The Nightmare Thief. Meg Gardiner

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      He’s in the luggage compartment, Jo thought.

      The asphalt ran out and the road became packed gravel. It kicked under the tires, loud and insistent. The Hummer bumped over a rut and everybody jostled against one another.

      Von leaned toward Friedrich. Low and hard, he said, “We can’t just dump them by the roadside.”

      Ritter whispered to Jo. “I thought something was wrong when these people showed up. They seemed surprised to see me.”

      They crossed a bridge. The tires droned on the concrete. Jo caught a glimpse of whitewater in the river below.

      Dustin inhaled. “We gotta do something.”

      Noah, the quieter of the two college boys, murmured, “What?”

      Von turned and stared at them. The gun loitered in his hand. “Keep quiet.” He turned back to Friedrich. “This is a clusterfuck of major proportions. We got three people we never counted on and the kids know what’s happening. We have to keep going. All we can do is get to the location and lock everybody down.”

      Friedrich shook his head. “We’re screwed.”

      “We’re screwed worse if we toss them out someplace.”

      Friedrich glanced in the mirror, and Jo’s stomach gripped. She was afraid he was thinking, Only if we toss them out alive.

      The Hummer boated over the gravel. The road was curving up a steep gorge. The tires ran along the road’s edge, close to a drop-off.

      “Just don’t slow down,” Von said. “Volvo’s two hours behind us. We get there, we lock everybody down, we think it through.”

      Dustin gritted his teeth and hissed, “We should jump them.”

      Gabe gave him a slow, considered look. “What are you talking about?”

      “We outnumber them. We can take them by surprise. Get control of the car.”

      Peyton shook her head, quick little movements. “No,” she whispered. “Grier. No, no, no.”

      The road curved strongly, following the river in a hard continuous turn. Everybody slid toward the left side of the limo. The vehicle bumped over the uneven gravel surface. The trees grew thick on the right side of the road. The mountains rose behind. The gorge yawned on their left.

      Jo scrambled onto a seat and buckled her seat belt. Autumn watched and did likewise.

      Dustin lowered his voice to a sharp whisper. “We can swarm them.”

      Gabe didn’t move. “Bad idea.”

      Dustin looked at Noah. “We can take them.”

      Von glanced at them, suspicious, but they were speaking too quietly to be overheard. He resumed his manic dialogue with Friedrich.

      Dustin’s breathing picked up. He whispered, “They’re going to kill us all.”

      “This is not the place,” Gabe said.

      Dustin turned to him, pale, almost seasick. “And who are you, some guy who works at USF? Me and Noah and Ritter here, we charge. Three on one. You can sit here with your girlfriend if you want, but we have at least three men who can do this.”

      Gabe’s eyes flashed, briefly, and dimmed again. “Not yet. Not here.”

      His gaze slid toward the window. The Hummer was rocketing along the rutted gravel road, bouncing like a runaway covered wagon. To their left, an eroded gradient dropped into the depths of the gorge. There was no guardrail.

      Jo whispered, “Dustin, look outside. Don’t be rash.”

      They had no margin for error. The gorge was so deep that she couldn’t see the bottom. The light swept across the interior of the limo as they continued to bowl around the long, sweeping bend.

      Friedrich’s hands jerked back and forth on the wheel like a cartoon character’s. “We are screwed. Royally.”

      “Shut up.”

      Von got out a cell phone and punched numbers. As he did, a chime echoed from his pocket. Jo recognized the sound: It was her phone, sending a message. Von pulled her cell out.

      Dustin’s breathing accelerated. “He’s distracted.”

      Dustin tensed. Gabe shot out an arm to grab him, but Dustin was beyond reach and in motion. Shouting like a wild man, he threw himself at the front seat.

      Von heard the disturbance and turned, phone to his ear. Dustin lunged into the driver’s compartment and tackled him.

      Friedrich’s head whipped around. “Shit—”

      Gabe moved too, fast as a snake. Ritter was a beat behind him.

      Jo saw Dustin’s flailing legs and grunting face. He was fighting Von for control of the gun. Noah scrambled toward the melee. The pistol waved in Von’s hand. Jo watched it swing. She couldn’t possibly reach it. She couldn’t get anywhere close to helping.

      Friedrich gaped and lifted his foot off the gas.

      “No,” Von yelled.

      “Faster—don’t let them jump out.” Friedrich slammed on the power again. The Hummer leapt forward.

      With Dustin in the way, Gabe couldn’t get close enough to grab Von’s gun. Instead, he swept his right arm around the headrest, grabbed Von by the hair, and smashed his head against the door frame.

      “Dustin, aim the gun away from us,” Gabe said.

      Von twisted and submarined and kicked like a trapped bull. Gabe slammed his head against the door frame again. With his left hand he gouged at Von’s eyes. Von’s knees came up and his feet kicked the dash and the gearshift and the windshield. Friedrich turned his head.

      Von’s boot connected with it. Hard.

      Friedrich’s head snapped sideways. He jerked the wheel.

      Jo had a sick, falling sensation. No, don’t. Stay on the road.

      Friedrich hauled the wheel back and straightened out.

      The gun in Von’s hand fired.

      Jo ducked. Peyton and Lark screamed. The windshield spidered and the Hummer swerved. Von kicked furiously. The pistol waved in the air. Dustin clawed at Von’s hand, trying to grab the gun.

      “No, turn the barrel away from us,” Gabe repeated. “Pin his hand against the dash and aim the gun away.”

      Von’s legs muscled wildly back and forth. Ritter dived for his knees. Gabe continued battering Von’s head against the door frame. Von weakened. The Hummer veered left.

      Jo yelled, “Steer. Hold the wheel and stop the car.”

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