Highway Robbery by Franklin W. Dixon Page A

Frank yelled.
    Shots rang out in the quiet lot!

Chapter 14
    Frank leaped at the astonished Hal Brady and bulldogged him to the ground. A bullet that would have caught the big driver squarely in the chest ripped through the sleeve of his shirt instead, just grazing the skin. The other shots passed harmlessly overhead.
    From his position flat on the pavement, Frank heard the car doors open and then slam. Three men got out. Three flashlights snapped on and began to cut through the darkness, searching out their target - and anyone else who got in the way. Each man held a flashlight and an automatic pistol.
    "Frank! Brady!" Joe's whisper came from behind a large metal trash container on wheels near the wall. "Over here!"
    Frank tapped Hal Brady's shoulder. "Stay with me! Stay low and keep quiet!"
    He crawled toward the protection of the trash bin, with Brady just behind him. They ducked between the bin and the wall, where they found Joe crouched.
    "What - " Brady started to say, but at a furious gesture from Joe, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Who are those guys? I don't understand!"
    "It's your buddy Lou Gerard, or some of his friends," Joe said softly. "He's the one who got you to come here, isn't he?"
    "Yeah, but - "
    "He set you up, Brady!" Frank hissed. He carefully peered out from behind their cover, then ducked back. "One of them's headed straight for us."
    "But - but why!" Brady was stunned. His eyes were wide, and he was shaking his head, trying to make sense of the mystery.
    "Later for that," Joe said. "Right now, staying alive is our top priority."
    The three gunmen had fanned out, and Frank saw that one was approaching the Dumpster.
    "On my signal," Frank whispered to the others, "shove this thing forward, hard. Then we'll try to wheel it toward the office and use it as a shield until we get inside."
    "Hey!" came the voice of the closest thug, only a few feet from the bin now. "I think I hear 'em!"
    "Go!" Frank snapped, not bothering to keep his voice down. He, Joe, and Brady pushed the big trash container forward, ramming it into the gunman. The man fell, and it sounded as if his flashlight broke as he went down.
    Joe darted out to get the bulky bin moving in the right direction, then ducked back behind it as shots rang out from two guns. He heard the shots bounce off the metal, as the bin creaked toward the door to the offices.
    The goons stalked them as Frank twisted the key in the lock and swung the door open. He and Brady dived in first, followed by Joe, who dragged the bin across the doorway, where their pursuers would use up a few seconds getting it out of the way. Brady grabbed an ignition key off a rack in the office. The group dashed for the garage, which stood dark and shut down for the night.
    Once in the garage, they stopped to listen. They could hear the Dumpster being moved from the door, and then they heard footsteps in Matt's office. Joe risked a quick look back and said quietly, "There are two of them in there. They must've left one on guard outside."
    The attack had taken Brady by surprise, but he caught on fast. "This is the key to my old rig. The tractor's three down, with the custom chrome work on the sides. If one of you can open the garage door to the outside, we might be able to break out of here."
    The door was raised by a chain and pulley system, Brady explained. "I'll do it," said Joe. "How's the arm, Brady? Are you all right?"
    Startled, Brady noticed for the first time a dark stain on the right sleeve of his shirt. "It's nothing, just a graze," he said. "I didn't even know I was hit."
    Frank stationed himself next to the door that led to the offices, pressing himself flat against the wall. Joe went to the outside garage door and grasped the chain to raise it as Hal Brady quickly clambered up into the cab of his old semi.
    When Joe gave him a high sign, Brady started the truck's powerful diesel engine. Then Joe pulled the chain, arm over arm, raising the corrugated metal door with a