PART 13
I didn't think,
I just acted.
I slammed my foot onto the gas pedal,
the car roaring in reverse.
The tires shrieked against the concrete,
then tore into the wet grass of my lawn.
Detective Vance lunged forward,
his hand gripping the door handle,
but the sudden movement threw him off balance.
He slipped on the wet grass,
his umbrella flying into the air as he fell.
I turned the steering wheel hard,
swinging the back of the car around,
tearing up the flower beds.
The car slid,
the mud spraying against the fence,
but the tires found traction on the neighbor’s driveway.
I shifted into drive,
flooring it.
We shot out onto the main road,
the engine screaming.
In the rearview mirror,
I saw Vance scrambling to his feet,
running back to his black SUV.
"Mommy, you’re driving fast!"
Noah yelled from the back,
excited,
not yet understanding the danger.
"It’s a race, baby!"
I shouted back,
tears blurring my vision as I swiped at my eyes.
"We have to win the race!"
I drove blindly through the rain,
avoiding the highway,
taking the winding back roads that led toward my father’s house.
He was the only one who had the answers.
He was the one who kept the drive.
My phone began to buzz in the cup holder.
An unknown number.
I didn't answer it.
It buzzed again,
and again.
Then a text message popped up on the screen.
I glanced down for a split second.
We have your father, Emma.
Bring the drive to the old mill,
or you’ll get him back in pieces.
My heart disintegrated.
My father,
the strong,
stoic man who had stood by me when everyone else lied,
was gone.
I was completely alone,
May you like
with a four-year-old child,
running from the law and a shadow syndicate.
