Chapter 6 - THE NIGHT ROAD
The Ford F-150 tore through the torrential downpour along Route 9, its headlights cutting through the thick wall of fog.
In the passenger seat, Vivian had pulled Caleb’s canvas coat tightly around her shoulders. Her teeth were still chattering from the cold, but her breathing was steadying.
Caleb glanced at her from behind the wheel, his broad hands gripping the leather-wrapped steering wheel tightly.
"I called my brother-in-law," Caleb said over the roar of the engine and rain. "He’s a detective commander with the State Police Major Crimes Unit in Hartford. He’s setting up an emergency staging area at the 4th Precinct station house. We’ll be there in ten minutes."
"Thank you, Caleb," Vivian said quietly, staring out at the dark treeline passing by. "I will make sure you are compensated for everything you’ve done tonight."
"I don't want your money, ma'am," Caleb said gruffly. "I just want to see the bastard who put you in that ground wearing handcuffs."
Vivian looked down at her hands. The mud under her fingernails was a permanent reminder of how close she had come to total darkness.
She opened her phone again. The battery was at 1%.
"Caleb," she said, her voice tightening with sudden anxiety. "Do you have a charger cable in this truck?"
"Glove compartment," Caleb nodded. "Standard USB-C."
Vivian opened the compartment and reached inside. Before her fingers could lock around the cable, a blinding set of high-beam headlights flared in the truck’s side mirrors.
A heavy vehicle was approaching them from behind at high speed, tailgating the Ford F-150 within inches of its rear bumper.
Caleb checked his rearview mirror, his brow furrowing. "What is this idiot doing? The speed limit here is forty-five."
The black SUV behind them swerved to the left, pulling alongside the passenger side of the truck. The high beams illuminated the interior of the vehicle.
Through the rain-streaked side window, Vivian saw the high-end Range Rover.
Behind the wheel was Grant. His face was distorted with rage, his teeth bare. Beside him, Natalie was screaming, clutching the dashboard.
"It's him," Vivian said, her heart leaping into her throat. "Caleb, it's Grant!"
"Hold on!" Caleb yelled.
Grant violently jerked the steering wheel of the heavier Range Rover to the right, ramming the side doors of the Ford F-150.
A sickening screech of twisting metal rang out over the storm. The truck violently lurched toward the wooded shoulder, its tires losing traction on the slick, wet asphalt.
Caleb fought the wheel, his muscles straining as he corrected the skid, keeping the truck on the road.
"He’s trying to force us off the road!" Caleb roared.
"He knows if I reach the station, it's over for him!" Vivian shouted, her hands grabbing the door handle for support.
Grant pulled back, then accelerated again, matching their speed at sixty miles per hour. He swerved hard a second time, slamming into the truck’s front fender.
The impact sent the Ford spinning out of control. The back end swung around, mounted the muddy embankment, and crashed violently into a row of oak trees.
The air bags deployed with a deafening bang.
Inside the cab, smoke filled the air, mixed with the smell of scorched rubber and gunpowder from the airbag canisters.
Vivian groaned, her forehead resting against the deflated white bag. Her head was pounding, but her seatbelt had kept her locked in place.
"Caleb?" she whispered, turning to her left.
Caleb was slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious, a deep cut bleeding across his temple from hitting the side window.
"Caleb!" she called, reaching over to check his neck. His pulse was strong, but he was completely out.
Outside, the rain beat down furiously on the crumpled hood of the truck.
Through the cracked windshield, Vivian saw the doors of the black Range Rover open fifty feet away.
Grant stepped out into the mud. In his right hand, he was holding a heavy iron tire iron he had pulled from his trunk. His eyes were wide, unblinking, filled with a terrifying, desperate madness.
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Behind him, Natalie stepped out, shivering in the cold, watching in horror.
"Vivian!" Grant shouted over the roar of the wind, his boots splashing through the mud as he walked slowly toward the crashed truck. "You should have stayed in the ground!"
