Chapter 3 - Blind Curve
The crash of metal against metal echoed through the mountain valley like a gunshot. The sedan lurched violently forward, the tires squealing as Conan fought the steering wheel to keep from careening off the cliffside embankment.
In the backseat, Leo erupted into terrified cries, the sudden jolt rattling his tiny limbs. Elena threw herself over the infant, using her own back and arms as a living shield against the leather upholstery.
""Hold on!"" Conan roared, slamming his foot on the accelerator. The engine roared, its tired cylinders straining to pull the car through the winding ascent.
In the rearview mirror, the pursuing vehicle appeared as a faceless, menacing silhouette. A heavy-duty steel brush guard was mounted to its front grille, completely obscuring its license plate. It was not a police car. Victoria’s private security had bypassed Officer Miller entirely.
The SUV rammed them again, this time clipping the rear passenger quarter panel. The sedan fishtailed, the rear tires catching the loose gravel on the shoulder. Elena cried out as her head grazed the side window, fresh pain blooming across her temple.
""They aren't trying to pull us over, Conan!"" she cried out over the roar of the rain and Leo's shrieks. ""They’re trying to push us into the ravine!""
Conan kept his focus laser-sharp. He had grown up racing these logging roads long before his brother took him into the high-stakes world of urban logistics. He knew every turn, every forgotten overlook, and every treacherous ditch.
Ahead lay Devil’s Elbow, a blind, sharp bend where the guardrail had washed away three winters ago, leaving nothing between the road and a three-hundred-foot drop into the river gorge.
""Elena, brace Leo tight!"" Conan commanded.
""What are you going to do?""
""Trust me!""
Conan killed the sedan’s headlights. Instant, pitch-black darkness swallowed them, save for the blazing halogen beams of the SUV right on their bumper. Blinded by the sudden disappearance of the sedan’s taillights against the wall of rain, the driver of the SUV accelerated forward to make the killing strike.
At the exact apex of the curve, Conan yanked the emergency brake and tapped the steering wheel to the left, initiating a controlled spin into an overgrown emergency turnout shielded by granite boulders.
The SUV driver reacted a second too late. The heavy vehicle barreled straight ahead, expecting the sedan to be directly in front. Instead, the tires met wet mud and empty air.
With a deafening crunch of crushing metal against rocks, the SUV plummeted off the edge, tumbling down into the dense foliage below until a dull, hollow explosion echoed from the bottom of the ravine.
Silence fell over the road, broken only by the patter of raindrops against the roof and Leo's small, rhythmic sobs. Conan switched the lights back on, his breath ragged. He turned around to check on Elena.
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She was staring out the shattered rear window in shock, but then her eyes snapped back down to the floorboards. During the collision, the glove compartment had popped open, spilling Conan’s old military sidearm and a burner phone onto the mat.
The burner phone was buzzing violently with an incoming call from an unsaved number.
