Page 55 of Savage Warrior

I don’t ask questions. I fling myself across the seats and shove my hand into his pocket for the phone.

“Hold it in front of my face,” he commands.

I do as I’m told, and the device bursts into life.

“Right. Open my WhatsApp. Can you see ‘help’ at the top of the list?”

I scan the contacts list. “Yes. I see it.”

“Type in ‘one’ and send.”

“The number one?”

“Yes. Do it now.”

I hit the keys as instructed. “Done it.”

We burst back onto the main road. ?tefan steers us to the right again and puts his foot down. The wheels scream and spin on the icy surface but find enough purchase to propel us forward.

“They’re still coming.” I turn around in time to see the van emerge sideways from the lane about fifty metres behind us. It careers sideways across the road before the driver regains control and the vehicle surges forward. “I think they’re gaining on us.”

“Shit,” he mutters. He drops down through the gears to find more speed.

Our pursuers are still gaining, but not so fast as before. We’re travelling at a suicidal speed in these conditions, but ?tefan is managing to maintain control. Just. I’m helplessly crossing my fingers and praying that our pursuers go off the road before we do.

I’m still clutching ?tefan’s phone when it emits a shrill ringing. I glance at the name displayed on the screen. “It’s someone called Ethan.”

“Answer it,” he grinds out. “Put it on loudspeaker.”

I do as I’m told.

A gravelly voice fills the car. “Rome?”

“Here, boss.”

Boss? The man who owns the cabin and who stores an arsenal in the cellar?

“What’s happening?” the voice demands.

“We’re being chased. The Sokolovs, probably. Did Jack…?”

“He filled me in.” The other man is curt, to the point. “Is the girl with you?”

“Yes.”

“Are you armed?”

“To the teeth. I found your stash under the cabin.”

“How long can you hold them off?”

We plough into a snow drift which has partially blocked the road. ?tefan curses and wrestles with the steering wheel, and the Land Rover bounces into the air. I let a scream escape, despite my best efforts not to distract him. By some miracle, he manages to keep us on the tarmac and continues to hurtle forward.

The vehicle behind makes use of the hole we punched in the drift so manages to gain a few yards on us. ?tefan checks their progress in the mirror before answering the question.

“Not sure. A few minutes. I may need to take cover in the trees. How long before…?”

“We’re already airborne and headed for you. We have your phone on the tracker. ETA is…?” He pauses, and there’s a faint mumble of voices. “Twenty-seven minutes,” he confirms. “Can you make that work?”

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