«If I had my gun,» dreamed a furious Oleg, thinking about the firearm he carried in Moscow. «I’d quickly teach you how to respect me!»
«Where are the damn police when you need them?» thought the vexed Lana, feeling dizzy.
The truck changed routes again, and the pursuit doubled back to the city limits.
* * * * *
Sitting in his police car, Jeff Menard was peacefully drinking coffee, when he saw a blue truck. The vehicle flew by his cruiser, and Oleg’s Jeep shot after it.
Jeff choked, threw out his paper cup and, turning on the siren, he pulled after the speeding vehicles. He reported it, and kept his eyes on the cars.
Oleg continued chasing, and finally found a suitable place to finish the pursuit, as it had started to fatigue him. He moved his car closer to the truck, and glanced at Lana. «Do you trust me, honey?»
«Yes,» she replied, impressed. «I do.»
«I’m going to stop this bastard, but it will take a hit on your side.»
«I trust you,» she repeated setting her arms and legs, and her muscles strained.
It was not the first time Oleg had done this. He sharply turned his car, and the vehicles hit each other. He did it so skillfully that the Blue Truck merely ripped off the door of his car, then veered into a ditch.
Oleg stopped. He saw the oncoming police cars. Lana looked at him with adoration. Suddenly the driver of the Blue Truck appeared from the ditch holding a baseball bat, and hit it on the window on Lana’s side. The girl squealed.
Oleg grabbed his tire-lever and rushed outside. Their weapons crossed, but Oleg had much more experience in fighting, and he swatted the bat away.
«Freeze!» Oleg heard and dropped the tire-lever. Lana rushed to him, and, sobbing, she fell onto his chest.
«You are a real hero,» she whispered into his ear, and he smiled smugly.
* * * * *
It was 4:36 p.m. already when Lana and Oleg finally reached the building site. It was a special place where Mr. Limpson usually tested all the innovations.
The couple entered and saw Lana’s father talking with Ruslan Grafinsky, and Oleg became concerned. But when they came closer, he heard it was a discussion about Ruslan’s modernization plans.
«With that combination of pulleys,» Ruslan explained with enthusiasm in his voice, «the crane would elevate a weight at least twice as heavy as now. You’ll see, observe.» They saw Oleg and Lana, and Ruslan fell silent.
«Daddy!» The girl hugged her father. She briefly told him about the pursuit. She laid it on thick and Oleg felt himself a true hero. Yet he noticed the skeptic look on Mr. Limpson’s face, and he interrupted Lana, «My love, it was nothing.»