The chase is on.

Chapter 9

The one road out of Dargerville led progressively up a mountain road before it would gradually descend back down to the city streets of New York.

Connie was regularly checking her rearview mirror now as her car ascended the mountain. The SUV seemed to be tailing her.

She kept at a constant speed.

As she drove higher up the road, the SUV seemed to be gaining on them.

She now knew it wasn't a random vehicle.

"Mike, I think we have trouble behind us," Connie said when she realized the vehicle was closing distance on them

Mike turned and looked back. At the same time, the SUV quickly accelerated its speed. The grill of the black vehicle was so close that Mike prepared himself for the impact.

BAM! There was a crush of metals. Mike and Connie lurched forward as the vehicle hit them from behind. She steered carefully as her car hugged a curve in the road.

"Oh, God, what do we do, Mike?" Her adrenaline kicked in. Connie floored the pedal, but the driver of the SUV was also gunning his engine. She watched as the needle of her speedometer moved further and further to the right. The engines from the two cars were getting louder and louder.

BAM! Mike and Connie jerked forward again. Her car veered a little off path. It took the car a little longer to recover. She shifted the transmission as the road became steeper. The adrenaline rush had turned to fear.

She took the next curve a little too fast. Her tires screeched. They could hear the vehicle behind them also careening the curve. The engine noise was deafening.

"I don't know what to do!" she panicked.

"Ride fast, stay calm, and above all else, keep the car steady," answered Mike, as he tried to reassure her, "Luckily, we do have somewhat of an advantage."

"Advantage? What advantage are you talking about?" a nervous Connie asked as she turned her steering wheel a short left followed by an immediate quick right.

"Our car can actually handle curved roads better because we have a lower center of gravity. It'll be harder for him to catch up with us," he explained.

"You mean we can outrun him?" Connie was hopeful.

"Well, not that much of an advantage," Mike answered truthfully.

The accelerating roar of the two engines was all she could hear. Connie broke out in a sweat. She cornered another curve and checked the rearview mirror. The SUV followed closely behind, ready to pound them again.

Mike took out his gun and checked to make sure it was ready to fire. Another wave of fear rushed over Connie. He rolled down the window. Immediately a huge gust of wind rushed throughout the interior of the car.

"What are you going to do?" hollered Connie above the noise of the wind, as everything went flapping in the cab of the car.

"Use our second advantage," he shouted back, checking his gun one last time, "obviously he is not shooting at us, so he probably doesn't plan to as he long as he is driving. Either he wants this to look like an accident or he is a lone driver. Either way, we need to shake him loose."

He extended and twisted his upper body out the opened window and faced the SUV. The constant wind made it difficult for him to steady his body. He felt his shoulder pounding against the frame of the open window. He could feel every bump of the road. He tried to maintain a firm posture out the window. Lifting his firearm, Mike blasted off 8 shots. The sound could be heard over the rush of the air currents. Connie's body jerked each time he fired.

Mike returned inside the car, rubbing his left shoulder, which had been knocked about the frame of the opened window. He needed time to recover.

"Mike, are you okay?"

He exhaled loudly. She was relieved when he nodded a yes.

Are you trying to hit him?" Connie yelled above the wind resistance. If so, there wasn't much progress as the SUV continued to follow closely them. She made another turn, as the car veered slightly but was able to handle another curve.

"No." he hollered as his hair whipped all around him, " I'm taking dead aim at his grill. Hopefully several of the shots will reach the radiator. If we can make the radiator leak, we can slow him down."

"Why not hit his window?" Connie shouted, wishing Mike could just eliminate him.

"Specially- made official vehicles like his usually have bullet proof windows," Mike yelled above the wind noise, "it will just ricochet off."

They drove a distance, but again, the black vehicle was gaining momentum.

BAAM! Connie heard the metals clashing again. The black vehicle rammed them from behind. They were once more flung forward, held back only by the buckled seat belts. Her car again veered off course.

Connie feared she might lose control of the car if the SUV rammed them again. And now they were higher up the mountain. The car could easily fly off the road.

Mike took a deep breath and stuck his body out the window again. Once again he was banged up against the window frame of Connie's car, with the wind making it virtually impossible for him to hold steady. He tried to remain as rigid as he could as he fired off 8 more rounds. Connie wasn't as startled by the loud noise as before.

Looking at the rearview mirror, she saw the SUV go slightly off course as Mike fired in succession.

But it straightened itself out and the chase continued. She concentrated on the turn ahead.

"Do you think you've made an impact?" Connie yelled, when he heaved himself back into the passenger seat.

"Let's hope so!" he loudly replied, as he rubbed his wound. He seemed in pain, "I don't think I could take being jostled about again!"

As the road became even more twisted, Connie noticed her Mercedes was able to handle the curves better the further they drove up the mountain. Or maybe she got used to it.

Connie looked at the rearview mirror. It took awhile but she slowly noted the SUV decelerating.

The distance between the two cars started increasing.

Eventually as time went on and Connie drove on, the SUV became a small speck in her mirror.

Connie heaved a sigh of relief.

Again, who is this person she works with? She wondered for the second time today. How does Mike know the random information he knows? Is there a best-selling book he read somewhere, titled, Obscure Facts Known Only to Rambo Lawyers?

Meanwhile, Mike looked back and rolled up the window. The interior of the car was once more calm. She now shifted her transmission to descend the mountain.

The mountain road finally flattened out to a country road again. They were safe.

"That was close," she said, thinking out loud, after a few miles.

For the first time since the chase, she was able to turn his way, "I don't know how much more I can take of this. Weren't you scared at all?"

Mike stared straight ahead, looking out the window.

For once, he looked serious.

"I'm only scared when I think I can't protect you," he quietly stated.

Connie was surprised, but in a good way.

She turned her concentration back to the road.

They were headed back to New York City.

(What did you think?)

Next time…Mike and Connie become really close, at last! Be sure to stay tuned)!