Free Charmed (Second Sight) by Hazel Hunter Page A

headlights swam in a cloud of flying dirt and then they were out of it.
    “Did you see the baby?” Isabelle said.
    “No,” Mac said.
    He’d exchanged the gun for his phone.
    “Lieutenant,” he said, quickly. “MacMillan here. I’m in pursuit of Daniel Allmand on Summerhill Canyon, headed to Topanga Canyon Blvd. I want road blocks set up on either end, one in Malibu and one in the valley. He’s driving a silver BMW 640 Gran Coupe, license number 7JUI633.” He listened for a moment. “Right. Will advise.”
    He kept the line open as he gunned the engine. Up ahead, the tail lights swerved and a dust cloud flew up. The red glow disappeared for a moment but then reappeared. The brake lights brightened suddenly and then veered off to the left.
    “Okay,” Mac said. “He’s headed to Malibu.”

    •••••

    Mac left the call open but put the phone in the center console cup holder and made the same left turn. As they squealed onto Topanga Canyon, he gripped the wheel in both hands.
    “He might have the baby in the car,” Mac said, loudly.
    “Ten four,” replied the lieutenant, slipping into comm jargon though it was just the phone.
    Mac could hear radio chatter in the background.
    “He’s going too fast,” Isabelle said quietly.
    She was right. Mac glanced at his speedometer as Daniel’s tail lights disappeared around a curve.
    Fifty miles per hour.  
    Mac took his foot off the gas. They didn’t need Daniel to skid off the side of the road and down several hundred feet of steep canyon. All they really needed was for him to reach the road block.

    •••••

    Daniel could barely take his eyes off the rear view mirror.  
    Who in the hell is that?
    They’d been on their way to the commune. The baby cried and coughed in the back seat as his mind flashed back to what Maurice had said.
    The police?
    He glanced at the road and jerked the wheel as the tires squealed and he leaned into the next turn.
    But the police would use their sirens.
    He stared at the rear view mirror again as the lights appeared on cue.
    They’re following me.  
    He jammed his foot down on the gas as the road straightened out.
    But who? Who is following me?
    Suddenly, he was at another curve.
    “Shit,” he muttered, cranking the wheel just in time.
    A light in the dash came on.  
    The gas light? The goddamn gas light?
    “Shit!” he yelled, pulling and pushing on the steering wheel as though he could rip it off the column. “Goddammit!”
    Could he make it to Malibu? It was downhill from here. He could picture the gas station on PCH.
    The baby coughed and then squealed.
    “Just shut up,” he yelled. “Shut up !”
    The tires screeched around another turn. He glanced in the mirror. The other car had fallen far back. He stared at the headlights. Was that even the same car?
    The road dipped and the fuel light went out but as he rounded the next curve, Daniel could hardly believe what he was seeing. There was a reason the other car had fallen back. Up ahead, just past where the road rose again, both lanes were blocked by police cars, lights flashing.
    “Shit!” he yelled.
    He glanced left. The black depths of the canyon lay below the silver guard rail. He glanced right. The steep wall of the cut hill had given way to trees. Behind him, headlights rounded the last curve. He only had a second to decide.
    He yanked the wheel right.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    WHEN THE BRAKE lights hadn’t appeared, Mac already knew what was happening.
    “Oh my god!” Isabelle screamed in the passenger seat.
    Daniel’s car flew off the winding road only ten yards short of the police cars. Sparks flew everywhere.
    “Hold on!” Mac yelled.
    Daniel’s tail lights were bouncing erratically as he went off-road.  
    Idiot . The clearance on his vehicle wasn’t nearly enough.
    Isabelle grabbed the door rest and the center console.
    Mac swerved to his right. He had just enough time to see the police officers scrambling to get into their cars. The SUV