Chapter 24
24
A lejandro fell back as the weapon discharged twice. One bullet hit the body of the Honda and the other went wide.
“Get down!” he barked at Camila.
Camila doubled over and covered the back of her head with her hands. Alejandro floored the accelerator with the intention of landing a forceful hit on the right side of the sedan which, if he did it right, could destabilize the car and cause it to fishtail or even flip.
But he had two problems: the rough terrain could cause him to miss and damage the Honda, leaving them stranded. He also couldn’t risk making such a dangerous move with Camila in the car. By himself or with Buck alone, he wouldn’t have thought twice about the maneuver.
The crack of gunfire split the air, and Alejandro stayed to the right, out of the line of fire, but The Transporter leaned out the window and fired again. The round cut through the side mirror and Alejandro muttered a curse. Buck was going to kill him for damaging his car.
The Transporter leaned out the window again, and Alejandro anticipated hearing more gunfire. Except… there was none. The man pulled his hand with the gun back in the window, apparently having run out of ammo. Perfect.
“You can sit up now. He ran out of rounds.”
Camila slowly lifted her head. “Oh, thank goodness,” she breathed.
“Buck, I have an idea.”
Ready, Buck leaned forward. “What are you thinking?”
“I need you to take the wheel.”
Camila swung her head toward him. “ Excuse me? ”
Alejandro shot a look at Buck in the rearview mirror. “We’ll switch places, and I’ll go out on the hood. Get me close to his car.” Having worked with Buck before, he trusted him completely.
“Not a problem,” Buck said, already in battle mode.
Camila, however, gawked at them. “Are the two of you serious?”
Alejandro popped off his seatbelt. “If Buck gets me close enough, I’ll be able to jump onto The Transporter’s car.”
“ Jump onto his car? ” Camila shrieked.
“It’s the only way to stop him. Anything else would be too risky.”
“That’s risky!” Camila yelled, eyes wide.
“Trust me, sweetheart, we know what we’re doing.” Alejandro maintained a safe distance between the two vehicles.
“What if Buck screws up and you die?”
“I won’t screw up, and he won’t die,” Buck promised, releasing his belt.
Camila gripped Alejandro’s arm. “Please be careful.”
He brought her hand to his lips. “I don’t know any other way to be.”
“I’m not convinced,” she said.
He pushed the seat back to provide more room, the entire time keeping the blue sedan in sight as both vehicles bounced across the dirt road.
He undid his belt buckle.
“Why are you getting undressed?” Camila asked.
“Normally, it’s hard as hell to break the window of a car, but with the right technique, it’s easy. If I use a sharp object, like the corner of this belt, I can break the glass a lot easier.”
“Smart,” Buck said.
Worry filled Camila’s eyes when she looked at him.
Alejandro squeezed her thigh. “Don’t worry.”
“This is what I get for wanting to come along,” she muttered.
He wound the belt around his hand and then rolled down the window. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. This was the kind of shit he lived for. “You ready, amigo ?” he asked, meeting Buck’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Ready.”
“I’ll count to three and take my foot off the accelerator. Then you can take control of the vehicle.”
“Roger that.” Buck leaned forward with a determined expression on his face.
Camila drew a shaky breath.
The tension in the vehicle grew thick.
Alejandro flicked his eyes from the road to Buck and nodded. He eased onto the window sill, keeping his foot on the gas. One hand gripped the roof for balance, while the hand with the belt held on to the left side of the steering wheel.
Buck braced a hand on the center console as he gripped the steering wheel with the other.
“One, two, three!”
As Alejandro lifted his foot off the pedal, Buck slid into the driver’s seat and took control of the car. The car swagged and skidded in the dirt, but it straightened under Buck’s firm hand.
“Hold her steady!” Alejandro yelled over the roar of the engine.
Grunting, he hoisted himself completely out of the vehicle, his feet firmly planted on the edge of the door as the wind howled around him.
He said a quick prayer, kissed the cross on his chain, and climbed onto the hood. In a crouched position, he held onto the edge closest to the windshield and narrowed his eyes against the dust kicking up in his face. Using his arm to protect his nose and mouth, he looked back and nodded at Buck, letting him know to move closer.
His friend slowly closed the gap between the two vehicles. Both cars bumped along the uneven dirt road, but Buck kept pace, as Alejandro knew he would.
He was about to jump when the sedan hit a particularly deep hole. The Honda followed suit, and the entire machine rattled. He gripped the hood, his body coiled and his muscles tensed.
After taking a moment to get settled, he caught sight of Camila’s wide-eyed, worried expression. He waved for Buck to move closer again. He moved slightly to the left and gunned the engine. With the surge, he edged the white vehicle alongside the blue sedan.
Now was the time.
Alejandro let go and launched himself across the small gap between the two vehicles and onto the roof, right as The Transporter veered away.
The jolt made him slide on the smooth surface, but he grabbed the edge of the roof and held on tight with gritted teeth. The car shifted left then right as the driver tried to shake him. Muscles straining, he continued to grip the roof and unraveled the belt. He lifted his hand in an arc and… the sedan jerked violently as it hit a bump.
“ Mierda ,” Alejandro muttered, curling his fingers to hold on.
Heart pounding, he lay low on top of the vehicle as it zigzagged along the dirt road. His body was thrown from side to side, but he held firm.
Finally, another opportunity arrived, and he swung the belt buckle in a downward arch. The pointed corner hit the edge hard where the glass was weaker, and it shattered into pieces. To take advantage of The Transporter’s temporary surprise, he swung one leg inside the car. The Transporter reached across to push him out, but Alejandro got the upper hand and kicked him in the head.
The vehicle jerked to the left and then right. While the driver fought to straighten the car, Alejandro slid the rest of his body inside and onto the glass-covered passenger seat.
The Transporter threw a punch, but Alejandro caught it and slammed his fist into the man’s side. He howled in pain. He hit him again with a brain-jostling blow to the temple, and the driver lost his grip on the steering wheel.
“Stop the car!” Alejandro yelled.
The Transporter grunted and Alejandro hit him again. His head slammed into the window and blood flew from his mouth onto the steering wheel.
The sedan jerked violently as The Transporter’s hands slipped from the wheel, and the car skidded off the road. They crashed through the brush and rolled into a ditch. The vehicle teetered on two tires before collapsing onto its side. Alejandro tumbled to the ground through the broken out window, while The Transporter’s seatbelt held him trapped in the seat.
Alejandro took a moment to shake off the temporary dizzying effects of the crash and then crawled into the backseat and out the back door. He opened the driver’s door and unhooked The Transporter’s seatbelt, dragging him from the vehicle to the sound of protesting moans. The man was dazed, with a bloodied and reddened face from the blows Alejandro had landed.
Camila and Buck ran over and looked down at them. “Are you okay?” she asked anxiously.
“Better than this guy.” He hauled the driver up the incline by his arm.
“Great job,” Buck said with a grin.
Camila was not as complimentary. “You almost gave me a heart attack,” she said, an undercurrent of anger in her voice.
With a satisfied grin, Alejandro shoved The Transporter toward the waiting Honda. “But I didn’t. We have our guy. And no one died.”