okay.
Next thing I know, I feel a sharp blow against my forehead. I fall backwards and hit the ground with an uneven thud. Feeling the dampness of the grass seep into the seat of my pants, I look for my attacker. As I prop myself up on an elbow, I feel a slick wetness on my forehead. I'm bleeding. Then I look up and see what put me down: a thick branch from a nearby oak tree. I'm tempted to laugh at my slapstick injury, but I quickly remember why I wasn't looking where I was going. Squinting toward the top of the embankment, I climb to my feet and search for Nora.
I don't see anything. The faint glow of the flashlight is in the same spot, but there's no one moving toward it. I look for shadows, search for silhouettes, and listen for the quiet crunching of broken sticks and long-dead leaves. No one's there. She's gone. I've lost the President's daughter.
My legs go weak as I try to fathom the consequences. Then, without warning, the light moves. Someone's up there. And like a knight with a luminescent lance, the person turns around and barrels straight at me. As the figure approaches, I feel the piercing glow of the light blinding me. I turn away and stumble through the black woods, hands out in front, feeling for trees. I can hear him hopping through bushes, gaining on me. If I drop to the ground, maybe I can trip him up. Suddenly, I slam into a thicket as strong as a wall. I turn toward my enemy as the glaring light hits me in the eyes.
'What the hell happened to your forehead?' Nora asks.
All I can muster is a nervous laugh. The trees still surround us. 'I'm fine,' I insist. I give her a reassuring nod and we head for my car.
'Maybe we should stay here and wait to see who picks it up.'
'No,' I say, holding her tightly by the hand. 'We're leaving.'
At full speed, we race out of the wooded area. When we emerge, I hurdle the guardrail and make a mad dash for my Jeep, which is up the road. If I were alone, I'd probably be there by now, but I refuse to let go of Nora. Slowing myself down, I swing her in front of me, just to make sure she's safe.
The first one to reach the car, she jumps in and slams the door shut. A few seconds later, I join her. Simultaneously, we punch the switches to lock the doors. When I hear that click of solitude, I take an overdue deep breath.
'Let's go, let's go!' she says as I start the car. She sounds scared, but from the gleam in her eyes, you'd think it was a thrill ride.
I hit the gas, turn the wheel, and tear out of there. A sharp U-turn causes the wheels to scream and sends us back toward the Carter Barron/16th Street exit. As I fly forward, my eyes are glued to the rearview mirror. Nora's staring at her sideview.
'No one's there,' she says, sounding more wishful than confident. 'We're okay.'
I stare at the mirror, praying she's right. Hoping to tip the odds in our favor, I give the gas another push. As we turn back onto 16th Street, we're flying. Once again, D.C.'s rugged roads are tossing us around. This time, though, it doesn't matter. We're finally safe.
'How'd I do?' I ask Nora, who's turned around in her seat and staring out the back window.
'Not bad,' she admits. 'Harry and Darren would be proud.'
I laugh to myself just as I hear the screech of tires behind us. I turn to Nora, who's still looking out the back window. Her face is awash in the headlights of the car that's now gaining on us. 'Get us out of here,' she shouts.
I take a quick survey of the area. We're in the run-down section of 16th Street, not far from Religion Row. There're plenty of streets to turn on, but I don't like the looks of the neighborhood. Too many dark corners and burned-out streetlights. The side streets are filthy. And worst of all, desolate.
I gun the engine and swerve into the left lane just to see if the car follows. When it does, my heart drops. They're a half a block behind and closing fast. 'Is it possible they're Secret Service?'
'Not with those headlights. All my guys drive Suburbans.'
I check their lights in the rearview mirror. They've got their brights on, so it's hard to see, but the shape and the height tell me it's definitely not a Suburban. 'Get down,' I say to Nora. Whoever they are, I'm not taking any chances.
'That's not Simon's car, is it?' she asks.
We get our answer in the form of red and blue swirling lights that engulf our back window. 'Pull over,' a deep voice blares from a bullhorn mounted to the roof.
I don't believe it. Cops. Smiling, I slap Nora's shoulder. 'It's okay. They're cops.'
As I pull over, I notice Nora isn't nearly as relieved. Unable to sit still and in full frenzy, she checks the sideview mirror, then looks over her shoulder, then back to the mirror. Her eyes are dancing in every direction as she anxiously claws her way out of her seatbelt.
'What's wrong?' I ask as we come to a stop.
She doesn't respond. Instead, she reaches down for her clunky black purse, which is on the floor in front of her. When she starts rummaging through it, a cold chill runs down my back. This isn't the time to hold back. 'Do you have drugs?' I ask.
'No!' she insists. In my rearview mirror, I see a uniformed D.C. police officer approaching my side of the Jeep.
'Nora, don't lie to me. This is--' The police officer taps on my window. Just as I turn around, I hear my glove compartment slam shut.
I lower my window with a forced smile on my face. 'Good evening, Officer. Did I do something wrong?' He holds a flashlight above his shoulder and shines it right at Nora. She's still wearing her baseball cap and doing her best to remain unrecognizable. She won't look the cop in the face.
'Is everything okay?' I ask, hoping to divert his attention.
The officer is a thick black man with a crooked nose that gives him the look of a former middleweight boxer. When he leans into the window, all I see are his huge hairless forearms. He uses his chin to motion toward the glove compartment. 'What're you hiding there?' he asks Nora.
Damn. He saw her.
'Nothing,' Nora whispers.
The cop studies her answer. 'Please step out of the car,' he says.
I jump in. 'Can you tell me wh--'
'Step out of the car. Both of you.'
I look at Nora and know we're in trouble. When we were in the woods, she was nervous. But now . . . now Nora has a look I've never seen before. Her eyes are wide and her lips are slightly open. She tries to tuck a stray piece of hair between her ear and the edge of the baseball cap, but her hands are shaking. My world comes to an instant halt.
'Let's go!' the officer barks. 'Out of the car.'
Nora slowly follows his instructions. As she walks around to the driver's side, the officer's partner approaches the three of us. He's a short black man with an arrogant cop stride. 'Everything okay?' he asks.
'Not sure yet.' The first cop turns back to me. 'Let's see 'em spread.'
'Spread? What'd I do?'
He grabs me by the back of the neck and whips me against the side of the Jeep. 'Open up!'
I do as he says, but not without protest. 'You've got no probable cause to--'
'You a lawyer?' he asks.
I shouldn't have picked this fight. 'Yeah,' I say hesitantly.
'Then sue me.' As he pats me down, he jabs a sharp thumb into my ribs. 'Should've told her to calm down,' he says. 'Now she's going to have to miss work tomorrow.'
I don't believe it. He doesn't recognize her. Keeping her head as low as possible, Nora stands next to me and spreads her arms across the side of the Jeep. The second officer pats Nora down, but she's not paying much attention. Like me, she's too busy watching the first officer head for the glove compartment.
From where I'm standing, I see him open the passenger door. As he climbs inside, there's a jingle of handcuffs and keys. Then a quiet click near the dashboard. My mouth goes dry and it's getting harder to breathe. I look over at Nora, but she's decided to look away. Her eyes are glued to the ground. It's not going to be much longer.
