Running Hot - Jacob long (classic book list txt) 📗

property! We have a right to search it!”
“Fine; I’ll just move it,” Devlin said.
“It’s too late for that!” Hutchison stomped over to Devlin and held his hand out. “Give me the keys!”
“Geez, I’ll just open it for you myself if you’re that torn up about it.” Devlin walked to the trunk and opened it up. He pushed the door open and motioned for Hutchison to have a look.
Hutchison obliged and peeked inside. The only thing he found was a large metal pin that looked like it held two pieces of something together. The inside of the trunk also appeared to have some sort of metal sheet patching a hole on the inside of the back end of the car.
“Satisfied?” Devlin asked mockingly with his eyebrows raised.
Hutchison turned away and moved for the passenger seat.
‘Oh crap; the caltrops,’ Devlin thought.
Hutchison leaned over Angela and tore open the glove compartment. There was nothing; not even gloves.
“What exactly are you looking for Officer Hutchison?” Angela peered hard at his name plate three inches from her face.
Hutchison looked at her; stood erect and looked at Devlin, then said, “Alright. We have reason to believe that you two are somehow connected with the escaped fugitive, Reed Newton.”
“Who’s that?” Devlin shrugged.
“Well only the coolest damn outlaw this side of Daytona!” Angela interrupted.“And people, that’s on the beach.”
“Angie, don’t swear,” Devlin put in immediately.
Hutchison gazed at Angela with a little grimace spreading over his face.
“He give you that?” Angela suddenly said; nodding her head toward the bandage on Hutchison’s arm.
Devlin shot her a look. ‘What is she thinking?’
“Uh-huh,” Hutchison said coolly. “Give me your phone Mr…?”
“Devlin,” he answered. “And you don’t need my phone.”
“Oh I think I do,” Hutchison said; suddenly stalking toward Devlin.
Devlin made the mistake of standing his ground; not knowing Hutchison wasn’t about to beg. When Hutchison got in range he quickly swung his left arm up and punched Devlin across the face. Devlin turned mid-fall and landed face down.
“Hey!” Angela screamed; hopping out of the car.
“Jesus, Tom!” Nitch said; though never actually moving.
Hutchison reached down and pulled Devlin’s phone out of his back pocket; flipping it open. He quickly went to the contacts menu. The very first name on the list he saw was “Reed.”
“Ha, I knew it,” Hutchison leered.
“Give me that back!” Devlin shouted as he stood. “That phone’s no good to you!”
Hutchison slipped the phone into his breast pocket. “I will not be denied, you scum!”
Hutchison reared his fist back to strike again; but suddenly there was the distinct sound of a police siren. It didn’t fade in as if the sirens were approaching. They just started as if someone had switched them on in earshot. Everyone stopped moving while the noise moved ever closer. The Doppler Effect seemed to have total control over their motor functions. The eeriness of the whole event kept them all still and wondering.
Suddenly a squad car tore around the corner and flew into the parking lot at amazing speed! The car straightened beautifully and made a beeline straight for Hutchison. Nitch dove out of the way but Hutchison was too slow. The car hit him dead on at least at thirty miles an hour. Hutchison’s legs were swept from under him and his face bounced off the windshield. The car slid to a stop immediately and his body was thrown off; slapping onto the pavement. Through the whole outrageous scene, the squad car barely missed the Barracuda.
Reed got out of the police car and walked around the backside. Laurel was forced to get out the driver’s side door as well because the passenger side door was blocked by the large black vehicle.
Nitch got back to his feet shouting, “Freeze!” and reaching for his gun.
Reed didn’t even bother to look at him; he just pulled out his gun and started firing in the general direction of the noise. The bullets whizzed into the brick wall of the police station just above the sergeant’s head. Nitch had just pulled his gun out but was forced to duck and make for the safety of the front door. He opened the door and jumped into the lobby. Reed had expended all six remaining bullets and simply tossed his gun to the pavement.
Nitch started jumping up and down, frantically waving his arms, “It’s Reed Newton! He’s shooting outside! Everyone get to your cars before he escapes!”
The police in the lobby all dropped what they were doing again and ran for the front door.
“Everyone, get in the car,” Reed ordered calmly.
Angela quickly ran around the car and sat in the front, Devlin hopped in the back with Laurel, and Reed took the driver’s seat.
Reed backed up at full speed, then released the gas, and jerked the steering wheel hard to the right. This difficult maneuver caused the car to spin one hundred and eighty degrees in the space of two car lengths; after which Reed quickly changed gears and slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The car’s engine roared its approval and took off out of the parking lot.
The cops came out of the station just in time to catch a glimpse of the Plymouth Barracuda. They all ran for any squad car they could bum a ride off of. There were only five squad cars in the above ground parking lot and many officers were left behind; a few stopped to check on Hutchison.
The gang was speeding up North 4th street when the squad cars appeared in the rearview mirror with lights flashing and sirens wailing.
Matt had managed to get into the car that was now near the middle of the pack of pursuit cars. He picked up the radio and reported to dispatch immediately. “All units in pursuit of an early model Plymouth Barracuda, black; now heading northbound on 4th street at sixty miles an hour!
Reed suddenly turned right with graceful efficiency, keeping well ahead of the cops.
“Now east on Cooper Street!”
Sergeant Nitch was in the car at the head of the pursuing party, his voice suddenly came over the loudspeaker. “Reed Newton, stop your car and indicate that you are willing to surrender or we will use force! You have ten seconds to comply!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Reed rolled his eyes.
After ten seconds Nitch turned to the guy in the passenger seat and said, “We need to stop this guy before he can get to any heavy traffic. Open fire, aim for his tires.”
The officer nodded and grabbed the assault shotgun from the back seat barricade. He rolled down his window and leaned out; taking quick aim, he fired. The bullets exploded on the rear signal lights.
“Hey!” Reed yelled. “Damn it, don’t do that!”
Suddenly there was another loud report of a shotgun; this time glancing off the pavement near the rear right tire.
Reed shook his head. “That’s it. Angela, take the wheel.”
“What?” Angela shrieked.
“Do it!” Reed ordered.
Angela grabbed the wheel and tried to hold it steady; a moan of disapproval escaping her lips.
“Alright,” Reed said. “Now move over me so we can switch seats.”
Angela partially stood up in her own seat and moved to the left while Reed moved to the right. Halfway, Angela sat on Reed’s lap to find new footing and moved her feet to the accelerator.
“What are they doing?” a cop asked Matt.
“They must be switching seats so Newton can do something,” Matt answered. “Be careful.”
As Angela was leaving Reed’s lap she said, “Is that a gun in your pocket or you just happy to see me?”
“Very funny, just get your big butt in the seat,” Reed said.
“Hey!” Angela yelled. “I do not have a fat ass!”
Finally Angela plopped down into the driver’s seat and Reed sat in the passenger’s.
“Don’t swear, Angela,” Reed said. “You never hear me swear.”
“You swear. I know you do; even if it’s not around me!”
“Whatever,” Reed muttered.
Reed didn’t stop in the passenger’s seat, he continued to climb into the back seat and then onto the trunk!
“Reed, what’re you doing?” Laurel yelled.
Reed didn’t answer; he simply yelled, “Pop the trunk!” to Angela.
Angela clumsily reached down and pulled the release lever. The trunk opened but she lost control for a moment and the car wavered. Reed lost his balance and fell over the side of the car! Quickly he grabbed the now exposed edge of the trunk and dangled next to the rear tire.
“Jesus,” Matt breathed.
“Reed!” Devlin shouted.
“What?” Reed asked.
Devlin stopped and thought for a moment. “I don’t know; I just felt the need to scream your name.”
Reed’s shoes scraped along the road as he tried to pull himself back up. He managed to get his other hand on the edge and pull himself up. There he reached his left hand up and grabbed the open trunk door. With one last, strong pull he threw his whole body into the trunk.
None were quite sure what Reed was up to. The officer beside Sergeant Nitch asked, “What’s he doing? Are there any weapons in that trunk?”
Nitch shook his head. “No, there’s nothing but a silly pin-thing.”
Reed grabbed the metal sheet in the trunk and pulled it to its upright position, then he grabbed the pin and inserted it into the hole connecting the sheet to the rest of the car. The pin caused the sheet of metal to stay in its upright position. The purpose of the metal sheet and the mysterious pin was suddenly, insultingly clear. It was a shield. The sheet separated Reed from the onslaught of bullets; which made the trunk…a mobile bunker.
“Distract them with the caltrops!” Reed yelled.
“There aren’t any in the glove box, Reed!” Devlin yelled back.
“I took them out! They’re in my purse!” Angela interjected.
Devlin climbed over the front seat and sat down; then reached under the dashboard pulled up the pink purse. He reached inside and immediately let out an, “Ow!” but a moment later pulled out the small, sharp, metal spikes.
“Okay got ‘em!” Devlin yelled.
“Good job, throw them!” Reed yelled back.
Devlin turned around in the seat and lobbed the caltrops into the middle of the road. Nitch swerved and missed them, but just barely. The car behind hit dead on and its tires exploded with a sudden bang! The car lost control and involuntarily turned a full ninety degrees. Another squad car rammed it in the side. The sheer force of the hit and the precarious position of the car tipped it over onto its roof. Matt and the final car maneuvered around the wreckage easily.
Reed grabbed a loose corner of the carpet in the trunk and tore it up from the floor. The simple act unveiled a trap door leading down into the car itself. Reed twisted the handle and pulled the trap door open; revealing a cache of guns of all sorts ranging from high caliber pistols to fully automatic assault rifles.
The cop sitting next to Nitch was still leaning out the window; the gun trained on the car. “I can’t get a shot! Get out here ya chicken shit!”
Suddenly Reed burst up from behind the shield with an M-4 assault rifle and began unloading on Nitch’s car. The cop screamed and ducked back inside as numerous bullet holes were punched in the hood. The officer driving Matt’s car slowed down to avoid the barrage. Soon there was so much damage to the hood of Nitch’s car that the lock busted and the wind opened it. The engine started on fire and Nitch was blinded by the vertical hood. He had no choice but to pull over and stop the car.
The car behind