The Hardy Boys Casefiles : Dead on Target

Chapter 6

FRANK AND JOE sat frozen as a dozen bullets hit the windshield and ricocheted off.

 The Gray Man let out a long breath. "Another security feature - bulletproof glass," he said, watchingthe van pull off ahead of them. "They'd need a bazooka to hurt us." 

"Y-you might have mentioned that earlier," Frank said, trying to get control of his voice.

 No answer from the Gray Man. He was dialing a number on a cellular phone on the dashboard."We're about four miles along the Interstate. Hostiles attacking. Get some backup here to intercept."He hung up with a smile. "Nothing more to worry about."

 The van had roared down the road about a hundred yards. Now it whipped around in a tight U-turnand came careening back toward them.

 "What would happen if those guys tried to ram us?" Joe asked.

 "Let's not find out," the Gray Man replied, gunning the engine. From a standing start, the car shotforward, but it wasn't entirely out of the way when the van barreled up from behind.

 A sideswipe sent their car fishtailing down the road as the Gray Man fought the wheel. They'd turnedalmost halfway around before he was back in control. 

Meanwhile, the van shrieked around in another U-turn, coming for them again. 

"They'll catch us broadside!" Frank yelled. 

The Gray Man twisted the wheel and tromped hard on the accelerator. Squealing tires left long rubbertracks on the road as the car whirled around and peeled out. 

But the van was too close to escape. It smashed into the rear of the car, sending everyone lurching.Twice more it approached and rammed, coming close enough to give the Hardys a clear view of thedriver. Although his face was masked, they could see the fanatical gleam in his eyes.

 He was joined by a second figure, the machine gunner from the rear of the van. He leaned out the sidewindow, firing the Uzi one-handed. The burst wasn't accurate; he was merely hosing the car withbullets.

 "They can't hurt us with that," said the Gray Man, flinching as a stream of slugs smacked into thewindows. "But they certainly are distracting."

 Now the van pulled abreast of the car, trying to force it off the road. The car bounced to the shoulder,throwing out a stream of gravel as its tires howled in protest. For a second it was off the roadcompletely. Then the Gray Man pulled it back onto the pavement-only to find the van had turned againand was coming at them head-on! 

"It's like a game of chicken," Joe muttered as he watched the now dented front end of the van loomcloser. "Only this guy isn't going to back off." 

The van ate up the distance between them as the Gray Man tried desperate evasive maneuvers. Heheaded left, but the van drifted into his path. He aimed right, but the van moved to intercept again. 

Faking left, then right, the Gray Man pushed the pedal to the floor. The car shot forward, swerving leftyet again. For one horrible instant the van loomed before them, then they were past it, but they stilltook a glancing blow that left the car teetering on two wheels. For a second it hung there, about to flipover; then it bounced back to the road with a bone-jarring impact.

 "I've had just about enough of this," the Gray Man said through gritted teeth, reaching for somethingmounted under the dashboard. His hand returned with a Browning automatic pistol. "Can either of youhandle this?" 

Joe took the heavy gun, hefting it. "Dad always makes us practice on the firing range," he said. "I'mthe better shot." 

He looked at the Gray Man. "But do you think it's a good idea to open a window with that Uzi outthere?"