Sweet Seduction Shield(37)

"Right," he said, as he manoeuvred himself into the driver's seat. "We're outta here."

He started the car and glanced up at the marked police unit.

Then frowned.

He tooted his horn once, waited for a response and then swore vehemently under his breath, pulling our car up alongside the uniform's.

"Don't look," he said suddenly, accelerating away from the car, while his hand came out and clasped my chin, making me look at him and not at whatever he didn't want me to see.

The moment he passed the vehicle he lifted the handset on his radio and clicked the button to talk.

Nothing.

"Fuck!" He glanced in the rear view mirror, swore again and then hit the button on his bluetooth speaker device and said, "Comms."

The dial tone sounded and three rings later a voice announced, "North Comms," over the speaker. I hadn't breathed once.

"Ten-Ten," Pierce said immediately.

"Go ahead," came the brusque reply accompanied by rapid key tapping over the line.

"Detective Sergeant Pierce, possible fourteen-ten of a uniform at 118 Williamson Ave."

Oh, this was not good. I glanced over my shoulder back towards where the cop's car was still sitting, but couldn't make out a thing from this distance. Pierce had the hammer down.

"Are you still at the scene?" The guy on the other end asked.

"Negative. I have a civilian on board and am being followed."

"Your current location?"

"City bound, Williamson Ave and Elgin Street."

A slight pause.

"We have units responding from Ponsonby Road and Great North Road. Description of the assailant?"

"Dark blue late model Ford Territory, unable to get a clean line of sight to the license plate."

I flicked a glance over my shoulder and noticed the erratic driving of a Ford Territory bearing down on us at great speed.

"Eyes forward, Marie," Pierce said softly.

"I might be able to see the license plate number," I offered, amazed I could form a complete sentence, as my heart was in my throat and my chest was starting to ache from lack of air.

"It's OK, babe," he replied immediately, placing a hand on my cheek and gently making me face forward. "Just hold tight."

Sirens could be heard coming from up ahead, the odd flash of red and blue in between the morning traffic. The speed with which the lights alternated; red-blue-red-blue-red-blue, matched my rapid pulse.

"What you can do is dial a number on your phone for me, while I keep Comms on the line."

My focus returned to Pierce, away from the mayhem building outside - just as he'd probably intended - and I nodded. Then fished my cellphone out with shaking fingers.

"Any updates?" came the voice over the speaker.

"Negative. Standby," Pierce replied in clipped tones. Then his voice softened as he said to me, "Got it, babe?"

The phone was vibrating in my hand. Not because it was ringing, but because my trembling had almost gotten uncontrollable. I nodded, keeping my focus on him, and not the world flashing by outside, as he rattled off a number for me to dial. I had to press the buttons twice, because the shaking had escalated even further.

I placed the phone to my ear, unsure who would answer, but waiting for the call to connect anyway. My eyes remained locked on Pierce's face, who alternated between glancing in the rear view mirror, looking forward, and flicking a quick gaze at me every now and then.

"It'll be all right. The blue and whites will cut him off and we'll be home free," he whispered, squeezing my thigh just once and then returning his hand to the steering wheel.

A cop car screamed past, lights flashing, siren blaring, and did a movie style u-turn in the middle of the road, to come at the Territory from behind. Another marked police car came at us from a side street, attempting to cut the Territory off, but somehow the SUV managed to evade it, almost tipping up on two wheels to get around the sudden block. Helicopter rotor blades could be heard above, as we made it onto Ponsonby Road, the shadow of the chopper crossing the street in front of us, as it kept up with the chase.

"Eyes forward, Tiger," Pierce semi repeated, making me realise I was sitting sideways in the car, trying to watch the terrifying activity out the back window.

Just as he spoke someone answered my cell call; I missed their greeting completely.

"Sorry, who's this?" I said into the phone, right when Pierce swore, then the car swerved and my cell left my hand, tumbling to the footwell. I reached down, fumbled between my feet, then grasped the device as Pierce started jammering away to the Comms guy on the speaker phone about a spike block that had just failed and almost taken us out.

"You there?" a man shouted down my phone.