They knew we were following them, she thought, pulling her mask closer to her face. The Commandos had only turned off the highway to try to shake them off, to distract them—anything to avoid revealing their real destination without turning back and showing that they knew right away.
They were up to something, that’s for sure.
She turned her gaze to the two vehicles below them. “Keep going straight, they’re just ahead of you,” she said into the earpiece. “They probably turned only to throw us off.”
“Roger that,” Chad replied.
She covered the device, turning to the others. “Let’s get a bit closer—the visibility’s shit.”
They dropped altitude, falling a bit behind.
“Chad, take the right turn next intersection, then left, then go straight,” she instructed.
“Got it.”
“They’re splitting up again,” Jane said, drawing her attention to one of the jeeps that took an extra left turn.
“Dammit,” Pain muttered. “Jane, Ryan—”
“We got it,” Jane said.
“Call Marco if anything changes.”
Jane nodded and was swallowed by the dark as she and Ryan took to the right.
“Come on,” she said to Marco without taking her eyes off the remaining jeep. “Chad, they’ve split up, go after the one we’re following. Turn left and floor that tin can.”
“Copy.”
They closed in on the Commandos, thankful for the lack of streetlights. The vehicle picked up speed again, probably knowing they were close. Chad was speeding down a parallel street, too far to be in any danger.
The jeep took another left turn—and disappeared.
“Where’d they go?” Marco asked, his voice husky from the cold.
“They turned there,” she pointed, as if that dark spot were different from any other. “They must have stopped, and the taillights are off.”
She darted to the last spot where she’d seen the jeep, anxious to confirm her suspicions, and Marco followed without a word.
Except when they got there, hovering just over a rooftop, there was no street. In the place where she was sure the jeep had taken a left turn was only a brick warehouse, its doors closed.
“What the hell…” she muttered, peering at the streets below.
“You sure this is where they turned?” Marco asked beside her.
“Yes, positive. But let’s check the next street, just in case,” she said. “They couldn’t go in and close it so fast, and why would they do that? They’d be trapped. This doesn’t make any sense!”
They slowed as they reached another street, then got down on the ground to look for tire tracks. Nothing.
“No, they didn’t go this way, I know it,” she said, rising above the rooftops again. “Chad, take a left turn next, we’ll get down.”
Marco raised his eyebrows, following her down to the ground.
She lowered her voice. “We gotta keep looking, but in case they are inside, Chad will keep an eye on the warehouse.”
“They’ll know he’s here. They’ve seen the van, Pain.”
She smiled, tugging him forward to where Chad had rounded the corner. “Not if they don’t hear the engine, and there’s a perfect spot in the shadow.”
Marco looked where she pointed, and nodded after a second. “All right, you might be on to something. I got this.”
He jogged to the van, while she rose back into the air to keep searching for the jeep. Below, she saw Dave get out and help Marco push the van to the spot she’d pointed out. Marco exchanged words with Chad through the window and darted into the air, back to her.
“They’ll keep their heads down in case the doors open. You see anything?”
Pain grimaced. “What if they did the same? Killed the engine and pushed the car somewhere else, then took off and we missed it?”
“No way. Not so fast, anyway. Humans, remember? Try pushing a big-ass jeep like that without any power.”
“Jane’s quiet, too,” she said, shaking her head.
A heartbeat later, her earpiece clicked. Skull’s deep voice surprised her. “We just got off the highway. Where to next?”
“Um…” she searched Marco’s face for answers that weren’t there. “Call Jane. The Commandos split up again, so we’re kinda useless to you right now.”
“Got it.” The earpiece clicked, returning to Chad’s line.
“Chad, we’re gonna sweep the area again,” she said.
“Okay. Be careful.”
She turned to Marco. “All right, let’s find the bastards.”
* * *
Dave watched Marco disappear in the sky. He’d moved to the front seat after he made sure the driver was still out cold—probably in a coma, knowing Pain’s hook.
“You think they’re really in there?” he said.
Chad lifted a shoulder, his head propped on his hand as he gazed at the street. “We’ll see.”
Dave envied his calm, the way he sat still, probably not believing they were going to catch or find anyone at this point. Dave, on the other hand, couldn’t stop his knee from bouncing up and down, and his fingers from tapping on the dashboard.
“This is what they could’ve done back in Brooklyn, you know? How they got away. They couldn’t shake the tail—they just hid somewhere till it was clear, and then left.”
Chad nodded, his eyes glued to the warehouse doors. “Could be.” He perked up then, clearly listening to the earpiece. “Okay. Be careful.” He slumped down again, leaning with his elbow against the door.
“Hey, you know—” Dave broke off when a draft of cold air washed over him.
He slewed around, seeing the open side door.
Next second, a dark form darted away from them, keeping to the shadows.
“Shit!” Dave pushed his door open and rushed after the van driver, who ran surprisingly fast for someone who’d been introduced to one of Pain’s
