridan answered, Jules said, “I’m following Meeks.”
She had to give the FBI agent credit. Instead of asking how she’d found him or blasting her for her interference, he said, “Where are you?”
“He just turned onto Poplar Avenue. He’s about four cars ahead of me. Driving a silver Mercedes SUV.” She rattled off the license plate.
Before he could ask another question, Jules said urgently, “Listen, I think he’s getting on the interstate, headed toward the Hernando de Soto Bridge.”
“He’s going into Arkansas.”
“Yeah, looks like. I’ll stay with him.”
“What are you driving?”
“Dark blue Ford Mustang.”
“Okay. I’ll alert the highway patrol. Stay with him, but do not approach. Understand?”
She ended the call without making a promise she couldn’t keep. No way was this maniac getting away from her. She would do what she had to do.
Zooming down the interstate made it easier for her to keep up with him. She didn’t think he’d spotted her yet. She was hanging back several car lengths. The night was dark, with clouds covering the sliver of moon. With her dark car, she was just one of a dozen cars behind him.
He crossed the bridge, and still no patrol cars were in sight. Jules continued to stay several cars behind him. Ten miles into Arkansas, the silver SUV took an exit. Jules took the exit, along with another car. Would Meeks head back to Memphis, or did he have a place to hole up nearby in Arkansas?
The SUV turned onto a four-lane highway. Traffic was lighter now, and Jules stayed back even farther. They continued for several more miles, and Jules was starting to get more concerned. Was he driving aimlessly, or did he have a destination? When he finally turned into the parking lot of a small motel, she breathed her first easy breath.
She slowed her vehicle but didn’t pull into the parking lot. If he was turning around, she wanted to be ready. When he parked in a spot on one side of the building, Jules drove to the second entrance and parked on the other side. Hiding her vehicle between a large SUV and a cargo van gave her the cover she needed to slip out of her car undetected.
Hugging the brick wall, Jules inched her way toward the front of the motel. Would Meeks go to the lobby and check in, or did he already have a room here? She peered around the corner. The light inside his vehicle was on, and the look on his face would be comical if this weren’t so deadly serious. Dried blood covered half his face, his nose was swollen to twice its size, and she was happy to see that he had lost a front tooth, too. Obviously infuriated that his plans to kill tonight had been thwarted, he was shouting at the mirror on his sun visor as he tried to wipe the blood from his face.
Since he would spot her if she came around the front, Jules had no choice but to try to come at him from behind. That would mean going around the motel. She didn’t like the idea of letting him out of her sight, but she had no choice if she wanted to surprise him.
The need to do so vanished when she saw his eyes widen. She spared a glance around and saw that the sign next to the door where she stood had a glass-like appearance. He had seen her reflection.
The engine of his SUV started up again. Jules had a decision to make. If she went back to her car, she could lose him. As he began to back out of his parking space, she made the choice. Pulling her SIG Sauer from the bra holster beneath her arm, she headed straight for him.
Meeks was driving toward the exit. Adrenaline pumping, Jules ran full force toward the SUV. He was a killer and wouldn’t hesitate to run her over. She refused to let that stop her. The instant Meeks spotted her, he turned the steering wheel, stomped on the gas, and zoomed toward her.
Jules jerked to a halt. Holding her gun with both hands, she aimed at his head and fired. The windshield cracked, but the bullet didn’t penetrate. Bulletproof glass? The SUV didn’t slow. Jules kept firing. Half a second before he ran her down, she threw herself out of the way. The front fender caught her left hip, taking her off her feet. She landed, rolled over, and came up on one knee. He might have bulletproof glass, but no way did he have bulletproof tires. She fired, taking out t
he left front and rear tires. The SUV traveled a few more feet and then slammed into a light pole. Steam rose from the front end. Meeks would not be driving away in that vehicle.
Seconds later, sirens blaring, five police cars roared into the parking lot.
Breathless, Jules put her gun on the pavement several inches from her body and stayed on her knees. If the police saw her with a weapon, they’d have every right to assume she was a threat.
She didn’t mind waiting. Besides needing to catch her breath, the adrenaline rush was gone, making her aware of aches and pains throughout her body. None of that mattered, though, as extreme satisfaction flowed through her. She had done what she’d come here to do.
* * *
Fifteen minutes after he’d arrived on the scene, FBI agent Zeke Sheridan sauntered over. Jules was sitting on the curb, icing her hip and getting her scrapes treated by a paramedic.