Edge of Chaos Read Online Free PDF Page A

much
time.”
    Carter reaches
around behind his seat until he locates the lever. He pulls up hard until the
panel opens up. He gets out of his chair and crawls through the opening.
    “Hurry it up,
Carter! I think I see lights ahead.”
    Luke slows the
truck down. No point rushing to an ambush.
    “Come on, Carter…
what’s happening back there?”
    For an answer, he
deposits a pair of Heckler and Koch 9mm hand guns along with four extra
magazines onto the passenger’s seat. He goes back to digging around, keenly
aware that they are running out of time. Finally, he locates the crate with the
rocket launchers. As he’s prying open the crate, he feels the truck coming to a
standstill. With his heart in his mouth, he asks for an update.
    “We stopped. Why’d
we stop?”
    “They got the road
blocked,” Luke replies as he loads one of the H&K’s. “Hurry up with that
rocket, Carter. They’re all bunched up now, but when they make a run at us,
that thing will be useless.”
    “I know, I know…”
    Finally, he
locates the rockets and drops them both on the front seat. Luke glances behind
them. The bikers have yet to advance, but the crew to their front appears to be
getting ready to make their attack.
    “At least they won’t be shooting rockets at us,” Luke says.
    “Why not?”
    “They obviously
know our cargo, so they’re not going to want to blow it up.”
    “Unless their goal
isn't to steal our guns,” Carter begins, “but to just show our clients that we
can’t protect our shipments. In that case, they’re gonna blow us to kingdom
come.”
    “You got that
thing figured out yet?” Luke asks.
     “I think so…” Carter
says, as he tries to arm an M72A2 LAW rocket launcher in the dark.
    “Remember, you
gotta hang out of the cab or you’re gonna blow us all up.”
    “Got it.”
    “Shit, they’re on
the move! You either shoot that thing now or we go to plan B.”
    Carter scrambles
out of the back of the truck and into the cab.
    “You got about
three seconds, Carter, before it’s too late.”
    “Shut up and let
me think!”
    Luke throws the
truck into reverse and slams on the gas.
    Carter leans out
the window and points the rocket towards the lights. He presses the trigger.
    Click
    “Shit!”
    “Don’t say shit,
Carter; what the fuck’s happening?”
    “I don’t know…”
    Suddenly, the air
is full of popping sounds and breaking glass. Luke leans out his window and
empties his H&K.
    “Carter!”
    A sudden whoosh
fills the cab and for an instant both Carter and Luke are blinded by the flame
trail left by the rocket. An instant later, a huge orange fireball fills the
night sky and the front end of the truck is lifted up off the ground as the
shockwave from the blast reaches them and passes through.
    “Carter! You
okay?”
    After a brief
pause, the other biker speaks up. “Yeah, I’m okay. See if you can get this
thing going. We still got 3 guys behind us.”
    Luke stops and
shifts into first, desperate to plow forward. They approach the burned out
wrecks of a half dozen or so motorcycles scattered about on the blackened
highway. The air is full of the acrid smell of smoke, burning flesh, and
gasoline. The carnage from a single LAW's rocket is astounding. As they maneuver
through the detritus, Luke breathes a sigh of relief. This could have been him.
Once clear of the wreckage, he floors it. At some point, the three guys behind
them are going come after them. They’ll figure out that there’s nothing to be
done for their friends and they’ll be looking for revenge.
    Luke throws the
truck into 4th and steps on it. They really do need to beat their pursuers. The
client’s not going be happy if they come in hot to the drop point.
    “What I wouldn’t
give for a GPS right now…,” Luke grumbles.
    “You don’t know
where the drop is?”
    “Of course, I do.
I just know one route. I want to take a different route so we can be sure to
lose those guys behind us. I don’t suppose you know