The Impala drew alongside the Escalade again — and the heavy SUV slammed savagely against it—
The force of the collision hurled the patrol car helplessly off course. It hit the back of the Mini, sending the smaller vehicle spinning off the recovery vehicle. The Chevrolet was flipped into a corkscrewing roll off the ramp, scything away a chunk of the tow truck’s cab before arcing back down—
It smashed into the tanker’s side.
The truck driver stamped on the brakes, his rig juddering to an emergency stop. Fuel gushed from a rent in the gleaming steel. The Escalade, also braking hard, swerved past the trailer’s rear with barely an inch to spare as flames burst from the Impala’s mangled engine compartment.
A flash of horrified realisation told Eddie that no matter how hard he braked or turned, the speeding Hummer would end up embedded in the burning tanker.
That left only one option.
‘Hang on!’ he yelled as he jammed down the accelerator.
‘Eddie!’ Nina shrieked, but the limousine was past the point of no return. She threw herself flat on the seat as it shot up the ramp—
The Hummer flew off the end and sailed over the tanker — as it exploded in a searing blast.
Churning flames swallowed the Impala and set the recovery truck ablaze. The fireball boiled skywards in a halo of thick black smoke…
Out of which hurtled the Hummer, lancing back to earth like a boxy javelin.
Eddie and Nina screamed as the limo’s nose pounded down on to the road — and the entire vehicle bent in half, the extended chassis snapping and ripping open a ragged gap in the floor and lower body.
The flames clinging to the H2’s skin rushed hungrily inside. They found the spilt spirits soaking the seats and carpet and the alcohol caught light.
Nina jerked back, batting at the singed ends of her hair. The German’s papers were also on fire. She snatched up the few she could reach in the hope of salvaging some clues to whatever the hell was going on.
But the blaze wasn’t the only danger. Sparks and metal fragments spat up at her from the Hummer’s ruptured underside. The driveshaft had broken along with the chassis, the jagged end still spinning furiously as it bounced off the asphalt. Apart from a few overstretched cables and pipes under the floor, the vehicle was now held together entirely by its roof, and even that was buckling.
She raised a hand to protect her face from the shards, belatedly realising that she was still holding her phone. ‘We just jumped over an exploding gas tanker!’ she shouted at the operator. ‘Is that specific enough for you?’
Eddie sat up woozily. As if the impact of landing hadn’t been enough, the Hummer’s airbag had fired. Even though it had protected him from a potentially fatal collision with the steering wheel, it still felt like a punch from a heavyweight boxer.
A car loomed ahead. He swerved to avoid it, finding that the H2’s handling had got even worse. A look back to check on Nina revealed why. The limo was still mobile thanks to its four-wheel drive, even if only the front two were still working, but its half-severed rear end was now acting like an anchor as the floor’s mangled leading edge scraped along the road.
‘Put the fire out!’ he cried, looking for the Escalade. Traffic had come to a panicked standstill following the explosion, and the hulking black truck was easy to spot as it headed south.
‘Oh, thanks, I would never have thought of that,’ Nina shot back. She was already searching for an extinguisher, but if there was one, it was stored out of sight. Instead, she yanked open the fridge and pulled out the little Perrier bottles, cracking their tops to pour fizzy water over the flames. It had roughly the same effect as spritzing a forest fire. ‘The bubbles aren’t helping!’
‘Then get up here!’ Eddie slalomed around stationary cars in pursuit of the Escalade. The street it had taken led into Beverly Hills’ shopping district. Sirens sounded in the distance, but he couldn’t tell from which direction.
Nina hesitated at the sight of the driveshaft thrashing like an enraged snake, but summoned up her courage and hopped over the widening split in the cabin. The limo creaked alarmingly as her weight shifted to its front half. She climbed over the partition into the seat beside her husband.
Pedestrians gawped as the broken-backed Hummer screeched past in a trail of sparks. Farther down the street, the Escalade had been forced to slow by dawdling traffic. The gunman dealt with the obstruction by swinging into the oncoming lane and ramming head on into a car, using his truck’s sheer muscle to force the smaller vehicle on to the sidewalk.
Other drivers made the sensible choice to clear a path for the madman — which in turn left the way open for the H2 to catch up. Fast. ‘Oh, you’re not!’ Nina protested.
‘Yeah, I am!’ They both braced themselves—
The Hummer ploughed into the pickup. The EXT was a hefty vehicle, but the limo was almost twice its weight, sending the Cadillac into a spin that left it nearly perpendicular to its pursuer. Eddie recovered, foot back on the accelerator. If he could ram the truck broadside on, he might flip it over, ending the chase—
Nina saw movement in the Escalade’s cabin. ‘Gun!’
They ducked as the man fired. The windshield burst apart, fragments cascading over them. Eddie tensed, expecting further shots, but instead heard the roar of the Cadillac’s V8 as their attacker raced away.
Nina raised her head. A green sign at the corner told her that he had turned down Brighton Way. She remembered the name from her map; it intersected Rodeo Drive. ‘Don’t suppose this would be a good time to bug out and let the cops take care of things?’ she asked. A growl from their own vehicle’s engine gave her an answer. ‘No, thought not,’ she added as Eddie set off after the truck. The severed driveshaft chittered like a pneumatic drill as they rounded the corner, the Hummer’s back half now flexing horizontally as well as vertically.
The new road was one-way, with no oncoming traffic, but it was also narrower than the last street. The Escalade swerved wildly to thread between other cars. Blaring the horn, Eddie did the same. Anguished creaks of metal came from the roof behind them. Nina glanced back. ‘This thing’s gonna come apart any minute,’ she warned. At least the fire was dying down as the alcohol fuelling it was consumed.
Eddie didn’t reply, eyes fixed on the fleeing pickup. The sirens grew louder — the police were closing in.
No sign of them yet, though. For now, he was the only person who could stop the assassin. Ahead was Rodeo Drive. Traffic waited at the intersection, parked cars on each side blocking any way around. The Cadillac’s brake lights flared as it was forced to slow.
This could be his chance. Foot to the floor—
The Escalade swerved abruptly to avoid a small van backing out of an entrance on the right.
Eddie hauled at the wheel, but the crippled Hummer was reluctant to turn. The word CHANEL filled his vision—
The H2 smashed into the van, sending it spinning like a top. Its rear doors burst open, and hundreds of perfume bottles flew out, exploding like scented grenades. Litres of Chanel No. 5 sluiced over the bifurcated Hummer…
And ignited.
Choking and wiping her stinging eyes, Nina heard a deep and very menacing whoomph behind her. She turned to see the limo’s entire rear end ablaze, the dying flames given a new and highly flammable source of nourishment. ‘Shit! Eddie, we’re on fire! Again!’
Eddie too was gasping for air. Perfume was fine in small doses, but by the gallon it was more like the chemical attack training he had been forced to endure in the army. Blinking away streaming tears, he searched for his quarry. The Escalade had barged a car out of its way to make a skidding left turn down Rodeo Drive. He followed it. Metal shrieked as the H2’s flaming back end swung wide, tearing the overstressed roof like paper.