Chapter 6 - THE MOUNTAIN ROAD
Rain lashed relentlessly against the windshield of Jax’s pickup truck.
The wipers swept back and forth in a frantic, useless rhythm.
The truck wound violently up the narrow, unlit mountain highway.
Below them lay the dark abyss of the valley, masked by heavy fog.
Richard gripped the door handle, watching the black asphalt disappear beneath them.
"How far is the convoy ahead of us?" Jax asked without taking his eyes off the road.
Richard refreshed the GPS tracking app on his phone.
He had secretly placed a small Bluetooth tracker inside Maya's jacket earlier that morning.
The tiny blue dot was blinking slowly, three miles ahead on the steep incline.
"They're slowing down," Richard reported, his heart hammering against his chest.
"The mountain pass is flooded; they can't drive fast in those heavy ambulances."
Jax smirked grimly under his thick beard.
"Good. That means they're trapped on the switchbacks," Jax said.
Suddenly, a blinding pair of high beams illuminated Jax's rearview mirror.
A massive grey armored truck pulled up right behind their bumper.
It didn't slow down; it rammed the back of Jax’s pickup with brutal force.
The sudden impact slammed Richard's head back against the headrest.
The pickup skidded wildly on the wet asphalt, spinning toward the cliff edge.
Jax fought the steering wheel furiously, muscle straining against his leather vest.
He slammed the brakes and turned into the skid, barely stopping six inches from the drop-off.
Loose gravel cascaded over the ledge into the dark canyon below.
"Victoria sent her heavy cleanup crew," Jax spat, throwing the truck back into low gear.
reached into the floorboard behind his seat and pulled out a heavy steel crowbar.
"Take the wheel," Jax ordered Richard bluntly.
"What?" Richard shouted in disbelief.
"Take the wheel and keep it straight!" Jax barked, climbing out through the rear sliding window into the open truck bed.
The grey armored truck surged forward again, preparing for a final ramming blow to push them off the cliff.
Jax stood tall in the pouring rain, balancing himself in the sliding bed of the truck.
As the armored vehicle lunged forward, Jax swung the steel crowbar with full force.
He shattered the armored truck's driver-side headlight, sending sparks flying through the dark.
Then, he jammed the curved end of the crowbar directly into the front tire well.
The iron bar locked into the wheel mechanism, tearing the tire off its rim instantly.
The armored truck veered sharply to the left, flipped onto its side, and slammed into the rocky mountain wall.
Sparks burst across the highway like fireworks as it slid to a grinding halt.
Jax climbed back through the rear window into the cab, soaked to the bone.
"Drive!" Jax yelled, taking back the steering wheel from Richard.
They rounded the final hairpin turn near the top of the mountain peak.
Ahead of them, stalled in front of a fallen pine tree, was the black medical transport ambulance.
Two armed guards stood outside the vehicle, holding flashlights in the downpour.
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Richard unbuckled his seatbelt, his eyes filled with dangerous resolve.
"My turn," Richard said coldly.
