The Pursuit Through the Vines
Chapter 06 - The Pursuit Through the Vines
The rain began to fall in heavy, icy sheets as I sprinted down the muddy gravel driveway. Behind me, shouting echoed from the estate, followed by the sudden wail of police sirens as Victor’s corrupt officers scrambled to their vehicles to hunt me down.
I reached my black SUV parked near the edge of the vineyard, pulled out my keys with shaking hands, and unlocked the driver's door.
I jumped inside, slammed the door shut, and jammed the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life just as two black state police sedans pulled up behind me, their high beams blinding me through the rearview mirror.
“PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY!” a voice barked through a megaphone behind me.
Instead of stopping, I slammed my foot onto the gas pedal!
The SUV’s tires spun wildly in the mud before gripping the asphalt of the main road. I tore away into the darkness, the storm raging around me as the two police cruisers gave chase, their red and blue lights flashing frantically through the rain.
I held the steering wheel with an iron grip, my heart pounding in my chest like a trapped animal. I knew every winding turn of these vineyard roads—I had driven them for three years—but the roads were slick, visibility was nearly zero, and the corrupt officers behind me had no intention of pulling me over safely.
They wanted that encryption key. And they wanted me silent.
As I rounded a sharp hairpin turn near the river cliff, one of the black sedans accelerated, crashing hard into my rear bumper!
CRASH!
My SUV lurched forward, skidding sideways across the wet asphalt near the edge of the steep embankment. I fought the wheel, screaming as the tires shrieked against the road, managing to straighten the vehicle just before spinning off the cliff!
I pulled out my phone, tapping the voice dial for the only person I knew I could trust in the city: my corporate attorney and closest friend, Evelyn Vance—who happened to be Victor Vance’s estranged daughter and a fierce federal prosecutor.
The call connected on the second ring.
“Claire? Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you!” Evelyn’s frantic voice sounded through the car speakers.
“Evelyn! Adrian attacked me!” I screamed over the roar of the engine. “They found Sarah’s body in the basement! But your father and the Mayor are trying to destroy the evidence! Two corrupt cops are chasing me down Highway 9 right now!”
“Listen to me carefully, Claire!” Evelyn ordered, her voice sharp and filled with intense authority. “Do not stop! Highway 9 leads straight to the federal courthouse in Manhattan! I am calling the FBI Field Office right now! They are dispatching federal marshals to intercept you at the county line!”
“They’re trying to ram me off the road!” I yelled as the second sedan slammed into my driver’s side door!
BANG!
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Metal scraped against metal, sending sparks flying through the dark rain.
“Hold on, Claire! Five miles to the county line!” Evelyn shouted. “Just hold on!”
