Chapter 12
"Try not to leave a dent," I spoke a little while after Harriet drove off. I hadn't realized it was dark until after I landed on the porch with the gunman I just killed. How the hell did I move from a normal lecturer to dodging bullets in only 48 hours?
While I was getting into the car bullets were cascading in my direction and somehow I had managed to escape them without a scratch didn't mean we were in the clear yet. I saw a black truck coming our way through my wing mirror right before it was shot off.
"Harriet!" I said. " We got company."
She pushed the accelerator to the floor and I could feel the car picking up speed. So was the truck.
The back window shattered as bullets passed through and we all ducked our heads instinctively.
"Damnit," I heard Rick curse. Rick and Dash tried returning fire while Aubrey made sure the briefcase on his lap was secure.
"Ok Harriet!" I shouted so that I could be heard over the deafening sounds of gunfire
As if sensing what I was about to enquire she said, "Alright the reason why we're in hiding is because we got our hands on some genuine codes for the nukes in Turkey. Will wants them and I have no idea why!"
"We'll think about that later," I said as I readied my rifle.
"I thought you said you didn't want to get involved!"
"Well that was before they trashed my house," I said while positioning my upper body out of the window while facing the truck. I noted the figure that was also out of his window. The shooter, I thought and decided it would be best to take him out first. Aiming in his direction I fired. He tried to duck himself in the safety of the armoured truck but he wasn't fast enough to avoid my rounds as they punctured through his elbow, torso as well as the side of his neck. His chances of surviving those were very slim so I focused on firing blind shoots at the drive.
The bullets wouldn't get through but they would disorient him for a while. Just as I thought the vehicle swerved left and right but he wasn't going to be crashing any time soon. I ducked and settled myself in my seat I turned to the group and asked, " Does anyone have a grenade?"
Dash quickly produced one and handed it to me he said, " We only got one so don't fuck up on whatever you're gonna do with it".
I simply nodded and said, " Don't worry bout it."
Harriet gave me a wary eye out of her corner before checking her wing mirror.
"He's on our tail again," she stated
"Not for long," I declared and positioned myself out the window like the previous time only now I had a grenade in my hand.
The truck driver had regained control over the mechanical beast and was heading right for us. I had to act fast.
Armoured vehicles had a reinforced chassis at the top that could withstand bullets but below it was like any other vehicle. Susceptible to damage all I had to do was throw the grenade under it's wheels and hopefully I halt the truck's movement as well as the driver's.
I was about to pull the pin when our car suddenly rose above the asphalt and hit the ground hard. The force of the impact nearly forced me out of the car but somehow I held on and remained in place unfortunately I had to let the grenade drop and I didn't pull the pin. I quickly ducked back inside the car.
"Rick can I borrow your handgun for a while?" I asked quickly and he looked at me sceptically. "Come on! It might save our asses!"
I held out my open Palm and he reluctantly handed his desert eagle over. I quickly lingered back out of the window and looked at the road frantically searching for the grenade with my eyes from a speeding vehicle.
"Jake what happened to the grenade!" I heard Harriet shout
"I dropped it when you hit the bump a few moments ago," I replied and a smile made its way along my face as I finally spotted the grenade.
"You what!"
"Shush!"
I concentrated my aim, the truck was on its way, the grenade was lying in the middle of the street and my timing had to be just right. If I missed then we were probably screwed. My heart beat was steady and my breathing was regulated then I pulled the trigger and hoped that the universe would work in my favour.
The bullet seared through the air from the barrel of the gun. The truck was about to conceal the grenade below it's front hood but not before the bullet found its way and hit the grenade. An explosion was catalyzed by it's impact and the truck's front went in the air and was flipping in the opposite direction the force carrying the rest of the truck and causing it to hit the asphalt with it's roof. Flaming tyres were facing the sky and it only took a matter of seconds for the flames to reach the fuel tank and the piece of metal was up in flames. I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding as I ducked back in the car. Cheers were coming from the back and Harriet was smiling as she saw the flaming truck through her wing mirror.
I looked straight ahead and everyone had relaxed a bit. Harriet was passing by a street when I saw blinding lights heading towards my side and before any one could register, the car was rammed and my side was the first to turn over in the air.
For a brief moment I felt weightless as I was hanging in the air then the car hit the ground and before summersaulting in the air for what felt like an eternity before finally settling down on it's deformed tyres if they can even be recognized as tyres anymore. I was bleeding from my temple, I felt I cringe in my neck my leg hurt ten times more than it did before. My ears were buzzing and I shook my head a little wincing as the pain in my neck intensified.
Looking across to Harriet I saw she wasn't moving, her head was slumped to one side and her eyes were closed.
Dear God, I thought, hope you're alive. The door on my side was no longer there probably due to the collision course we just finished. I clambered out of the car and landed on the ground on all fours. I still felt dizzy from the crash but I got to my feet and stumbled towards Harriet's side. It took all the force I could muster to yank the door open and drag Harriet out and far away from the car as much as possible. Laying her on her back I placed two fingers along her neck. Her pulse was still there. Good.
I sighed and watched past the fumes coming from the car and saw Aubrey and Dash supporting a battered Rick. They too looked to be in agonizing pain.
"The case?" I asked and Aubrey shook his head.
We'd lost the case but we didn't lose our lives so in this case I still counted it as a win.
"Come on," I carried Harriet in my arms and slowly we made our way through an alley that had a repulsive stench that was coming from probably the trash cans that were lying around.
"Where are we going?" Aubrey asked.
I could only think of one place at that wasn't too far from here.