38. She Learned From Him #2
“Walker.”Chris was already strapping on his vest.Logan grabbed his own.“I’ll drive.”
Chris looked at him.“No.”Logan sighed.“Of course not.”Chris headed for the door.“Camila, keep talking to me.”
“Planning to.”The SUV bounced over the dirt road.Camila gripped the wheel with one hand and the phone with the other.“Put me on speaker.”
“What?”
“Speaker. Both hands on the wheel.”
“Oh.”She did.“Done.”
“Good. Seat belt?”Camila looked down.“Chris.”
“Seat belt.”
“Seriously?”
“Camila.”She pulled it across and clicked it.“Happy?”
“No.”
“Fair.”
“Tell me what you see.”
“Road.”Chris closed his eyes.“Very helpful.”
“Trees.”
“Better.”
“Industrial buildings behind me. I’m on a dirt road.”
“Power lines?”
“Yes.”
“Railroad tracks?”Camila looked.“I don’t know.”
“Think. You heard trains earlier.”Her eyes widened.“How did you know I heard trains?”
“You told me on the burner call.”Camila smiled despite everything.He’d understood.Of course he had.“I knew you’d catch that.”
“I’m very smart.”
“Debatable.”A gunshot cracked behind her.Camila screamed.Chris’s face went white.“Camila!”
“I’m okay!”
“What happened?”
“They’re shooting.”Every agent around Chris reacted.His voice became terrifyingly calm.
“Listen to me.”
“Listening.”
“Don’t look behind you.”
“I need to see where they are.”
“Mirrors only.”
“Okay.”
“Eyes up.”Camila’s breathing steadied.There.His voice.The driving lesson.The empty road.Chris sitting beside her.Laughing every time she nearly destroyed the transmission.Eyes up.She lifted her gaze.The dirt road curved sharply.“Oh shit.”
“What?”
“Turn.”
“How sharp?”
“Very.”
“How fast?”She looked down.“Seventy.”
“Brake.”Camila stomped on it.“Not like you’re trying to put your foot through the floor!”
“You said brake!”
“Before the turn. Smooth.”
“I am being chased!”
“I know.”
“Then stop criticizing!”Despite everything, Logan laughed from the passenger seat of the FBI Charger.Chris shot him a murderous look.“Not now.”
“Sorry.”Camila heard him.“Is that Logan?”
“Yes.”
“Hi, Logan!”Logan leaned toward the phone.“Hi, Camila.”Chris shoved him away.“Stop socializing during the pursuit.”Camila almost laughed.Then the curve came.“Chris!”
“Look where you want the car to go.”
“What?”
“Not at the ditch.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You’re looking at the ditch.”
“How the hell do you know?”
“Because everybody does it.”Camila forced her eyes toward the road ahead.“Brake before the turn.”She slowed.“Now ease off.”She did.“Turn.”The SUV entered the curve.Too wide.
Camila gasped.“Don’t jerk it.”She corrected.
“Eyes up.”She looked toward the exit of the curve.
“Good.”The SUV came through.Camila laughed.
“I did it!”Chris smiled for the first time since she’d disappeared.
“Yeah, you did.”Then headlights appeared rapidly in her mirror.
“They’re gaining.”Chris’s smile vanished. “How close?”
“One is really close.”
“Don’t let them get beside you.”
“How?”
“Use the road.”
“What does that mean?”Chris paused.Right.She wasn’t him.He needed to stop talking to her like she had tactical driver training.“Forget that. Keep your line. Stay predictable. Don’t make sudden moves.”
“That’s less exciting.”
“I am not trying to make this exciting.”The pursuing vehicle surged closer.Then struck her rear bumper.Camila screamed.The SUV fishtailed.“CHRIS!”
“Eyes up!”She fought the wheel.
“Don’t overcorrect!”The vehicle swung again.Camila remembered.Small correction.
Wait.Small correction.The SUV straightened.She breathed.“Oh my God.”Chris released the breath he’d been holding.“Good.”
“They hit me!”
“I know.”
“I don’t appreciate it.”Chris almost laughed.“Neither do I.”
“Can I hit them back?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not trained.”
“You taught me.”
“I taught you how to take a fucking corner.”
“Same thing.”
“Not remotely.”Mercer looked over.“We have her.”Chris turned instantly.“Where?”
The analyst pointed.“Burner ping just hit near County Road 18 east of the old Vargas distribution corridor.”Chris’s eyes sharpened.“Calder property.”Mercer looked at the map.
“Possible.”Chris knew.“That’s it.”He accelerated.Logan grabbed the handle.“Oh fuck.”
Chris looked over.“What?”
“I know that face.”Chris pressed harder.The Charger surged forward.Over the speaker, Camila heard the engine.Her eyes widened.“Chris.”
“What?”
“Are you driving?”
“Yes.”
“How fast?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Chris.”
“Eyes on your road, princess.”Despite everything—Camila smiled.There he was.
Diego stared through the windshield of the pursuing sedan.“Get beside her.”
The driver accelerated.“She’ll wreck.”
“I don’t care.”
“We need her alive.”Diego’s expression hardened.“Then don’t fucking shoot her.”
He grabbed the radio.“Take the road ahead.”A second vehicle accelerated.Camila saw it.
“Oh no.”Chris heard the change in her voice.“What?”
“One is passing.”
“Which side?”
“Left.”
“Let him.”
“What?”
“Don’t race him.”
“But—”
“Camila, trust me.”She swallowed.“I do.”The words hit Chris harder than she realized.
After everything.The lies.Roman.The badge.She still said it.I do.“Let him go.”The vehicle passed.Camila watched.“He’s ahead.”
“What’s he doing?”
“Accelerating.”Chris understood.“Roadblock.”Camila’s stomach dropped.“What?”
“They’re going to try to stop you ahead.”
“What do I do?”Chris looked at the map.“How far until the paved road?”The analyst held up three fingers.“Three miles.”Chris spoke.“Keep going.”
“That’s the plan.”
“You should hit pavement in about three miles.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know where you are now.”Camila’s eyes filled.“You found me?”Chris’s voice softened.“Yeah.”
“Where are you?”
“Coming.”