I scrambled to stay on my feet, trying tokeep up, retain my balance, but it moved too fast. I stumbled andfell, my gym shoes dragging along the pavement, their rubber solesgetting rapidly eaten away. The edge of the door pressed into myside, making it hard to breathe.
I caught a foothold for just a second andsurged forward, smacking him in the nose with a head butt.
He grunted and his grip loosenedslightly.
I reached, my fingers hitting Kirk’s leftleg, his holster.
I acted quickly, making a grab for the gun,but his recovery was equally fast. His hand closed over mine,wrestling, hitting, prying at my fingers.
I sensed we would hit the car ahead a splitsecond before impact.
The crunch of steel shuddered through myspine. The car jolted to a dead stop. I hit the hot pavement in aroll, breath exploding from my lungs, head smacking hard. My visionexploded in stars. Tires screeched. I heard the Glock skitter, butwhere it ended up, I couldn’t guess.
A heartbeat and the car door opened, and Kirkcame down on top of me.
I struggled for breath.
Kirk’s hands found my neck, my throat. He hadmy arms pinned under his knees, so I couldn’t reach either of myweapons. Heat enveloped me. His grip was strong, squeezing, closingoff my trachea, stopping the flow of blood to my brain, making myvision dim, go dark.
The crack of gunfire exploded in my ears.
Kirk bellowed. His hands released me, and hisbody lifted from mine.
I gasped, coughed, and gasped again.
A scream shattered the air around me. Not me.Not Kirk.
I forced the darkness back, forced my eyes tosee, forced my body to function.
It was Julie. She held the Glock.
She had shot him.
Kirk staggered away from me. Julie raised thegun again but he batted it away, sending it through the air. Thenhe gripped Julie’s arm, steering her toward the car. He movedawkwardly, each stride jerking, and it was then I noticed the darkglisten drenching one leg of his black trousers.
I pushed up from the street. Pain seared myhands and knees, but I forced it to the background, forced myselfto concentrate, adrenaline and training taking over.
Kirk was too focused on Julie and the bulletin his leg to notice me come up fast behind him.
Using the knife edge of my hand, I delivereda sharp blow to the side of his neck, below and slightly in frontof his ear. I rotated at the waist, driving all the power I couldmuster into his carotid artery, jugular vein, and vagus nerve,following through.
His body seized, muscles going rigid, then heslumped forward.
I wasn’t sure if he was unconscious or merelystunned for a few seconds, but either would do. I looped my armunder his and across his back as he crumpled.
“Open the back door.”
Julie stared at me. “Is he … is he dead?”
“Just do it.”
I glanced down Broadway. Although I couldn’tsee them, I was sure the Iranians would be here on foot at anymoment. Cops too, after the gunshot.
“Unlock the back door. Now.”
She reached in and unlocked it from theinside.
I threw it open and shoved Kirk into the backseat. A quick search of the glove box scored me a handful of zipties. I used one to secure his wrists in front of him.
He groaned and tried to lift his head,already coming around.
Traffic moved around us, horns blaring frombehind, a few idiots even having the nerve to yell obscenities. Itugged my Ruger from the holster and set it on the dashboard. Thedriver from the car we’d back-ended stepped out onto the street,glimpsed the gun, and climbed back behind the wheel.
I shifted into drive and veered into theparking lane. Steam rose from under our hood, accompanied by theodor of scorched coolant. I doubted the Town Car would be runningfor long.
Ahead, traffic stopped again.
Iranians and cops would be on us any second.Disappearing was my first priority, getting Julie out of here asfast as we could. But if I hoped to find out what was really goingon and why I had been lied to, I would have to take Kirk withus.
I assessed the surrounding cityscape. Weweren’t far from Lincoln Center.
“Come on. We’re taking the subway.”
I shoved the car into park and climbed out,pulling Julie with me. Opening the back door, I yanked Kirk to hisfeet, keeping the gun on his head.
“You, too.”
We made it to the sidewalk, him dragging hisfeet the whole way.
“Faster, Kirk.”
“She shot me.”
He was gimpy, but he could still walk. I hadno sympathy.
“Suck it up, unless you want me toshoot you this time. I won’t aim for your leg.”
“And I thought we liked each other.”
He moved a little faster, grunting as hehobbled, sweat beading on his brow.
I didn’t know if he was working with the menI’d seen in the SUV or not, so I kept my mouth shut. We’d coveredabout a block when I caught my next glimpse, three of them, runningup the sidewalk. They weren’t holding guns, but I saw bulges undertheir sports coats.
We needed to hurry.
We reached the next crosswalk, the Iraniansclosing the distance behind us disturbingly fast.
Sirens cut through the air, and a squadrounded the corner, probably sent to check out the disturbance we’dcaused. The car stopped just twenty feet from where we stood.
As much as I’d like reinforcements to dealwith my Iranian problem, I couldn’t let police complicate myoperation, and that included letting them take Kirk to the hospitalfor his injury or me to jail for the Ruger I had in a deathgrip.
I eyed Julie. “Quiet, hear?”
To my relief, she nodded.
I circled my arms around Kirk and gazed up athim in obvious adoration, the gun to the back of his head.
“If you signal them in any way, you’redead.”
He returned my loving smile with one of hisown.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I want the copsinvolved about as much as you do.”
Halfway down the block, the Iranians slowedto a walk, noticed the police car, and then ducked into a bistrowith outdoor seating.
The light changed, and the cops passedby.
We continued across the street with the otherpedestrians. I kept one arm around Kirk, both helping and steeringhim, his hands still bound in front of him with the twist tie. Wemoved quickly, coming
