CHAPTER NINE
It became clear that the rushing feet knew exactly where to go.
Cross rose just a millisecond before Heidi. “The good news is it’s doubtful they’re the Chinese because they should have left a while ago. And it’s not guards as they’re still inside,” he said. “I don’t know who these guys are.”
“That’s good news?” Heidi said. “Let’s just hope it’s some local gang blundering in the dark.”
“Well, they’re not blundering now,” Gunn said urgently. “They’re heading right this way!”
The men were dressed in jeans and T-shirts, faces dark; some wore headscarves and others face masks with skeletal images. Several carried knives and at least two carried .38s. They made little sound but ran right for the team.
She reached for the gun she’d left behind in the room just in case the museum used weapons detectors. Shit! They were not equipped to fight these opponents.
She radioed the car before running hard to the left, veering away from them. Gunn loped at her side, hissing for an odd kind of aid.
“Keep me straight. Make sure I’m not going to trip over anything.”
He was tapping at his tablet as he ran.
Now? Some people just can’t put their phones down.
She’d met what she called the phone zombies — and Gunn was a prime example — on the streets of DC and London. Even bumped into a few. But never before had she seen one in danger, running for its life.
“Gunn! Put Sonic down and run!”
He glanced up, evaded a bush, kept sprinting.
“What the hell are you—”
Then it became apparent he had a plan. The sprinklers turned on behind them, several high jets of water suddenly shooting up in wide arcs, surprising their pursuers, and tripping a few up. Then, the brightest of floodlights glared on, shining in their faces. Alarms sounded just as Heidi made it to the road and saw the black car pulling up.
“Get in!”
They piled in and the vehicle squealed away from the curb just as their pursuers reached them. One aimed a kick at the car that connected perfectly and must have practically broken his foot. Another attempted to jump onto the trunk, missed, and face-planted in the road.
“Well done!” Heidi congratulated Gunn. “You kept them off us just long enough.”
The younger man blushed. “Happy I could help.”
Heidi punched him. “You fucking British. So well mannered. Take a fucking compliment and own it, brother.”
Gunn just grinned, rubbing his shoulder where she’d hit him. Heidi squirmed in her seat to look out the back window.
“All hell breaking loose at the museum,” she said, wincing. “But we left no trace and nothing was taken. Problem is, those lunatics have a car.”
Cross twisted. “They do? That’s not good at all. Let’s move it, Lucas.”
Heidi echoed his statement and the car lurched ahead. Lucas knew his way around, speeding up several narrow streets to attempt evasion. After two minutes, though, their pursuers were closing despite it being clear that their car was beyond full.
“We have guns in the car, right?” Heidi asked.
Lucas motioned to the glovebox. Gunn, in the front seat, opened the latch and plucked out a single black Glock and two mags.
“That’s it?”
Heidi sighed. “Make ’em count.”
“Oh, thanks for the advice.”
The car wound down a sharp hill and bounced across a junction. At the bottom, a curve sent them to the left, toward the sea. Heidi watched as the pursuing vehicle, a dark-blue Toyota sedan, moved up to their rear bumper.
“You gonna shoot them, or what?” Cross asked.
“They haven’t actually fired on us yet.”
“They want the pictures.”
“Possibly. But how did they blunder on us at the museum?”
“Well, they blundered across the gardens. And they blundered into our car. And now they’re blundering up our ass. Maybe that guard tipped them off. Maybe they were watching for days. It’d make sense.”
Heidi agreed with Cross but said nothing. She watched their pursuers closely as they whipped through more streets. Another few minutes passed. The road broadened and Lucas was able to stamp on the gas pedal.
The car behind veered wildly as it pushed hard to keep up. Men hung out of the windows, losing scarves and weapons as they bounced around. Heidi saw a ragtag organization, a reckless one, but nonetheless dangerous. At the first sign of a raised gun she would—
The car swerved left, making her lose her balance. She was flung against Cross, knocking him into Jemma. Reaching out, she managed to grab the seat back and haul herself up. “A little warning next time,” she panted.
Copacabana Beach appeared ahead. The broad, white sands arced away to the left, a vast expanse leading to the foaming surf, mostly empty now apart from a few lone strollers. Thousands of lights illuminated the curve, bright and golden and reflected in the far waters so that they appeared to bleed into the sea. High-rise buildings rose to the right, their own lights blazing, and between them a wide roadway stretched, following the line of the beach. Rows and rows of cars were parked in front of the hotels.
They hit the Avenue Atlantica at speed. Heidi knew it would only be a matter of minutes before they were seen by cops.
That can’t happen.
The op would be busted before it had a chance to even begin.
The car raced hard down the beachfront highway with Sugarloaf Mountain at their backs. The area before the beach and the road was packed with bars and refreshment stands, hordes of tourists, and locals lounging around on their motorcycles. Palm trees and barriers flashed by. A man was forced to dive out of the way, rolling headlong into a bush. Another man climbed a metal fence, his right foot almost brushing the top of their car.
Heidi pointed at the rows of parked cars to their right.
“Stop. Either we’re gonna kill someone out here or we’re gonna get arrested. Just pull in there.”
Gunn squirmed uneasily. “Won’t the bad guys catch us?”
“Not if you run fast enough. You all ready?”
Lucas didn’t wait; he spied a row of empty parking spaces and swerved the car. Tires screeched. The vehicle skidded sideways, then straightened. Doors flew open. Heidi and Gunn were out first, closely followed by Cross, Jemma, and Lucas. The hotel area stretched for miles and was packed with people. Heidi knew she’d made the right choice, especially when she saw the two motorcycle cops a few blocks down.
“Run,” she said. “Try to keep up.”
They flew away from the car as the chase vehicle pulled up. Its own maneuver was ungainly and it ended up across two parking spaces. Nevertheless, seven men climbed out and gave pursuit.
Heidi mingled with the crowd, but they weren’t far enough ahead to slow down. Their enemy would see them running. She flitted left and right, wishing she knew the layout of the hotels. Then she remembered.
Turned to the driver.
“Lucas? Do you know this area?”
He nodded. “Some,” he said, panting.
Heidi sidestepped through a crowd. “We need one hotel or restaurant,” she said. “Multiple exits. Do you know of one?”
“There’s the Toledo,” Lucas said. “But any of these restaurants will have a rear entrance.”
Heidi knew that. But she didn’t want them ending up in some dark back alley. Thinking fast, she decided to stay with the crowds. Gunn and Jemma were not fighters; neither would be able to handle a confrontation like this. They raced across a narrow intersecting road, then slowed past the motorcycle cops. She glanced back, getting the first proper look at their hunters.
Two with ponytails, others with short hair. All were well muscled and wore tight clothing. Heidi might have thought they were part-time models if it wasn’t for the twist to their faces, the scars on their exposed skin, and the weapons they concealed.