Page 108 of Surrender

“It’s better than gambling with the idea he might not have them and causing him to drive like a reckless fucking asshole.”

“Jack—”

“You’re one of my oldest friends, but swear to god, if you cause harm to come to my kids, I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.”

My knuckles blanch against the dash as I watch the scene unfold in front of me. Red illuminates the dark stretches of highway in front of me as brake lights activate.

“We’re still tailing him.”

I swallow around the thick lump in my throat.

“Good.”

* * *

He leads us on for over an hour.

More squads join the chase, enough that the entire highway lights up in blue and red. The knot in my chest remains ever-present. Having eyes on his vehicle loosened it a fraction, but not enough to take a proper breath. That won’t happen until Lucy and Bennett are both back in my arms.

I send the rest of my brothers back to Mom’s once assisting officers arrive. I want everyone to be waiting in one place when I bring Lucy and Bennett home. These kids need to see all the faces of the people who love them to ease the fear of what their monster of a father is doing.

And if I know my family, which I like to think I do, even without meeting Whitney and her kids, they already love them simply because I do.

I stretch my legs, shifting in the passenger’s seat as a text comes in.

Silas

Hang tight. Speed change to thirty-five at the next town. Blockades in place. Deploying strips up ahead.

“Fucking hell.” I scrub my palm over my face and straighten.

“What’s going on?”

“They’re using the strips.”

“That’s a good thing. It means this will be over soon.”

“I hope this crazy fucker doesn’t have any other surprises.”

The lights from the nearing town brighten the road up ahead. Fear jolts through me in a zap the likes I haven’t felt since childhood. Not since I was forced to sit and watch my brother take a beating for me have I felt so scared and helpless. It’s like I’ve been transported back in time.

“Where do you want me to go?”

“Keep going. I want to be close.”

Suddenly, it feels like we’re underwater. Everything moves in slow motion. I’m holding my breath, waiting for the potential fallout.

The red of brake lights splash color in front of us. The sound of screeching tires. Devon’s car doesn’t stop in time to dodge the steel spikes bisecting the road. A loud pop. Then another.

The officer to the right drags the spikes away so the responding officers can continue to follow without bursting their tires. Devon attempts to continue down the highway, but the flat tires on his car slow him to a complete stop.

I throw my seatbelt off, and my feet hit pavement before Corjan can come to a complete stop. I brace a hand against the hood, watching around the cruisers as the officers emerge with guns drawn.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Corjan exits, standing behind his open door, eyes trained in the distance.

A god-awful sound rents the air. The tires spin on Devon’s car, rims against the asphalt. A shower of sparks sends the cops back a few steps.

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