Chapter 9 - The Chase on Interstate 95
The cruiser sped onto Interstate 95 just as the first streaks of cold, gray dawn cracked over the eastern horizon. Conan kept the vehicle at eighty-five miles per hour, refusing to turn on the siren to avoid drawing attention from the highway patrol units stationed along the toll plazas.
Beside him, Elena held Leo close, nursing him with a small bottle of formula Conan had snatched from the cruiser's emergency medical stash. The baby was finally calm, his dark eyes staring up curiously at the spinning light poles flashing past the window.
""Did you hear what she said?"" Elena asked, her voice shaking with quiet outrage. ""She told him not to bring Leo back alive. She wants to kill an infant. What kind of monster is she?""
""She's a woman whose entire empire is built on theft,"" Conan said coldly, his eyes fixed on the gray ribbon of concrete stretching north toward Massachusetts. ""Thirty years ago, Julian built Vance Shipping with my grandfather's patents. When my grandfather died, Victoria manipulated Julian into cutting our side of the family out. Gabriel found the corporate ledgers last year. That’s why he was eliminated.""
""And Julian found out?""
""Julian found out too late,"" Conan said, pointing to the titanium drive plugged into the car's auxiliary terminal. ""He spent his last weeks compiling every offshore account, every bribe to state judges, and every maritime fraud Victoria committed. He knew his time was short. He tried to save Gabriel, but Gabriel was already gone. So he left it all to Leo.""
Suddenly, a loud siren wailed from behind them.
Conan glanced in the side mirror. Two unmarked black Dodge Chargers had slipped onto the highway from an on-ramp, their concealed grill strobes flashing blue and red. They were closing fast, traveling at over one hundred miles per hour.
""They found Davis,"" Conan said grimly. ""Miller has tracked the cruiser's GPS transponder.""
""Can you outrun them?"" Elena asked, terror creeping back into her voice as she leaned over Leo to fasten his makeshift harness.
""Not in an SUV against pursuit-rated Chargers,"" Conan said, assessing the highway ahead. They were approaching the Massachusetts state line, where the massive multi-lane toll plaza sat beneath a towering overhead gantry. ""Hold on tight. We're going to use their own jurisdiction against them.""
Conan reached down and flipped the cruiser's full emergency lights and siren to life. The high-pitched wail shattered the morning calm as Conan pushed the pedal to the metal, accelerating directly toward the central automated toll lane.
Behind them, the two Chargers flanked the police cruiser, trying to execute a PIT maneuver to spin Conan out into the concrete dividers. One Charger nudged Conan’s left quarter panel, sparks showering across the highway like fireworks.
""Now, Miller!"" a voice roared over the radio. ""Take him out before the border!""
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Conan slammed his brakes hard for half a second. The pursuing Charger on the left shot past him, overshooting the turn. Conan immediately jerked the wheel right, ramming the second Charger directly into the concrete crash barrier of the toll booth.
The Charger disintegrated in a cloud of flying plastic and shattered safety glass, flipping violently into the empty toll lane as Conan rocketed through the gate, crossing the state border into Massachusetts.
