Chapter 17 - The Chase on Lake Shore Drive
"Hold on!" Evelyn’s driver shouted, slamming his foot on the accelerator.
The sedan leaped forward, throwing us back against the seats. The sleet had begun to fall, turning the highway into a sheet of black, reflective glass. Lake Michigan churned violently to our right, its black waters frothing with jagged plates of ice.
Behind us, the lead Suburban surged ahead, its heavy bull-bar gleaming under the sodium streetlights.
*CRASH.*
The impact jerked our sedan sideways. The rear bumper crumpled with a sickening shriek of tearing metal. Nicholas shielded my body with his own as the car fishtailed violently across three lanes before the driver regained traction with a scream of burning rubber.
"They aren't trying to capture us," Nicholas said through clenched teeth, pulling a compact semi-automatic pistol from a hidden compartment beneath the driver's armrest. "They’re trying to pit us into the retaining wall. If we flip into the lake, it looks like a tragic wedding-night accident caused by ice."
"Lower the window," my father said, drawing an old, battered revolver from his waistband.
"Dad, no!" I screamed.
"Clara, Eleanor doesn't stop until someone makes her bleed," my father snapped, his eyes wild with a protective fury twelve years in the making. "She took your mother. She stole your youth. She took my identity. She doesn't get you!"
My father punched the button, rolled the rear passenger window down, and leaned into the freezing gale. Three deafening gunshots echoed inside the car. The lead Suburban swerved as its front right tire blew out with a sharp *pop*, sending the massive vehicle skidding sideways across the concrete barrier in a shower of blinding white sparks.
"One down," my father grunted, pulling himself back inside.
May you like
"The second one is closing fast," Evelyn said calmly, as though discussing the weather. "And they have a clear line of sight."
A burst of automatic gunfire raked across the trunk of our sedan, shattering the rear window into a thousand diamond shards.
