Run. Just Run.

Chapter 61

James and Danny stare, too shocked to move, as they watch the car drive forward, with Ashley stuffed in the backseat, being kidnapped!

Then, to Danny, everything moves in slow motion. His eyes catch a movement beside one of the buildings past the black car, and he quickly realizes it's a police car. His brain races and and he realizes what was about to happen. Without even thinking, he does what he and his father had practiced hundreds of times half a year ago, when he first got his car. He quickly reaches forward and puts the Jeep in drive, and slams his foot down on the gas pedal. He sees the police car suddenly pull forward, and stop right in the path of the black car. The black car stops within inches of the police car, and Danny slams on the brakes of his Jeep, and taps his front grill guard against the back of the black car, cutting off any escape route.

James sits still, watching the black car drive away, and then suddenly gets slammed into the back of his chair. He glances over and sees that Danny is driving, and then almost just as suddenly, gets jerked forward, almost into the dashboard as the Jeep stops.

Then both James and Danny's eyes go wide as they see about seven people swarm out of nowhere and surround the car in front of them, all pointing shotguns. Then their heartbeats slow down.

Jeff steps forward. "Get out of the car with your hands on your head. And don't touch the girl." He says extremely sternly. Neither James nor Danny had never heard his voice this cold and stern.

There is a momentary hesitation, then the driver of the car gets out and stands up with his hands up, slowly followed by the man in the back seat.

A short man in a uniform like Jeff's quickly steps forward and roughly shoves the men's hands down and behind their back, snapping handcuffs around their wrists. James glances over the group of men, and notices that only the short man, Jeff and the one in the police car were wearing uniforms. All the rest were wearing regular clothes. Then his eyes land on the last of the men holding guns. Boomer walks forward and opens the other back door of the car, and Ashley springs out and jumps on him.

The man closest to Danny's Jeep turns to the two boys and motions with his hand.

"You can come out now. It's safe."

James and Danny jump out of the jeep, not bothering to open the doors and they run over to the girl that's barely visible amidst the enormous bear hug that a certain bearded old man is giving her.

"Ashley!" They say simultaneously as they both wrap her in a big hug.

"Oh goodness." She says on the verge of tears as she buries her head in between James and Danny's shoulders. "I was scared." She says softly.

James and Danny hug her back tightly. They just nodded in agreement. They both were scared too, though Danny may not admit he had been. After standing like that for a while, slowly the commotion dies down, people walking away, the black car and the police car being driven to the sheriff's office.

Jeff and Boomer slowly walk up to the three who still have their arms wrapped around each other.

"Well, I'd say that worked." Jeff says slowly. "But that's not the end. We're gonna have to do more."