On the run: part 3

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The Koenigsegg CCX growled under Princess's hands, sleek and powerful like a living missile.
The switch had been fast — a secret contact Piranha set up before the race even started, just in case she needed a new ride.

And she needed it.

The Dodge had barely made it out of Wisconsin alive.

Now, Princess had one mission:
Finish this race. Save her family. Win it all.

Stage 7: Chicago

Chicago rose out of the mist like a titan skyscrapers, steel bridges, winding riverways.

Princess adjusted the pink bandana over her mouth.

Too many cameras. Too many watchers.

She needed to be a ghost here.

Chicago traffic was brutal bumper to bumper, flashing lights everywhere, horns blaring.

Princess weaved the Koenigsegg through impossibly small gaps, the car responding like it was reading her mind.

At the Wabash Bridge, disaster struck —
A blockade of police cruisers ahead.

Dozens of flashing lights, cops ready, barricades already up.

Princess's mind raced.

No way through. No way back.

Unless—

She spotted it: a construction ramp set up to fix the bridge railing.

Princess jammed the gas pedal to the floor.
The Koenigsegg screamed forward, She hit the ramp at 110 miles per hour, Sailed through the air over the blockade And landed hard on the other side, shocks screaming, but the car held together.

People screamed.

Cops stumbled after her, too slow to catch.

Princess didn't stop.

Didn't even hesitate.

She was out of Chicago before they could even organize the chase.

Stage 8: Pennsylvania

The long flat highways gave way to rolling hills and thick forests.

Pennsylvania was colder grey skies, the air sharp and biting.

The Koenigsegg devoured the miles, the engine a deep, predatory hum.

But Princess knew she wasn't alone.

The mob wasn't giving up.

A black muscle car something old and brutal had been tailing her since Ohio, hanging back just out of easy sight.

They were waiting for the right moment.

Princess kept her breathing steady, pretending she hadn't noticed.

When the ambush came, it was sudden a spike strip thrown across the road ahead.

Princess had seconds to react.

She yanked the wheel hard, veering off the road onto a narrow service trail between trees.

The Koenigsegg bounced and skidded, gravel flying.

The mob car followed, headlights slashing through the trees.

It was a deadly game now speeds over 100mph, no space to maneuver, trees like steel pillars rushing past.

One mistake and she'd be dead.

Princess gritted her teeth and pushed harder.

Finally, the trees thinned — the trail ended at a frozen river.

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