Chapter 34

Lisa

The cold, rational part of my mind instantly registers two things: there's nowhere for us to turn, and the four police cars blocking our way are surrounded by men wearing SWAT gear.

They were expecting us—which means they're in Sullivan's pocket and here to kill us all.

The thought fills me with terrified rage. I'm not afraid for myself, but the knowledge that Jennie may die today, that I may never hold her again—

No. Fuck, no. Ruthlessly, I push the paralyzing thought aside and quickly assess the situation.

In less than twenty seconds, we'll reach the police barricade. I know what Bambam intends: to ram into the two cars that have the widest gap between them. The gap is only two feet wide, but we're going 120 miles an hour and the car is heavily armored, which means momentum is on our side.

All we need to do is survive the collision.

Gripping the grenade launcher in my right hand, I yell at Jennie's parents, "Brace yourselves!" and drop to the floor, surrounding Jennie with my body.

A few seconds later, our limo slams into the police cars with bone-jarring force. I can hear Jennie's parents screaming, feel the inertia of the impact dragging me forward, and I tense every muscle in my body in an effort to stop the slide.

It works, barely. My left shoulder slams into the side of the seat, but I keep Jennie safe underneath me. I have no doubt I'm crushing her with my weight, but it's better than the alternative. I can hear the metallic ding of bullets hitting the side and windows of the car, and I know they're firing at us.

If we were in a regular car, we'd already be riddled with holes.

As soon as I feel the limo speeding up again, I jump to my feet, noting out of the corner of my eye that Jennie's parents seem to have survived the impact. Alejandro is cradling his arm with a pained grimace, but Julia seems merely dazed.

I don't have time to look closer, though. If we're to have any chance of surviving this, we need to take care of Sullivan's men, and we need to do it now.

The grenade launcher is still in my hand, so I press a button on the side of the door to activate the hidden opening in the roof. Then I stand up in the middle of the aisle, my head and shoulders sticking out of the car. Lifting the weapon, I point it at the cars pursuing us—which now include one police cruiser on top of the fifteen Sullivan vehicles.

No, thirteen Sullivan vehicles, I correct myself after doing a quick count. My men managed to take out two more of them in the last couple of minutes.

It's time to even out the odds some more.

Bullets whizz by my head, but I ignore them as I aim carefully. I only have six shots in this launcher, so I have to make each one count.

Boom! The first shot goes off with a hard kick. The recoil hits my shoulder, but the grenade finds its target—the police cruiser that's right on our tail. The car flies up, exploding in the air, and lands on its side, burning. One of the Hummers slams into it, and I watch in grim satisfaction as both cars blow up, causing one of Sullivan's vans to careen off the road.

Eleven enemy vehicles left.

I aim again. This time my target is more ambitious: one of the remaining Hummers farther back. It has a single-shot grenade launcher mounted on its roof; that's what took out one of our SUVs earlier, and I know they'll use the weapon again as soon as they reload.

Boom! Another hard recoil—and to my disgust, I miss. At the last second, the Hummer swerves sharply, ramming into one of our SUVs with brutal force. I watch in helpless rage as my men's car flips over, rolling off the road.

We're now down to five guard SUVs and our limo.

Pushing aside all traces of emotions, I aim the next shot at a closer van. Boom! This time, I'm spot-on. The vehicle flips, exploding in the process, and the two Sullivan SUVs directly behind it smash into it at full speed.

Eight enemy vehicles left.

I point the launcher again, doing my best to compensate for the constant zig-zagging of the limo. I know that Bambam is weaving all over the road in an effort to make us a more difficult target, but that also makes them more difficult targets for me.

Boom! I take the shot, and another Sullivan SUV explodes, taking out the one behind it in the process.

Six enemy vehicles left, and I have two more grenades to launch.

Taking a deep breath, I aim again—and at that moment, both Hummers spit fire. Two of our SUVs fly into the air, rolling off the side of the road.

Three guard SUVs left.

Suppressing my fury, I hold the weapon steady and aim at the Hummer that's gaining on us. One, two . . . boom! The grenade hits its target, and the massive car careens off the road, smoke rising from its hood.

One Hummer and four enemy SUVs left.

I have one last grenade.

Taking a deep breath, I aim, but before I can squeeze the trigger, one of the enemy cars swerves and crashes into another. My men must've shot the driver, improving our chances some more. The Sullivan forces are now down to one Hummer and two SUVs.

Relieved, I take aim again . . . and then I hear it.

The unmistakable roar of helicopter blades in the distance.

Looking up, I see a police chopper coming from the west.

Fuck.

It's either more dirty cops, or the US authorities caught wind of this skirmish.

Either way, it doesn't bode well for us.