Gavin could only pray whoever was in the vehicle would be focused on the lane ahead, thinking he and Sarah had disappeared around the curve.

Sarah pressed a hand against her side, lips pinched, but her attention was on the road. “There,” she said. “They just came out. He’s flying, but I got a partial plate. It had an H and a 1.” She spoke into the phone for the dispatcher.

“And the sedan is a Buick Regal,” Gavin said. “Sportback, I think.”

“Good eye.” She passed on the information and nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

The Buick was soon out of sight and Gavin waited a good minute before he pressed the gas and roared up the dirt road, maneuvering through the deconstructed guardrail once more and back onto the highway.

“How did you know that was there?” she asked.

“I come this way a lot. One of my unit buddies and his family live in Asheville. Workers have been in this area for months.”

“That’s fortunate.” She rubbed her nose and shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”

He shot her a tight smile. “Keep your eyes open and let me know if you see that sedan ahead of us. I sure don’t want to catch up to it.”

“Right.”

Gavin drove slowly, hoping the driver was speeding, thinking he was going to catch up with them. Sirens sounded behind them. Sarah gave the dispatcher their information and a cruiser pulled up beside them. “They want us to get off at the next exit,” she said.

“Will do.”

Sarah hung up and Gavin took the off-ramp. He followed one of the small-town back roads to an out-of-the-way service station. Two local police deputies pulled in behind him. He kept his hands on the wheel and noted Sarah made sure hers were on the dash.

When the officer motioned for him to roll the window down, Gavin did so.

“Anybody hurt?”

“No, bullets got the truck, not us. Did dispatch fill you in?”

“She did. Two highway patrolmen are in pursuit of the sedan. We’re here to take care of you. Why don’t you and the lady step out here and give us a statement?”

For the next thirty minutes, Gavin and Sarah told their story separately and out of earshot of one another until the officers were satisfied. Finally, the officer who’d approached first closed his little black book. “All right, we know where to reach you should we need you. Have a safe trip back home.”

Gavin noted Sarah’s drooping shoulders and helped her into the passenger seat, then turned back to the officer. “Any word on the sedan?”

“Unfortunately, no one’s spotted it. We’ve got a BOLO out on it, so hopefully we’ll hear something soon.”