Page 82 of Guarding Truth

Theo huffed. He took out a pair of zip ties and cuffed Juliette’s hands behind her back. “Enough chitchat. We’re getting out of here. I’ll drive the truck.”

He nodded toward Abby. “You ride back here and figure out how to deal with these two.”

No. No. No. They had to get out of this vehicle before Theo drove five states away and dumped their bodies who knew where.

“You, sit on the floor next to your boyfriend.” Abby shoved Juliette to the ground. Juliette rolled and slid toward Caleb and then sat back-to-back with him. His fingers wove into hers, but both of them were now cuffed.

Abby grabbed a safety strap attached to the wall of the truck, the gun never wavering in her hand. How could the sweet grandmother from next door turn out to be the vigilante holding them at gunpoint?

Theo hopped out the back of the truck and slammed the doors shut. Interior lighting on the sides of the aluminum walls gave them enough light to see. A few seconds later, the semi’s bed rumbled from the engine roaring to life.

At least now it was two against one, except they still didn’t have the use of their hands. And Abby had a gun that never wavered.

He felt a tug on his binds. Did Juliette have a pocketknife? The zip ties fell off, and he flexed his fingers but kept his hands behind his back.

The truck made several turns, and they swayed with the movement. He prayed the police had set up some checkpoints. They needed to get out before Theo hit the highway. He grabbed Juliette’s hand and tapped out a Morse code message on her wrist.

Rush Abby. Get gun.Together.

She tapped back on his wrist,I’m in.

His mind drifted back to their basic training days. To their no-win training exercise. Juliette fought her way out of an unwinnable situation. Could they do the same? Because they did need to Kobayashi Maru their way out of this one.

They needed to change the rules, with a lot of divine intervention.

Sure, it was two against one in the back of the trailer, but it didn’t seem like Theo had a lot of practice driving a big rig. The cargo bay swayed back and forth. If they moved to take Abby down and the truck made a turn, they’d lose their balance.

It was now or never. He counted down on her wrist.

Three.They moved into a crouching position.

Two.Caleb prayedthis would work. That God would get them out of this. And keep Ivy and Juliette safe.

One.

Caleb and Juliette sprang up and threw all of their weight into colliding with Abby. Juliette pinned her down, and Caleb wrestled the gun out of her hand and tossed it out of her reach.

The cargo bay pitched left. The bounce caused Juliette and Abby to lose their footing and the door to unlatch and swing open. Wind blasted through the open space.

Caleb dove for Juliette’s hand while grabbing a rope wrapped around a metal tiedown. His hand connected with her ankle, and he held her foot with all the strength he could muster.

“Hang on, Jules.” His fingers dug in through her shoe, and he prayed it didn’t come off. If he let go, she could slide out the door.

The truck bucked, and Caleb held on tight to the rope and Juliette. Both arms shook, but he refused to let go. A pop sounded, and he sucked in a breath at the blinding pain racing down the arm holding Juliette.

He couldn’t hang on for much longer.

Abby tried to stand, but another sharp turn sent her flying out the back of the truck. She managed to catch a metal bar attached to the back of one of the double doors. It pulled her out of the opening, and she clung to the door as it flapped in the wind.

“Help!” she cried.

Juliette inched closer to the wall of the truck, but she still wasn’t secure. One more bump in the road could send them both flying out the back. Outside, all Caleb could see was paved asphalt with white dotted lines flying by on the highway. The truck picked up speed.

But Caleb was in no position to rescue Abby. He refused to let go of Juliette until she wasn’t in danger of sliding out of a moving truck bed.

Juliette wiggled her way to the side and grabbed a rope attached to the wall. “I’m good,” she yelled over the wind and the rumbling truck. Caleb let her go and clung to the rope, his shoulder throbbing. He fought the urge to pass out from the pain.

The truck slowed and the inside lit up with red and blue lights. Caleb spotted a police cruiser whiz by them.