“We’re all ready to leave, professor Shireberg. Shall we proceed downstairs?”
He went over to Helen placing his hand on her shoulder.
She turned around and asked him. “Will you keep your word after tonight? Will I be set free like you said?”
“You will be set free. I give you my word,” he answered.
Nearly an hour had gone by when Danny’s voice came over the two-way radio.
“Jason! Have you spotted anything yet?”
He picked up the handset.
“Nope, nothing so far. How about you? Any luck?”
Danny responded, “nothing either. I’m going to give it another hour and then call it quits.”
With mike at the wheel, they continued at the same slow pace as before. Danny was on the verge of ending the search. Suddenly some jerk coming up from the rear starts to dip his headlights, indicating to Danny and Mike to get a move on or get out of the way.
“They seem to be in a hurry,” said Mike waving them on so they can pass.
The car overtakes them above the speed limit, sounding the horn as they pass. Danny took a quick look at the registration plate but didn’t get a chance to write it down. As the second vehicle began to overtake them, something caught Danny’s attention. The woman sitting in the rear seat seemed extremely familiar to him. Then it hit him like a brick.
“My god! It can’t be!” Said Danny.
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure! That woman in the back seat, did you see her?” Danny asked.
“Yes! Who is she? Do you know her?” Said Mike.
“That woman looks just like professor Helen Shireberg, who was kidnapped from Mexico last week. Agent Mallock and I have been trying to find her ever since we left Chichen Itza.”
“Chichen what!” Said Mike. “What the hell is going on?”
Danny contacted Jason through the radio.
“Jason where are you?”
“I’m nearly at the end of the search. I’m running out of beach,” he said.
“Well, you better get your ass all the way back up here!” Danny said.
“What is it? Have you spotted them?” Questioned Jason.
“I don’t know if it’s them! But I do know who I spotted!”
Jason asked impatiently, “who? Who did you see Danny? Spit it out will you!”
“Helen! Professor Helen Shireberg. She just passed us by in the back of a pickup truck.”
Jason stopped his mustang.
“Are you sure it was her?”
Danny said, “well, there’s only one way to find out. I’m going after that pickup!”
The engine roared back to life as Jason spun his mustang around. He placed the FBI siren on the roof and slammed his foot down hard on the throttle. He had at least half an hour drive before catching up with Danny.
The BMW and the pickup truck had no idea who they had overtaken. Helen was forced to sit in the back seat with her hands bound together, and the rear doors locked making it impossible for her to make a break for it. Both vehicles kept a few yards apart from each other not letting another car get between them.
Danny was driving at full speed and could see the two cars ahead in the distance. He intended to switch his siren on when he was directly behind them. The gap was closing rapidly, one hundred yards, sixty yards, at fifteen yards behind them; he turned on the siren, lights flashing, and sound blaring out that startled both Carlos and Tony.
Helen couldn’t believe her luck. She turned around facing the vehicle behind her. With her hands banging against the rear glass window, she had no idea it was Danny approaching them as his headlights were blinding her view. Carlos then flashed his lights, signaling Tony to put his foot down. All three cars are now involved in a high-speed chase. The BMW’s speed was tremendous as Tony accelerated, widening the gap by eighty yards in a few seconds. As for Carlos, his pickup was not so fast but was heavy and well armed with bull bars, making it difficult to be forced off the road. Danny was now just a few feet away from the pickup truck. He knew the driver had no intention of pulling over. Danny tried to overtake, but the single lane road made it difficult to get around, especially with the tight turns in the road blocking the view of oncoming traffic. He waited for a straight stretch of road, then powered his Chevy alongside the pickup. Carlos turned to face Danny recognizing him immediately. He then looked at Mike, expecting to see Jason instead. The next instant Carlos opened fire; bullets penetrated the closed windows of Danny’s Chevy, forcing him to pull back again.
Mike knew they were in trouble, so he got hold of Jason on the two-way radio.
“Agent Mallock! We need backup fast. How far behind are you?”
Jason immediately responded, “I’m at least fifteen minutes behind you. Hold on, and tell Danny not to engage alone.”
Just as Mike ended the transmission, Danny again attempted to overtake Carlos. He managed to get to the left side as before, but Carlos judged it perfectly, waiting until Danny was at the same speed as he was. He raised his weapon with Danny in his sights. All he had left to do was pull back on the trigger, and it would all be over.
Carlos shouted out to Danny as he fired the shot, “I see you in hell my friend!”
Mike then acted on instinct, as he leaned over onto Danny in an attempt to take hold of the wheel and pull as hard as he could, causing Danny to ram his vehicle into the pickup. Carlos held onto the steering with one hand. He could not manage to keep the truck on the road. He spun out of control and was forced off the road and into the side ditch. The pickup overturned a full 360 degrees, ending up in the sand. As for Danny, he too ended up on the sandy beach thirty yards away from Carlos.
“Mike! Are you okay?” Said Danny, pulling his lifeless body from the dashboard.
He didn’t answer. The shot from Carlos had penetrated the back of his head. He died instantly, saving Danny at the same time. Carlos was getting out of his pickup, blood streaming down his face. He was walking over to Danny, firing his weapon with each step he took. First the windscreen shattered. Then Mike’s dead body took a few shots. Danny still strapped to his seat couldn’t manage to get free; his seatbelt buckle was stuck. Danny knew he had to act fast. His firearm was thrown back onto the rear seat where he couldn’t reach it. Bullets whistled past him. It was just a matter of seconds before Carlos would find his target.
Jason, only a few hundred yards behind them, saw the crash and was watching his best friend being shot at by the same man who nearly killed them back in the ancient cavern. Jason was in full rage. His mustang roared to full throttle as it quickly closed the gap between them.
Carlos saw the fast approaching Mustang. He realized who was behind the wheel. Danny was still struggling to free himself as he saw Carlos approaching him. This is it. This is the end he said as he heard a shot being fired from the gun. He felt the bullet as it penetrated his chest. Danny looked down at his chest as blood oozed out from the bullet hole.
Jason could not believe he had just witnessed his friend being shot.
“No…! Danny hold on!” Shouted out Jason as his mustang flew off the road heading straight for Carlos at full speed over the sand.
Carlos didn’t stand a chance as the vehicle hit him hard, knocking him across the sand more than twenty yards away.
As Jason came to a halt, he leaped out of the mustang and ran over to Danny. His body lay still across the seat, and his hands clasped around the seatbelt buckle. Jason unbuckled his friend and dragged him out onto the sand. He opened his jacket where the bullet passed cleanly through, exposing the wound. Jason placed his ear up close to Danny’s mouth.