Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

to assess the situation. They all raised their guns to fire.
    “Get down, Danny!” Sydney yelled at him. She ducked down in her seat and yanked the transmission into drive. She heard gunfire strike the back windshield, shattering it to pieces as she floored the gas pedal. The truck rifled forward, heading straight for the mesquite trees in front of them. Sydney grasped the wheel and yanked it to the right. The truck tilted violently. Danny cursed at her several times from the backseat, but at least he was still alive.
    Sydney kept the gas on the floor even though there were more trees coming up fast. She yanked on the steering wheel even harder, shoving the truck to the right as far as it would go. But it wasn’t far enough. The glancing impact sent her into the steering wheel again, knocking the wind out of her.
    As Sydney frantically tried to catch her breath, movement in the passenger door mirror caught her eye. One of the guards had jumped through the cabin window and was now sprinting toward them.

Chapter 25
    Danny was wedged down between the seats. His hands were useless. His right arm was pinned underneath him, and his left hand had a death grip on the rifle, their only defense weapon. He had seen four guards, including the one he had incapacitated, through the cabin window. He also caught a glimpse of their firepower. Each had an assault rifle strapped to his chest. They would be out of the cabin any moment. Sydney and he were sitting ducks.
    Danny willed all of his energy into getting up. He let go of the rifle and grabbed for the center console. He pushed up on it and pried loose his body. He shifted himself up on the backseat and spun around for the rifle. He heard sounds behind him and then felt the truck wiggle. He glanced out the rear windshield that was now merely a jagged hole in the back of the cab only to see one of the guards standing over him.
    The guard grinned as he leveled his weapon at Danny’s head. Danny did the only thing he could think of in this situation. He closed his eyes and prayed for his soul. But instead of his soul being saved, Danny was granted a miracle.
    The truck shot forward, sending the guard reeling back. He tried balancing his feet under him, but it was no use. The truck’s tailgate undercut his legs and the guard was sent spinning to the ground.
    Danny stared at the guards as Sydney finally drove them away from the cabin. They didn’t have vehicles of their own and weren’t making movements to chase them.
    They were a good hundred yards down the dirt road before Danny finally turned to Sydney. Her face was still stained with terror.
    “What the hell was that? Can’t you drive?” he asked her.
    “It takes me no more than twenty minutes to jog from one end of my entire country to the other! There is no need for me to drive!” she snapped. “But I can! Not well, but I can !”
    Danny felt her spirit in her words. It was that spirit that kept her alive to this point. Hopefully, it would continue to be her greatest asset through this situation.
    “Whoa! Eyes on the road Evel Knievel,” Danny instructed as he lunged at the steering wheel, righting the truck back on the road.
    Sydney turned back around and stared out the front windshield. “Who?”
    “Nobody. Listen, you did really good back there. But now we have a little problem.”
    “What’s that?”
    “We need to get across the border, but we won’t be able to use any of the major checkpoints with my truck looking like this.”
    “Why can’t we just go to the authorities?”
    Because I’m a fugitive. Danny didn’t want to divulge his problems right now. Fortunately, he had a ready answer. “Corruption is widespread among the authorities in this part of the world, Sydney. We can’t trust them.”
    “So?”
    “So, fortunately crossing the border is as easy as driving in a straight line.” Danny managed a smile. “For most people that is.”
    Sydney didn’t reply. But she didn’t slap him either, so Danny took this as a good sign. Then he glanced into the rearview mirror and saw Sydney’s perfect white teeth gleaming behind her smile. This, he thought, is an amazing and beautiful woman .
    Then he reminded himself that they probably wouldn’t live through the day, so maybe he should keep his mind on the business at hand.

Chapter 26
    Stefan Taber leisurely paced back and forth behind Nathan’s wheelchair. As he did, he tossed his combat knife up in the air, letting it flip several times