Page 58 of Feral Mates
My gut told me Blackwell was behind everything, which would explain his odd behavior.
If the experiments had been planned with use of the animals, that meant Dr. Blackwell had already used his own employees with security clearances to alter test results. To keep them from the rest of us. We’d keep on working, feeding them with results while they moved forward with ignoring the requirements of the grant.
And maybe worse.
In my mind, I was convinced the explosion had been nothing more than a diversion. Maybe other employees had started asking questions. As Apollo maneuvered the sharp turns, I realized he was a damn good driver. A sudden laugh popped from my lips. Suddenly, this all seemed normal. Just a typical day in la-la-land.
After several turns, we were finally on a two-lane road where we’d remain for thirty miles. I finally released my clenched hold on the dashboard, sitting back as ominous shadows created eerie forms in the trees. In my mind they twisted and pulsed as they’d done in the lab. Furious at the mental attack, I closed my eyes.
Another growl emitted grabbed my attention. “What’s wrong?”
Apollo was staring into the rearview mirror, his jaw tightly clenched. A quick glance into the rearview mirror and the horror returned.
Flashing lights.
I twisted in my seat, staring out the back window. “They’re gaining on us.”
Apollo pressed down on the gas pedal. The engine’s slight hesitation was followed a jerk forward as the turbo kicked in.
“There’s only one,” Kai offered. “Can you outrun them?”
Apollo snickered. “Watch me.”
“No!” I yelled. “We can’t get arrested. You might not survive.”
“What choice do we have, Savannah?” Roman threw out. “If we’re caught, there will never be another opportunity to escape again. We have no place in this world.”
Groaning, I pressed my hand against my forehead. My entire body was shaking from adrenaline and the powerful fear. “Fine. Just be careful.”
With no other words said and going in excess of eighty miles per hour, he managed to power around the curves. Tires squealed. The chassis shimmied, but my little car that had been through eighty thousand miles of driving me safety to work and back performed beautifully.
Still, he couldn’t lose the police car. Whether or not this was about leaving the roadblock or something even more sinister we might never know. Another moment of instinct screamed that we couldn’t stop. Not under any circumstances.
Oh, what are you doing, girl? You’re sacrificing your entire career and possibly your freedom for a crazy theory.
That had proven true.
I’d seen it with my own eyes. With my grip in the dashboard white knuckled, I constantly looked into the side mirror. My God. They were gaining on us.
The situation was becoming almost desperate.
More turns.
Sirens.
The rush of trees passing the windows was even more malevolent than before. Apollo wasn’t giving up, going even faster. Now everything outside the windows was a complete blur.
“Two miles. Right hand turn!” I yelled.
“Hold on,” Apollo snarled. “We’re going to lose them.”
I had no idea how he was able to handle the car with so much precision, but only seconds later, he’d pulled far enough ahead of the police car, I could barely make out the lights in the side mirror.
“Keep going,” I whispered. Every muscle in my body was tense. “The turn is coming up. Slow down. Slow down!” We’d never make the sharp turn.
When Apollo started to turn the wheel, slamming on the brakes, my entire body clenched, bracing for the crash, a horrible impact.
Inertia hit me and for a few seconds, it felt as if I’d been dropped into suspended animation. We were flying, or so it seemed. A quick jerk. The tires thudded.
