Page 23 of Texas Cold Case Murder

As soon as they finished eating, they packed their meager belongings in the SUV. Jackson settled his cowboy hat on his head, glancing up at the sun. The sultry Texas air was already thick with humidity, but there wasn’t a rain cloud in sight.

A few minutes later, they were settled in the SUV, with Creed behind the wheel. Hard to argue over his buddy wanting to drive, since it was his vehicle. “Let’s get the rental first,” he told Creed. “Dallas is bigger and has probably has more options than Temple.”

Creed nodded and headed toward the big city. The highway out here wasn’t too congested, but Jackson knew it would get worse the closer they got to Dallas. He swallowed a sigh of impatience. He should have waited another hour, but it was too late now.

Besides, he was anxious to get to Temple. Once they’d gotten their rental car, they should be in the clear heading out of the city.

Nina borrowed his phone to call the Dallas PD nonemergency line but was forced to leave a message. They rode in silence for a few minutes, when Creed frowned. “I think we have company.”

“What?” Jackson twisted in his seat to see what caught Creed’s attention. “The black truck?”

“Yep.” Creed pressed harder on the gas pedal. The black truck behind them did the same.

“How did they find us?” Nina asked, her tone laced with fear.

“Not sure.” That wasn’t his main concern right now. Jackson turned back to study the area. They were on a two-way highway that would take them into Dallas. The only way to try and lose the black truck was to turn off on a side road.

Unfortunately, there weren’t many side roads in this area. And there also weren’t many trees or other cover. This was a deserted stretch of highway, which put them at a distinct disadvantage. He grimly realized that the minute Creed turned off the highway, the driver of the black truck would see them and do the same.

Yet they didn’t have a choice. “Get off this highway ASAP,” he told Creed. “But try not to let the guy behind us know your intent until the last possible minute.”

“I’m on it.” Just as Creed took his foot off the accelerator to make the turn, the sharp crack of gunfire split the air. The bullet pinged off the roof of their SUV. The shooter behind them had aimed too high.

“Nina, get down!” Jackson pulled his sidearm and lowered his window. Leaning out as far as he dared, he returned fire. Yet he knew his chances of hitting the truck from this position were slim to none. The best he could hope for was to hold them off long enough so they could escape.

Creed abruptly hit the brake and wrenched the wheel to the side, giving Jackson the angle he needed. He quickly fired several shots, one striking the middle of the windshield. The truck swerved and drove off the highway into the open field beyond.

Jackson ducked back inside the SUV. “Go, go!”

Creed did so, pulling back out onto the road and punching the gas pedal. The SUV’s engine revved loudly. Jackson found himself holding his breath as he watched through the back window. Within minutes, the black truck was nothing more than a speck on the horizon behind them.

As Jackson willed his heart rate to settle back into a normal rhythm, he realized the truck he’d just disabled hadn’t sported any other bullet holes than the one he’d just put in the windshield, despite the fact he’d fired at it repeatedly last night outside the Sunset Motel. In fact, it appeared brand-new.

Dazed, he realized that whoever these guys were, it appeared they had unlimited resources at their disposal.

And that wasn’t good.

SEVEN

Bent over in her seat, her head tucked between her knees, Nina silently repeated Jackson’s earlier prayer. Lord Jesus, keep us safe in Your care!

She strained to listen above the thundering staccato beat of her heart. When she heard Jackson telling Creed to go, she bravely lifted her head. “Are they gone?” She was proud of the fact that her voice didn’t tremble as much as her hands were shaking.

“For now.” Jackson’s expression was grim. “I don’t like that they found us here, though.”

She swallowed hard. “Maybe they’re tracking your phone or Creed’s?”

“That’s possible.” Jackson quickly wiped his phone, lowered his window and tossed his device out. Creed wordlessly handed his over, to be disposed of as well. “Guess we’ll stop for new phones right after we get the rental.”

She turned to look at the road behind them. There was no sign of the black truck now. But she wasn’t entirely convinced the gunmen had tracked the rangers’ phones. Maybe it was as simple as tracking the SUV.

The strong scent of gasoline seared her nasal passages. She leaned forward to lightly touch Jackson’s arm. “I think we’re losing fuel.”

“We are. One of the bullets hit the gas tank.” Creed sounded remarkably calm. “I’m hoping to get close enough to a rental car facility before the engine dies.”

Jackson covered her hand with his, offering a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll be okay.”

She appreciated his attempt to soothe her fears. Yet she also knew she was the liability in this mess. Her lack of field experience worked against her. She wanted to log on to the computer to find the closest car rental place, but without a phone to use as a hot spot, there was no way to get access to the internet.