Page 6 of Protected from Malice
Oh, crap.
I can’t lead them straight to my house.
Fear surges through me, more intense and all-encompassing than I can remember in a long time.
Not since?—
No. I can’t go there right now.
The headlights loom behind me as fiery eyes glaring. Menacing.
Panic threatens to take over. I can feel the warning signs. The numb feeling in my hands. The tightness in my chest. The floaty sensation in my head.
No.
This time it’s a command.
No.
I’m smarter than this.
Indy trained me better than this.
Like pieces of a puzzle slotting together, a memory comes to me.
It had to be six years ago, back when I was still living in Boston. Indy came to visit with Rafe, and we got to talking about some of their specialized training. Rafe mentioned some tactical driving skills they’d learned, and I was immediately interested. Not because I ever thought I’d need them, but the idea intrigued me.
Plus, we’d just watched one of thoseFast and the Furiousmovies the guys liked so much, so it seemed relevant.
I asked them to teach me, so we drove out to a huge parking lot at a closed-down shopping mall. And they taught me skills like evasive reversing and bootleg turns, so, in theory, I could escape if I was being chased.
Like now.
I did the turns perfectly back in the parking lot. But can I do one now, in the dark, with a giant truck right behind me? While I’m shaking with fear and on the verge of heart failure?
In the moments I hesitate, debating, the truck closes in again.
I chance a quick glance in the rearview mirror, hoping to see the driver, but it’s just a wall of blinding white.
Just do it.
Do the bootleg turn, just like Indy—no, it was Rafe, actually, who demonstrated it, and it was so sexy?—
Don’t think about Rafe right now.
Just do it.
Now.
Taking a deep breath, I force my mind into clinical, problem-solving mode. Into the mode I used during all of my college exams. During my PhD dissertation defense. During the proposal meetings when I argued for my current project, explaining all the reasons it should be prioritized for funding over all the others.
Then, on a silent prayer, I do just as I was taught.
Let off the gas, even though it’s terrifying to do it.
Steer into the turn. Pull the emergency brake.
Wait for the balance of the car to shift.
