Shattered Lies (Web of Lies #3)(35)

They pushed with everything they had and the statue slowly slid off its base. They strained, bending their knees to put more force behind the push until the nude woman teetered on the edge of her pedestal and fell.

The statue slammed into the ground, breaking an arm and sending it rolling away from her. Lizzy looked at the statue and then at the gate as it slowly began to open. She didn’t wait to marvel that it actually worked. Instead, she took off up the drive and jumped into the van. In seconds, she was driving through the gate and into the yard in order to get around the fallen statue.

Dalton got into the passenger seat and put on his seat belt. “There’s a sightseeing helicopter tour company a couple miles from here. Turn right out of the neighbor’s yard to get there.”

Lizzy angled the car into the backyard and around the pool. “Ready?”

Dalton nodded and held on. Lizzy floored the gas as the old van shot forward. They hit the privacy fence and Lizzy’s foot was momentarily knocked off the gas pedal as she was flung forward. The seat belt caught and sent her slamming back into her seat.

“Pool,” Dalton said easily as she cranked the van to the left, knocking the side mirror off on a tree to avoid the water. The van bounced over the decorative cement patio and plowed through a wooden privacy gate. They came to a stop on the driveway as lights were turned on in the house and yelling could be heard.

Lizzy took a breath and looked at a neighborhood street. “Okay, here we go.” She turned right and headed toward the tourist helicopter tours. “How’s Grant doing?”

“I don’t know. I’m not going to ask, though. He’s focused on saving Valeria and that’s where his focus needs to be. Turn left, and it’s five blocks up on your right.”

Lizzy made the turn and saw the big bright sign promising to show you the stars from the sky. “Where’s Sebastian?”

“Heading south.”

“Will we be able to catch them?”

“Doubtful, but we’ll be able to hunt them.”

Lizzy stopped in the parking lot of the helicopter tours. “Then let’s go hunting.”





15





Valeria cursed as the cuffs bit into her skin. Somewhere along the way she’d been zapped again and tossed into the trunk. Probably after she tried to bite Anthony’s carotid artery open. Normally this would be a good thing. There were lots of ways to escape being in a trunk. However, this time her mouth was taped shut, her arms were cuffed behind her, and her feet taped together.

It was hot, dark, and muggy in the trunk. She was on her left side, facing away from the taillights. Valeria was also lying on top of the spare tire and a couple of bulletproof vests. It wasn’t the most comfortable way to travel. She wondered how long she’d been with Anthony and where they were going. Her bet was back to his jurisdiction or into Mexico to be handed over to Manuel. Either way, it wasn’t good.

The car sped up and then slowed down. Valeria rolled uncomfortably from the back part of her left shoulder she was lying on to the front part of her shoulder, causing her nose to bump into the vest. What was going on? Then suddenly there was a loud bang and then there was the scraping sound of metal against metal. The tires of the car spun and suddenly she was flying as the car flipped.



* * *



Grant had driven close to one hundred thirty miles per hour since he’d gotten out of the city. He’d rejoiced when Anthony turned off the interstate and onto State Route 79. He’d sped through the mountains and along the small two-lane road on the desert side of the mountains as fast as he could. It had taken about an hour and a half to catch up to Anthony some one hundred fifty miles away on the deserted San Felipe Road. There was nothing around at night except dirt, tumbleweed, and foothills. The closest landmark they were approaching was Scissors Crossing, which was nothing more than part of the Pacific Crest Hiking Trial.

When they’d come to a straightaway and his headlights appeared in Anthony’s mirrors for the first time, Anthony didn’t do anything. Grant kept his emotions in check as he looked at the GPS dot on the phone. Valeria, or at least her dress, was still with Anthony. Grant sped up slightly to get a good look through the rear window. He only saw what he guessed was Anthony’s outline in the driver’s seat. As Grant pulled closer, Anthony sped up, but then slowed down as if allowing Grant to pass. Grant pulled into the opposite lane and slowly pushed the Bentley’s gas pedal so he could pull even with the car.

In the glow of the dash, Grant saw the sharp outline of a nose and thin face. The man looked to be in his mid-thirties and his tie had pulled loose while his sports coat rested on the passenger seat. The empty passenger seat. Grant looked into the backseat and saw nothing. Where? Grant slowed and looked at the trunk.

When Grant looked back at Anthony, a gun was pointing out the window. Grant swerved hard to the left, but the bullet ripped into his tire. There was only one way to stop Anthony now. He just hoped Valeria could hang on as he jerked the steering wheel to the right and drove the Bentley right into the side of Anthony’s car.

Grant held onto the steering wheel as metal crashed against metal. He pushed his car harder, sending the other car fishtailing off the road as Grant struggled to keep control despite having burst a tire or two. With a final ram of the crumpled Bentley into Anthony’s car, Grant held onto the wheel as smoke poured from under the hood before flames began to creep out. Through the smoke and flames, he saw Anthony’s back tire catch in the dirt and rock, sending the car flipping into the air. It all felt like slow motion. The back tire hit a low-profile rock, sending the tires closest to Grant swinging up into the air. Grant was out of his car running toward the wreck as the car settled with the tires pointed toward the sky.