[Quinn 02] - The Deceived

Neither woman needed to be told what to do twice. They disappeared off to the right.

When Quinn reached the end, he turned right, too. As he did he caught a glimpse of Blondie and two more men entering the alley. One of the men stopped next to their unconscious comrade, but the other two continued the chase.

Then they were out of sight.

Quinn once more found himself in the Far East Square. Only this time it was deserted, the gunfire having driven everyone out. It only took him a second to recognize his location from his earlier recon. There was another exit just ahead.

“To the right!” he called out to Orlando.

She and Jenny had just reached an intersection in the pathway— three directions for shopping, and to the right, an exit.

“To the right!” he repeated.

Orlando nodded, then led Jenny out of the mall. They had just disappeared when Quinn heard Blondie and his friend coming out of the alley behind him.

Quinn ran straight through the intersection, not even looking in the direction Orlando and Jenny had just taken.

There was a dull thwack, then a split second later a bullet smashed into a window just to his left. A burglar alarm began to ring.

Another thwack.

Quinn could almost feel the bullet whiz by his head. He juked first left, then to his right, then grabbed one of the metallic chairs sitting in front of a bakery. He swung it in a large arc, letting it fly back toward Blondie, but he didn’t watch to see what happened.

Thwack. Quinn expected to see the impact of a bullet nearby, but the only sound was from behind him, the expulsion of air followed by a heavy thud.

He looked over his shoulder. The man who was with Blondie was down.

Blondie himself had moved off to the right, taking cover behind one of the vendor carts lining the walkway.

Beyond, standing in the middle of the intersection, was Orlando.

She was holding the SIG Sauer in her hand. She waited a moment, no doubt hoping Quinn’s remaining pursuer would expose himself, but when he didn’t, she disappeared back into the exit.

Quinn kept moving. When he reached the next pathway to the street, he took it.

He found himself on the sidewalk along Cross Street. Quickly he scanned the area, trying to locate his friends. It only took him a moment to spot Orlando and Jenny. They were on the other side of the road, at the base of Club Street. Traffic was as much a mess here as it had been outside the Water Gate. No one seemed to be moving anywhere.

At the corner back toward Amoy Street, police lights flashed. Quinn guessed the mall was being surrounded, and that traffic would soon be jammed everywhere. That was a good thing. It meant the only way the others could continue their pursuit would be on foot.

Quinn weaved through the traffic, catching up to Orlando and Jenny as they made their way up Club, away from the chaos.

Unlike the streets bordering the Far East Square, Club was quieter. It was mainly made up of two- and three- story structures that, for the most part, housed private clubs and businesses. The street was not as well lit as Cross Street or the other roads in the shopping district. It was a private place for private people.

“Everyone all right?” he asked.

They each nodded.

“How did they find me?” Jenny said.

“I don’t know,” Quinn said.

“Did they follow you?” she asked.

They had either followed Jenny or had followed him. But if they knew where Jenny was, they would have already taken her. So it had to be him. He just didn’t know how.

A quick glance from Orlando told him she was thinking the same thing. But to Jenny, he said, “No one followed me.”

“Are you sure? Maybe they’ve got you bugged. Maybe they’re tracking your phone. Have you been using credit cards? Maybe they tracked you down that way, then tailed you here.”

It was apparent Markoff had given her a pretty good amateur education. “I don’t know how they knew we were meeting you here. But it doesn’t matter right now. We need to get you away from here. Get you out of Singapore before they find you again.”

She stopped. “Wait. I’m not leaving.”

“You realize they want to kill you, right?” Quinn said.

There was the roar of an engine. Not a car, but a motorcycle.

Quinn looked back toward the intersection with Cross. There was a dark bike working its way through the traffic and heading in their direction.

“Stay to the shadows,” Quinn said for Jenny’s benefit.

Orlando began running, Jenny only steps behind her.