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I smiled. "Look, I can't talk but . . . you said everyone's busy, does that mean you were talking to Jack?"
"No. Bastard gives me shit if I call him on a job. Says I'm interrupting him. Like he'd even have those jobs if it wasn't for me. I suppose he talks to you."
"Not this trip. He's having phone problems. I was hoping maybe he'd resolved the issue."
"So that's why you answered so fast. Well, I'm sure he's fine. About you, though . . ."
I glanced in the rearview mirror to see the other car zooming up in a cloud of dust.
"I really have to--" I began.
"You went after Quinn, didn't you? Weekend's over so you can leave that damned shack of yours and go chasing after the Boy Scout who obviously was not prepared."
The car was fast closing the gap between us.
"Can we talk about this later?" I said. "I'm--"
"I'm coming to help," she said.
"What? No. I--"
"I'm bored. You want me to admit it? Fine, I just did. I'm bored and you're out there alone, with no backup, Jack having fucked off to Ireland."
"I worked alone for years, remember? I'm fine. Really."
"Are you in Virginia?"
"Yes, but I honestly don't need your help."
"I'll call when I get there."
She hung up. I glanced in my mirror. The car was still coming fast. I shoved the phone into my pocket, took out the gun and wedged it under my thigh.
When the car drew close enough, it turned on its signal. See? I'm just an ordinary citizen, signaling my pass. No need for panic.
I could see two men in the car--driver and passenger. Dark hair, brown skin, clean shaven . . . which also matched Diaz's description.
The car veered out. I slammed on my brakes, and it shot past. The driver started to swerve at my car before he realized it wasn't beside him. He hit the brakes, and his car went into a fishtail. I geared into reverse, punched the gas and zoomed backwards to what looked like a laneway heading into the forest. The other driver had come out of his fishtail and was getting turned around. I steered into the laneway, car rocketing over the rough dirt road, which I quickly realized was not a driveway so much as a turnoff spot for hunters or hikers to park.
The trail narrowed as it headed farther into the woods, and I kept going, totally violating my rental agreement. Another good reason never to use my real credit card.
The 4x4ing would have been easier had I been driving an actual 4x4. But one advantage to the compact car was its size. The driver of the other vehicle--possibly accustomed to smaller vehicles--hit the gas and made a valiant effort to follow me down the narrowing trail, plowing down small saplings before getting wedged between two trees. I'd have found that far more amusing if I did not, at that moment, reach the end of my own trail, which soared up the side of an embankment that only an ATV could scale.
I braked hard. Then I snapped off my seatbelt and, gun in hand, peered around the headrest. The other guys were already getting out of their vehicle. Shit.
I cracked opened the driver's door, then inched over to the passenger seat and kicked the driver's door wide. I fired a shot through it. As they took cover to return fire, I threw open the passenger door and rolled out.
I ran into the forest. It didn't matter that I made a racket--what counted now was getting as far from these two as possible. When I was out of reasonable firing range, I hit the ground. Then I rose on all fours and crawled quietly to my left.
I could hear them speaking Spanish, which wasn't helpful, my vocabulary limited to please, thank you and, "Where's the restroom." I could, however, track their voices. One was coming my way while his partner circled around.
I surveyed the playing field. Further to my left was a hunting blind. It was in rough shape, likely a decade since anyone used it. But it gave me something to aim for, and I crawled that way while periodically turning to throw rocks or sticks in the other direction. My pursuer fell for the trick while I continued to the blind and hunkered behind it.
A hunting blind is made for rifles. Also for deer, who aren't the smartest beasts in the forest. This provided temporary shelter, nothing more. What I needed was . . .
I looked up. The tree was climbable above about ten feet. That meant if I could use the blind as a ladder, I could get up there. I would, however, be exposed while climbing.
I checked my options again. I'd lost sight of the guy circling around. His partner was about twenty feet away--too far for a decent shot through dense forest.
