likelihood is they will stay gone until they either act or the FBI finds them through regular old fieldwork. But Kahsan is here. Within our grasp. Not acting now while we have this chance would be the real crime against this country. I think you know it, too.”
His lips twitched in a half smile. “You’re always telling me what I know.”
“Can’t help it. Occupational hazard.”
“You really want to get him?” he asked her.
“Only because I am so sure we can.”
Quinlan sighed thoughtfully. At that moment they heard two cars pull into the motel parking lot. Sabrina pulled the curtain back and watched as two men got out of their respective vehicles. They had “spook” written all over them.
“They’re here,” she told him. “This is your last chance. What are you going to do?”
Chapter 15
The knock on the door didn’t startle Sabrina since she’d seen their approach. “It’s now or never.”
“Open the door,” Quinlan told her.
She cursed under her breath, but did as he asked. There was only one option left to her now. She was going to have to take out the agents and Quinlan, incapacitate them to the point where she’d be able to make her escape and send her message to Kahsan. Looking over her shoulder, she realized Quinlan was right behind her. His size was suddenly more apparent to her now.
Yeah, taking him out wasn’t going to be a whole lot of fun. Then she thought about his accusation of seducing him in order to get him to cooperate and decided a flesh wound wasn’t a horrible price to pay. Maybe something high and neat on his upper thigh, somewhere a little too close for comfort to the family jewels.
Sabrina opened the door and the two men each flashed identification. They were of equal size and girth, dressed similarly in khakis, boots and ski jackets. One, however, was clearly younger than the other. She backed away from the door and Quinlan nodded. He must have recognized the older of the two agents from the Farm.
“We brought two cars. Agent Patterson will take Ms. Masters, and you and I-” he pointed to Quinlan “-will follow and act as a shield in case anyone tries to intercept. We also brought some gear for you.” The agent dropped a gym bag at Quinlan’s feet.
There was a change of clothes for him and her. Quinlan showed the bag to Sabrina but she shook her head not wanting to take the time to change. For himself he took out a ski jacket and a pair of gloves.
Then Quinlan stood and said casually, “If it’s all the same to you I’ll drive with Ms. Masters. I think she would be more comfortable with me.”
Sabrina glanced at him sharply, but his face showed nothing.
The two agents looked at each other. The younger one, Patterson, shrugged as if to suggest that he didn’t see a problem. The older man concurred. “That’s fine.” He tossed the set of keys to Quinlan who snatched them out of midair.
“Get your coat.”
Sabrina picked up the coat from where she dropped it on the floor. The Colt still deep in its pocket bumped against her thigh. The situation worked to her advantage. With the two of them isolated in the car all she needed to do was take out Q. But as she followed him to the car she had to consider why he wanted them to be together in the first place.
“It’s the silver sedan,” Patterson pointed out.
Quinlan nodded, then tossed the keys to Sabrina. “Why don’t you drive?”
This had her stopping in her tracks. “You want
He looked over at the two agents, who had paused by their car, a green sedan of the same model, to observe the exchange.
“I’m beat. You’re a little more alert than I am. You drive.”
Instantly, she understood. With a casual shrug of her shoulders she circled the car and got behind the wheel. Quinlan was already buckling himself into the passenger’s seat.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” she asked him. She didn’t need to clarify what
“Am I sure? No.” He turned his head to study her for a moment. “You better be able to bring him here.”
“He’s waiting for an e-mail.”
“Then let’s go send him one,” he said grimly. “It’s been a while since you’ve had to do this, too. Think you still got it?”
Sabrina smiled devilishly and turned the key in the ignition. “Q, as I once explained to you a long time ago, driving, like shooting, is all about physics. And I’m a whiz at physics.”
“Don’t get crazy,” he warned her. “Just lose them.”
Sabrina pulled out of the motel slowly and waited at the entrance to the two-lane highway for a few cars to pass. As she waited, she considered her options. There were only a few exits off this highway that led to some small towns, most of those towns consisting of a main street surrounded by culs-de-sac of single-family homes. Not the best place to lose a tail. Especially considering the agents following her were no doubt highly skilled in evasive maneuvering driving. Though it was doubtful they had her particular edge.
With her ability to see distance accurately, and her understanding of physics and how the car would react given its approximate weight and the speed at which it was traveling, she always knew just how much she could accelerate through a turn and still make it and also when she needed to brake in order to stop the car before collision.
Quinlan was an excellent evasive driver. But she was better. It was why he had wanted her to drive and how she knew that for all his doubt and mistrust, he’d essentially agreed to help her. For that, she wouldn’t let him down.
“You know,” she said as a car sped past and she was able to pull out on to the highway. “Not only are you going to get into a shitload of trouble for disobeying Krueger’s orders, but all the macho guys at the Farm are going to give you hell for letting a woman drive.”
She glanced over quickly and saw his sour expression. “I know.”
In the rearview mirror she could see that Patterson had pulled out directly behind her. For a time she drove carefully, just a notch over the speed limit and did nothing to raise any suspicions. It was best to let them think that she was on board with their plan, lulling them into a sense of comfort, so that when she did make her move, they would be slower to react.
Twenty minutes later Quinlan was beginning to get anxious. “Okay, you did understand what I meant when I said lose them.”
She flashed a smile. “I’m waiting for the right moment.”
“If you wait any longer we’ll be at Langley. There,” he said pointing. “Take that exit for 95 South.”
“Is that the way to Arnold’s?”
“Yes. We need to get to a small town in Maryland called Havre de Grace, but it’s also the exit we would take to get to Virginia.”
Sabrina hit her blinker and watched the car behind her do the same. Slowly, like a careful little old lady driver, she pulled the steering wheel to her right. She’d slowed down so much that Patterson had been forced to brake. Which was exactly what she’d been waiting for.
“Ready?”
She didn’t know why she bothered to ask because she didn’t give him time to answer. Instead she slammed her foot on the gas and waited until the influx of fuel into the carburetor did its thing. The car lurched forward into a high speed and the sound of tires screeching along paved road signaled their escape.
