*****
Having heard the gunshots, Corbett stepped from his tent just as the Peugeot drove out from behind the rock outcropping and took off in pursuit of the medical van. Recognizing the car from the airport, Corbett turned and ran to the nearest Land Rover. Jumping behind the wheel, he flipped down the sun visor and grabbed the keys that had been secured there. Jamming the key into the ignition, he cranked the engine. As it roared to life, he forced the buckle of his seat belt into the clasp until he heard it click. Then dropping the Rover into gear, he stepped on the accelerator. By the time he was heading down the mountain, he could barely see the Peugeot’s taillights receding in the distance.
*****
Hearing the shouts coming from beyond the house, Jarral quickly completed his absolutions, collected his prayer rug and ran around to the front of the farmhouse where Buttar was ordering one of the men to drive the VW Jetta into the middle of the road.
“What are you doing?” Jarral cried.
“Tariq…!” Buttar shot back. “Raza spotted him in the camp of the Infidel. He’s driving this way. We must stop him.”
“Tariq…?” Jarral repeated as if only half believing his ears. “Are you sure?”
But before he could answer, the roar of a distant engine could be heard racing down the mountain toward them. Turning, both men glanced in the direction of the campsite only to spot the medical van in the middle of the road now careening toward them.
“There he is,” Buttar shouted pointing toward the fast approaching vehicle. “Stop him…!”
*****
Approaching the abandoned farmhouse at breakneck speed, Tariq could see several men clustered around a gray, rusted VW Jetta that had been driven out into the roadway blocking his path. Seeing the van careening toward them, the men scattered. At the same time, one of the men produced a rifle and dropped into a prone position across the hood of the Jetta. Taking aim at the oncoming van, he began to fire.
As the rounds glanced off the hood of the van, Tariq crouched low behind the wheel. Then clutching it with both hands, he pulled hard to the left just before the moment of impact, causing the van to barely avoid a collision. At the same time, a bullet struck the windshield, spidering the glass. Missing the VW by inches, Tariq managed to fly past as the men scattered. Reaching the main road, he cornered hard and headed for Xeria.
*****
Having clearly seen Tariq’s face through the cracked windshield as the van raced past, Jarral shouted to Buttar and the others.
“After him…! He must not escape.”
Obeying his command, the others started to scramble back onto the gravel road. But before they could reach the VW, a new sound caught their attention as the red Peugeot now bore down upon them from behind. Scattering again, they watched as the red car clipped the front bumper of the VW, sending it into the ditch. Fighting to keep the Peugeot from veering out of control, Raza managed to turn onto the main road and take off in pursuit of the van.
*****
At the same time, from the driver’s seat of the Rover, Corbett gripped the steering wheel as the car bounced down the rock-strewn path toward the main road. Ahead, he could see the Peugeot sideswipe another car, knocking it to the side of the roadway as it thundered after the van.
Stepping hard on the accelerator, Corbett sped past the disabled Jetta, narrowly avoiding a collision as he fought for control. Somewhere close at hand, the sound of sporadic gunfire erupted. Clutching the wheel, he pumped the brakes as the Rover fishtailed through the loose gravel. Reaching the paved road below, he downshifted as he made the turn for Xeria, acutely aware that somewhere ahead Tariq was in danger.
*****
Nearly a half mile ahead, Tariq pressed the gas pedal to the floor to no avail. Glancing at the rearview mirror, he found the Peugeot charging hard from behind. Without warning, the Peugeot slammed into the back of the van as Tariq struggled to keep it from leaving the pavement. A moment later, the red car rear-ended him again. In the mirror, Tariq could see the Jihadi in the passenger seat begin to extend his upper body out of the side window. Wedging himself against the window frame, the man raised his AK-47 and took aim at the medical van’s tires. Reacting, Tariq swerved to the left as the man opened fire, striking the rear right quarter panel, barely missing the tire.
Without warning, they entered a series of switchbacks, causing the would-be assassin’s next shots to miss wildly as well. Eyes fixed on the road before him, Tariq pressed down hard on the accelerator, once more attempting to gain separation from the terrorists behind him. Abruptly, the Peugeot slammed into van from behind, again causing Tariq to nearly lose control as the entire frame of the medical van shuddered. Hitting the gas, he urged the van forward.
*****
Behind and above them, Corbett drove the Land Rover swiftly along the road, attempting to make up the lost ground. On the road below, he could see them jockeying their way through the switchbacks as the road reversed course more than once, before sending the cars back in his direction. Slowing, he pulled across to the left-hand side of the roadway, easing the Rover over onto the steep mountain incline. Coming to a complete stop, he engaged the four-wheel drive, then re-engaged the
