Ali had proven himself to be an ally, and yet, her mind immediately went to the possibility of having to harm him. Losing sight of Zahra just now had knocked something loose. For Zahra’s sake, Cork needed to push aside her typical survival instincts and try to be more like her remarkable friend, though Cork really was a fish out of water here. These were Zahra and George’s people, not hers. Waleed and Ali held no allegiance to her.
Cork was led away from the action. For now, the gunfire was wholly near the water, on the eastern side of the compound. It meant that she, Ali, and his two men — whatever their names — were in the clear. Still, they moved fast, jogging to a foursome of identical automobiles. Ali’s people continued past Cork and him, claiming the forwardmost white SUV for themselves.
Cork headed for the vehicle behind that one, specifically the SUV’s driver’s side door.
But so did Ali.
“What are you doing?” Ali asked.
Cork jammed a thumb into her own chest. “Duh, I’m driving.”
“But I usually drive.”
Cork snorted out a laugh. “No chance. I always do the driving when I’m with Zahra.”
Ali crossed his arms in front of his chest. “But you aren’t with Zahra, are you?”
“Semantics.” The muscular Brit waved him off. “You don’t have to come then.”
Another explosion rocked the SSC.
“We do not have time for this!” Ali shouted. Cork didn’t budge. Finally, he gave in and threw up his hands in frustration. “Fine, you win! I will navigate. We better get moving.” He rounded the front of the SUV and popped open the front passenger side door. “Also, I thought you were a pilot, not a driver?”
“I am.” She grinned. “I
“I suspect they won’t be too far behind us.”
Cork was curious. “What makes you so sure?”
“Because, if Zahra is as good as I think she is, then she and Rabia will make short work of these Scales of Anubis pigs.”
Cork smiled. “Oh, you better believe she is. Zahra is a special kind of something, for sure. She’s the most determined person I’ve ever met. I’m even starting to think she’s bulletproof!”
Ali turned and looked deeper into the SUV, gazing through the rear window. “Yes, well, for everyone’s sake, I hope she is.”
Cork pressed the push-start ignition and turned over the engine. She quickly threw the SUV into gear and pulled away. Ali reached up to his seat’s sunshade and tapped a small white button. It looked like a garage door clicker. Up ahead, a gate slowly began to open. Cork aimed for it, biting her lip as she glanced into her rearview mirror.
Cork added more speed, matching that of the lead vehicle. Both barely made it through the still-opening gate. The other men went right, much to the dismay of Ali.
“Left!” Ali yelled, pointing south. “Go left!”
“What about — grrr!” Cork growled.
Cork followed his instructions and cranked hard on the steering wheel. She sent the SUV into powerslide fit for a big-budget Hollywood movie. As soon as they exited the property, a threesome of blacked-out vehicles, two sedans, and one hulking four-door truck, appeared behind them. Upon seeing the new arrivals, Cork stomped her foot on the gas. She and Ali shot off like a rocket, weaving in and out of slower-moving traffic.
Up ahead sat a trio of cookie-cut white SUVs. Rabia led, with Zahra close behind. They passed the rearmost vehicle and were enveloped by another barrage of gunfire. Thinking quickly, Zahra snagged the driver’s side door handle and pulled as she hurried by it. Her quick thinking saved her and Rabia’s lives. The door was immediately walloped by a half-dozen projectiles. Each one of them had been, more or less, lined up with the pair of fleeing women’s backs.
Zahra thanked her lucky stars that the door had been unlocked.
“Looks like they made it!” Rabia shouted.
She was already opening the door to the lead car by the time Zahra arrived, and instead of skirting around to the passenger side, she slid past Rabia and leaped in.
“How do you know that?” Zahra asked, covering her ears with her hands.
“Because…” A hail of automatic gunfire shredded the other two SUVs. Rabia yelped in surprise and shoved Zahra in the ass, forcing her headfirst into the passenger seat’s footwell.
“There should be four cars, not three.”
Zahra landed with a “Gah!” and looked up to witness her headrest get turned to stuffing as a pair of bullets impacted it from behind. The back window shattered as a result. Rabia ducked her head to the level of the steering wheel and gritted her teeth. She fumbled for the gear shift before finally gripping it and throwing it into
Zahra tucked her legs and awkwardly worked herself into a seated position. She grabbed whatever she could and pushed away from the floor, and slid into the seat behind her. She saw that the front gate was already open.
