Chapter 58

"Good girl, Rokee, you got it. Come on you sexy bitch," Liv said They had been making good progress up the mining trail until they hit a slick spot. The treads were digging deep into the muck, flinging dirty snow and ice everywhere, but making no progress.

They were stuck. The rubber treads were up against an ice-covered, two-foot tall, rock wall and couldn't make the transition from the muck to the rock. "Maybe if we come at it from an angle?" Liv clicked the shifter into reverse and backed away from the hidden obstacle.

Once she was several yards back, Liv dropped the shifter into first, held the brake and revved the engine. The slight whine of the turbochargers grew louder, and torque built up as the mighty engine fought against the Brembo brakes. "I hope this works, or we're gonna find out the hard way if the air bags still work."

"Hey, you wanna go home and play video games or something?" Finn tightly grasped the 'oh shit' handle above his head. "I'll let you win!"

"Let me win?" Liv scoffed and stomped the gas. The treads spun furiously and clawed their way forward, flinging mud and snow behind them. The Jeep hit the wall with a bang. The treads hesitated briefly before climbing the slippery rock face. Liv and Finn bounced violently in their seats as the SRT-8 popped out of the muck and onto the snow covered rocks.

"Glad I was wearing my seatbelt. I think I would have pancaked on the roof!" Finn adjusted himself in the leather seat.

"Y'know, sometimes video games just aren't as much fun as real life," Liv said with a grin. "I never knew how much I was missing out on by not having an SRT-8 with MATTRACKS. I was planning on giving it to the cops when we're done, but I think I'm gonna keep it. I think life would be empty without it," she declared melodramatically.

"Are you planning on driving Rokee to work?"

"Ha, that would be great. I think my tips would go way up if this bad boy were out in the parking lot. First person to short me, gets their car run over.'" To make her point, she plowed through a deep drift.

"Man, next time I get to drive," Finn said with a hint of jealousy in his voice. "Hey, what's that big pile of snow next to the trail?"

"Probably a stack of logs. Every year, just after the snow melts, the park service comes through and clears fallen logs. When I rode dirt bikes, in high school, I would come up here pretty often. There were usually a couple of people doing maintenance. It was always a good show; some of those guys were really hot!"

"Well, I'm sorry I missed out on that." Finn laughed. "Hey, it looks like we're getting out of the trees!" Ahead, the narrow trail opened onto a flat expanse of glittering snow. The left edge of the plain dropped abruptly into a canyon, and a mountain ran along the right side. Under the bright sun, the snow sparkled like diamonds. "Whoa, check out that flat place over there. I say we come back later, y'know, once we heroically rescue your Grannie, and do donuts!" Finn focused the camera on the center of the plain. "That's probably the lake that's on the map"

"Yeah, donuts would be fun in this thing!" Liv exclaimed. "I wonder if it's been cold enough to freeze the Iake-"

"f$%k! Incoming RPG!" Finn interrupted, as the missile's thin trail of heat appeared on the monitor. He swung the guns toward the trail of smoke, hoping to find the hidden gunman.

Liv felt her throat close up as she responded to Finn's warning. Her heart skipping a beat, she twisted the wheel to the right, punched the accelerator, and aimed for the exposed center of the plain.