Carmen opened the door on the street side and said, “Get out. Now!”
She had thought of trying to drive right past the Renaissance team, but they were likely well armed, and could turn the small Renault into Swiss cheese in short order. Their only choice was to retreat on foot, and Carmen had an idea how to do that very thing.
After Amanda slid over and got out, the Italian operative stood up and fired two more shots. She noticed that the men were creeping in their direction now, which was not what she wanted to see. They also returned fire that time, although there was little chance they would make a hit.
Carmen turned around and looked at the road behind them. It came to a dead end in a row of bushes a couple of blocks away. She knew from the satellite view she had studied the night before that there was a residential neighborhood just on the other side. If they could make it through those bushes, they might be able to lose the men in the maze of houses. Or they might also be able to make it to the Rhone River, which was on the other side of the neighborhood.
As two more shots rang out, Carmen turned to Amanda. “Listen to me closely. I need you to sprint for those bushes then crawl through and wait for me on the other side. I’m going to hold them down to give you time to get there, and I’ll join you after that.”
Amanda appeared pale and frightened, but she managed a nod.
Carmen slapped her shoulder. “Now go!”
As Amanda ran off, Carmen stood up and fired until her magazine was spent. The shots had their intended effect, as the men hunkered down in response. Clicking in another magazine and chambering a round, she turned and ran. By the time she arrived at the bushes, Amanda had already pushed her way through. The Italian glanced back one last time and saw that the men were fanned out and running her way, with two coming directly down the street and three others coming down the sidewalk. She lifted her gun, fired at the two in the street, and then plunged through the tangle of sharp limbs.
“I’m here,” said Amanda as Carmen crawled through on the other side.
The bushes were thick, so both women had scratches on their faces and hands. As Carmen stood up, she noticed that they were standing atop a grassy hill. At the bottom of the hill was the edge of a large residential neighborhood, with streets and houses stretching out into the distance. Beyond the neighborhood, she saw a row of tall trees, which were probably lined along the shore of the river.
Carmen fired a random shot back through the bushes. There was almost a zero chance she’d hit anybody, but she wanted to give the men the impression that she was still in there. It wouldn’t work for long, but it might buy them another minute or two.
“We’re going to straight to those houses.” Carmen pointed down the hill. She then looked at Amanda, who was breathing heavily. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
The Italian led the way down the slope, running fast, but not so fast that she might lose her balance. The last thing she needed was to take a fall just as the goons popped out of the bushes.
When they reached the bottom of the hill, the sound of a gunshot pierced the air, and a round shredded through several shingles on a nearby roof. That was followed by another shot that kicked up a cloud of grass and dirt a few feet away. Amanda screamed, and Carmen glanced back. Three of the men had already made it through and were on their knees, taking shots.
“This way,” Carmen said, running around to the front of the house. She motioned Amanda to stay put and then leaned around the corner. All five men were atop the hill now. Without even taking aim, the Italian fired several shots that were simply meant to hold them in place.
“Uh, Carmen…”
The operative turned around and saw Amanda pointing toward the front porch of the house. A woman was standing there, looking perplexed. Carmen told the woman that they were on official business and to get back in the house.
Hearing Carmen's accent, the woman backed up a bit but didn’t fully comply. A scowl crossed her face as she lifted an accusatory finger. “Vous n’êtes pas—”
“Maintenant!” Carmen yelled, lifting her pistol. The woman beat a hasty retreat back through the front door.
Another shot rang out, so Carmen looked back around the corner. All five men were walking down the hill, their guns raised. Carmen pulled back, looked at Amanda, and gestured across the street with her gun. “Start running that way. Just keep going straight, and don’t stop until you get to the trees along the river. Take cover, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Amanda hesitated, clearly not happy about running off on her own.
“Go!” Carmen shouted, not leaving any room for debate.
As Amanda turned and fled, Carmen looked around the corner once again. The men had fanned out as she could only see three. It concerned her that she couldn’t see the other two, but she couldn’t worry about that right then. Knowing she didn’t have time to formulate a detailed plan, she stepped out into the open, raised the Beretta with both hands, and squeezed off two rounds. Two of the men reached for their chests and fell, screaming as they tumbled down the hill. The third man ran to his right and out of sight, using the house as a shield.
Two down, three to go, she said to herself. Carmen was still concerned about the two men she couldn’t see. If they had made it past her, she needed to find Amanda before they did.
After a quick glance to make sure the coast was clear, she sprinted across the street and between two houses on the other side. Crossing through a row of hedges in the backyard, she suddenly found herself in a park for children. Immediately on her right was a pond, its calm surface broken only by a flotilla of ducks and geese. Further ahead was a graveled area with swing sets, slides, and climbing bars. And just beyond the play area was some kind of clubhouse and a parking lot.
While examining the play area, Carmen noticed a group of women gathered behind the swing sets with their children. All of them were staring in her direction, doubtless because she was armed. But the fact that they were already huddled up told her that someone had just come through, perhaps Amanda.
As the stare-down continued, one of the women pulled out a mobile phone. If she was calling the authorities, she would likely be the second person. Carmen had no doubt the woman on the front porch had also gone inside and placed a call.
Realizing that the police would probably arrive soon, Carmen pondered her next move. She could see the trees in the distance, on the other side of the street from the park, but there was no sign of Amanda. Could she really have run fast enough to already be there? Carmen doubted it, although she couldn’t rule it out. What really concerned her was the possibility that the American had taken a wrong turn or somehow been forced to hide from one of the thugs. But she felt sure that Amanda would have followed the instructions to the letter. Carmen owed it to her to fulfill her end of the promise.
She ran past the pond and past the women behind the swings. As she reached the parking lot, a shot rang out and a bullet whizzed overhead. She ducked into a crouch and continued to run past several cars, finally coming to a stop behind a BMW sedan. Her well-trained ears told her that the shot had come from the other side, although it was impossible to know exactly where.
Most shooters, even experienced ones, liked to crouch behind a car and shoot over the top, so Carmen had learned to keep low and try to locate the attacker from underneath. Lying flat on the pavement, she scanned the other side of the lot. It only took her a few seconds to find the shooter. He was kneeling behind the tire of a car, and his left knee and upper leg were just barely visible.