A/N: Thank you to my friend Annika for help with the sentences in German!

Part 35

Andy can't see. Something is in her eyes and she wipes furiously at them. The loud crash when she plowed into the Mercedes was been followed by a sharp sound and white dust now fills the air.

"Airbags," she murmurs and coughs. She blinks and sees a half-deflated airbag hanging from the wheel. To her left, other airbags have deployed from the seat and in front of the side window. Flinching, she turns to Miranda, and the movement makes her neck smart. She wasn't wearing a seatbelt. A look at Miranda's slumped figure shows neither has she.

"Miranda!" Andy pulls her legs up and out from under the wheel, glad she isn't stuck. Kneeling on her seat, she bends over Miranda. "Can you hear me?" Airbags have deployed around Miranda as well and Andy can't see any blood. She feels along Miranda's legs, but she doesn't seem to be stuck either. Then Miranda moans and tips her head back.

"Careful," Andy says and puts her arms around Miranda. Her own heart is thundering in her chest and she can feel her teeth clatter. "We hit the other car."

"Mm. I…know. We need to get out of here," Miranda says and then moans. "Fuck. My neck."

"M-mine too. Careful." Andy peers through the window and sees the two people in the car she hit trying to exit it. She has struck the passenger door and, as it turns out, pushed the other car into a lamppost, which blocks the driver's door as well. As it was a two-door sports car, they couldn't open them.

Miranda pulls at her door handle and to Andy's relief, it opens. Miranda falls sideways toward the asphalt but Andy grabs her by the arm. Miranda rights herself, moves her legs out and manages to stand. "My briefcase," she says, holding her neck with one hand and supporting herself against the door with the other.

"Got it." Getting both their bags, Andy crawls out next to Miranda and hands her the briefcase. She casts a glance at the Mercedes, and sees one of the men, the one from the church, trying to push himself through the sunroof. "We've got to get out of here. Can you walk, or better, run?"

"I'm sure as hell going to try." Miranda steps up onto the road and begins moving in the direction they meant to go.

Andy looks across the road. "Why not try for the residential area? It's just over that divider." She points at a raised, snow-covered area between this road and the local, residential road. "It gives us a chance to hide. They'll catch up with us in no time if we're out in the open."

"All right. Let's try that." Miranda begins walking, but she's obviously dizzy.

Andy takes Miranda's arm. "Lean on me and move as fast as you can." She pulls Miranda along, feeling horrible for yanking at her, but when the men in the Mercedes get out, they won't stand a chance. They need to get as far away from the crashed cars as possible.

They reach the raised snowy bank and begin climbing over it. Their boots don't gain much traction against the slippery surface and Miranda falls onto her knees twice. The second time, she can barely get up and Andy has to drag her over the top so they can slide down on the other side. The snow sends chills through Andy's trousers and she is shivering. Her hands are already numb from the cold, and perhaps from the shock of the collision. After a few frantic attempts, she manages to help Miranda to her feet. Stumbling onto the local street, Andy keeps a firm grip on Miranda's waist and ruthlessly tugs her along.

"I…can't…" Miranda gasps after another fifty yards, grabbing for a narrow trunk of one of the trees lining the street with her free hand. Her right hand is not letting go of her briefcase.

"You have to," Andy begs. "Just a little longer so we can turn a corner. Get out of sight. Please!"

"Oh, God." Miranda stumbles along for a few moments longer but then she was down on her knees again.

"Miranda!" Andy cries out and tries to pull her up, but it is as if Miranda's legs have given in completely. "Please. Just a few more yards. Just a little longer." Andy feels tears of frustration and fear slide down her cheek.

The sound of a car pulling up and stopping next to them, makes Andy push Miranda in behind her, while still crouching. She stares up at the large, dark SUV, trembling in from what she realizes is mostly rage. If they've come to hurt Miranda, she's not going to let them without a fight.

The front passenger door opened and a middle-aged woman jumps out. She's tall and dressed in workout clothes.

"Oh mein Gott, wir haben gesehen was passiert ist, die haben Sie abgedrängt. Sind Sie verletzt?" the woman says, kneeling next to them. Her eyes are wide and she, like Andy, is looking back to where she and the driver of the SUV is coming from.

"Do you speak English?" Andy stands up and tries to get her arms around Miranda to help her stand.

The woman steps closer and with her help, Miranda manages to get her legs in under her and stand. She clings to Andy's arm and to her briefcase. "Thank you," she manages between gasps. "Are they coming? Do you see anyone after us, Andrea?"

Andy glances behind the SUV. "I don't think so?"

"If you're talking about the men in the other car, I think one of them was stuck." The woman frowns. "I suggest you get in the backseat. You're shivering, both of you." The woman opens the back passenger door. A dog, a Golden Retriever is bouncing on the seat. "Waldo! Move over!" The woman orders the dog in a firm voice and the exuberant Waldo backs up, wagging his tail.

They help Miranda inside and Waldo shows his appreciation by licking her cheek. Andy jumps in after Miranda and the woman closes the door after them. When she's back in her seat, the man at the wheel drives off, while speaking in German to the woman.

Miranda straightens and attempts to turn around to look behind them. Instead, she flinches and stops in midmotion. "Damn. My neck. Can you see if anyone's following?"

Andy manages, despite her sore neck to look out the back window. There are two cars in the street, but they are not hurrying to catch up with them. She can't see the two men from the Mercedes either. "I think we're good." She turns forward again. "Thank you," she says to the people in front. "You have no idea how grateful we are that you stopped."

"We saw you pull that stunt on the highway first and I have to admit, Ulrich here cursed up a storm. Then the Mercedes overtook us, nearly forcing us off the road." The woman shakes her head. "Ulrich said it was two men and one was holding what looked like a weapon. I thought he was seeing things, to be honest. When we came far enough to see you two speed off back north, suddenly, there was that same Mercedes again, cutting you off. It looked like a deliberate action if you ask me. When you were trying to get away, endangering yourselves by crossing the road, despite being hurt, well, we had to see if you needed help."

"Again, thank you." Miranda sounds calmer now and she is patting the dog next to her. "I'm Moira. This is Andrea."

"As I mentioned, this is my husband Ulrich, and my name's Naomi. The old boy slobbering all over you is Waldo. He's also sharing his fur with you, as you can tell." Naomi shakes her head. "He's never met a woman he didn't love."

Miranda smiles wanly at the adoring dog. "He's lovely."

Andy sighs, trying to think of a new plan on the fly. "Naomi? Could we possibly impose on you to drive us to the nearest car rental or a hotel?" She turns to Miranda. "Or should we try for an uber or taxi?"

"You need a hospital, or at least, a doctor," Naomi says, and her less talkative husband nods. "I suggest you come home with us and I'll look you over."

"Are you a doctor?" Andy asks.

"A vet." Naomi grins. "But being a vet is my second career. I started out as a chiropractor."

"We can't impose and as you may have guessed, we are being followed by not-so-nice people." Andy doesn't care if she gives away too many details. She isn't going to let their good Samaritans get into trouble because of Miranda and her.

"They were nowhere near when we picked you up. We have changed direction twice already and nobody is following us. Right, Ulrich?" Naomi doesn't give her husband enough time to respond. "We have a guestroom with its own bathroom. And a washing machine and tumble drying. You can clean up and rest while we wash your clothes."

Andy looked at Miranda. "You do need rest and if Naomi is a chiropractor, she can maybe take a look at your neck and mine too."

"I absolutely can." Naomi nodded briskly. "That's settled, then. We're only five minutes from our house by now."

Knowing for certain that they just dodged a bullet again, Andy felt Miranda lean against her as Ulrich drove on. She wrapped her arm around Miranda's shoulders, felt something warm and wet against it, and smiled, knowing without looking that she just got a stamp of approval from Waldo.

xxxxx

Continued in part 36