LITMIR.BIZ

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by the knowledge that she was aiding criminals. The same went for the rush she felt from the coordination between her and Arash. It didn’t matter who was driving and who was shotgun; they handled their jobs and kept each other moving. Her brief elation dived quickly into a sense of loss for what could’ve been in a very different world.

      As soon as he hit a straightaway, Arash pulled a hair band from his pocket and swept his hair back into that small ponytail, fully revealing his sharp features. “Good call on the sunglasses.” He looked over to her for a second before turning his attention back to the road.

      “They look fly.” She’d considered a couple frames before settling on these and was rewarded by him looking sexy and severe.

      “You have good taste.” He shook his wrist to flash the watch. A perfect fit.

      “Except when it comes to men.” If she really had good taste, she wouldn’t be feeling small electric thrills raining up through her as she looked over this car-thief criminal with his rough hands all over the steering wheel and shifter.

      Instead of shutting him down like she’d hoped, it evoked a quick laugh and an even wilder smile. When he stood harder on the gas, making the engine moan, the bastard knew she couldn’t look away.

      She reminded herself of everything at stake, cooled herself and flattened her voice. “After the next right is our intersection. We’re one minute early. Circle until I hear the next move.”

      “Understood.” Arash must’ve known better than to push her any further and matched the businesslike tone.

      Her phone buzzed. She read, “‘Run interference for white cube van with Nevada plates. Draw any cops off.’”

      “I’ve got eyes on the truck.” He tipped his head to their left, where a medium-sized cargo truck trundled out of a storage-facility parking lot.

      “You know them?” She didn’t recognize the driver or the man riding shotgun.

      “No, but there’s Olesk and Ellie.” They were in a sport-tuned Subaru that was clearly straining against its muscle as it cruised half a block behind the truck. Olesk drove and Ellie rode passenger with a cell phone in her hand. She acknowledged Arash and Stephanie with a brief nod before swiveling her gaze to take in the area.

      Stephanie did the same. “If they need us for interference, then they know someone’s onto this move.” There’d been a couple of local PD blips regarding Olesk’s gang in the Frontier Justice control center she’d helped install in Mariana’s farmhouse. It pulled radio signals, internet leads and poached cell phone conversations from law enforcement and back-channel sources in an attempt to track the Seventh Syndicate and other organizations that were attacking anyone who couldn’t defend themselves. Fitting that the hub of all this information was the home where Frontier Justice had started over a hundred years ago.

      And Stephanie knew that farmhouse was still in good hands. Mariana was the perfect fit for Ty, both determined as hell. Their strong wills extended out to their unwavering care for the other, something Stephanie knew was a rarity in this world.

      “Unmarked car at seven o’clock.” Arash shifted his vision from the side mirror to the road ahead. Stephanie snapped out of her thoughts and spun to check behind them. The dark brown car had state-exempt plates and a nearly invisible flasher bar in front of the visors.

      “He’s driving like he means it.” The police car slipped past Olesk and Ellie, on the hunt. Instead of relief arriving with the police, Stephanie’s pulse kicked faster. Olesk and the STR couldn’t get busted before she’d pierced all the way to the Seventh. “Run him off.”

      “Olesk has him.” Arash held back amid the normal traffic. The Subaru separated out and sped forward. After passing the unmarked car, Olesk swerved hard in front of it and raced up a side street. The police car couldn’t resist the bait. The light bar strobed on and its tires chirped before propelling it after the Subaru. “No discipline. Those cops should’ve stayed on their mark.”

      “Whose side are you on?” she quipped, hoping no one would ever ask her that question.

      “Cash money.” His mouth thinned. She locked a snapshot of the moment in her memory, to be pulled out every time she felt herself being drawn toward this man.

      The cube van continued up the wide boulevard, and she started to predict the route. “They’re heading for the highway.” A police patrol car pulled quickly onto the street. “Cruiser.” There was no sign of Olesk or the unmarked car.

      “On it.” Arash broke out of the normal flow of traffic but held two car lengths back from the police car. She surged forward in her seat and put her foot down like she had her own gas pedal. He shook his head. “We’ve got to know what they know. If they’re onto the truck, it doesn’t matter how many distractions we throw at them. Helicopters, roadblocks, highway patrol will come down hard.”

      She knew he was right. Whatever intel the police were acting off must’ve been vague, because the patrol car seemed to be searching rather than following the truck directly. Even when it had a free lane to slide up behind the truck, it held back, and other cars filled in the space. “They’re hunting blind.”

      Arash rolled his shoulders and snugged himself into the racing seat. “Let’s give them something to chase.” He downshifted and the car lurched forward with power, then it sped when he threw it into the next gear. Instead of sweeping past the patrol car, Arash steered off the boulevard and across the corner of a strip mall parking lot.

      “Looks like you suffer from premature acceleration.” She watched in the side-view mirror as the police car disappeared up the boulevard.

      Arash laughed and slowed the car. “He saw us,” he reassured her. “Didn’t want to make it look like we were deliberately distracting him from the real target.”

      “That was Olesk’s move.”

      “Exactly.” He pointed in the rearview mirror and she turned to see the patrol car coming after them along the residential street. “Too cocky.” He stepped on the gas. The cops didn’t hesitate to give chase and they were soon blasting past parked cars and winter-bare London plane trees.

      It seemed like the police would catch up to them. Blue-and-red flashing lights were close enough to color the interior of Stephanie and Arash’s car. A voice came over the loudspeaker between siren blasts. “Stop the car. Stop the car and pull to the right.” Arash was only in third gear. “Stop immediately.”

      Arash hung back another second, then stepped on the gas. The car shot forward, leaving the police voice a jumble behind them. The patrol car sped to catch up, but its engine could already be heard straining. She spun to watch the police, seeing the passenger on the radio. “Backup will be incoming.”

      “Anyone who wants to get embarrassed is welcome to show up to this party.” Arash downshifted around a corner and put a full block between them and the pursuing police.

      “You got your wish.” They pulled back onto the main boulevard just as two more marked police cars hurried into the area. The cops were quick to turn on their sirens and clear a path to Stephanie and Arash.

      “Any sign of the truck?” Arash upped their speed but maintained a calm approach that never felt reckless.

      She searched over the street and saw they were right by an on-ramp for the highway. “No truck. They must’ve hit the highway.”

      “What the hell’s our next move?” Arash bared his teeth as he made another hard turn off the boulevard and into another neighborhood. The police had to stack one in front of the other, limiting their tactical maneuvers.

      Stephanie looked over the map on her phone for any areas where they could lose this kind of pursuit. “Train tracks four blocks ahead and to the left might lead to a depot or warehouses we could lose these rollers in.” Her phone buzzed in her hand. “Text from Olesk. They lost their tail. We’ve got to do the same and hit the highway east. Clock’s ticking before the police scramble a chopper.”

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