Page 49 of Operation: Unify

She knew to blow through the stoplight if she had to, but would Randy know to do that? He’d never been faced with a situation like this before. Connor adjusted his speed as they crossed the city limits, slowing to about fifteen miles per hour.

Lacy trusted him to think ahead. While she only had to worry about Melinda and doing what would keep them safe, he had all three vehicles to consider. The light ahead was still red with about a block to go. No cars waited in front of the light, nor on the cross streets.

The moment it turned green, Connor sped up to go through it. Lacy concentrated on his speed and let Randy do his own thing. She followed him, accelerating quickly. From behind, a shot tore through both of her windows, and she screamed as she swerved off the road and onto the sidewalk.

Chapter Eighteen

Connor cranked the wheel to turn off the road then flung the door open the moment the truck came to a stop. Randy revved his engine and kept driving. Cal drove alongside him, preventing Cal from shooting at Connor as they raced through town. Once he realized Melinda was in Lacy’s car, he would most likely turn back.

Lacy opened her door and stumbled from her car as she ran around to the other side. A cold doused his whole body. Had Melinda been shot when the bullet had gone through the windows? When he blinked, he could still see the glass instantly web in the dim light of the streetlights.

Lacy got to Melinda’s door faster and opened it wide. Melinda’s body fell haphazardly to the side. He picked up the pace to help her. She shook Melinda’s shoulder and called for her to wake up.

He reached her side and helped support Melinda. “What happened?”

“He shot the windows out. He didn’t hit either of us, but I want to get us out of the street before he comes back. Melindatook one of her pain pills about forty-five minutes ago, so she’s out,” Lacy stated quickly, still trying to wake Melinda.

He gently moved Lacy out of the way. “Get the bags from the trunk. I’ll move her to my truck. We’ll need to follow and make sure Randy is alright.” He unbuckled her seatbelt as he spoke.

Lacy opened the trunk with her key fob and lugged the two bags out of the back. She had them stored in the bed of his pickup before he could get Melinda moved. Lacy climbed in so she would be in the middle and he set Melinda in. Lacy held her steady so he could buckle her and didn’t drop her into the street.

“I wonder if she’s sensitive to whatever they prescribed? She seems to be even more sleepy than I would expect.” He closed the door before Lacy could respond, not that he needed an answer to his question.

He ran back over to Lacy’s car and climbed behind the wheel. Easing the car back into the street, he parked it. Thankfully, nothing was damaged except the windshield and rear glass. She hadn’t hit the building when she’d driven onto the sidewalk.

After locking the car, he ran back to his truck and headed in the direction Randy had gone. “Any word from him?” He glanced over to Lacy.

She shook her head. “No, nothing. Then again, if he’s racing away, he may not be able to call.”

“Help me watch for lights. I wouldn’t put it past him to drive Randy into the ditch.” With as dark as it was, he hoped any shred of light would stand out like a beacon, but he couldn’t see anything as they reached the outskirts of the small town.

Lacy dug her phone out and held it in her hand. If he wasn’t driving, he’d keep his close by too. He accelerated feeling like he had to find Randy fast. As the miles passed, his gut twisted. Where was Randy? Had he turned off onto another road? Had he been injured? The only promising thing was that they hadn’t seen a car left behind.

He squinted into the distance but all that appeared was another small town.

“My gut says we should avoid that. Slowing down is a bad idea,” Lacy muttered quietly at his side.

“I know, but if we go around it, we might miss seeing his car. What if he was able to get away and is waiting for us in that town? If we skirt around it and change the route we’d planned, we might make Randy face more danger.” Though he agreed with her. Slowing down for town was a recipe for disaster.

As they neared the little city, Lacy reached over and verified the doors were locked. She then checked Melinda’s seat belt.

“Is everything secure?” He knew it was, but having her repeat it would calm both of them.

“Yes.” Her head swung slowly from left to right as she looked intently down the streets while he drove.

“Look there!” She pointed at an all-night gas station. There, waiting in front, was Randy’s car.

Connor flipped on his blinker and turned in. There were no other cars at the pumps or in the lot. He took the spot right in front of the door and killed the engine. “Wait here. Keep the doors locked. I don’t know what’s going on, but better safe than sorry.” He touched the holstered to his side to remind her to use hers if she needed to.

Lacy nodded and mimicked his action to agree. “I’ll be here.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Good. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Carefully, he opened the door and headed inside the gas station.

Randy sat on a stool near the counter. A food warmer sat next to him with slices of pizza circling in a glow. The scent made his stomach grumble. “Randy?”

He looked up from his energy drink and grinned. “I knew you’d see my car. After what you said about Wayside, I didn’t want to be driving in there without you.”

“What happened to Cal?” If he was anywhere nearby, they needed to rush away.

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