BLOODLINE UNBROKEN: THE SHATTERED HEIR OF THE KINGSLEY DYNASTY

There was no time to think. Cole grabbed the Suburban’s gear shift, slammed it into drive, and cut the wheels hard toward the river.

""Hold on!"" he roared.

The rocket fired with a deafening whoosh of backblast, trailing a streak of gray smoke. It passed within inches of the Suburban’s roof rack, striking the cliff face directly above them.

The mountain gave way.

A massive avalanche of boulders, shattered trees, and frozen dirt crashed down onto the logging road. The shockwave flipped the third mercenary vehicle like a toy car, burying it under twenty tons of rock.

Cole's Suburban was caught by the secondary slide. The ground beneath their wheels liquefied into mud and scree. With a sickening lurch, the vehicle slipped sideways over the edge of the embankment.

""COLE!"" Elena screamed.

The SUV slid fifty feet down the steep incline, crashing through branches and saplings before slamming to a halt against the trunk of an ancient, massive cedar tree. The front axle shattered on impact; the radiator hissed furiously into the freezing air.

Silence fell over the mountain, broken only by the crackle of burning brush and the rhythmic drumming of sleet against the crumpled roof.

Cole groaned, pushing the deployed airbag away from his face. His forehead was bleeding where it had struck the A-pillar, and his left shoulder screamed with torn muscle. He turned around immediately. ""Leo! Elena! Sound off!""

Leo was slumped in the footwell, holding his arm. ""Dislocated shoulder. But I'm breathing. Elena is conscious.""

Elena crawled out from under the collapsed seat, trembling uncontrollably, her face pale. ""I'm okay. Cole, I'm okay.""

Above them, the distinct sound of gravel shifting echoed down the slope. Tristan appeared at the crest, sliding down the embankment on his boots, his rifle slung tight.

""You guys pick terrible parking spots,"" Tristan said, prying the bent passenger door open with a steel crowbar. He helped Leo out, setting him against the cedar tree. ""We have to abandon the vehicles. The main highway is blocked, and that explosion will have state troopers and Vance scouts here within fifteen minutes.""

""How far to the river landing?"" Cole asked, strapping a tactical sling around his injured shoulder.

""Two miles down the gorge,"" Leo grunted as Tristan popped his dislocated shoulder back into the socket with a sickening pop. Leo gasped in agony, biting his lip until it bled, then pointed toward the valley. ""Our father kept a decommissioned Coast Guard cutter at a private boathouse on the river. If we reach the water, we have a clean line to Puget Sound.""

Cole looked up at the burning ridge. Through the drifting smoke, he saw the faint headlights of three more vehicles arriving at the top of the trail.

""They're tracking the transponder in Julian's drive,"" Cole realized, his eyes narrowing. ""Leo, give me the drive.""