Page 4 of Relentless

“John Brown. I checked the address. A vacant lot in Philadelphia.”

He growled. “Van still on course?”

“Yeah. Just passed Cherry Hill.”

Liam glanced at the speedometer. He’d be lucky if one of the county cops or Highway Patrol didn’t pull him over. “Call Ethan Blackhawk. Have him contact law enforcement agencies in the area. Explain what’s happening because I’m not stopping, Z. If these clowns reach the airport and force Piper onto a plane, I may never find her.”

“The cops will want to handle this on their own.”

“They are backup only. They can have the collar but we’re doing this my way.”

Zane was silent for a moment. “You think this is connected to you?”

“I have to assume as much until I talk to Piper.”

“Hold.” The phone was silent while Zane called Otter Creek’s police chief.

Weaving in and out of traffic, Liam used his combat driving skills to keep his reinforced SUV on the road and avoid civilian drivers.

Two minutes later, Zane’s voice filled the cabin again. “Done. The Highway Patrol is setting up a road block at the entrance ramp to Interstate 40. I’m monitoring their transmissions. They won’t be in place for another twenty minutes.”

“Too late. The kidnappers will be halfway to Knoxville by then. Do the cops know not to stop me?”

“They do. Whether they’ll cooperate is unknown.”

Frustration swamped Liam. If the cops were trigger happy, he could end up on the receiving end of a bullet. “Any change in the van’s direction?”

“Negative. Still on course for the interstate.”

Liam coaxed a little more speed from his vehicle. “How far away is Piper?”

The clicking of keys on the keyboard filled the cabin. “Seven miles. Interstate entrance ramp is sixteen miles ahead.”

“Copy that.”

“Want me to contact your team?”

“Call Matt. He’ll inform the others.”

“Hold.” Zane returned a moment later. “Matt’s on his way with Simon. He said for you to shut up and deal.”

He gave a short huff of laughter. Matt told the members of Bravo what they needed to hear. Liam wouldn’t need backup to handle two kidnappers. However, if they had friends waiting along the route, things would be more challenging. Besides, he wanted Matt to check Piper for injuries.

“You should see the van in the next mile. Want me to stay with you?”

“No. Keep monitoring their movements. Let me know if they pull off the highway.”

“Copy that. Contact me when your woman is safe.”

“Thanks, Z.” Liam ended the call and floored the accelerator. The SUV leaped ahead.

Thirty seconds later, he saw a black van racing toward the interstate entrance ramp.

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