Cold & Deadly (Cold Justice: Crossfire #1)(13)
Ava weighed her options. The Impala was fully fitted out with reinforced bumpers as it was one of the few surveillance vehicles they had at the Fredericksburg Resident Agency. “I’m going to attempt a PIT maneuver to prevent him getting onto the interstate.”
She’d practiced the Pursuit Intervention Technique a hundred times in training as a patrol cop, but never for real and never on her own while trying to arrest an alleged murderer.
He ignored the northbound ramp, which suited her purposes. Southbound had more waste ground and less trees on the side of the road.
She put her foot on the gas, and her car shot forward. It took a few nerve-wracking seconds to position the nose of her hood just behind his rear, driver’s side wheel arch. He swerved away as if he knew what she was planning. Maybe he did. She couldn’t afford to hesitate in case he had a weapon and started shooting.
She checked her surroundings again and saw the flash of lights in her rear-view. Backup was close.
“Going to try to force him off the road.” She matched her speed to his, hoping the Impala had enough power in reserve to accomplish what she intended. Holding tight to the steering wheel, she nosed the Impala inches from Taylor’s Suburban as he hit the ramp. She punched the gas, jerking the wheel toward the other car. The fleeing vehicle abruptly spun sideways across the tarmac and careened onto the shoulder, coming to an abrupt halt, a complete one-eighty to where it had started.
Ava managed to keep control of her car and pulled up onto the shoulder a little distance away. Jumping out, she drew her Glock even as she pulled the lever for her trunk. She grabbed her ballistics vest and pulled it over her head, strapping it on one-handed and never taking her eyes off the Suburban.
The other car still rocked slightly in the dirt at the side of the road.
Knowing backup was close, but not knowing the state of the people inside the rig, Ava carefully approached the vehicle from the driver’s side. Her heart pounded from the exhilaration of the chase and the uncertainty of what lay ahead. Did Jimmy have a weapon? Did Maria?
“FBI. Open the door and show me your hands,” she yelled.
Slowly the door creaked open. Jimmy Taylor held his hands out to show they were empty and turned his body so both feet were visible. She moved around so she could see past him into the passenger seat. Maria was slumped, apparently unconscious, against the passenger door. Blood matted her hair. More blood coated Taylor’s chin.
“You ran us off the road?” His voice was high-pitched with shock. “What the fuck? My girlfriend is hurt. I need to help her.”
Ava balanced her weight on the balls of her feet. “She should have worn her seatbelt.”
“You fucking bitch.” His words were clipped. Eyes hot with rage.
“Ambulance is on the way.” Not quite true, but it wouldn’t be long. “Get out of the car, Mr. Taylor. Nice and slow.”
“Who? You’ve got the wrong guy, darlin’, and I’m going to sue you and your department for everything you have.”
“Get out of the car, Jimmy.”
“You made a mistake, and I’m gonna sue your fucking ass so bad…” He slid out of the car slowly, then lunged so fast he caught her off guard. She dodged, cursed and then moved in closer, keeping her gun out of his grasp while she kneed him in the groin. As he curled over in agony, she caught one of his wrists and used it to force him to the ground. Patrol cops were pulling up as she drew her cuffs out of her back pocket. She identified herself. One officer handled traffic. Another approached with his weapon drawn, pointed at Jimmy. Ava read the guy his rights and slowly registered the sound of a chopper overhead.
“There’s an injured passenger.” Ava told the police officer. “We need them both checked out at the hospital before they get processed.” She helped Jimmy to his feet and passed him over to a third cop who turned up. “Call the Marshals. Tell them we found something they lost.”
Ava and another cop saw to Maria until the paramedics arrived. The woman had banged her head on the side window and claimed she didn’t remember a damn thing, not even her name. Not the first person in the world to claim amnesia, but as a defense tactic it generally didn’t go down great with the judge.
The cops put Jimmy and Maria in separate squad cars, and Ava was happy for the cops to take credit for the apprehensions. It built rapport between departments and was considerably less paperwork for her. Then she checked her own car for damage. There was a slight dent in the side, but nothing major. She might get her knuckles slapped by the mechanics, but her boss should be happy enough.
Van would have gotten a kick out of the whole thing. She looked up at the sky and grinned, missing him so acutely it felt as if someone had carved out a piece of her heart.
Her work cell rang. She checked caller ID and pulled a surprised face. “What can I do for you, SSA Sheridan?”
She hadn’t expected to hear from him again after their exchange at the funeral yesterday.
“Can you meet me at Van’s house in the next hour?”
Her heart gave a hard whump. Had he found something?
“Agent Kanas? Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Yes. Sorry.” She looked at the strewn motor vehicles and the mile-long line of traffic with drivers all craning their necks to see what had gone down. She had some paperwork to write up and a report to make, but… “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”