‘We will see what they do when we reach the surface. If they will listen to me, we may have a chance.’ He closed his eyes, grimacing as he straightened. ‘If they will not…’
‘We have to shoot our way out of an airbase in the middle of Russia?’ Nina finished for him. ‘Oh boy.’
Tova put her head in her hands. ‘How could this happen to us?’
Eddie reseated the magazine. ‘I wanna know how it could keep happening to us! Kagan, are you ready?’
The Russian opened his eyes again. ‘I am.’
‘Great. Let’s see what’s waiting for us.’
20
Chase quickly checked Castille’s AK-47. The magazine was fully loaded. He looked through the Land Cruiser’s rear window at the pursuing 4x4 — and saw Hoyt leaning from one of the side windows with a Kalashnikov of his own. ‘Down!’
He ducked as the American’s AK chattered. The bumpy track threw most of Hoyt’s shots wide, but one still struck the tailgate and shattered the window. Natalia screamed.
Chase kicked out the broken glass and fired two shots of his own. He knew his chances of hitting even the other Land Cruiser, never mind its occupants, were slim, but his main goal was to force the driver to fall back. A plan was already forming in his mind, but he would need more of a gap to pull it off…
‘Hold on!’ Castille warned. The track ahead jinked to avoid a large rock. He braked, flicking the steering wheel to swing out the Land Cruiser’s rear end on the muddy surface before applying more power and spinning the wheel hard in the opposite direction. The 4x4 kicked up a spray of wet earth as it performed a power slide around the obstacle.
Chase saw his chance and fired another pair of shots. He couldn’t tell if they had hit or not, but they had the effect he’d hoped for. The driver flinched, distracted at a crucial moment — and braked too hard as he turned. The second Toyota slewed sideways, its back end ripping through the undergrowth before hitting the rock, caving in the rear passenger door.
The Englishman braced himself again as Castille took their own vehicle around another curve. Their pursuers were lost to sight behind the trees. ‘Nice driving, Hugo! I didn’t know you were into rallying.’
‘I grew up in the country,’ Castille replied. ‘There is a lot of mud when it rains!’
‘Wow, that’s about the most interesting thing I’ve ever heard about Belgium.’ In the mirror, Chase saw his friend make a sarcastic face. ‘Okay, Hugo, I’ve got a plan, but you probably won’t like it.’
‘You want me to slow down so you and Natalia can jump out, and then carry on to decoy them away from you?’
‘Well, that saves me explaining! So you do like it, then?’
Castille snorted. ‘No, not one little bit! But,’ he added, giving Natalia a quick smile, ‘it is the best chance we have to get you away from them. Edward will take care of you, you do not have to worry about that.’
‘I know,’ she replied quietly. But there was something behind her words that made Chase give her a questioning look: resolve, or… resignation? He wasn’t sure.
And there was no time to think about it further. ‘Here, here,’ he said, pointing ahead. The track began to rise up a hill, the ground to the left dropping away quite steeply at the entrance to a valley. He realised it was the same one into which he and Natalia had been swept by the mudslide the previous night. ‘We’ll jump out behind those bushes there. Natalia, are you ready?’ She gave him a worried nod.
Chase clambered over the back seat and was about to slide across to the door when a thought stuck him. He reached back into the cargo area to snag Hoyt’s pack, heavy with the laptop and research notes stolen from the Russians. ‘Just making sure those twats don’t get their hands on this stuff,’ he told Castille.
The Belgian had an unhappy expression. ‘It sounds as if you do not think I will get away from them.’
‘I hope you do, but… fight to the end, Hugo.’
‘Fight to the end,’ Castille echoed. He held up one hand; Chase clasped it firmly in a gesture of brotherhood, then slung the pack from a shoulder and moved to the door. ‘I hope to see you again soon.’
‘So do I,’ Chase replied, heartfelt. He opened the door, then took a firm hold of the AK. ‘Just here. Natalia… go!’
Castille slowed the Toyota to a jogging pace. Natalia jumped out, Chase behind her. They stumbled as they hit the ground, but recovered. Natalia scrambled behind the bushes, while Chase thumped a fist on the window to tell Castille they were clear. With a wave, the Belgian accelerated.
Chase slithered down the hillside after Natalia. ‘Stay low,’ he warned her. He could already hear the second Land Cruiser rapidly approaching.
He brought up the Kalashnikov; a sharp-eyed passenger might spot their footprints. Thumps and creaks from the straining suspension became audible over the engine’s roar as Lock and Hoyt’s 4x4 pounded along the track. Chase felt Natalia tense beside him. The Land Cruiser drew level…
And rushed past without a pause, charging into the jungle after Castille.
Chase waited several seconds, then crawled up the slope and peered after it. The vehicle was out of sight behind the trees. He returned to Natalia. ‘All right, they’ve gone.’
‘I hope your friend will be okay,’ said the young German. ‘If they catch him, they will—’
‘Hugo’s pretty tough,’ Chase said firmly. ‘It’ll take more than an arsehole like Hoyt to bring him down. He’ll be fine, he’s not scared of anything. Well, except helicopters,’ he added.
‘Helicopters?’
‘He had a bad experience with one once. Long story, and right now we need to get moving.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Good question. We’ll figure that out once we’ve got away from here — they might realise we’re not in the car any more and turn round. Come on.’ The pair made their way down to the valley floor and headed deeper into the trees.
Castille powered the Toyota along the track, bumps and ruts hammering at his vehicle. The hill was getting steeper, and he was uncomfortably aware that he might be heading towards — or even right into — the encampment from which he had helped rescue the aid workers, leaving him trapped between two forces.
He pushed that concern aside; there were more immediate ones. Slowing to let out Chase and Natalia had given his pursuers back their momentum. The second Land Cruiser’s headlights reappeared in his mirrors. The rising terrain would slow him — and bring Lock’s men back into weapons range.
All he could do was stay ahead for as long as he could. He gritted his teeth, determined to give his friend and the woman he was protecting as much of a chance to escape as possible.
The path dropped into a dip, a large muddy puddle across it. Castille knew that the water would both slow him and make the 4x4 trickier to control, but he kept his foot on the accelerator. The other Land Cruiser was still homing in, Hoyt leaning from its window once more.
Gunshots cracked through the jungle. The Belgian ducked, bracing himself as he reached the puddle…
Despite his efforts, he was thrown forward by the deceleration as a huge wave of spray exploded from his vehicle’s tyres. The water was deeper than he had thought. The steering wheel squirmed in his hands like an eel. He gripped it harder, trying to haul the off-roader back into line with the track — but it skidded towards a sodden ditch to one side.
‘Merde!’ Castille cried as he realised he was past the point of no return. He let go of the wheel, bringing up both arms to protect his head—