Page 65 of Dead Drift

“When I left Israel over ten years ago.”

David exhaled, slowly setting the canister on the tabletop. “It appears Bedan has succeeded in his design. Perhaps a finishing touch here or there, but he’s got it.”

Luke was the next to exhale deeply. “So Ebeid’s going to be able to spread anthrax effectively via aerosol.”

Her dad swiped a hand over his thinning crown of hair. “I’m afraid so.”

“Which explains the wind charts,” Luke said. “Bedan needs wind to carry the spores. With the right prevailing winds, the spores could carry, undetected. . . .” Luke cut off the thought. “We need to find the new location of that warehouse before Bedan puts those finishing touches on his weapon of mass destruction.”

27

I can’t believe you worked with Tanner’s dad,” Kate said as Luke drove them to yet another hotel for the night.

Luke tapped the wheel. “Crazy, right? I had no idea.”

“David seemed . . .”

“Solemn? Reserved?”

Kate shifted in her seat. “Yeah.”

“He’s so high up in the Mossad, I don’t even know the level of his position.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” He blinked in the glare of the oncoming headlights. The large SUV passed on his left, and he caught a glimpse of long blond hair in the reflection of his headlights.

He stiffened.

“What’s wrong?” Kate asked as a thwack sounded, and their car swerved.

“It’s Lauren.”

Another thwack. Another tire blown out.

He hit the brakes, but the pedal just pumped without catching. What on earth?

Kate’s eyes were wide in the dim shadow of the streetlights.

Lauren U-turned and sped up, moving directly for them as the steering went out next.

He clutched the wheel, glancing at the silver guardrail lining the narrow bridge, and then down to the dark, flowing water below, the moon illuminating its cascading rush.

Lauren had timed it perfectly.

He released the gas pedal, but the car continued its forward momentum, powering headlong against the bridge’s guardrail.

Lauren slammed them from behind in her large, dark SUV.

Luke pumped the brakes again out of instinct, but Lauren had somehow rendered his controls useless.

“Luke?” Kate said, bracing herself for another impact.

This time Lauren rammed harder, shoving their car over the metal bridge railing.

“Hold on!” he shouted, struggling to power down their windows to prevent the force of the water from sealing them in, but all power in the vehicle was gone.

Nose-diving, they careened headfirst into the roaring river with bone-jarring impact.