Alpha Male by Mike Cooley Read Free Book Online

together at the middle. She had scrapes and bruises on her arms.  
    “Jesus, Mel, what did they do to you?”
    “I did it to them this time.” She flashed a tired smile. “They won’t capture me again. They’ll want to shoot me now.”
    The sound of engines gunning erupted in the distance.
    “We need to go, now.” I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the van. “They’re coming.”
    Mel opened the passenger door and hopped in. I took the driver’s seat and shoved the van into reverse, then spun us around. Dirt and gravel flew as the van swung around to face away from Ice Harbor. I slammed on the gas, and we were both thrown back into our seats as we accelerated. Mel was taking off her shirt and pants.
    “What are you doing?” I tried to keep my eyes on the road.  
    Mel rolled down her window and threw her shirt, pants, panties, socks, and shoes out the window. My eyes widened, and I swerved.
    “Eyes on the road, Si. Don’t wreck us.”  
    “What are you doing?”
    “I think they put a tracking device in my clothes. Any clothes in the back?” Mel headed into the back of the van and started opening cargo doors.  
    My eyes followed her in the rear view, then I grabbed the wheel with both hands and kept us straight as we raced away from the dam. I could see headlights on the road behind us.
    “I found a jumpsuit.” Mel stepped into a black stretchy fabric and zipped it up the middle. “It’s a bit big and the shoes don’t fit, but it will have to do.”
    “Anything else useful back there? They are gaining on us.”
    Mel rummaged through the lockers, pulling gear out and throwing it in the middle of the floor. “Electronic devices I don’t recognize and some scuba tanks.”
    I glanced forward and hugged the edge of the twisty gravel road. A single bright light was heading toward us from below. “Fuck, Mel. They have us from both sides.”
    Mel rushed forward and sat in the passenger seat, still clutching the tanks and regulator. I jerked the wheel hard to the left as the light ahead of us resolved into a motorcycle. It shot by us with a roar, carrying a girl in a black bodysuit that looked like the one Mel was wearing. Her long blonde hair streamed behind her like a flame, and she was grinning like the devil.  
    “What the hell?” Mel pulled her seatbelt across and clicked it into place.  
    “Who the fuck was that?”  
    The truck skidded sideways. I jerked the wheel to the right to correct. We were careening toward a hairpin turn on the edge of the ridge. My hands gripped the wheel tighter.  
    “I think I fucked up, Mel. Hold on.”  
    I slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel. The driver side wheels caught on the edge of the road, and the truck lurched over. Far below in the darkness was the Snake River. Behind us, the sound of gunfire erupted, followed by an explosion. I reached over and grabbed Mel’s hand as the truck flipped through the air. Time slowed down.  
    “I love you, Si.” Mel squeezed my hand.  
    “Don’t let go.”  

Impact

    We hung in the air forever, with the wind rushing by in the darkness. I squeezed Silas’ hand tighter. The faint reflection of light danced across the river below as it rose up to meet us. “You have got to stay out of cars and trucks, Si.”
    “No shit.”
    The van hit nose first, and both airbags went off. Which is a pretty good thing if you are on the road and a really shitty thing if you’re sinking in a river. The bag hit me like an explosion and pressed me into my seat. I lost my grip on Si as he was wrenched to the left. The van tipped toward the driver’s side, and water came rushing in from the engine compartment, through holes in the floor, and through gaps around the doors. It smelled like hot oil and antifreeze.  
    I reached down and frantically tried to unfasten my seat belt, fighting the air bag. It felt like my chest and face were bruised from the impact. The van was sinking.
    “Silas! We’ve got to get out of