Chapter 5 - The Confrontation at Nisqually Bridge
"Don't panic," Nolan said, his mind racing. "Marcus, turn the car around slowly, like we're just a lost local driver."
"Too late," Marcus growled softly. "They’ve already spotted us."
One of the dark-suited private contractors was walking toward the station wagon, his hand resting ominously over his hip holster. A state trooper followed closely behind him, holding a high-powered flashlight.
"Kids, get under the floorboards and don't make a sound," Nolan commanded quietly. Jamie pulled Leah down and pressed himself over her protectively, covering both of them with the heavy canvas blanket.
The contractor knocked sharply on Marcus’s driver-side window. Marcus rolled it down two inches.
"Evening, officers," Marcus said, keeping his voice smooth and weary. "Problem up ahead?"
The state trooper leaned down, shining his bright light into the front seat, illuminating Marcus’s gray hair and Nolan’s tired face. "Routine roadblock, sir. We're looking for a suspect involved in a high-profile child abduction out of Seattle. Mind showing me some identification?"
Marcus reached into his pocket and pulled out his old retired police badge, handing it through the window. "Agent Marcus Vance, retired LAPD. I'm taking my nephew here down to Centralia to check on some storm damage at his farm."
The trooper looked at the badge, his demeanor relaxing slightly. "A brother in blue. Good to meet you, Agent Vance. Have you seen a silver sedan or anything unusual on Route 507?"
Before Marcus could answer, the private contractor stepped forward, pushing the trooper aside slightly. He shined a heavy tactical flashlight directly into Nolan’s face. The light bounced off Nolan’s worn jacket, catching the small diner emblem stitched into the pocket: SOUTH SIDE DINER - NOLAN.
The contractor’s eyes narrowed instantly. He reached for his radio microphone pinned to his collar. "We have a match. Suspect Nolan Reed is in the passenger seat—"
"Drive, Marcus!" Nolan roared.
Marcus slammed his foot onto the accelerator. The Subaru’s engine screamed as the tires gripped the wet asphalt, spitting gravel. The station wagon lurched forward, crashing through the wooden barrier and tearing across the bridge.
"Stop them!" the contractor screamed over the radio.
Gunshots shattered the night air. BANG! BANG!
The rear window of the station wagon exploded into a shower of safety glass. Leah screamed in the back.
"Everyone down!" Nolan yelled, reaching back to push the kids lower into the footwell.
Marcus kept his foot planted on the gas, weaving the car wildly through the winding, tree-lined mountain pass. Headlights appeared in the rearview mirror—two dark SUVs were pursuing them at breakneck speeds, their engines roaring like hunting beasts.
"They're going to ram us!" Marcus yelled, fighting the steering wheel as the heavy vehicle FISHTAILED on the slippery roads.
"We can't outrun them in this wagon!" Nolan realized. "Where’s the nearest populated area?"
"There's an abandoned logging camp two miles ahead," Marcus said, his hands shaking on the wheel. "It has an old weigh station and heavy equipment. If we can get off the main road, we might be able to lose them in the maze of timber yards!"
"Do it!" Nolan declared.
Behind them, the lead SUV accelerated, slamming hard into the rear bumper of the Subaru. The impact sent a violent jolt through the car. Jamie groaned as his shoulder hit the door, but he kept his body pinned over Leah.
"Hold on!" Marcus screamed.
He yanked the steering wheel sharp to the left. The station wagon veered off the paved road, crashing through a rusted chain-link gate and tearing into the muddy expanses of the lumber yard. Massive stacks of cut timber loomed out of the fog like giant wooden skyscrapers.
Marcus spun the wheel, sending the wagon sliding behind a massive mountain of cedar logs, shutting off the headlights instantly. The car coasted to a silent halt in the deep pitch-black shadows of an old crane.
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Seconds later, the two private security SUVs roared into the yard, their high-beam searchlights cutting through the mist, sweeping over the wood piles.
Inside the dark station wagon, nobody dared to breathe.
