Free Abducted: Reconnaissance Team (Texas Rangers: Special Ops Book 1) by T.C. Archer

least they’d saved the best for him.
    “Keep your head down.” Ben gripped the gun with his right hand. “This is going to be a hard landing. You ready?” 
    “As ready as I’ll ever be.” 
    “Good girl.” 
    * * *
    Good girl? Maybe that meant she would go to heaven—because today she was going to die. Liz glanced down. Her small evening bag slid from under the front seat. She'd forgotten about the purse—and the Modu phone. Liz looked up and saw two men standing outside the black Mercedes she and Adam sped toward. Her heart thudded. The men aimed guns—big guns—at them. The car jettisoned forward as if a rocket had ignited, throwing her against the seat. She grabbed the seat belt, clicked it into place and bent as low as the safety belt allowed.
    This can’t be real.
    A second later, the roar of three shots caused her to duck. Adam had fired, she realized. A volley of shots ripped through the air. Bullets penetrated the metal of their car in a succession of thwangs . She cried out. The car slid sideways.
    Liz jammed her eyes closed and clutched the seatback. Her body jolted and her seatbelt locked an instant before the rear of the Mercedes spun and crashed into something. Her stomach lurched. Another crash sounded with another hard jolt. Tires squealed and she snapped open her eyes to see smoke rise from the front wheels as the car rocketed past the roadblock. 
    “Are you all right?” Adam demanded.
    Her head swam. “What?” 
    “Liz.” 
    The sharp note in Adam's voice snapped her attention onto his reflection in the rearview mirror. She nodded.
    “Just a couple more minutes and we’ll lose the limo,” he said.
    Limo? Liz glanced back. The two men who had been pointing guns at them, were now scrambling up from the side of the road. Her chest tightened. The limousine had become a heat-seeking missile with their car its target. How could the huge vehicle travel that fast? Adam made a sudden right turn. Liz slammed into the side door. The seat belt cut into her shoulder as she caught sight of an overhead sign that read Chihuahua-Juarez 45. A car horn blared and Adam swerved. Another car sped past. A siren split the air.
    “Dammit,” he cursed.
    “Police?” She glanced back.
    “Yeah.” 
    A black and white truck with a blue and red flashing police light followed two car lengths behind. “This is good. Those thugs won’t dare hurt us with the police around.” 
    “Depends on whether we get a cop Sanchez doesn’ t own. I'd say it's a fifty-fifty chance.” 
    “He owns the police?” This was a bad dream.
    “We’re five minutes from the border.” 
    The siren blared closer. The police car drove so close, she couldn’t see its front bumper anymore. Liz faced forward. They passed another overhead sign that read United States Border. Two cars in the right lane had slowed in order to avoid them.
    “They must think we intend to run the border,” she said. “They must have called ahead.” 
    “Yeah, about now, US Border Patrol will have the border locked down. They’ll have a blockade up and waiting for us.
    “Maybe you should call them.” 
    “Sanchez took my phone for safe-keeping,” he said. “But don’t worry, once the US cops are in sight, I’ll slow down. They won’t shoot us as long as I stop.” 
    Shoot? Her stomach clenched. “You can use my phone.” 
    His eyes riveted onto the rearview mirror. “You have a phone?” 
    She pulled the phone from her purse and held it up.
    “Do you have a signal?” 
    She flipped it open. “Two bars.” 
    “Dial for me.” He threw out numbers. She input them, then hit send and pressed the phone to her ear. A dial tone sounded.
    “It’s ringing.” She handed him the phone.
    A second later, he said, “Joe, it’s Ben.” 
    Liz snapped to attention. Ben?
    “I know,” he said. “Hold up. You got a speeding car headed your way with a Juarez cop on its tail. That’s me.” A pause. “I can’t explain, but I have a civilian