Even though Sylvana was pursuing Reine, Gabe couldn't lose the lead she was making for him. Looking around one last time from behind the barrels, he took his chance and ran the fastest he could toward the nearest shuttle bus stop. He made it just before the driver closed the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he was confident he wasn't being followed.
He was the first to get out at the Visitor's Center, and he ran straight toward the car they'd parked at the far end of the lot. Not wasting any time, he pressed the fob from as far away as possible.
Before he got to the BMW, a familiar figure in a dark suit blocked his path.
"You may be stronger and faster, but I've got more to lose. So one way or another, I am getting in that car," he declared, standing his ground.
Mal put up his hands defensively. "Now, hold up. I'm not here to stop you."
"You're not with Sylvana?" Gabe's pose relaxed.
Mal shook his head. "I owe no allegiance to that woman. I'm simply following the Captain's orders. Nothing else."
"So you found her. Why is she here?"
"Because she's bat-shit crazy, that's why. How should I know? She has no interest in mind, but her own, that's for sure." Mal stuck his hands in his pants' pockets.
Gabe began walking toward him. "How long have you been following us?"
"Long enough to know that you pretended to have problems with a run-flat tire. Took me a bit to figure it out, but I gotta hand it to you, man." Mal smiled. "That was smooth work."
He held out his hand. Gabe frowned and reluctantly returned his fist-bump.
Pushing past Mal with a groan, he opened the BMW's door. "Shit, dude. We don't have time for this. I need to get back to Reine."
He jumped in the seat before pressing the ignition and revving the engine.
"Head toward downtown before getting on the highway. I'll make sure she loses you by then. Just keep an eye out for a white Caddy," Mal assured him. "And don't forget to use that extra power we gave you."
After a quick wink, he disappeared in a blur.
Not wasting any more time, Gabe drove up to the Visitor's Center and waited at the curb. Anxiously looking at all of the faces leaving the park, several minutes passed and Reine was still nowhere. Hopefully she could stay ahead of Sylvana.
Knowing that it always worked in the movies, he let down the passenger side window so she could just jump in and help them make a faster getaway. Another couple of minutes went by and he finally began to worry. Just then, the car door opened and Reine jumped into the passenger seat. "Go, go, go!"
"Did you lose her?" he asked while speeding toward the park's exit.
She turned to check the cars behind them for any sign of being followed. "No, she was on my tail the entire time."
"Mal's here, too. I ran into him in the parking lot. He's going to help us make a break for it," he said.
"So, she must be serious, then. How in the world can you be smiling right now?"
He was excitedly weaving between the moderate traffic. "I'm sorry, but this car is just so awesome."
"Oh my God, tell me you just didn't say that," she said, but despite her protest, Reine was feeling more relaxed knowing that Mal was on their side. Whatever he was doing appeared to be working. No matter how much both of them looked, they couldn't see any signs of Sylvana.
In spite of this and even after several miles, Gabe still didn't ease up on the gas pedal. As they neared the highway, he sped through a light as it changed from yellow to red. Turning too fast at the corner, the rear wheel clipped the curb. The move sent them careening through the adjacent lane.
There weren't any other vehicles near them, but by over-correcting the steering, he put the car into an uncontrollable spin. A cloud of road dust enveloped them, and the smell of burnt rubber permeated the air. Reine gripped the seat so hard her fingers punctured the leather.
What was in reality mere seconds seemed like minutes. After rotating one and a half times clockwise, the vehicle jumped the edge of the roadway and rammed sideways into a utility pole before stopping,
Reine was fairly certain she had briefly lost consciousness. Although she remembered the entire series of events as if they had happened in ultra-slow-motion, by the time she opened her eyes other cars were stopping around them to offer assistance. Apart from having bumped her head, she felt fine; however, it was Gabe's side that took the full blow of the crash. Pinned between the smashed driver's side door and his seat, he was sitting motionless and starting straight ahead.
She sighed with relief to see he was still breathing, but not knowing the extent of his injuries made Reine panic. Her hands shook when she couldn't decide what she could do to help. "Jesus, Gabe. Are you all right?" She gently touched his shoulder.
Slowly turning his head, he gave her a faint smile. "Never better," he said before passing out.
Several emergency vehicles arrived shortly. Proceeding to cut him out of the wreckage, they eventually transported both of them to the nearest hospital. Once again refusing medical care, Reine waited for Gabe to be stabilized in the trauma unit before he was wheeled away for surgery.
Although she realized how selfish she was being, she couldn't help but contemplate what would happen to her if he didn't pull through.