She’d agreed to the constraint in exchange for an exclusive to the story, which he had gladly given. The details could all be worked out later.
His phone rang in his pocket. He plucked it out and watched as a newer sedan wheeled around and trailed after him. His stomach knotted into a ball of worry.
Layla’s image showed on the phone screen.
Lourds answered immediately. “Layla, you need to stay away. The man — or men — who have been looking for me have—”
“We’re here, Thomas. Captain Fitrat and me and several of his men. They’re the ones that kept the black sedan away from you. We’re in the car behind you.”
Glancing in his rearview mirror, Lourds watched as the car behind him flashed its lights.
“Your girlfriend?” Anna continued to stare out the rear window.
“Yes.”
“I suppose these are her friends.”
“From the ANP, yes.”
Anna shot him a smile. “I like her already.”
“A lot of people do.”
“Not, I would be willing to wager, Yakov and his thugs.”
Layla kept talking over the phone. “I’m arranging for a place for us to meet, Thomas. Keep driving into the city.”
Lourds pressed his foot down harder onto the accelerator. Getting the attention of a police officer now didn’t seem so horrible.
Cursing, dazed, Linko reached between the seats for the Uzi machine pistol he’d stored there. The Jeep still drove his car forward, pushing it sideways. He rolled the window down, shoved the Uzi outside the vehicle, and pulled the trigger. Nine-millimeter bullets spattered across the Jeep’s windshield, pitting it and spreading fissures that twisted through the glass.
Immediately, the driver stopped pushing and backed away, trying to get out of the line of fire. Blood stained the inside of the Jeep’s windshield, and Linko knew at least one of the men up front had been hit.
Shifting his aim, Linko sprayed more bullets into the Jeep’s front tires. The rubber shredded under the impact, and the vehicle went out of control as the bare rims dug into the ground.
The mercenaries in Linko’s car added their fire to his, and the men inside the Jeep took cover. A second Jeep raced in to the aid of the first, and the men in that vehicle unlimbered their weapons and opened fire.
Having no choice, Linko abandoned the attempt to intercept Lourds. He cursed the man and the fact that he seemed to be so well connected that the ANP itself watched over him. Juking and weaving, Linko guided the bullet-riddled car back onto the highway and accelerated away from Kandahar.
26
The meeting place Layla had arranged was in an older section of the city that was scheduled for reconstruction. All of the surrounding buildings had taken damage from Taliban attacks, and only a few of them were still habitable.
Following Layla’s directions, Lourds pulled into an alley and stopped halfway down.
Anna looked at him as he put the car in Park. “Are we at our destination?”
“Yeah, it looks like it.” Lourds got out, then reached back into the rear seat and got his backpack. Turning, he headed back to the car following him. A pair of Jeeps had already parked ahead of and behind the two cars, and he immediately felt more secure.
Captain Fitrat got out of the car containing Layla. He nodded to Lourds but kept his assault rifle handy and watched the tall apartment buildings on either side.
Layla hurried over to Lourds, but she didn’t embrace him. She stood a proper distance away and looked him over. “You are unhurt?”
“I am, thanks to Captain Fitrat and his people.”
The captain acknowledged Lourds with a small smile. He wore wraparound sunglasses that hid his eyes.
“And to you,” Lourds added.
Layla nodded.
“Did you get the man who tried to smash into me?”
Fitrat scowled and shook his head. “The men in that car were very well-armed. They killed one of my men and injured two others before they got away.”
“They got away?”
Fitrat nodded. “It could not be helped. Their vehicle was abandoned only a couple miles down the road. When my men found the car, your attackers were gone. Either they had another team standing by or they confiscated a passing vehicle. We will see.”
Frustrated, Lourds gritted his teeth. “Did your men get anything that could help identify the people chasing me?”
“When they found the car, it was burning. The men set fire to it before abandoning it. The fire made locating the vehicle easier, but it also destroyed whatever forensic evidence we might have found.” Fitrat frowned. “These men are very driven, Professor Lourds. That identifies them to a degree, but beyond that, we don’t know anything. You have caught the attention of some very bad people.”
Layla walked over to Anna. “I am Dr. Layla Teneen.”
“Anna Cherkshan.”
Surprise lifted Layla’s eyebrows. “Cherkshan? As in General Cherkshan?”
Anna smiled sourly. “I prefer to be known as Anna Cherkshan of The Moscow Times. My father has enough accolades.”
“I see. I’ll remember that in the future.”
Feeling badly about his faux pas, Lourds approached the women. “My apologies. I wasn’t thinking. I should have made introductions.”
Layla smiled. “It is quite all right. Perhaps we could go inside.” She headed toward the doorway, and as Lourds passed through, he discovered the original door had been kept, but it had been heavily reinforced with a solid core and a steel frame.
The interior of the building was in a lot better shape than Lourds had expected. It had twelve bedrooms, a large dining room/kitchen, and working electricity.
“This is one of the practice areas the Americans and Canadians have used to train the Afghanistan National Police in urban tactics regarding counter-terrorist situations.” Fitrat took off his hat and placed it meticulously on the table. “At the moment, no one is using it, but we assign security in the area at all times to keep equipment from being liberated.”
“I see.” Lourds put his backpack on the table. He gave a small smile. “All the comforts of home.”
“Yes. We even have television. American TV.” Fitrat pointed to the large-screen television in the living room that was big enough to house a banquet. “We steal the signal to get HBO and ESPN. The American soldiers who train our future policemen do not want to do without the comforts they have grown used to. Perhaps later, if you are not too tired, you might enjoy watching a basketball game. I believe there is one on.”
Lourds grinned. “Perhaps.” He looked at Layla. “I need a room to work in.”
“Of course.” Layla looked at Fitrat. “Captain, if you would see to getting Miss Cherkshan squared away?”
“I will.”
“She will also need clothing and toiletries. She’s not carrying a bag, so I’m assuming she has only the clothes on her back.”
Anna smiled appreciatively. “That is right. Professor Lourds felt it was not prudent to try to go back to my hotel room. I am still in yesterday’s clothes, and I am not happy about that. Does this place also have hot water?”
“It does, and there is a bath you can have to yourself.”
“That would be awesome.”
It still occasionally shocked Lourds to hear true American slang coming from Anna. Every now and again, her time at the Columbian School of Journalism showed through.