Page 70 of Hunting Justice

“I see it.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I can’t flip a U-turn. There’s not room. The road’s too narrow. And even if there was, he’d T-bone us before I could get the car turned.” She slowed the car a bit.

“What are you doing?” His voice rose an octave.

“Giving us space. He’s going to ram us, I can’t stop that. But by slowing down—” The truck slammed into the rear of their car.

Jonah whipped forward and jolted back. The seatbelt caught across his chest and knocked the air from his lungs. The momentum pushed them straight toward the train.

Jonah grabbed the handle above the door and pointed at the tracks. “There’s the end. Can you keep us from colliding?”

“Hold on.” Her knuckles had turned white gripping the steering wheel, and her eyes flitted from one mirror to the other, then to the train.

He braced a hand on the dash at her command, searching for any outlet on the road that she could take. None existed.

She hit the brakes hard. The tires squealed and black smoke rose around them. A second later, she jammed the gear into reverse and hit the gas.

His head hit the passenger window. He blinked away the black dots exploding behind his eyes. Their forward progress slowed, but the truck pushing them toward the train had the advantage.

Noelle’s gaze was pinned to the rearview mirror. “How much longer?”

He did a quick estimate in his head. “Twenty seconds.”

“That’s about five seconds too long.” She practically growled.

“Don’t let up!”

“As if!”

“Fifteen,” he called out as the last railcar approached the crossing but remained too far away for his liking. The distance between the front bumper of the car and the fast-moving train diminished at a rapid rate.

Her eyes moved from the mirror to the horror in front of them. “Any ideas?”

She couldn’t be serious. “None. You’re the professional. Ten seconds.” He stole a glance at her and witnessed the moment a plan had formed. “Five.”

“Hang on!” She slammed the older model sedan into drive and ripped the steering wheel to the left.

The idea was a good one, but it didn’t give enough room for a clean getaway. The metal cattle guard of the rear-facing engine scraped the back quarter of the car, sending it spinning through the crossing-gate arms on the other side of the tracks.

A scream split the air. His? Hers? He had no clue.

He flung his hand to the center console and braced for impact.

The car crashed into an electrical box and flipped nose first. Glass exploded. It skidded along the pavement on its front hood and came to a stop.

He hung upside down, his seatbelt holding him in place. The ringing in his ears, along with the headache blooming, had him wanting to let go of consciousness. But what if the assailant hadn’t driven away and decided to confirm he’d finished the job? Noelle. He forced his eyes open and rolled his head to the side.

Noelle’s blonde hair floated down, covering her face from view. Her arms hung limply from her upside-down position.

His heart pounded at the lifeless sight.

God, I know we haven’t been on speaking terms lately, but please don’t let her die.

His first prayer in years and he had to choose another life-or-death situation with a woman he deeply cared for. He’d laugh at the irony if God’s answer didn’t terrify him.

He braced himself and released the seatbelt mechanism, hitting the floor—ceiling—ground—whatever—with a thud. He sucked in a breath and held it as he placed his fingers to the side of her throat.

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