Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
I tapped my boot into the moist soil in impatience, holding my rifle across my stomach.
“Cesare, Leonardo,” I heard Matteo’s voice on the intercom. “I’ve got eyes on that chaperon. One car. Black Escalade. Half a mile behind the truck.”
“Copy, Matteo. Can you get to them?”
“Nope. I’m positioned on top of a branch about fifteen feet from the ground. I can’t aim at anybody in that Escalade. I can hit its roof, but that’s about it.”
“I hear you. Take care of the driver and come back down, then. We’re going to need your help.”
“Will do. Target in sight in thirty seconds.”
At that point, my arm dropped, my breath quickening. My boots squashed a small pile of brush as I started off towards the road. With the distant noise of a diesel engine in my ears, I peeked my head from behind a balsam fir tree. I made out the headlights of a tall vehicle, well down the twisty road. Casting its light across the asphalt, it continued along the road, my heart pounding like a war drum. Just as it was about to take a left turn, two, almost simultaneous clicks filled my ears.
I rushed off and stayed parallel to the road, my gaze not leaving the dark road up ahead. Just past a steep hill, that truck was serving right and left.
“Driver’s down.”
Matteo’s voice confirmed my suspicion. The armored truck’s tires screeching in protest, it snaked along the asphalt, losing speed as it did. The uphill road it encountered slowed it down further. I barreled down the hill, Leonardo bursting out of the forest to the left. Closing in, I came to a disturbing realization. The truck still had quite a lot of momentum. Its steering wheel hard left, it jackknifed in the middle of the road, revealing the bright shade of silver of that cab. Smoke rising from all six tires, the truck rolled over, its cab smashing down into the asphalt. The ground underneath my boots vibrating, a sheer cacophony of noise dominated the atmosphere. Metal slammed into asphalt. The windscreen shattered to pieces, chunks of glass spreading out into the road. Aluminum grinding into the surface of the road, I spotted Leonardo’s figure just past the vehicle. His pace slowing to a jog, he came to a halt, his ski mask pulled down his face.
“What are you waiting for?” I said, trying to catch my breath. “Set the charges.”
“No need,” he spoke, gesturing me closer. “Look at that.”
I stepped around the corner of that mangled truck, curious as to why he didn’t have to blow up its door. One glance proved his point. The impact had destroyed the double locks of that door. Its right panel was wide open, while its left was still latched in place.
But we didn’t have time to celebrate. Or to get in that truck and check out how much money was in it. The roar of a powerful engine reverberating through my skull, I whipped my head left. The black Escalade’s high beams forced me to thrust my arm up to shield my eyes as it headed straight for us. I sensed a serious amount of force on my wrist, yanking me down. My knees hitting the deck, I saw Leonardo on all fours, crawling into the truck. I followed him in, the crackle of bullets tearing into the stillness of the night.
Some light coming through the gap behind me, I turned around as Leonardo positioned himself behind the closed panel. I reached out, my fingers making contact with the metal edge of the open panel. Without wasting any time, I pulled it in my direction, leaving just a two-inch gap in the middle. The roar of that engine growing louder by the second, I craned my neck to look through the scope. Those sons of bitches were less than fifty yards out and closing the gap fast. I squeezed the trigger of my rifle, its muzzle flash shooting past the edge of that panel. Bullets thumping into its surface, my ears picked up another, rumbling sound, along with the noise of glass shattering. The Escalade slowing down, Leonardo shoved his gun through the gap and opened fire. My eyes narrowing to protect myself from those high beams, I kept aiming at the driver. The next bullet pierced the windscreen, just to the right.
No good.
I had missed—that monstrous SUV was still going.
A large figure stormed into my line of sight from the left. Matteo lunged through the passenger window, sending my heart into the embrace of tension and fear. For the second time that night, I was left to watch a vehicle swerve left and right. Only this time, it was too close for comfort. In an instant, the Escalade veered off to the left and out of the road. Its lights illuminating the towering trees, it disappeared between the trunks of two, elm trees.