Page 54 of Her Baby, Her Badge

Dutton couldn’t tell if the man was lying, but at this point, he was going to assume everything that came out of his mouthwas meant to cover up his guilt in the murders and attacks. If Wilson turned out to be innocent, then Dutton would owe him an apology.

“Teddy Lunsford,” Grace repeated, and she would have no doubt added more if they hadn’t heard the revving of an engine.

A loud one.

Loud enough for Dutton to motion for Grace to get back in the cruiser. They did, both practically diving inside.

Dutton didn’t spot any headlights, but there was definitely a vehicle coming from the road in front of them. There was a hill, and he didn’t see the semitruck until it was coming right at them.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Grace couldn’t throw the cruiser into reverse since Wilson was right behind it. Besides, she didn’t have time to do anything before the crash came.

The huge black truck slammed into them.

It wasn’t the kind of truck that was usually on the rural roads. This was a commercial vehicle that was double the size of the cruiser, and the driver was using it like a lethal weapon.

The impact jolted her back just as the airbag deployed and slammed into her face. It knocked the gun from her hand. Knocked the breath from her, too, and she immediately thought of her precious baby. Thought of what her OB doctor had told her as well, that an airbag wouldn’t hurt an unborn child.

Still, the fear was there.

So was the fear of them being killed.

Grace started batting down the airbag, looking for Dutton. She had to make sure he was okay, and to check and see if the driver of the truck, or Wilson, was coming after them. She saw he was doing the same thing. He was frantically punching down the airbag so he could glance over to make sure she was alright. Then, he turned both his gaze and his gun in the direction of the truck.

“No cargo trailer, which makes it easy for the driver to maneuver,” Dutton muttered. “He’ll try to come at us again.”

Mercy. Dutton was probably right, and Grace tried to put the cruiser into gear so she could at least try to get out of the path of the truck before it immobilized them. If it hadn’t already. The engine was on, but she wasn’t sure if the vehicle was still capable of being driven.

She heard Wilson yelling, but she had no idea if he’d been hurt. Since he’d been standing behind the cruiser, it was possible he was hit. It was equally possible though that he was calling out some orders to his henchman, who was behind the wheel of that semi.

A henchman who could be hell-bent on trying to kill them.

The driver of the truck reversed, the massive tires sending up billows of smoke on the asphalt, and he sped back a few yards. Then, as Dutton had predicted, he came at them again. The first collision had taken out the cruiser headlights, and because of the height of the semi, Grace couldn’t see the driver.

But she saw he was about to crash into them for a second time.

There’d be no airbag this time, but Grace was still wearing her seat belt. She prayed that was enough to keep her baby unharmed.

The semi rammed into them again, and the night was filled with the sound of metal crushing against metal. The front end of the cruiser crumpled, taking out the engine and mangling it as if it was an accordion. A part of the hood flew off, slamming into the windshield and cracking it.

Now they were trapped. And their attacker knew that. He continued the forward momentum of the truck, pushing them back.

And back.

The driver didn’t reverse, didn’t crash into them again. He just continued to push them backward. Grace stomped her footon the brakes, hoping that would at least put up some resistance, but the brakes weren’t working, either.

“He’s trying to push us into a ditch,” Dutton said. “And it’s filled with water from the storms.”

She glanced at her side mirror and realized that was exactly what the driver was trying to do. And once they were jammed into the ditch, killing them would be easy. Grace couldn’t see Wilson and wondered if he’d be the shooter once they were trapped. If so, she didn’t intend to make this easy for him.

Grace felt around on the seat and console for her gun, and for several heart-stopping moments, she couldn’t find it. Finally, her fingers raked across it, and she snatched it up.

She glanced in the side mirror and saw the ditch was way too close. They’d be in it within seconds, and if the cruiser went in at the wrong angle and the ditch was deep enough, water could get inside and drown them. Added to that, they might not be able to get the doors open if the semi wedged them in.

“We have to move,” Dutton said at the exact moment she was about to say the same thing. “Stay low, run to the back end of the cruiser and use it for cover. Keep a lookout for Wilson, too.”

“You do the same,” Grace insisted.

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