The cop car was about to execute a turn in to BJ’s but jerked back out onto Broadway behind the Mustang.

“Pull over, let the cops have him,” I said.

“No way! This guy shot me!” Tex yelled.

Ally wasn’t listening anyway, she rocketed down Broadway, shifting gears quickly, ratcheting up the mph to levels so far beyond safe it wasn’t funny.

“Ally, pull over!” I screamed.

“He’s two cars in front of you. Pass! Pass!” Tex shouted.

We shot passed two squad cars going north, their lights on and sirens blaring. One screeched to a halt and did a uie behind us.

“Stop now! There are more cops, he won’t get away!” I yelled.

“Don’t stop!” Tex shouted. “Never say die!”

I went to bars and clubs without my purse, usually carrying money, credit cards, driver’s license and lip gloss in my front pocket and my cell in my back. It was now that I felt my cell phone vibrate against my ass as I heard it ring. I snatched it from my pocket and tore my eyes from the road long enough to read, “Lee calling”.

I flipped it open as Tex crowed, “No cars in front of us, bump him! That’s it!”

“Don’t bump him!” I shrieked “He’s in someone else’s car.”

Ally didn’t listen, we bumped Pepper Rick, did a nauseating, out of control jerk from side-to-side before Ally righted us and then she yelled, “Righteous!”

I was too scared even to scream.

“Indy.” I heard Lee’s voice in my ear and didn’t realize I’d put the cell there.

“Yeah?” I replied, sounding calmer than I actually was.

“Bump him again, girl,” Tex encouraged.

“Where the f**k are you?” Lee, on the other hand, didn’t sound calm.

Another cop car going north screeched to a halt and swung a uie. I looked behind us and we had three squad cars trailing us now, their sirens blaring and lights rolling. It looked like other cars were back there too, members of the chase, and one of them looked a whole lot like Lee’s Crossfire.

I turned back forward and answered Lee.

“We saw Pepper Rick so we’re following him. Going south on Broadway.”

A car shot passed us, looking like it had Terry Wilcox’s goons in it. It jerked in front of Pepper Rick and slammed on its brakes. Everyone behind it, including us, slammed on their brakes and went into evasive maneuvering. Ally’s Mustang did a couple more sickening lurches and then we all accelerated, Pepper Rick and Coxy’s boys jockeying for position in front of us like they were on a NASCAR track. Thankfully everyone on Broadway was pulling well over because of the squad car posse behind us.

“Pull over,” I heard Lee demand in my ear.

“She won’t listen to me,” I told Lee. “She and Tex are on a mission.”

“Indy, tell Ally to pull… the f**k… over,” Lee repeated.

“Ally,” I said, “Lee wants you to pull over.”

“I can’t,” Ally returned. “I can’t do it. He’s not gonna get away. He shot at you.”

It was then I lost my mind, pulled the phone from my ear and screeched, “Pull over, God dammit!”

We were well into Englewood when a squad car came up beside us, Willie Moses at the wheel. I saw Brian Bond sitting in the passenger seat doing hand gestures at us, his face a mask of disbelieving fury. Ally turned her head to look at him and lost control of the Mustang.

We pitched right then left, nearly side-swiping Willie and Brian. Willie avoided us, shot forward and then we bounded across the median, cars coming the other way swerving and blaring their horns.

With incredible luck, we careened into an old, unused lot, knocked down a chain link fence, driving over it and then coming to a smashing, bone-jarring halt when we slammed into a concrete slab.

Chapter Fourteen

Was He Makin’ A Call?

Upon impact, the airbags blew out.

I sat in a daze for a few seconds, my mind automatically doing a body inventory to assess any damage. When I realized that I was okay, I pulled back from the airbag and asked, “Everyone all right?”

Ally mumbled something, there was a grumble from the backseat and my door was wrenched open.

I saw a penknife puncture the bag, which deflated immediately. A hand was at my chest to hold me back against the seat so I didn’t crumple forward with the loss of the airbag. Not that my seatbelt was going to let me go anywhere, it had contracted on impact and my chest was killing me. Lee was crouched in the door beside me.

“You okay?” he asked, though he was finding out for himself, his hands running along my limbs, his eyes doing a body scan, searching for blood or bones protruding through my skin. In the lights illuminating the vacant lot, I could see his face was pinched with anger and concern.

Hank was on the other side, Ally’s bag was flat and he was doing the same thing.

“Yeah. I think so,” I told Lee.

“We need to get them free of the car,” Hank told Lee.

Lee reached across me and undid my buckle. He helped me out and walked me well away from the car toward the street. I used this time to pull my head together, take stock of the new aches and pains coming my way, flip my cell shut and slide it back in my pocket.

Ally and Tex were standing five feet away, Tex stomping his feet for some reason looking like he was doing a war dance without moving his arms. There was a blood stain at the shoulder of his sling. Luckily, that was the only blood on any of us.

I decided in an instant I was going to kill them both.

“You’re both nuts!” I shouted, charging forward, intent on murder or at the very least, maiming. “You could have killed us!”

I’d made it two strides before an arm snagged around my middle, hooking me and jerking me back. I slammed against Lee’s body but still struggled forward, pumping my arms and stamping my feet.

“I can’t believe, cannot believe, you just did that,” I shrieked at Ally “You’re crazy. Totally gonzo! What were you thinking?” I shouted.

“He was gonna get away,” Ally shouted back.

“Who cares!” I screamed.

“I care!” Ally screamed back.

“It wasn’t very smart,” Hank interjected his understatement in an angry voice. In fact, his voice, his face and his body screamed not only anger, but barely controlled fury.