5
I glanced in the direction where I’d last seen Rikter but didn’t find him. I had no idea where the shooter was, and a general survey of the area didn’t turn anything up. My heart thumped hard when I made it to the vehicle. I opened the door, jumped inside, and started the engine while ducking down.
“You there?” Troy asked as I put it in gear and started turning around. My phone had automatically connected to the vehicle’s Bluetooth system.
“I’m in the Jeep.”
“Your chances of survival have increased by a factor of ten. Rikter can take care of himself. Get out of there!”
I was already hitting the gas.
My vehicle dashboard showed another call coming in before I made it far. It took a moment to recognize that it was Rikter because I was more focused on the bouncing road. When I hit the dry creek bed, I all but sailed over.
“Hang on, Troy. Rikter’s calling.”
I pressed a button on the screen to answer and then another to conference the calls.
“Pedal to the metal!” Rikter said in between heavy breaths. “The shooter is heading toward that car we saw earlier. See if you can get out in time to snap a photo of the plate.”
“Can’t you get that with the drone?”
“It’s too high, and the controls are with you. I can only see the video it’s capturing. Hang on.” Rikter fell silent, and I couldn’t tell if he’d been instructing me to stop or if he was waiting for some other reason. I kept going. “He’s moving toward the road again. I thought he was heading toward you, but you’re safe for now. Floor it.”
I was already going fast, and without thinking, I hit the gas right as I approached another dip. I bounced and soared. Something fell out of the car through the open passenger window. When I looked over, I realized Rikter’s bag was missing.
“Just lost your bag.”
“Doesn’t matter. Get that picture.”
I twisted around a curve, kicking up a huge dust cloud. When the road straightened, I opened up the engine and surged forward, leaving a telltale red plume behind me. Up ahead, the highway came at me fast.
“Know what kind of car I’m looking for?” I asked, vaguely remembering it was silver.
“A silver Hyundai SUV. Tucson maybe.” Rikter gasped. “Floor it, Hoffman! I won’t get there in time. He’s too far.”
I got to the road just as a silver Hyundai flew by. The windows were so heavily tinted they were pure black. Loose dirt and gravel skidded underneath my tires as I turned out behind him, slamming down the pedal.
Clever trick with the writing on the window, I thought.
“I see him.” I choked down a breath like I was still running. “I’m right behind him.”
“Just take the pic and back off,” Troy reminded me. It occurred to me that I hadn’t told Rikter I was also on the phone with Troy.
“What if it’s a rental?” I asked, surprised the shooter was running instead of trying to kill me. “We can’t trace that kind of plate without going to the police or begging an agency for a favor.” Unless, of course, Anton Baker, the technology member of my investigatory team, looked for a backdoor into the system, something I actively discouraged him from doing. But it was something he frequently did anyway.
“We’ll figure out a way to get the information.”
I glanced at the GoPro affixed to my dash but couldn’t safely work it while driving, so I fumbled for my phone, hit the gas, and took a picture.
And I continued the pursuit.
Now that I was in a position to act, I was reluctant to let this guy out of my sight.
“Hoffman, you still chasing him?” Rikter asked. “Did you get the picture?”
I didn’t answer right away because I knew what he’d tell me to do. I wasn’t the one with a military background. I’d never worked for the CIA. This was way outside my skill set. If it would’ve been one of them, they wouldn’t have backed off. No question. I felt pressure to measure up and do the same.
“Hoffman?”
“I got it.”
“Then let him go.”
I kept my foot on the pedal for another moment before finally releasing it.
