Chapter 9

The wheels of justice moved faster when they had the State Police and the influence of the NYPD to power them along. A warrant to search the truck and the residence was delivered in record time along with several more troopers to aid them. Danny was impressed and wished Erin's office worked this fast.

It was a fruitful search, but all it brought was dread for the detectives. The truck was searched first and Reynolds was swiftly placed in cuffs after the discovery of a firearm under the driver's seat. It was an automatic parole violation and it didn't bode well that it had been recently fired.

Reynolds should probably be thankful he was thrown into the back of a squad car when he was, because not two minutes after the door was shut in his face, an iPod with the name 'JReagan' scribbled across the back in permanent marker was located in the glove box.

Joe was the first one to snap. That, along with the discovery of the gun and the blue paint, sent him charging across the front yard toward the occupied squad car. "Danny, let go!" he hissed when his brother blocked his path.

Danny wrapped both arms around Joe and dug his feet into the muddy earth to push him back towards the Jeep. His middle brother had three inches and twenty pounds on him. That, combined with blind fury, made the task especially difficult, but he managed. With one last effort, he forcefully shoved Joe up against his car as Adler stood by as back up. Danny felt his blood boil when the trooper held up the iPod, but a dead perp wouldn't help them locate Jamie.

So who's the hot head now? Danny thought before looking Joe in the eyes. "Not now, Joe. We find Jamie first," he stressed as he caught his breath. Joe tried breaking eye contact, but Danny cupped his chin and forced his brother to look at him. "We find him first."

Joe's heart hammered away in his chest. His nose flared with every angry breath he took and he blinked away the moisture that was gathering in his eyes, but he nodded in agreement. "We find him, Danny," he repeated.

"Yeah, we do," Danny assured him with a gentle pat to his cheek. He just prayed it would be the outcome they were hoping for.

Jamie made it out of the car, but not without a lot of pain, sweat and tears…a lot of tears. Discovering that his door was jammed, his next option was the passenger's side door. He slid across his messy passenger seat and with a few pushes, he was able to get it open.

That small victory was short-lived because his exit was less than graceful. Jamie pulled himself up, steadying himself on his right leg, careful of his left which he learned would not bend without inciting tremendous pain. He was almost home free, gently hopping away from the car with the support of the door to get his leg out when his foot caught on the gear shift. Jamie lost his balance and landed on his side, knocking the wind out of him when he hit the cold, wet ground.

He felt about as bad as the first time he woke up in the car.

Even so, there was a bright side to that whole debacle - while on the ground, he spotted his cell phone laying under the passenger's seat. But short lived victories continued to be the theme of the day when the damn thing didn't have any signal. Still, he tried calling his father and brothers, but nothing happened. Not even a text would go through.

Jamie remained on the ground, staring aimlessly at the useless phone in his hand when a shiver ran through him. He pocketed the device, deciding that sitting there wasn't helping. He looked up at his car and wondered what else he could scavenge from inside when he saw it - streaks of white all along the back side.

That's when it came back to him and the events leading up to the crash suddenly replayed in his mind…

Jamie drove along a dark, quiet stretch of the highway after he lost Joe. He wished the call didn't end so abruptly; the distraction would help to pass the time. The next few hours could not go by quickly enough as a hot bowl of his grandfather's chicken soup and his soft, warm bed awaited him. Jamie daydreamed about his homecoming and didn't notice his approach to the troublesome motorist until his headlights began to illuminate the dull, red tailgate. Quicky, all thoughts of food and shelter left his mind. Jamie reduced his speed, his gut warning him to stay away from the other vehicle.

If not for that decision, Jamie would have been caught completely off-guard when the pickup's driver suddenly brake checked him.

"Whoa, whoa! What the hell, man?!" he shouted into the quiet interior of his car as he safely slowed the civic. Any doubt that the earlier run-ins on the highway were intended to torment him were gone.

The Chevy traveled well below the speed limit with no intention of accelerating to safe highway speeds. Once again, Jamie decided he needed to distance himself. He reduced his speed to widen the gap between them, but all that did was cause the other driver to slow down even more.

Jamie decided passing was his next option. He checked his mirror and sailed over to the left, pressing the gas to accelerate past the truck, only to have his attempt thwarted when the Chevy cut him off, swerving in front of him before hitting the brakes again.

"Jesus!" Jamie spat, gripping the steering wheel as hard as he could. His heart hammered away in his chest while he fought to keep control of the compact. But the situation grew worse when another attempt to switch lanes resulted in the same intended effort to cause him trouble. The pickup wouldn't let him pass. Its brake lights flashing on and off while the driver played a dangerous game.

Jamie let out a string of curses. He felt trapped and alone as a glance into his mirrors revealed few vehicles in the distance. He snuck a peek down at his phone, wanting to call for help, but his hands refused to let go of the wheel. He thought about pulling over, but he feared that would be worse - out on a dark highway with little traffic whizzing by and a crazy person clearly wanting his head.

Despite the thought, Jamie played that hunch anyway. He slowly pulled over onto the shoulder and hit his emergency lights. He was instantly proven right when the Chevy abruptly slid onto the shoulder ahead.

Jamie swallowed thickly when the truck then rolled back to close the distance between them. He took deep breaths, idling on the side of the highway as he watched and waited for its occupant to make a move. Two vehicles passed by, oblivious to the trouble he was having. He prayed the other man would grow bored and drive on.

No such luck.

The driver's door opened and the very same redhead from the gas station slid out, turning to face him fully. Illuminated by his headlights, Jamie could see the same angry scowl he'd encountered before. He wasn't ready to let this go, preferring to let things escalate.

Jamie's eyes widened as light glinted off the object in his hand. Growing up around cops taught him how to recognize a gun in an instant and there was no question that was what he was clutching.

Jamie's heart raced. He was unarmed with no way to defend himself. With no time to waste, he did the only thing he could think of: Jamie slammed his foot down on the accelerator to make his escape. The rear wheels spun where they stood until they finally gripped the pavement. The little Honda shot back onto the road just as his tormentor raised the gun. Although unintended, the side of the Honda clipped the back of the truck, forcing the redhead to scurry backwards. He still managed to get a shot off, but thankfully, he hit the rear side panel of the Civic.

Jamie let out a string of curses, slumping down in his seat fearing he would fire again. He sped down the road searching for any signs to an exit. He needed to get off the damned highway to someplace where he could find help. The engine strained to perform as he willed it to go faster. Jamie pried one trembling hand from the steering wheel, searching for his phone in the cupholder, but he came up empty.

He looked in the rear-view mirror, cursing again when the truck swerved back onto the highway. A second desperate search was more successful as Jamie located the power cord, his fingers traveling its length until he found it wedged between the passenger seat and console. He managed to dial 9-1-1 but the signal out in these parts was still too sketchy to reach help.

"Come on, come on!" Jamie begged as he made another attempt. Just as he hit the last button, he was rammed from behind. His whole body jerked forward and he lost hold of the phone in favor of the steering wheel. It took very little time for the Chevy to catch up and its driver was determined to hurt him, refusing to let him escape.

That was when he saw it, the single lane exit ramp that would take him off the interstate. Jamie took it, praying for help. Unfortunately, he wasn't familiar with any of the roads that intersected the 91. The exit did nothing more than dump him onto a dark two-lane road.

"GODDAMNIT, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Jamie screamed as the Chevy rammed him again.

Jamie fought to keep control of the car, fearing another hit when suddenly the Chevy appeared to his left. The redhead didn't wait long before he slammed into the driver's side of the Civic, forcing it off the paved road and down a dark embankment.

Once he lost control, when it felt like the car went airborne, Jamie did all he could: he closed his eyes and braced himself for whatever came next. There wasn't any time to think of anything else because in an instant, it was over.

Reliving the accident left him breathless. Jamie stared up at the patches of blue sky that peeked through the treetops as sunlight broke through heavy clouds here and there, trying to calm down.

"Damnit," Jamie sighed as he rubbed the area above his knee and eyed the path he took down the steep embankment. Getting out meant getting up that steep slope, something he wasn't sure he could do on one leg.

But he had to try. He wasn't willing to wait around for someone to find him. Jamie was a million different things: tired, cold, thirsty and he hurt all over. He wasn't sure how, but he was going to get himself out of these woods.

Using the car for leverage, Jamie groaned and grunted as he got himself up on one leg.