Chapter 36

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SIX

Tori squeezed her eyes shut.

She didn't like any of this.

Yet at the same time, she knew they couldn't simply pull over either.

Please, God. I know this seems like such a selfish prayer. But if you could let us get away . . . let us catch a break. Please!

Guilt filled her as she realized what she was praying. She prayed they'd be able to break the law and get away with it.

But considering these circumstances and the injustice they were fighting, she hoped maybe God would understand.

Gage made another sharp turn, followed by another. More brakes squealed and people lay on their horns.

But they kept moving forward.

Tori had no idea how they were going to get away with this.

Her eyes popped open as she felt movement beside her. Kai climbed into the back seat—and then kept going into the back cargo area.

"What are you doing?" she murmured.

"You'll see," he said. "Or maybe it's better if you don't see."

She couldn't seem to close her eyes or look away. Instead, she watched as he fiddled with a compartment in the floor.

Tori squinted as Kai pulled something from the carpeted area—some type of long chain with spikes on it.

A few seconds later, Kai cracked open the back of the trunk, just enough for her to hear the wind.

He wasn't going to jump out, was he?

No, instead he dropped the chain from the small opening.

Tori's breath caught when she heard a popping sound.

She sucked in a breath.

What had he just done?

Kai watched as the cop car behind him swerved.

Its tires had run over the spike strip.

Now the vehicle bumped to a stop.

Another police car, the one directly behind the first, apparently didn't see what happened. That officer also hit the strip.

The tires went flat, and they lurched to a stop.

That would hold the police off, at least for a while.

Kai climbed back into the front seat.

Meanwhile, Gage didn't slow down.

In fact, as they reached the warehouse district, Gage darted behind some buildings and threw the SUV in Park.

"You don't think they're going to find us back here?" Tori's voice lilted with apprehension.

"We have a plan for that also." Gage nodded at Kai.

Kai jumped from the front seat and hurried to the back, walking around this time.

He opened another bag—with license plates in it.

Working quickly, he switched the plates. Then he added a couple of magnetic stickers to throw off the police's scent. They all also switched hats and shirts.

Then Kai climbed back in the SUV, and Gage eased back onto the road.

"You think this is going to work?" Tension captured Tori's voice.

"It has before," Kai told her. "This should allow us at least to get out of town. The police will be looking for the make of our vehicle, but there are many like this on the road. We should have just bought ourselves some time."

As they headed down the street, Kai angled his gaze behind him and saw two cop cars zoom past, their cars perpendicular to their route.

It looked as if their plan may have worked.

But they were so far from being able to let their guard down and relax.

No, they still had entirely too much on the line to do that.