Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

Crash

The loud crunching of metal against metal only registered after the fact. A jerky but swift motion sent the SUV across the safety line and into the lane of traffic ahead of them.

If not for Ransom's protective instinct, which compelled him to hold tightly to Kaya, she might have cracked her head against the dashboard.

As quickly as he shielded her, Ransom released her to grab a hold of the steering wheel. The vehicle fish-tailed as he hit the gas to narrowly miss an oncoming car. 

Kaya tried to look out the back window to see what had happened, but to no avail. The vehicle moved too quickly through traffic to get a good look at who had hit them. Although... it might be the ugly yellow truck careening through traffic behind them.

"Ransom..." Kaya gripped the handle above the door as if her life depended on it. It very well might. 

"I see him. Hang on." 

As if he had been trained to avoid this very situation, Ransom cranked the steering wheel and managed to turn far enough to sail down the road in the correct direction, with the flow of traffic. 

As expected, the truck barreled after them. 

Ransom stepped on the gas, pushing the pedal to the floor. "Are you okay?" 

"Oh, now you ask?" Kaya pressed her head back against the headrest and tried not to regurgitate her dinner. 

Ransom zoomed between cars and lanes like a maniac, but with surprising ease and effortless calculation. "I see. You get feisty when you're panicked. Noted." 

"Are you not panicked?" Kaya's voice squeaked. That's when she realized the extent of her fear. 

Ransom glanced in his rearview mirror. "I'm angry." 

Kaya followed his gaze. The yellow truck had less consideration for the cars on the road beside them. He swatted the small cars out of the way like flies, batted back and forth between the larger ones like a ping-pong ball. 

In no time flat, the truck had managed to catch up to them. 

Kaya curled up, prepared for impact. 

The truck's nose tapped their rear bumper. 

Ransom swore and switched lanes, allowing the truck to come alongside them. Almost even. 

And then, Ransom turned off the street and came to a screeching halt. 

Kaya peeked one eye open, prepared to see headlights coming straight at them. Or something like that. 

Instead, she saw a line of police cruisers, all parked. 

Ransom unbuckled his seatbelt and reached to do the same for Kaya. "Get out." 

"Are we... where is this?" Kaya disentangled herself from the seatbelt and pushed open her door. 

Ransom arrived quickly enough to heft her out of the SUV and down to her feet on the asphalt. "Police station. Let's get inside." 

She should have thought about it. Should have realized going to the police would be the easiest way to get out of their car-chase situation. But she hadn't. Because she had panicked. Would she ever learn to be calm in the midst of turmoil?

Ransom wrapped an arm around Kaya's shoulders and ushered her up the steps and through the doors. Yes. Of course. Kaya wouldn't have thought about this, because the police had never helped her before, but inside a police station might very well be the safest place right now.