Chapter 6 - The desperate chase
The handcuffs were finally removed, leaving deep red bracelets of bruised skin around my wrists. Sterling practically dragged me out of the police precinct, completely ignoring the protests of the corrupt local detective. We jumped into the back of his waiting town car, the tires screeching as his driver slammed on the gas pedal. "The private airfield is fifteen miles outside the city limits," Sterling yelled over the roar of the engine. I clutched the leather seat tightly, praying to every god I knew that we would make it in time. "If Eleanor gets Lila into the airspace of that country, we will never see her again," I cried. "I have alerted the FBI, but they are at least thirty minutes away," Sterling warned me. We tore down the highway, weaving recklessly between large trucks and evening commuter traffic. My heart pounded so loudly in my ears it drowned out the blaring sirens in the distance. As we approached the heavily guarded gates of the private airfield, Sterling's driver did not even slow down. The heavy black car smashed right through the wooden security barricade, shattering the windshield. We skidded onto the massive concrete tarmac just as a sleek white private jet began taxiing down the runway. "They are taking off!" I screamed in absolute panic. Our driver floored the accelerator, driving the damaged car parallel to the accelerating airplane. Through the small oval window of the jet, I could clearly see Eleanor's terrifying silhouette. She was pinning my struggling daughter down into a leather passenger seat. Sterling reached into the front console and pulled out a heavy steel flare gun. He rolled down the window, aimed carefully at the jet's front landing gear, and pulled the trigger. The bright red flare shot across the tarmac and lodged directly inside the aircraft's wheel well. The pilot panicked, slamming on the emergency brakes and sending the massive jet skidding violently off the runway.
