Where to Belong

by W.J. Smith

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Are You With Me?

  "I have to ask if you're certain you are with me," Skyler said with a quick look as he wove around slower cars.

  "I'm right here, Skyler. Where else would I go?"

  He gave a short nod and kept his eyes on the road. The skyline of the city was out his window. The lights glowed brightly against the cold winter sky. They were heading south with the sunset out the passenger side of the G-Wagon. "I haven't tested this yet. I don't know how well it is going to work. What I do know is that once I set it in motion, you can't easily back out. If you're with me, we're doing this. If you're not ready, I need to know now." The tone in his voice told that he wasn't exactly ready himself.

  "Tell me what to do. I'm with you."

  His eyes flashed to the mirror and then to her. "I'm going to take care of us. Stay with me, follow my lead, and we'll be fine."

  "Anything else I need to know?" she asked nervously.

  "Buckle up tight." Skyler reached over and gave her seatbelt a tug. When he released it, he glanced to her again. "We're going to be fine."

  She acknowledged him with a smile though she was completely without understanding as to what to expect. He seemed to have things under control, so she convinced herself to put her full trust in him. He wouldn't do anything to endanger them more so, would he?

  His eyes never left the road except for quick glances to the mirror. He navigated the busy highway with one hand on the wheel as he felt at his coat pockets until pulling out his phone. The number he called must have been on speed-dial because he only pressed one or two buttons. Madison watched out the corner of her eye unsure if she was supposed to overhear his conversation.

  "Yes. Detective Payne." She found his voice surprisingly calm. "Skyler Andrews speaking. I know I said it would be a little while before I could contact you again but something's come up. Morgan Bristow is moving forward with the Lake View plan tonight. He's caught onto me and I am off the job."

  He paused for a moment, and she assumed whomever was on the line was taking their turn. She stared at him. She didn't know he had been speaking with a detective. Why would he have kept that to himself?

  "I understand what we agreed on. That's not going to work anymore. If you can get to me before he does, we still might could make it happen. I'm on 171 heading south for Stevenson. They're right behind me." He waited again and shook his head. "Then I suggest you get your team ready for Lake View and concentrate on that. I've done all I can. And by the way, I have Madison Addley with me. I probably should have told you earlier, I know."

  Skyler held the phone away from his ear and peeked over at her with an apologetic wince. He then turned back to the road and continued the call. "Yes, sir. I'll take the expressway. You might want to hurry. I don't know how much longer I can hold them off."

  His confession was not encouraging, and she looked back to their pursuers. No one had gained any ground on the other. She turned to Skyler in time to see him flip a switch, roll the window down, and toss out the phone. He didn't notice her puzzlement as he put the window up, cutting off the frosty wind that blasted through the cabin, and gave his attention to the road ahead of them.

  It wasn't much longer down the highway that he gave another nod. She hadn't said anything, so she figured he was giving himself a pep talk of sorts. He watched the mirror for a moment before glancing to her. "We're coming up on our exit. No matter what happens, wait for me, listen to me. Stay buckled in and remain calm."

  Madison eyed him and tried to follow his meaning. Looking ahead, there were no exit signs. They had just merged onto the expressway. She still didn't know exactly where they were, but he seemed to. There was traffic all around them, and the SUVs that had been shadowing them were not far behind. She turned back to Skyler and kept her questioning to herself. He appeared to be deep in thought as he concentrated on the road.

  She mirrored his stare and searched in front of them. They were coming to a bridge. He was in the far left lane, stomped on the throttle, and gave the speeding vehicle even more momentum. She cringed and hoped all the other cars on the road would stay out of their way.

  When they started onto the bridge, Skyler jerked the wheel and sent the vehicle across the other two lanes to their right, narrowly missing a small truck that locked up its brakes to avoid him. Madison clung to the shoulder strap and choked off a scream as the G-Wagon slammed headlong into the railed divider. It pushed through the barrier with a jarring impact. The unnatural screech of metal tearing at metal filled her ears and added to the fright. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the icy river below that seemed to be reaching for them. She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn't look away from the place marked by the headlights where they were about to splash into the dark water.

  Somewhere amid the madness she noticed Skyler let go of the wheel and fold his arms tight across his chest. That was the only thing she saw before the front of the G-Wagon plunged into the river. They landed awkwardly, and it felt as if the massive vehicle rocked back when the rear finally came to rest in the water.

  It took a few seconds for Madison to realize she was still alive. The river water began to seep into the floor in front of her. She pulled her feet into the seat to avoid it.

  Skyler cut off the engine as if he had just parked at the mall and called to her, "Are you all right?"

  "You didn't say you were planning to drive off a bridge! The water is freezing! What are you thinking?" She couldn't believe how calm he was about their predicament. She would rather face Morgan and his squad of goons than freeze to death in the murky river.

  "Get in the back." He had unbuckled and was reaching for her seatbelt as well. "Take off your coat and shoes and get into the back."

  She wanted to argue the point, but she listened. He wasn't at all flustered. This was all a part of his plan. Madison slipped off her shoes and wiggled out of her coat as she scaled the seats and headed for the cargo area.

  There were three large, black bags in the back of the sinking G-Wagon. Skyler left off watching out the sunroof and finally made his way into the rear seat. "The one with the pink zipper is yours. Move fast, Madison, we don't have much time."

  Again a variety of remarks flashed through her adrenaline charged mind, but she kept them to herself. Setting the coat and shoes in the seat, she reached back and pulled the pink zipper on the oversized bag. The contents within meant nothing to her. Black, rubbery material with hoses and more zippers. "What is it?"

  "Dry suit. We're going to have to swim for it."

  She gaped at him. He couldn't be serious. How was a suit going to do any good in the freezing river? She didn't even like swimming in a pool much less the coldest body of water he could manage to land them in.

  "Come on, you have to hurry." He dragged one of the other bags to himself and had it opened in no time flat.

  Madison copied his every move and managed to get into the uncomfortable suit. The water was rising quickly, and she was often distracted with keeping out of its reach. Once Skyler had his zipped up, he turned to her to help finish. He then stuffed their coats and shoes into the third bag and closed it, checking its seal a few times before moving on.

  The tanks and hoses were nearly impossible on their own, then only complicated even more so with the rush. Somehow, and entirely by Skyler's doing, they were soon suited up and tanked. The gloves were the easiest to deal with and the flippers less so.

  The front of the G-Wagon was entirely submerged. The water was covering the side windows and creeping up the back. Madison looked to Skyler learning to appreciate his utter placidity. He must have noticed her discontent. He placed his gloved hand on her arm and gently squeezed it. "We're almost there. Just a little while longer and we'll take an easy swim. Then we're home free. Stay close to me and everything will be fine, you'll see." She nodded in understanding though she didn't believe it was a
s simple as he was making it sound.

  As the water reached halfway up the back glass, Skyler motioned for her to put on her mask and regulator. When they were both readied, he took a massive flashlight from his bag and struck the rear hatch window with it. The glass spiderwebbed, but held. The next blow broke through.

  Water surged through the opening and filled the G-Wagon the rest of the way. Madison held to the seat and stayed next to Skyler. She quickly learned to use the breathing regulator and wasn't as frightened by the time he pushed the last of the glass free from the window. He looked at her and picked up the bag that held their coats and shoes. He patted his side and gestured for the window. She stayed as close as she could manage and followed his lead into to the dark and frigid waters.

  The cold wasn't nearly as incapacitating as she had expected it to be. Where her skin was exposed around the mask and regulator, she was very aware of the freezing temperature. But within the dry suit, it was actually tolerable.

  Skyler kept to an assumed path that once again only he knew of. Madison stuck with him and tried to decipher anything the narrow beam from the flashlight would catch. He slowed a few times, but why, she couldn't tell. It wasn't long before he went back on his way rarely changing their heading.

  She had no idea where they were or how long they had been swimming when the light came to some kind of a grating in the water. They were at the base of a wide, circular, concrete structure. Skyler passed the bag to her and pulled the grating from its frame. He waved with the light, and Madison followed his meaning and swam through the opening. She waited just inside for him to come in and replace the grating. He then took hold of her by the arm and guided her through what appeared to be a gigantic pipe.

  They continued to swim for a ways before the pipe made a turn and they were heading upward. There above them were ripples of water reflecting light. The surface.

  Skyler released her as they neared the top. Madison made it up first, but he was right behind her. They made their way to shallower water and finally reached dry ground. Dry concrete anyway. It was quite dark. Only faint a light seeped in from outside, high up in the tall concrete room.

  After tossing the heavy bag onto the embankment, she hefted herself up and rolled clear of the water. They had made it. She let out an excited laugh. She was cold and her wound was aching, but they made it.

  Turning to check Skyler, Madison found him struggling to get out of the water. She shrugged out of her tank, kicked off the flippers, and went to give him a hand. "I'm coming," she called to him. "You're almost there." She grabbed his hand as he felt for the wall of the embankment and tried to pull him up. He wasn't doing much to help her. He was more of a dead weight.

  Getting down on her hands and knees, she was able to get a better grip on him and managed to get him to a more ideal place on the wall. Skyler then did a little more on his own and gradually climbed out. He ripped the regulator from his mouth and cried out. It startled Madison. Something was wrong.