Panic hit her hard as she tried to cling to Joel for dear life as he threw the throttle and sped down the dangerous mountain roads. She looked behind her, trying to keep Maurice’s car in her sight. It was frantic chase as the two cars full of weed and the two bikes sped, sliding precariously on the loose gravel as the road twisted violently from one direction to the other.
Carla bit back a shriek at one particularly harrowing turn as Joel cranked the handle bars roughly to one side, throwing them in that direction and leaning so close to the gravel path during the turn that she was afraid she would get road burn. But she held on tight, and she never let go. Because she really did trust him. She knew he would take care of her.
But what the hell were they going to do about Maurice? her thoughts screamed. They weren’t outrunning him. They could only go so fast on the treacherous road and even though it seemed like he wasn’t gaining, he wasn’t letting up either.
“Joel, we need to move,” that came from Tucker, his voice deep and slow from the second car, the one in front of him
“You’re right. Hold on, let me think for a minute, just keep gunning it,” Joel rattled off distractedly as he focused on keeping them upright, and forming a plan at the same time.
“Alright, alright, I think I got something. Okay everybody, listen up. According to the map we are coming up on a spider web network of dried up ravines. I think they should be just big enough to drive through. We can drive far enough to lose him, then backtrack and meet up at the contact’s location.” Joel took a deep breath that Carla could hear over the speaker, and feel through her chest where she was pressed skin to skin against him.
“Okay, everybody ready?” he finally said.
“Ready, boss.”
“Check.”
“I’m good.”
“Alright,” Joel finished after everyone had chimed in, “It should be coming up, Sparkplug, so keep a sharp eye out for it.”
“Yeah, I know where it is. It’s just over the next bend in the road. Remember guys, don’t go too far. If you get lost in these mountains it could be days, weeks before anyone finds you.”
“Oh, great. Just great,” Viper added from where he was riding shotgun with Tucker. “Great plan. Fabulous, really.”
“Shut up, Viper,” Hot Wheels snapped, “Just do your job, keep an eye out, and we’ll all circle back to the meet up spot.”
Sparkplug spoke up, interrupted, “Alright I’m coming up on it. I’m turning off now.” Carla peered ahead of her on the road, gasping as he seemed to just disappear. One minute he was there, and then the next he was gone as if my magic.
“Okay, Tucker, you’re next.”
“No problem, Joel. See you guys soon,” Tucker’s low voice rumbled before the next turn hit, and he too was lost behind a giant wall of rock. It looked like he’d driven straight through the side of the mountain, but as they passed it, she could just barely make out the narrow, rocky path he’d turned off on, even if the car itself was lost to sight beyond the jagged cliffs.
Joel pointed up ahead.
“That’s where we are turning off. Hold on tighter than you’ve ever held on to anything, Sugar, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Carla squeezed, her whole body tensing, but just as Joel jerked the front wheel to make the turn, Hot Wheels’s voice came over the speaker.
“Joel, we’ve got another problem here,” there was true panic in her voice this time and Joel righted the bike, slowing slightly.
“What is it?”
“Cops, Joel. I can hear the sirens. Shit. They’re right behind me!”
“Just keep punching the gas, Wheels. We’ll get you out of this,” Joel said, his voice hard enough to crush the gravel they were riding on. He followed his own advice and sped up once more, putting more distance between them and the oncoming cops. Carla gasped as they hit a loose pile of gravel and started to slide for a precarious second before Joel regained control of the bike and she heard him bite off a curse.
“You okay, Carla?” he asked, his voice worried.
“Yeah, yeah I’m okay.”
“Well, I’m fucking not, Joel!” Hot Wheels chimed in from the racing car behind them. “They’re getting closer.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to leave you. We got this. No worry.”
“No worry! No worry!” she shouted back, exasperation thick in her high-pitched tone. “I think there’s definitely reason to worry, here.”
They both grew silent again as the chase continued, growing more and more dangerous the higher they climbed. The turns came more suddenly and the cliff drops were steeper. So steep that, as they turned around one particularly sharp curve, that Carla felt a moment of vertigo as she peered over the edge. It just dropped into…nothing. Nothing at all but a blur of trees and rocks and razor sharp cliffs.
“Don’t look down,” Joel ordered harshly. “Just close your eyes and hold on to me. Trust me, Carla.”
“I trust you,” she said faintly, doing as he said and squeezing her eyes. It instantly eased some of the panic inside her and she was able to relax her body enough not to fight Joel’s as he leaned deeply into the next turn.
As soon as they straightened, Joel’s voice rang out, “Tucker, Sparkplug, are you guys hidden?” He waited a long moment for their answer. “Guys, check in!” he ordered, but still there was only silence.
“It’s probably the reception, Joel. We’re too far for the signal to reach.”
“Fuck,” was his only response.
“Joel,” Hot Wheels reached out again, pausing for a moment where both could hear her deep, indrawn breath. “Joel, they’re right on my tail. There’s no way I’m getting out of this. You have to split. Take Carla, and get out of here. You can still meet up with Sparkplug’s contact and he can lift most of the weed.”
“No, Hot Wheels!”
“Joel! Listen to me! You have to get out of here, Now! Otherwise it’ll be all three of us behind bars, you, me…and Carla. I know you don’t want to see that,” she shouted out above the sound of sirens that were growing louder and louder behind her. “Just go, take the next turn off and get the fuck out of here. I can take care of myself, you know I can.”
“Damn it,” Joel ground out, “God damn it, Wheels.”
“I know, I know. Swear at me all you want, sweetie, just go. Go, alright!” the last was a testy shout in her southern drawl and Carla could feel Joel shaking his head.
“Fine. I don’t fucking like it.”
“You don’t have to like it, Joel. Just disappear. Now!”
“Just hold tight, Wheels. Whatever happens, we’ll get you out of it.”
“I know, I know,” she repeated, then paused for a long tense moment. “Joel? Can you do me a favor?” she finally asked, her voice almost drowned out completely now by the police cars that almost had her surrounded.
“Anything,” he said hoarsely.
“Can you tell Sparkplug…just tell him that I didn’t mean it. Everything that I said before. I was wrong. Will you tell him that? Tell him that I was wrong.”
“Of course I’ll tell him. Of course,” Joel said softly and Carla could feel the bitter pain in his voice at the thought of leaving one of his own behind. He felt it deeply. Nothing more was said as they drove on in silence. Well, silence except for the police sirens. Suddenly, Joel turned sharply to one side, breaking off from the main highway.
Carla bit back a scream at the abrupt movement, her arms instinctively tightened around him even as her mind was still back with Hot Wheels. They could hear everything as her car was forced to a screeching halt. As the officers shouted for her to step out of the car, and as she was brought to the ground, handcuffs clicking around her wrists.
There were more sounds, more shouting, and Carla recognized the awfully familiar voice of Maurice as he shouted at the police to go catch the rest of them, his tone frenetic, and Carla had to wonder once again how he had even tracked them in the first place. It seemed too much of a coincidence, but the image of Hot Wheels being arrested held her focus and her heart broke for her new friend.
Joel faced straight ahead, never looking back, never showing any sign or effect at what was happening with Hot Wheels. It was only after they had made it deep enough on the narrow, rock strewn path that he started to slow to a more normal pace and shortly after that, the signal when dead. Carla felt it then, the small shudder at the loss of communication, and held him even tighter, offering what little comfort she could for the sacrifice Hot Wheels had made so they could get away. Joel still didn’t say a word, and they rode on.