Page 58 of Lost Truth
Outside, he doubled his surveillance and drew Cady close to him, but they arrived at his Raptor without any issue.
He handed the documents to her. “I know you’ll want to dig into these right away, but resist the urge. I could use help keeping an eye on the area, until I’m sure no one is watching us.”
Her pleasant expression vanished. She turned to stare out the window, her back suddenly stiff with tension. Hayden didn’t enjoy scaring her, but his priority was keeping them safe.
He fired up the engine and eased out of his space. A vintage black Ford pickup—with a freshly installed bullbar on the front—rolled toward them. Hayden braked, letting it pass. The truck moved slowly at first. Creeping ahead.
“Come on. Get out of the way.” Hayden had half a mind to pull out as he didn’t want to be late for Palmer’s homecoming,
Before he could react, the driver hit the gas, the engine snarling under the sudden strain. The truck surged forward—aimed directly at Hayden’s side of the Raptor. He caught sight of not one, but two men inside the cab.
The truck careened toward him.
“Look out!” Cady shouted.
Instinct taking over, Hayden threw an arm out across her. The truck’s heavy-duty bullbar crashed into the front end of the Raptor on his side with a brutal force. The vehicle jolted sideways, slamming it into a parked SUV, and airbags rocketed out to slam him in the face. His body rattled from the collision just as the side airbag exploded against him. The Raptor rocked violently, metal groaning under the crushing force.
“Are you okay?” He punched down the airbags, but didn’t take his eyes off the Ford.
“Fine,” she said. One word, but her shaky tone gave away her fear. “What’s going on?”
“Not sure. They could’ve seen us take the documents from the locker, and they want them.” At least that was the only logical explanation at the moment, but he didn’t have time to think about it any further.
If he was right, they’d stop at nothing to recover them. It wasn’t something he could say out loud without pushing Cady into further panic. But he couldn’t ignore the possibility. He needed to prepare himself and take a more defensive stance.
He had to get out of there, but how? The truck pinned his vehicle on the side.
He couldn’t wait for them to move again. He backed up to release his vehicle and clear the Ford.
The truck’s bullbar caught. He shifted into drive and floored it. Still trapped.
He reversed again. His vehicle moved forward. Yes! He repeated the pattern. Once. Twice. Finally, he was free.
The truck eased back as if planning to charge again.
Hayden had to take quick action. Now!
He shifted into drive but took one last look at the Ford.
The passenger window lowered.
The flash of a silver handgun caught his eye.
“Gun! Down!” He reached across the seat and pressed his hand against Cady’s neck until she was folded in half.
A gunshot sounded.
The bullet pierced the rear window, and the air trembled with its wake.
Hayden clasped the steering wheel. “Stay down until I tell you it’s safe to sit up.”
He ducked as low as he could go and gunned the engine. Two rapid bullets sliced through his vehicle. He kept going and cleared the truck.
Three speedy shots split the air, sounding like a car backfiring.
He floored the gas pedal. Thankfully his off-road vehicle withstood the collision and instantly reacted, screaming out of the parking lot and onto the main road. He’d purchased the Raptor for its big engine, and it didn’t disappoint.
The truck raced after them, their powerful engine disturbing the quiet. Not as much as their continued gunfire.
