Thomas Amo - An Apple for Zoë - Book One ~ The Forsaken

"It's your city, and you just passed Greenwich," she said.

"Someone wants one of us dead pretty bad to take this kind of risk," said James as he quickly decided to take a left onto Lombard Street. Summers immediately recognized the crazy twisting street from dozens of movies. James navigated the narrow road expertly as he drove the Crown Victoria in the opposite direction the way one street had been intended for.

Both James and Summers kept a look out for the Hummer as the Crown Victoria climbed the steep hill leading them to Hyde Street where James hit the brakes.

Devonia punched the accelerator to the floor as she saw the damaged Crown Victoria appear at the top of the hill. Tarista gripped the trigger of the M-4 automatic. Her eyebrows narrowed as she lowered her eye to the scope and placed the stock against her blood-covered petite, bare shoulder and took aim.

James and Summers looked at one another as they tried to decide which way to go when what sounded like a spray of gravel began knocking against the side of the car.

Summers looked up as she saw the H2 coming at them full force.

"Brace yourself!" she screamed as the Hummer slammed into the nose of the Crown Victoria causing it to lift up and land back down on the hood of the Hummer. Devonia gripped the gear with a bloodied hand. She locked the gear down into four-wheel drive and pushed the accelerator, causing the rear tires to spin dirt into the air. James and Summers could feel the Crown Victoria rising higher.

"Oh my god, Tom they are trying to turn us over on our top," said Summers.

Tarista screamed curses at the two of them in a language James recognized, but didn't understand. Summers reached across the front seat and slammed her foot on top of James's foot trying to keep their leverage by driving into the Hummer. Both vehicles ground into one another as their rear wheels spun. The H2 had the advantage as its front two wheels gave it more traction. Suddenly the Hummer pulled away and the front of the Crown Victoria landed hard nose to nose with the black beast. The engine died as James and Summers found themselves staring face to face with Devonia and Tarista. Both sisters turned to one another and smiled as Tarista removed the clip from the M-4 and found a replacement. Before she slid the clip into the gun she seductively licked the top bullet running her tongue down the length of it stopping only long enough to look up and blow a kiss at James. For the first time James got a good look at both of them. He stared silently at them as they stared at him. Summers looked back and forth between James and the girls, in the distance she could hear approaching sirens.

"You know them, don't you?" she asked.

James nodded he did as Summers slowly passed him back his gun.

"Just say when," she whispered to him as she watched Devonia stare her down while revving the engine of the Hummer. Tarista bashed out the remaining glass of the windshield with the stock of the M-4. Sirens closed in as the four watched each other intently. Devonia reached up and pressed a button that caused the sunroof to slide away as Tarista chambered the magazine.

"You take the tires and I'll try to hit the engine block," said James as he clicked off the safety of his gun.

"You got it," replied Summers.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Let's do it."

James raised his gun and began firing directly into the grill of the H2 sending sparks in all direction off the chrome front. Devonia punched it and the Hummer went into reverse to James's surprise. Before Summers could lock on to the tires, Devonia had the vehicle back into drive and coming at them with all the force the Hummer had. James quickly put the car into neutral as the H2 slammed into the nose of the Crown Victoria sending the car reeling backwards down Lombard Street.

"Hang on!" shouted James as he tried to get control of the car. The Hummer slammed into the Crown Victoria again batting it around like a cat toying with its prey. Tarista rose up and appeared through the sunroof aimlessly firing the machine gun back and forth, spraying bullets across the body of the Crown Victoria. Relentlessly the Hummer rammed them, twisting and pushing the car sideways down Lombard till the front hood of the car clipped another parked car and rolled up on its side, leaving the bottom of the car exposed to the H2.

Constant popping and holes exploded all around James and Summers as Tarista emptied the M-4 into what was left of the Crown Victoria. The shooting suddenly stopped but the revving of the Hummer's engine was loud and clear. James tried to twist himself from behind the wheel. He could hear the sound of the Hummer pulling away, which meant Devonia was about to ram them again.

James suddenly heard a siren blare past him kicking dirt into the air and then another.

"Ashton, we gotta get out of here!" he called but there was no answer. James looked down and saw Summers was unconscious. It was then he smelled the gasoline. He fumbled with his seatbelt to get free. As he clicked it open, he dropped from the drivers seat and landed on top of Summers. He checked her pulse and, to his relief, she wasn't dead. He was startled by two officers reaching through the missing windshield.

"Hurry I don't know how long we can keep the Hummer off of you," said one of the cops.

"Get her first, the fuel line is leaking," said James.

The two officers quickly pulled Summers free of the Crown Victoria. James made no effort to hesitate, quickly climbing out as the two officers carried Summers to the safest spot they could find. Looking back up the hill, James could see two cruisers attempting to keep the Hummer busy while he and Summers escaped. More cruisers came and more shots were fired. James couldn't tell now if they were the police or if it was Tarista shooting. He then heard Summers voice call his name. "Where's Tom?"

"I'm right here," he said as he came to her side. Summers looked up at him. "What happened?" she asked.

"RUN!" someone shouted at James, Summers and the officers when the H2 slammed into what was left of the Crown Victoria sending it the rest of the way down Lombard and into the intersection of Leavenworth where an oncoming semi slammed into the wreckage. A fireball shot into the air sending debris in all directions. Incredibly, the Hummer remained on all four wheels. The windows were shattered, the doors scraped by road rash. Officers converged on the Hummer surrounding it with their guns drawn. The driver's door creaked loud as Devonia stepped down defiantly. Tarista pushed open her door and also stepped out. Like Devonia she showed complete defiance as the two of them slowly raised their hands in the air and in unison they turned their heads directly at James and smiled.

"Where do you know them from?" asked Summers.

James swallowed hard, "From Hell."

Field Director Paige Collins of the FBI, power walked across the marble tiles of San Francisco's City Hall. Her black heels struck firmly with each step she took and her toes gripped the inside her shoes tightly, as if to reflect her determination. At five foot four she was a petite woman, but her small frame was not to be underestimated. She could debate with the fiercest of opponents and also had engaged in her share of fights growing up.

Fortunately for Paige those days were now long behind her. Now she did her fighting with a razor wit backed by the power of the FBI. Paige was a beautiful woman whose long chestnut hair was always parted to the side usually draping over one shoulder of her tiny figure. She was naturally attractive and equally as sexy. Her eyebrows were fiercely dark and she knew this had always been to her advantage. Not only did it distract most men, but also most women recognized it as a strength that was not to be questioned. Paige Collins was indeed a force to be reckoned with. She did not lose and she expected her agents to share in her veracious will to solve all cases handed down to her department. She also wouldn't tolerate any agency or law enforcement institution to usurp her authority or to undermine any of her agents.