‘Dangle him over a cliff until he talks?’
Nina smiled. ‘Hopefully it won’t come to that.’
‘I don’t know.’ Macy became more solemn. ‘I mean, those bastards deserve it. How did he find out about this Italian guy?’
‘We got some help from…’ Nina glanced at the Egyptians, not wanting them to know about her contact with the Mossad. Deyab was focused on the road ahead, a seemingly endless straight line disappearing to the shimmering horizon. Behind, Banna and Habib were talking in Arabic, the latter seeming on edge and distracted—
A flash of sunlight on silver caught her eye. The SUV she had noticed before was still tailing them. It had pulled out to overtake a truck that the little convoy had just passed, but was maintaining the same distance as before.
Most people would have dismissed the vehicle’s continued presence as mere coincidence, but recent events — and past experience — had made her more paranoid. She stared intently at the SUV as it pulled back in behind the Fortuner. ‘Is something wrong, Dr Wilde?’ asked Habib.
‘I don’t know. Maybe. A car’s been following us.’
Deyab looked in the mirror. ‘Which one?’
‘The silver SUV. It’s been behind us for miles now.’
The Egyptian spoke into a walkie-talkie. ‘The rear guard has seen it,’ he reported after getting a reply. ‘They do not think it is anything to worry about; it is just going at the same speed. We do have speed limits here in Egypt, even if you do not believe it!’ he added with a chuckle.
‘Most of them do kinda drive like psychopaths,’ Macy whispered.
‘Humour me and slow down, just to see what he does,’ Nina said.
‘You think it’s those Nazis?’ Macy asked, adding: ‘Huh. That sounds so weird saying that.’
‘I’d rather not find out.’
Habib snorted. ‘You are worrying about nothing.’
‘I am surprised, Youssef,’ said Banna, in a faintly jabbing tone. ‘You are the one who insisted that we take the relic to Cairo, and you arranged the security — if anything goes wrong, it will be on your head! We should not take any risks.’
The annoyed official had no comeback to that. Deyab spoke into the radio again. ‘Okay, we are slowing down,’ he announced after the other cars responded.
Nina looked back as the convoy reduced speed. The object of her suspicion remained blocked from view by the Fortuner… until it pulled out sharply and powered past. She tried to see who was inside, but the windows were too darkly tinted.
‘He is not following us, then,’ said Habib as the big SUV, a Volkswagen Touareg, swept away down the highway.
‘I guess not,’ Nina replied. But she couldn’t shake off a feeling of worry. The SUV could have overtaken them at any time, so why had it waited until now to pick up speed? ‘Deyab, is there anyone else behind us?’
‘Nobody is following us!’ exclaimed the agitated Habib. ‘How could anyone even know we are transporting the relic? Our journey is a secret.’
‘The plan of the tomb was supposed to be secret too, but the Nazis got hold of it somehow,’ she reminded him.
The Egyptian responded with anger. ‘I have started a full investigation into the leak! Whoever was responsible, I will find them.’
‘That should not take long, should it, Youssef? The list of suspects is very short,’ said Banna. Bitterness flooded his voice. ‘Shorter now, after yesterday.’
‘How many people had access to the tomb plan?’ asked Macy.
‘Not many. Myself, Dina and Bill Schofield at the dig, and at the Ministry, Dr Assad, of course…’ He looked at the man beside him. ‘And you, Youssef.’
‘I do not like your tone, Dr Banna,’ Habib said, frowning deeply. ‘If you are suggesting that I—’
‘I am not suggesting anything,’ Banna insisted, though it was obvious that now the idea had been planted, it was not going to leave.
The government official looked away, affronted — to find the two women giving him looks that were, if not outright accusatory, at least questioning. Tight-lipped, he turned to watch the desiccated plains slide past.
Nina regarded him for a long moment. Banna was correct: the number of people who could have accessed the detailed map given to her by Volker Koenig was indeed small, and several of them were now dead. But in the absence of evidence, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, the same finger that might point at Habib could equally be directed at Banna himself.
She checked the highway ahead. There was little to be seen on this stretch but sandy scrub. Vehicles going to Alexandria flicked past on the other side of the concrete central divider, but even with the road narrowing from four lanes down to three, there was almost no traffic.
The silver SUV was still there, though, visible past the convoy’s leading car. It had slowed again, matching their speed a few hundred yards distant. Nina eyed it. Was it just a coincidence that it was keeping pace with them, or…
The Touareg suddenly pulled out. The reason for its swerve came into sight as the leading Mercedes also moved over: a pickup truck with a shredded rear tyre was slewed at an angle in its path, blocking the inside lane.
The convoy leader’s voice crackled from Deyab’s walkie-talkie. The Egyptian acknowledged, pulling out to pass the stranded truck. ‘Shouldn’t we help them?’ Macy asked.
Deyab shook his head apologetically. ‘We need to get to Cairo on schedule.’ Ahead, the first car was about to pass the pickup. ‘But I can call the traffic police and—’
The truck and the Mercedes both vanished in a flash of flame.
The deafening crack of an explosion hit the minivan a fraction of a second later. The front windshield shattered, fragments spraying its occupants. Eyes squeezed shut, Deyab stamped on the brake. The van skidded across the highway — and crashed into the mangled remains of the convoy’s lead vehicle.
Dazed, Nina sat up — and felt heat scouring her face. The Merc had been flipped on its side and set aflame by the car bomb, blocking the two outer lanes. The minivan’s nose was buried in the wreckage. Fire was already spreading to the Toyota’s bodywork. ‘Deyab!’ she cried. ‘Go back, reverse!’
The Egyptian brought up an arm to shield his face from the blaze, fumbling for the gear selector with the other. Through the flames, Nina saw sunlight flash off silver and glass. The Touareg had swung around to come back towards them—
Gunfire!
She twisted, looking past the dazed Banna and Habib to see that the Fortuner had stopped behind them. One of the ASPS jumped out — only to be cut down by a burst of bullets from another van. Black-clad men scrambled from the newly arrived vehicle and opened up with automatic weapons. The Egyptian guards thrashed and flailed as rounds ripped through their bodies.
Horrified, Nina desperately pounded a fist against Deyab’s shoulder. ‘Go, get us out of here! It’s an ambush!’
The bodyguard floored the accelerator. The engine whined, but the minivan could only manage a crawl, its front bumper entangled with the Mercedes. He jerked the steering wheel in an effort to shake it loose.
The Touareg stopped on the other side of the burning barricade. More men jumped out — Rasche amongst them. ‘It’s them, it’s the Nazis!’ Nina yelled. ‘Jesus Christ, go!’
Guns raised, the attackers ran towards them—
The minivan broke free. It lurched backwards, swerving off the road before Deyab regained control. He braked hard and shoved the gear selector into drive.
The van scrabbled through the sand. The Egyptian spun the wheel to round the blockade — and charge at the gunmen. Some of the Nazis had to dive to avoid being mowed down.
‘Everyone duck!’ Nina yelled, seeing guns being brought to bear. She dropped low, pushing Macy’s head down. But the expected assault didn’t come.