“Roger that.”
“We’re in between Clarendon and the Virginia Square-GMU Station. We either circle back to Clarendon or go forward to GMU. Any preference?”
“Clarendon gives us more options. Circle back.” She rolled down her window, readying for anything. “ETA is probably ten minutes.” She looked behind them. “They’re gaining.”
“Take the shot if you need to, but wait until the last minute. We need to preserve ammunition.”
“I’ve got an extra clip.”
Of course she did.
“And, Hunter, my gut is that these guys are not from Langley. This has to be the cartel.”
“Got it.” Deep down he’d felt the same way, but hearing her say it was chilling. The Agency would only go so far at this point, given the early stage of the investigation against Layla. But the cartel was a completely different story. The men they hired didn’t care about human life. They had zero moral compass and thought nothing about killing in cold blood. And right now they were barreling down on them.
“They’re getting closer. Can you go any faster?”
“Yes.” He pushed his foot down on the accelerator. “Once we get off the highway, though, it’s going to be tough to keep up this speed. We need to shake them.”
“I’m a really good shot. I can probably take out a tire.”
“Okay, you just tell me when. I’ll slow down when you’re ready to get you closer.”
“Let’s go a little farther.” She turned to face the rear of the car, getting ready to lean out the window.
His pulse thumped loudly as adrenaline soared through him. He had to focus. Their lives depended on it. He still couldn’t believe that Layla had turned into an expert markswoman, but it was just one of the many changes about her. As he looked over at her, she closed her eyes for a second. This had to be even worse than he thought.
When her eyes opened, she looked at him. “I’m ready when you are.”
“Okay, get ready, because I’m going to slam on the brakes.”
“Understood.” She braced her knee against the seat.
He took a deep breath and then punched down hard on the brake pedal. The car trailing them was now right up on them. He heard gunshots, but they weren’t just from Layla. The car behind them had opened fire, and Layla was exposed.
“Get back in the car!”
“One more shot.” She was true to her word. She took the shot and slid back inside.
He punched the gas and watched in the rearview mirror as the pursuing car skidded to a stop.
“You got them. Front right tire.”
“I told you.” She sighed loudly. “Now, let’s get to the Metro before anyone else pays us a visit. We need to get out of this alive.”
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Layla was putting on a tough exterior for Hunter, but deep down she was afraid. The coordinated attack on them tonight screamed professionals, and that pointed to the cartel still being intent on taking her out. But she had wanted Hunter to remain in control, since he was driving, and she knew that if she showed her anxiety and fear, it would have negatively impacted him. So she’d put on a brave face and relied on her training to get her through it.
They still weren’t in the clear, but at least they were out of Hunter’s car and on the Metro. “I don’t spot anything,” she said.
“Me neither.”
“We should get off in two stops and change lines, just to be on the safe side.” There was another alternative, but she hated to bring it up.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Hunter had become very quiet, and she thought he was probably freaked out by all of this. Especially her hanging out the window of his SUV to take shots at the enemy. It surprised her, too, but she had been trained, and thank God, because it was coming in handy right now. When she’d been on the Honduras op, Zane had shown her some additional tips and tricks that he learned in the Marines. Growing up, she’d never been around guns of any kind. Her dad had seen and heard about enough violence as a child in Lebanon that he insisted they take a different path.
But here she was, many years later, literally fighting for her life.
“This isn’t my first choice, but I could call this in to the Agency,” she said. “They’ll probably wonder why I don’t return to the safe house anyway.”
His crystal-blue eyes locked on to hers as the Metro doors opened and they got off. “I understand your hesitation, and I’m right there with you, but I think they need to know. It also bolsters your version of the story.”
“It bolsters the truth,” she said flatly.
“Who would you call?”
“Two options. My boss or one of the IG guys.”
“You should call Frank Gibson. He’s the senior investigator, and it was clear to me that he was running the show. Tell him what’s happened. I can be your witness.”
She held back a laugh. “Hunter, I don’t think they’d take either of our words for anything right now. They have me in compromising photos with a known terrorist, and you’re acting as my attorney—and I’m sure those men know exactly who you are my from personnel file. Hopefully they’ll be able to provide some additional protection. If they bug out, we’ll call Mason to see if he can do anything.”
Hunter nodded. “Regardless, we need to let Mason know what happened. For all we know, the others could be impacted as well.”
Good point. The last thing she wanted was for something to happen to Cass and Zane. Diaz had already lost his life. Her heart hurt, thinking about his untimely death. She’d connected with him instantly on their trip to Honduras. To think that the cartel had killed him still shook her to the core.
Sensing her pain, Hunter took
