Chapter 7 - The Roadblock
The high-intensity spotlight blinded Julian through the side mirror. Thomas reacted instantly, ducking his head and stomping the gas pedal. The old engine roared, tires spitting gravel as the pickup surged forward into the winding mountain pass.
Behind them, an unmarked black SUV surged out from the tree-lined ridge, its front push-bar gleaming under high beams. There were no sirens, no flashing police lights. This wasn't the highway patrol executing an Amber Alert. This was Eleanor’s private cleanup crew, moving under the cover of night.
""Hang on!"" Thomas shouted, wrenching the wheel hard to the left as the road narrowed into a sheer cliff on one side and a solid rock wall on the other.
Julian lunged across the bench seat, shielding Lily with his entire body, pressing her down against the floorboards beneath his chest. ""Hold onto Daddy, Lily! Close your eyes!""
""Daddy, I'm scared!"" she screamed, her tiny fingers digging into his shirt.
The black SUV rammed the rear bumper of the pickup with a bone-jarring crash. Metal crumpled, the steering wheel violently jerking in Thomas’s hands. The truck fish-tailed across the slick road, inches away from the guardrail that dropped three hundred feet into the rushing river canyon below.
""They're not trying to arrest us,"" Julian yelled over the screech of tires. ""They're trying to push us over the edge!""
""They want the child, Julian! Dead or alive, as long as the inheritance stays under Eleanor’s probate!"" Thomas grit his teeth, veering hard to avoid another ramming blow. Ahead, the road split—one lane leading to the interstate bridge, the other an overgrown logging trail blocked by a heavy timber gate.
""Hold on tight!"" Thomas roared, turning the steering wheel directly toward the wooden gate.
The pickup smashed through the pine logs with an explosion of splinters. The vehicle shuddered violently as it bounced over rocks, mud, and exposed tree roots. Behind them, the pursuer’s heavier SUV hit the ditch, bottoming out with a shower of orange sparks, its front axle snapping under the sudden impact.
Thomas didn't slow down until they were deep in the darkness of the dense timber. The truck finally coughed, sputtered, and died as steam hissed from the cracked radiator.
Julian sat up, his breathing ragged, checking every inch of Lily's body. ""Are you hurt, baby? Did you hit your head?""
""No... no,"" Lily sobbed, clinging to his neck with all her strength. ""Daddy, please don't leave me.""
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""Never,"" Julian swore, his forehead pressed against hers. ""Never.""
Thomas kicked open his door, his assault rifle already unslung from behind the seat. He inspected the dark forest, then looked back at Julian with grim eyes. ""The truck is dead. We have three miles on foot before we hit the old railway line. Move. Now.""
