Page 45 of Forged in Secrets

“How so?”

“Honestly? I’m already starting to miss the routine of going into the office every day. There’s an order to the chaos, and I kind of like fitting into the machine rather than having to figure out what to do all the time. Is that bad to say?”

Ben considered this, looking out his window as he made a careful left turn onto the smaller, two-lane road that led back to the resort. “I don’t think so. I think we make a big deal in our world about the importance of leadership, and that’s well and good, but no one can be a good leader if there are no good followers.”

As soon as the words escaped his lips, he realized that maybe he was the one who needed to hear them.

Ever since the incident that had driven him out of the San Antonio police force, he’d hated to rely on anyone else but himself. Accepting his eldest brother’s leadership within their company was a constant sore spot, no matter how good of a job Gabe did or how trustworthy he was.

“Ben, watch out!”

It took only a second for Grace’s words to sink in, but a second was all that it took.

He heard the roar of an engine as a black truck came up behind them, and before he could figure out what to do, he felt himself jolting forward as the two vehicles made contact.

“Hold on!” he shouted, jamming his foot against the gas pedal.

He heard the engine growing louder as they picked up speed, but it wasn’t enough to escape the vehicle behind them. He felt his seatbelt going taut as the truck rammed them a second time.

Grace screamed, but there was no time to look over and see if she was okay. His muscles burned as he gripped the wheel, years of training rushing back to him in a heartbeat even as his conscious mind reeled.

He pushed the vehicle to go even faster, ignoring the jarring sensation as they bucked over an uneven patch of asphalt, but a second later, the truck was on them a third time.

Somewhere deep in his mind where the panic hadn’t quite reached, he felt himself offering a prayer.

God, please help us. Please help me get her to safety.

He took several deep breaths as he watched the speedometer’s needle moving further and further to the right. “Come on, come on,” he muttered to himself, daring to take only a brief glance in the rearview mirror as the truck loomed behind them.

On his left, two vehicles passed in quick succession, probably wondering what on earth was going on in the other lane. Hopefully, they’d call the police. Not that he had time to wait for them to show up and save the day.

On his right was a tight row of palm trees that stood in front of a few office buildings.

There was nowhere to go.

He heard the rumble of the truck’s engine again, so loud that it seemed to be sounding from somewhere within his own head.

This time, when the crash came, he felt his fingers losing their grip. He heard Grace’s scream, followed bywhat must have been his own as they slid into the other lane.

He fumbled for the heavy plastic steering wheel again as the sound of a horn pierced the air.

A huge brown van was headed straight for them.

“Ben!” Grace shouted from beside him.

The scent of burning rubber filled his nostrils as the other driver tried to brake, but he knew there was no way he’d be able to stop in time.

At last, he managed to get a firm hold on the wheel.

As he yanked it to the right, all he wanted to do was close his eyes.

Instead, he forced them open, watching as the front wheels hit the edge of the dirt shoulder.

The view out the front window changed from sand to sky as the SUV lifted into the air, and he felt his muscles tensing as he waited for the vehicle to roll.

The seconds slowed, and everything was impossibly quiet.

And then, all at once, the view changed again.

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