Takedown by Heather Atkinson (latest books to read txt) 📕

“We can’t risk him telling everyone about Lenny and your meetings with Young.” His blue eyes narrowed. “I kept saying you should only talk to him over the phone.”

“We don’t have time for an argument Vance,” she said.

He started the engine and they headed away from the centre of town for an isolated back street where they kept a lock-up that had played host to several people who had needed the more intense form of questioning. As they drove, the area became more rundown, the streets quieter.

“I hope we get there before he wakes up and starts banging on the boot,” said Faith.

“We will. We’re almost there.”

As Vance indicated and started to turn right, there was a screech of tyres. Looking left, he saw a large white transit van speeding towards them, cutting across a lane, which was fortunately devoid of any traffic. Vance straightened the wheel and stomped on the accelerator and they shot down the road, the van just missing their car.

“What the fuck do they think they’re doing?” exclaimed Faith, turning in her seat to look at the van.

“That wasn’t an accident,” said Vance, slamming the car into gear and speeding off down the road. “They were trying to ram us.”

“Christ, they’re chasing us,” she said, looking over her shoulder to see the white van speeding after them.

“Can you see who’s driving?”

“No, the windows are tinted. Maybe Adam has an accomplice and they know he’s in the boot?”

“Possibly. They were aiming for the front of the car. This might be a rescue attempt. Someone else could have been watching from the back street.”

“Shit. What do we do?”

“Try not to crash. This car can outrun them.”

Faith gasped and clung onto the door as he took a bend at speed. The van pursued them through the streets and into a massive industrial estate south of the town. As there was hardly any traffic he could put his foot down, leaving the white van behind.

“We’ve lost it,” breathed Faith.

A second van came at them out of nowhere, aiming for the left side of the car. Vance hit the brakes and put the car into reverse. The white van pursued them while the first van reappeared behind them. They were caught between the two vans with no turn off, a fence on the left and a large warehouse on the right. On top of all that, a thumping sound from the rear of the car indicated that Adam had woken up.

“What are you doing?” exclaimed Faith when Vance stomped harder on the accelerator, still going backwards.

“If they want Adam they won’t risk hurting him.”

“We’re assuming they do want Adam. If they hit us he’ll be killed.”

“So what?”

“Vance,” she cried when they were within feet of the white van.

The van veered at the last moment, driving up on the pavement running down the side of the warehouse but the first van was still bearing down on them.

When they reached the driveway leading up the side of the warehouse, Vance steered the car up it backwards, Faith clinging onto the dashboard as he spun the wheel, narrowly avoiding the front of the first white van, which was still pursuing them.

“It’s a good job you had evasive driving training when you were in the police,” grimaced Faith, clinging onto the handle above the door as he swung the car around and they shot back out onto the road, the first van still turning round on the car park. The second van was slowly limping off the pavement. Judging by the noise it was making it had sustained some damage. Vance steered around it and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

“They’ve gone,” said Faith. “Well done,” she added, patting his thigh. “It was lucky you were driving.”

The bangs in the boot were growing louder and more frantic.

“Shut it,” Vance yelled at Adam but the thumps continued.

“Maybe we should just stop and throw him out?” said Faith. “If we go back into the town with him making that racket we will draw attention to ourselves.”

“But we need to find out who the hell’s chasing us. The way that van backed off said they were trying to rescue him.”

“It’s not worth risking our lives to find out.” She glanced past him out the side window and her eyes widened. “Look out.”

Before Vance could take any evasive action, the van that had been hidden up the driveway of a factory smashed into them, striking them on Vance’s side. The car was shunted across the road, up onto the pavement and onto a grass verge where it came to a halt, rocking from side to side. The air bag burst into life in Faith’s face and for an awful moment she could see nothing and her breathing was restricted. Then the airbag started to deflate and she could drag in a lungful of air. Finally the rocking stopped and everything went silent.

CHAPTER 14

 

“Vance,” cried Faith when she saw he was leaning against the deflating airbag, unconscious. She shook his shoulder but he didn’t wake.

Through the window she could see masked figures climbing out of the van and approaching the car.

“Vance,” she said, attempting to shake him awake again but he didn’t respond. At least she could see he was still breathing.

Realising it was all down to her, she flung off her seatbelt, grimacing at the ache in her body and yanked the extendable baton out of her inner jacket pocket. When her door was pulled open, she rammed it tip first into the man’s groin. It occurred to her that she might have just assaulted a good Samaritan trying to help them, until the man dropped to his knees and she saw his face was covered with a balaclava, eyes bulging out of it. She smashed the baton into the side of