The Gender End (The Gender Game #7)

This set of Ashabee’s vehicles were equipped with a moon roof—we’d chosen them for the mission partially for that reason. Reaching up, I yanked at the handle, sliding open the small window, just wide enough for one person. I passed Owen my gun as I stood up, hunched over so as not to give away my position, rocking with the motion of the car. I peeked over the edge of the roof and saw the other vehicle, thirty feet behind and closing, just as Owen gave me back the gun.

Then I stood fully, the rifle braced to my shoulder, and fired at the vehicle, the weapon’s loud retort rudely interrupting the silence of the road. As expected, the bullets ricocheted off, but the car jerked back and forth for a second, backing off a few feet as it narrowly avoided jerking into a wall.

There’s an intersection fifty feet ahead, Thomas transmitted, and I dropped down into my seat, yanking the belt over my body. Viggo pulled the emergency brake again, and we turned left—just as I saw another SUV barreling toward us down the road and shouted Viggo’s name.

He pulled the wheel hard, and we spun, doing almost a 360-degree turn. I could barely see what was what as the world whirled around us, and then I felt Viggo hit the gas, flooring it. The car jerked as he released the brake again, and then we were out of the SUV’s way, Viggo dodging the second car as it exited the alleyway.

Hell yes, Owen shouted as we headed down a clear path, the two vehicles behind us having to slow down to turn around and avoid hitting each other. Then, from the road on the right, another patrol car barreled toward us, forcing us to cut to the left.

C’mon! Viggo groaned as we entered yet another alley that ran between backyards.

Viggo, this neighborhood was built oddly—there’s a five-way intersection coming up. If we can get a bit of a lead on them, we can lose them, Thomas transmitted sharply.

You’re in their systems; can you tell where all the enemy cars are? Are they being tracked?

They are, and I can, but only for small increments of time, or else the people tracking them on their side will notice something’s up, and that’ll give our location away.

Okay. Hold this one until we lose them in the junction, okay?

Roger.

Viggo’s eyes darted up to the rearview mirror, at the third SUV in pursuit.

Viggo? Ms. Dale’s voice buzzed in my ear. We seem to have slipped out of their net. Where are you? Do you need any help?

Give me a second, Viggo responded as he upshifted, coaxing even more speed from the vehicle. Owen, get a flash grenade ready. We’re going to blind them just before this intersection.

I’ll transmit our location to the other car, Thomas said.

Owen immediately produced a metal can from our bags and moved up to the moon roof, keeping his head low.

How far, Thomas? Viggo asked after a moment in which the smaller man’s voice was absent from our channel.

A heartbeat passed, then a few more.

Thomas, how far?

Two hundred feet and counting! Thomas’ voice came back onto the line.

Owen—now.

Owen stood up, his hand on the grenade, his body moving as he let it loose and then immediately ducked back down. I kept my eyes lowered as a brilliant flash lit the night behind us, and Viggo surged ahead, while all we could hear was the long screech of brakes. He slid through the intersection, following Thomas’ advice, taking the third road from the left, and didn’t stop until the pursuit fell from sight behind us.

There was no sign of headlights behind us for a whole minute, and I let out the breath I had been holding.

That was close, I said, and Viggo and I exchanged a smile.

Thomas? Figure out our best path, Viggo said.

Already pulling up their system. I… He paused, staring at the screen, and then looked up. Viggo, we’re already surrounded, he said, turning the handheld around and leaning forward to show us the various cars moving along the streets, searching for us. I scanned the map, trying to find a way out, but couldn’t—the net they had set up was too well spun. We were going to get caught. It was only a matter of when.

Viggo? What do you need?

Viggo frowned at Ms. Dale’s voice, and then looked around the car, almost apologetically. I guess you tuned in to hear we’re surrounded. We need for you to get to the caves and get to Elena. We’ll try to distract them, keep them busy for as long as possible.

What? No! That’s risky. How do you know she hasn’t just given a kill order?

We don’t, Viggo replied, throwing the car into gear and moving us forward. But we’ll just have to hope she hasn’t. Complete the mission. Maybe rescue us if you can find the time.

There was a long pause and a burst of static, followed by, Roger that.

Viggo, take this road and get to the intersection of Burberry and Olwent, Thomas said. There are two cars waiting for us there, but maybe we can use them against each other. We have some grenades.

How far away is it? Viggo asked, shifting up and gaining even more speed.

Head this way for two blocks, take a right for another five, and then another right, and we’ll be there.

That’s really close to the city center, Owen commented. Are you sure?

It’s their weakest point—all the other cars are patrolling the streets, but there’ll be a window in which these two cars will be on their own. If we can pull them after us and then pile them up… it might work.

It’s as good a plan as any, I added.

A car suddenly rounded a corner behind us and accelerated hard, bumping into us.

Who is that? I asked as I pulled up the rifle and unbuckled my belt. They weren’t on the map! The vehicle accelerated behind us, and I was thrown forward into the dashboard—not hard, but enough to be rattled. I climbed up to the moon roof again, pushing the rifle out first.

I don’t know! Thomas replied, plainly irritated. Maybe a car that doesn’t have a tracker… Does it really matter?

I tuned out his voice as I drew the rifle smoothly to my shoulder and began firing, the shots ricocheting off the hood and windows. This driver didn’t panic, just accelerated again, jolting me into the side of the roof. My hip hit hard, and I sucked in a breath, pain radiating from the spot, and then fired again.

The stock shook my shoulder from the recoil, but I continued to fire, going for their weak points. They were too close for me to get a shot at their tires, but as I saw the grill on the front, an idea occurred to me. Ducking down into a squat, I ejected the magazine, taking the new one Owen handed me and slapping it in.

I stood, firing at the grill, expending the magazine into it, hoping for a one in a million chance. I ducked back down, almost disappointed—but then smoke began to pour first from the front of the car, then through the cracks in the side. The pursuit car immediately dropped back, slowing down. Viggo sped away, and I pulled my coat around myself and exhaled.

Great shooting, Violet, Owen praised, and I smiled grimly as I ejected the second magazine. He passed me a new one, and I slapped it in.

We plowed down the street and rounded the corner, and another vehicle appeared behind us, the headlights already angling toward us. I cursed and started to stand up again, when Viggo’s arm shot across my chest.