by Adam Smith
Kate switched her rifle to automatic fire and traced a perforated line along the white SUV’s side.
Thugs screamed in agony as hot lead tore through their bodies. The side of the driver’s chest exploded. His muscles tensed and yanked the SUV toward Max, but the white vehicle was traveling so fast the sudden turn caused it to roll.
Max threw the muscle car into a hard skid. The rolling SUV pounded along beside him before smashing into a line of advancing cars.
Max’s skid caused his car to shed more speed. Three cars drew even along Kate’s side, and a charcoal gray pickup truck pulled ahead of them on Max’s side. Five gangsters in black suits crouching in the back of the truck took aim with submachineguns.
Max raised his revolver and poured his last five shots into the gangsters. He nailed three and caused the remaining two to drop flat in the bed of the truck. The wounded men fell out of the pickup bed and rolled under Max’s tires. Kate squawked in protest as the muscle car bumped over the bodies and fouled her aim.
Max’s two missed shots cracked the back window of the pickup and spooked the driver. The truck fishtailed, and the two living gangsters lost their weapons. The submachineguns clattered onto the road before being smashed under the wheels of dozens of vehicles.
The two businessmen looked at each other, then stood. They walked along the bed of the truck until they reached the tailgate and, without hesitation, leaped onto the hood of Max’s car.
The move surprised the ex-cop, but even more when one of the men reached around the driver’s window and pulled him halfway out. The other thug kicked in the shattered windshield and grabbed hold of Max through the glass, helping his buddy grapple the resistant driver.
The hoods yanked Max out of the car and let him dangle over the road. By twisting and kicking, Max managed to grab hold of the vehicle and drag himself up on the roof. The two men pursued him with their fists swinging.
The red muscle car had been slowing since Max was forcefully ejected. The vehicle suddenly picked up speed again, and Max and the two gangsters wobbled to stay balanced as Kate took over driving. Her rifle barrel poked out the passenger window as she sprayed automatic fire into the increasing number of cars on their right flank. Return fire clanked loudly against the metal shipping containers on their left.
The charcoal gray pickup truck dropped back on their left as the driver moved to assist his grappling friends.
The two men on the hood of the car, one blond and one bald, stormed toward Max with their fists flying. Max dodged one punch, then another. He grabbed hold of the bald man’s wrist and elbow and tossed him toward the back of the vehicle, hoping the gangster would roll off the car. The bald thug caught hold of the shattered back window and held on despite his sliced, bleeding palm.
The blond gangster swung at Max’s side as the ex-cop was throwing the bald man. Pain surged from Max’s kidney as the blow pounded his bruised flesh. He ground his teeth to keep in a scream.
Even as his body shuddered in agony, Max returned the attack. His fist crashed against the side of the blond gangster’s head. Unfortunately, Kate had to swerve, and Max’s blow glanced off the thug’s jaw as both men staggered to stay upright.
The bald businessman crawled to his feet. He advanced on Max from the rear of the vehicle while his blond companion assailed Max from the front. Max was forced to keep up his defense on both fronts and had no time to counterattack.
The blows rained down on Max. He blocked a kick from the front, then a punch from the back.
The blond man punched Max in the mouth, and the ex-cop twisted to deflect the force of the blow but ran straight into another punch from the bald man. The gangster’s fist pounded Max in the back between the shoulder blades and hurled him forward.
The blond man kicked Max in the chest and launched him toward the back of the car. Max was airborne for a few seconds before crashing down on the trunk with his top half hanging off the car and his feet scrabbling on the back seat through the shattered rear window.
The bald gangster leaped on top of Max and pounded him in the face with a flurry of punches. It was all Max could to do roll back and forth with his fists covering his face and his knees hooked over the back of the rear seats. The bald man pressed his forearm against Max’s raised hands and tried to force the ex-cop backward off the car.
Behind Max’s dangling head, the engines of the pursuing cars growled like hungry beasts ready to devour him if he fell.
“I’m out of bullets!” Kate shrieked from inside the car. The gang vehicles on the right side of the car had been keeping their distance because of her deadly fire, but now they closed the gap and their passengers took aim.
The blond man stepped carefully over the broken rear window as he moved to help his bald friend throw Max off the back of the car.
With a sudden twist, Max lashed out at the side of the blond man’s knee. The kick twisted the gangster’s leg and he stumbled forward. With a scream, the blond thug staggered off the back of the trunk and out into open space.
Max and the bald gangster paused their grappling for a moment to stare as the blond businessman hung suspended in midair. In the next moment, his body ricocheted off first one car, then another. His shattered limbs stuck out at weird angles. The blond gangster tumbled off a third car before smashing into the pavement and being crushed beneath the wheels of dozens of speeding vehicles.
Max and the bald man looked at each other before resuming their savage battle. With renewed vigor, Max punched upward and battered his attacker with a flurry of blows. The hits didn’t wound the thug, but they did make him flinch. Max took advantage of the opening to roll his attacker off him. Both men leaped to their feet.
The bald gangster rushed Max in an attempt to grab him around the middle. Max kneed the thug in the face and slammed his elbow down on the back of his attacker’s head. The bald man staggered, and Max grabbed hold of him. With a short spin, he hurled his enemy off the car toward the cluster of vehicles on Kate’s side, losing his flannel shirt to the gangster’s final grasping attempt to save himself. The thug died beneath his companions’ tires.
The sudden yank threw Max off balance and he went sliding across the roof of the car. He managed to catch hold of the driver’s window just as he went over the side. His black tactical boots scraped pavement as the red muscle car dragged him. Battered abdominal muscles screamed as Max hauled himself up to rest his boots against the door and brace himself on the side of the car. He looked up and made eye contact with Kate, just inches away.
“Hey there, pretty girl,” Max purred. “Going my way?”
Kate blew a loose strand of blonde hair out of her face with an exasperated breath. “Don’t you ever—Max, look out!”
Max threw a glance over his shoulder.
The side of the charcoal gray pickup truck loomed large as the driver swerved to smash Max between the vehicles.
With a mighty lurch, Max pulled himself onto the red muscle car’s roof as the two automobiles smashed together with a rending screech.
The enemy cars on their right peeled away to give the pickup driver some room to maneuver. None of their drivers wanted to get caught in the destruction derby taking place just beside the metal wall. The passenger gunners held their fire for fear of hitting their ally as he looked poised to kill the two escapees.
Max climbed to his shaky feet and braced for another impact as the gray truck slammed into the side of the red muscle car a second time. The passenger window on the truck was open. With a stomping jump, Max launched himself from the roof of the car and into the cabin of the pickup truck.
The driver’s black suit barely contained his girth. Max landed sprawled across the bench seat of the fat thug’s truck and his head bumped the man in his gut. The soft fat cushioned the blow that Max might have taken on the steering wheel or dashboard.
The vehicle stank of cigarettes and s
weat. A hard, angular shape digging into his stomach alerted Max to a pistol lying on the seat under his body. He reached for the gun at the same time as the obese driver punched him in the side of the head.
The blow stunned Max, but only for a moment. Driven by years of relentless training, his hands continued their search for a weapon even without the assistance of his addled brain. His fingers closed on the hard metal as the fat man punched Max in the head again.
Max yanked the pistol up and fired without looking. His first shot just blew out the driver’s window, but the explosion of glass startled the fat man. Max used the hesitation to push himself to a sitting position and aim the gun at the corpulent thug.
“Open your door and hop out,” Max ordered, “or you’re dead.”
“Are you crazy?” the driver shouted. “The other cars will crush me!”
“A sure bullet or a chance to survive!” Max roared. “Your choice!”
After a moment’s hesitation, the fat man threw open his door and launched himself into open space. He tumbled along behind the truck before rolling to a stop beside the stacked containers. As the swarm of vehicles approached, the fat goon rolled against the wall and wedged himself into the corner as best he could.
Max slid over on the bench seat and pumped the gas pedal to catch up with Kate as a pack of enemy vehicles menaced her red muscle car.
Kate shrieked and ducked down as the armed passengers on her right side opened fire. Bullets tore through the interior and peppered the hood, punching holes in the engine. Steam billowed from the engine bay, and fluid splashed across the pavement in front of Max’s truck.
The battered red muscle car began to slow. Max swerved to the right and formed a barrier between Kate and the wave of enemy cars. The passengers were unsure if their friend was driving the truck, so they hesitated to shoot, instead peering at the truck through squinted eyes.
“Kate!” Max yelled.
The blonde baker uncurled herself from the steering wheel and glanced over at him, her blue eyes wide.
“Throw on cruise control and get over here!” Max shouted.
Kate’s wild eyes made Max wonder if she’d understood his message, but after a moment she nodded. She pried her fingers from the steering wheel and searched around for the cruise control setup. The baker found and pressed the button, then slid over the torn leather seat toward the passenger side.
Kate swung her door open as the two vehicles sped along at close to one hundred miles per hour. The two vehicle doors clanged together as Max pulled in as close as he dared without bumping the red car and throwing Kate into the metal wall.
Kate pushed herself to the edge of the seat and leaned out. The pavement raced along beneath her in the gap between the vehicles. She was gauging the jump when Max shouted at her.
“Kate! Incoming light pole! Jump!”
Kate threw her gaze back to the road ahead. A thick light pole stood directly in the path of the runaway red muscle car, and she was only seconds from impact.
Kate kicked off with both feet and hurled herself across the gap between vehicles. She landed with a thud across Max’s lap with her feet dangling outside and her toes inches from the road.
As she landed, Max swerved away from the red car. Seconds later, the antique muscle car slammed into the light pole going just under one hundred miles per hour. Screaming metal and shattering plastic filled his ears as the pickup flashed by the wreckage, and a moment later all he heard was the rush of the wind.
Kate gasped for breath as she lay draped across Max’s lap.
With a firm hand, Max patted Kate’s curvy rump. “I could get used to this,” he said.
With a sudden burst of newfound energy, Kate scurried across his lap, managing to dig her knee into his crotch in what he suspected was not an accident. His grin turned to a wince. Kate snatched up the pistol from the seat and started snapping off shots through the passenger window at the cars full of enemy gangsters.
An SUV slammed into the side of the truck. Kate and Max were tossed around as the two large vehicles crunched together. The SUV driver didn’t pull out of the swerve until the gray pickup was careening toward the metal wall.
As the SUV driver peeled off, Max wrestled to regain control of the truck. The driver’s side headlight exploded as the truck slammed into the side of the metal containers ringing the perimeter. The metal shipping containers squealed in protest until Max leveled out and pulled away from the wall. Even as they raced away, Max saw the wall wobble back and forth in his rearview mirror.
“I think I’ve got a stupid idea,” Max said.
“I’m getting used to that,” Kate replied.
“You’re gonna like this plan even less than usual,” Max warned.
Kate just grimaced.
Max cut their speed. Tires screeched as the cars behind them slowed and swerved to both sides to avoid colliding with their rear. Max waited until a big blue SUV lined up on their driver’s side before slamming his foot down on the gas pedal and yanking the wheel hard to the left.
The charcoal gray pickup truck slammed into the side of the blue SUV and drove the heavy vehicle into the wall of shipping containers. Metal screeched and glass shattered as Max and the enemy driver fought for control.
“Shoot him!” Max shouted.
Kate leaned across Max and raised her pistol. Two shots rang out as her finger stroked the trigger, and the other driver slumped over dead in his seat. The tension Max had felt fighting against him ended abruptly, and he turned the wheel harder to grind the blue SUV against the wall.
The metal wall shifted slightly as the SUV ground away at the containers with greater friction. Each container resisted until finally Max found what he’d been looking for: a poorly placed corner. When building the wall, some lazy worker hadn’t checked thoroughly enough and had left one container sticking out almost a full foot.
The blue SUV slammed into corner. Pinned between the gray truck and the wall, the SUV crunched to a sudden stop. The back end fishtailed into the pickup and threw Kate and Max across the cab as Max struggled to maintain control of the speeding vehicle.
The massive impact caused the towering wall of metal containers to wobble back and forth in the air. Even as he fought for control of the drifting truck, Max’s eyes were glued to the rearview mirror.
“Come on, baby, one lucky break today,” the ex-cop murmured.
With a resounding crash, the towering wall of metal shipping containers plummeted inward and smashed to the pavement. A wide breach was opened in the wall with only one metal container still standing.
“Yes!” Max crowed in triumph. Even the bullets whizzing through the air from enemy vehicles couldn’t damper his momentary delight. “Hold on, Kate, we’re busting out!”
Max yanked up on the parking break and swirled the wheel to spin the truck around. Enemy vehicles veered around them and skidded to a halt as their drivers reacted in confusion. Max sped back the way they’d come, narrowly dodging through the sea of cars as he drove the wrong way in the chase.
Gunfire rang out as gangsters peppered their truck with hasty shots.
In the seat beside him, Kate had dropped her pistol and dug the claws of both hands into the seat. The petrified woman was screaming in wordless terror as they drove upstream against a river of death.
At last they were free of the swarm of cars. Behind them, the gangsters were already reorganizing and dodging around each other to resume the chase.
Max drove right up to the fallen shipping containers, slipping neatly between the remaining wall and a fallen container. The truck screeched as it tried to wedge into the gap and failed halfway through the alleyway, but Max knew it was enough. He plucked up the pistol from Kate’s lap and used the handle to smash out the remaining glass in the back window. “Time to go, pretty girl!”
Max pushed his way out through the wind
ow frame and reached back inside to help Kate crawl through. As she stepped into the bed of the truck, bullets from the approaching swarm of gangsters pinged off the sides and bed of the pickup. The two climbed onto the roof of the truck and then onto the metal shipping container.
The sea breeze Max had been feeling was instantly stronger, and the sharp tang of salty air slapped him in the face. Gulls wheeled and screeched overhead and ocean waves splashed on the sandy shore as he briefly surveyed the beach their new perch overlooked. Young people frolicked in the surf and lounged on the hot sand, but most had stopped to see what the loud crash had been. Several topless women sat up and gawked at the opening in the wall.
Tires screeched to a halt inside the compound as the gangsters arrived and began climbing the truck to reach Max and Kate. Gunfire rang out, and the youths on the beach screamed.
Max and Kate dropped to the metal surface to take cover as bullets slammed into the container walls around them.
People all over the beach panicked and tried to escape the sudden violence. Couples held hands and bolted toward the safety of the nearby city blocks. Max watched the topless sunbathers bounce their way across the sand with complete disregard for modesty.
The two fugitives dropped over the side of the container and landed on the beach outside. Sand crunched under their boots and flew in curtains as they sped toward the stairs leading up to the city.
Bullets tore up the ground behind Max and Kate as an army of gangsters pursued their fleeing captives.
Chapter 15
The Call Goes Out
Savory pork juices dripped down from crumpled aluminum foil to splash on a thick cloth napkin.
Johnny Legion was a man who took no chances, least of all where his crisp white suit was concerned. As the hired killer navigated the filthy San Pajita streets in his classic 1969 blue convertible, he double-checked the thick cloth draped across his lap to make sure none of the juice from his carnitas burrito had dripped through. Satisfied, he bit off another huge mouthful and chewed thoughtfully as the spicy filling torched the inside of his mouth and settled into his belly like a ball of luscious embers.
