Page 23 of Maverick Detective Dad
Since the box was obviously in her blind spot, Everly started to unhook her seat belt so she could maneuver for a better look, but Noah stopped her by touching his hand to hers. He also drew his gun.
“Stay buckled up in case we have to get out of here fast,” Noah insisted.
She managed a nod, and because she knew he was right, Everly glanced around to see if she could spot a trail they could use to get off the road. Nothing. But there were plenty of trees, and the ground was uneven in spots, creating a bunker-like slope that could be used for hiding.
Even though it was hard to do, Everly forced away the panic that was starting to slide through her. She tried to make herself think of what could end up happening here. Since she had no doubts that the killer or someone helping the killer had put that box in the road, it meant they were likely now being watched.
Maybe they were even in the sight of a sniper.
“The windows of the cruiser are bulletproof,” she heard Noah say, obviously reading her expression.
She picked up on his expression, too, and Noah was obviously trying to figure out what to do. He couldn’t go forward, and even backing up wasn’t much of an option. The road was not only narrow, but there was also a sharp curve directly behind them. In front of them as well. And that was the reason the killer had no doubt picked this spot.
Everly didn’t say it aloud, but she had to wonder if Megan was in that box. If so, the killer had worked fast to get her since she’d only had a couple of minutes start ahead of them. Then again, if the killer had all of this planned in advance, then those couple of minutes might have been enough.
“Grayson and two deputies from Bulverde are on the way,” Theo informed them. “The deputies are about ten minutes out.”
Ten minutes. That would seem like a lifetime or two, but waiting was the safest option. Maybe, just maybe, this was simply another nonlethal threat like the box that had been left on her porch. Of course, the killer had also put a body in her backyard so she doubted this was just some tactic to remind Noah and her that they had a killer breathing down their necks.
“Call Megan,” Noah told her, and he handed her his phone since it had the woman’s number in it.
While continuing to keep watch around them, Everly pressed the number and waited. With each ring, her stomach sank even more. On the fifth ring the call went to voice mail.
“Maybe Megan doesn’t answer when she’s driving,” Everly muttered, and she left a message for the woman to return the call the first chance she got. Maybe Megan would be able to do that.
Everly heard Noah curse under his breath, and she knew he was beating himself up about letting Megan go off alone. It wouldn’t do any good for her to remind him that the woman could be safe and sound. After all, she’d headed in the opposite direction than they had. Besides, the killer was far more likely to focus on Noah and her—his primary targets. While that didn’t comfort Everly exactly, at least it was better than thinking Megan might already be dead.
“Hell,” Noah muttered.
Everly’s head snapped in his direction, and she followed his gaze to the road ahead. There was a large dark blue pickup truck coming around the curve, and it was going way too fast. Apparently though, the driver saw the box and the whirling cruiser lights as well because she heard the squeal of brakes on the asphalt.
But it was too late.
Everly watched as the truck tried to swerve to avoid hitting the box, but with the narrow road, there was no way to do that. The truck slammed into the box.
And all hell broke loose.
There was a thundering boom, a deafening blast that roared through the air and shook the cruiser. Debris went flying. So did white smoke. It billowed out from the box and created an immediate cloud, but there was still enough visibility for Everly to see something that caused her heart to jump to her throat.
The truck was coming right at them.
The collision had caused the vehicle to go into a skid, and the blast had broken the glass on the windshield. Even if the driver had been able to see them though, there’s no way he or she could have stopped.
“Brace yourself,” Noah managed to say a split second before the truck crashed right into them.
She heard the slam of metal against metal. Felt the whiplashing jolt. And the airbag deployed, ramming into her face and chest.
The flashbacks came. Mercy, did they. Of the other collision when a woman had died, and Everly could feel the panic slicing through her, ready to spiral her out of control.
“Everyone okay?” Noah asked.
Everly latched on to the sound of his voice and let it yank her back from the panic. His question let her know that he was alive. Theo, too, because he muttered an okay from the backseat.
Afraid of what she might see, Everly looked over at Noah and got some much needed relief. Noah had a few nicks on his face from the airbag, but he was already batting that away. Everly did the same. Not easy since it was like trying to get out from beneath a huge balloon, but she was finally able to get enough of it away from her face for her see the windshield. The safety glass had cracked and webbed, making it hard to see. But not impossible.
Mercy.
The truck had not only crashed into them, it also landed on top of the front end of the cruiser, pinning them down.
