The drone buzzed up alongside her side window. With her peripheral vision, she kept an eye on it while she plotted her next moves. A thicket of trees lay ahead, their boughs overhanging the edge of the track. If she was lucky, the drone would hit one. She glanced at the small battery-operated unit.

The drone’s eye swiveled in her direction, its green light blinking. Elise faced forward, her hands digging into the steering wheel. That device, or a model nearly like it, was capable of taking high-tech photographs.

She swerved the 4x4 into the drone’s flight path, using the side of the vehicle as a weapon. The drone zipped away and avoided a direct hit. The operator immediately slowed the drone’s speed, leaving her and Sammy in peace for the space of six heartbeats.

Gritting her molars, Elise fought the impulse to shoot the drone from the sky and be done with it. If she did, Gilmont would call an out-and-out search party for her 4x4. Besides, she needed to conserve her ammunition for physical assaults.

“I wish I had something to throw at the blasted thing. I could crash it.” Elise spoke her thoughts out loud. She didn’t dare waste the few remaining bullets in her clip.

The drone zipped up once more beside her. Again, she swerved into the drone’s path, and forced the operator to send it high above the vehicle.

“Sammy, see if there’s something in the backseat I can throw at that drone.”

Sammy slithered over the front seat. Elise heard him scrabbling around, his head pressing against the back of her seat. “There’s a ball and a roll of twine.”

“Hand me the ball. What else is back there?”

“There’s a spade.” Sammy poked his head over the seat and held up the small folding shovel.

“Och, no.”

Sammy dove behind the seat again. After a time, he popped up, his hand gripping something. “What about a rock?”

“How big?” she asked, her eyes shifting from one window to the next, hunting for the drone.

“A few centimeters.”

“Are there more?” Hope swelled within her. She had a fighting chance, especially if more rocks lay on the floorboards.

“No.”

She sighed. “No matter. That’s excellent. Hand me the ball and rock and get down. I don’t want that drone to photograph you.”

No matter how good her aim, the drone’s camera would see her face and relay the information to the operator before she took it out. Perhaps she could bide more time if she pulled over and forced the drone to hover. She’d have to risk it and pray someone wasn’t tailing her in a vehicle just out of sight of her rearview mirror.

Elise slowed the 4x4, her foot gently pressing on the brakes. The drone overshot her and buzzed ahead. By the time she came to a full stop, it had wheeled and came zooming back.