Treasure Hunters: Book of Secrets

Ten: Just Another Gates Family Trip

The four dashed to their rental car.

"Okay, I'll drive!" Riley jumped into the front seat - only there wasn't any wheel.

"We're in England," Ben reminded him, climbing into the other seat, the driver's seat. Alex and Abigail climbed into the back.

Ben started the car and turned on the back-up camera. "He's got a gun! Get down!"

Everybody ducked down just as the back window was shattered by a bullet.

Ben threw the car in reverse and began speeding backwards through the narrow streets. Finally, when they reached the main road, he began moving forwards. "Hold on!"

Wilkinson and his gang had acquired cars themselves, and were now in hot pursuit, the chase wreaking havoc in the streets of London.

"Left! Go left!"

"Turn turn!"

"Ben!"

Ben turned the next corner sharply, causing the car to skid to the side and smash into a bus, shattering the side windows.

"The rental company is not going to be very happy," muttered Alex.

"Good thing it's registered under Ben's name," added Riley.

"Everyone okay?" Ben called, but the others were too shocked to answer.

Next thing they knew they were forced to slow down, trapped behind a large truck transporting barrels of beer.

"Come on, come on," mumbled Ben impatiently. Peering through the rear-view mirror and seeing that Wilkinson was only getting closer, he pulled the car sharply around the truck, just as one of the men in pursuit of them started firing at them again, the bullets hitting the truck and sending the barrels of beer everywhere.

Suddenly, the tense silence amongst the four friends was broken by the shrill ringing of someone's cell phone. It was Abigail's.

"It's him."

"You have his number?!" Alex and Riley both cried.

"Oh shut up," she shot back as Ben snatched the phone from her hand.

"Mitch, this has got to end now before someone gets hurt."

"Just give me what you found at Buckingham Palace and that won't be necessary," the others could just make out from the other end.

"Tell that to my father," Ben replied before ending the call.

They were forced to slow down again as a large crowd had accumulated on the street in their path. Ben inched the car forward, repeatedly honking the horn. "What are all these people doing?"

"Why is everyone running?"

Looking behind them, the group saw that Wilkinson's crew had commandeered the beer truck and were now charging towards them, Londoners frantically trying to get out of the way.

"He's right there!" yelled Abigail. "Go!"

"Did I just run over a man's foot?!"

"Eyes on the road Ben!" screeched his sister. She cringed - they were making such a mess of the beautiful city.

Ben continued to swerve through the little, narrow streets, which seemed to be growing narrower. There was no way the truck could keep following them through here, could it?

Finally they were able to cut back onto the main road, only Wilkinson himself was still pursuing them in a car.

"He's still behind us," Abigail updated.

"Does this have a camera?" Ben held up her cellphone.

"No, it's broken."

He sighed and threw the phone onto the back seat. "Fine. Alright, give me the plank." Riley passed it to him. "Okay hold on - we're going to run a red light."

"What?!"

"It's been nice knowing you guys," Riley said.

Ben honked the horn to get some people off the street before speeding through a crosswalk, holding up the plank in front of himself. The traffic camera blinked.

"Riley, hack into the London police database and get a copy of that photo."

"Okey-dokey," Riley said half-heartedly back, already pulling out his laptop.

"You can't do it?"

"No, I can do it. I just don't like that you assume that I can do it."

"Ha, thank you Riley," agreed Abigail.

"There's not much technology-wise our Riley can't do," said Alex, squeezing his arm. This comment turned his whole face pink.

The road merged onto a bridge up ahead. Now both the car and the beer truck were pursuing them.

"But what was the point of that?" Alex asked as Riley hacked into the security photos.

"We're going to give them the plank," her brother replied.

"What?!"

"But we still need a copy for ourselves." Ben swerved the car around other drivers on the bridge, Wilkinson doing the same and pulling up alongside them. Ben rolled down the window, Wilkinson doing the same, and Ben reached out, plank in hand. Just when it looked like he would hand it over, he tossed it up and over the side of the bridge, and the engraved piece of wood went plop! into the Thames below.

"Okay..." said Riley, obviously confused.

"You almost hit someone when you threw the plank!" Alex scolded her brother.

Ben didn't answer, but continued to speed down the road, leaving their pursuers behind with the clue.

Finally, when he felt they were far enough away, he drew the car to a halt, everyone sitting in silence, recovering.

"Just another Gates family trip, huh?" Riley eyed the siblings.

Brother and sister exchanged a sheepish glance. "Yeah..."

(Poor London ;) Haha love that scene! Love the whole movie! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, thanks so much for reading! :))