Page 65 of Locked and Loaded

"Okay, but heading into Spain is probably the best way. We need to get out of here."

"Maybe that is the best," Dragan said, "but I don't have a ton of connections in Spain. And here's the thing, I don't know how they found us at the riad. It's not like I advertised. My name isn't on anything, but they found us. So they know who I am. That also means if we bolt for Spain, they'll be running around the city trying to find us, and they'll figure out that's what we've done. Because logically, that's the next move, right? Get out of the country. If you booked the helicopter with the same name as you used at the hotel, they’ll know about that too."

He paused to check the mirror again before continuing. "They're going to have the airport covered. So, what would they do next? They'd look for a coastal town." He pointed at the map. "What's the closest coastal town?"

Frustration coursed through her. "Don't speak to me like I'm an idiot."

"I'm not."

"So we hit another coastal town. What does it matter? We'll just catch a ride."

"It matters, Lennox, because they have more resources on the ground here. By the time we find a boat to take us to Spain, get on board, and head out, if we don't pick the closest port, that’s longer for us to be exposed. And they'll be on our trail, asking around in all these cities. And if they find us, if they figure out which boat we got on, guess what? They'll be waiting on the other side." He glanced at her. "I know it's frustrating, but you have to think about it logically."

"Logically," she repeated, her voice climbing. "That's what they'll be doing? And how do you know that?"

He was always so superior. So infuriating.

"Because that's what I'm thinking. Just pause for a second and consider… If I had to track us, Lennox, I'd look at this map and pick the three closest coastal towns. Then I'd put guys in the next two as well, because they seem to have plenty of resources. I'd have people already on the ground, waiting at the most popular docks, asking around. Because here's the thing, only a few guys are going to make that run, and the locals are going to know them. So if they don't get us on this end, they're certainly going to catch us on the other side. Because that's what I would do. That's the smart play."

She ground her teeth. She really wanted to punch him right now. His superior attitude drove her crazy almost as much as the fact that, put like that, she realized he was right.

Why did he have to be right?

"Fine," she said through her teeth.

"Do you have another safe house here?" she added. "Somewhere that won't be compromised? Or maybe we could just go to a different country, not Spain. So we don't run the same risk."

"No matter what country or city you go to, you run the same risk. As a matter of fact, Spain is the closest one, so it would be the best, or it would be if we were going that way. Once you're in the water, it's a shorter crossing."

"What about renting a different helicopter? We could just rent a helicopter and fly somewhere, go out from there."

"We could, but I'm guessing since you already did that, they're going to have that covered as well. It takes a little while to arrange a helicopter…it's not like we can just pull up to a random airport and say anybody here got a helicopter to fly to Spain? Too many variables. And even if they don't find us before we get there, they'll immediately track us. We need something a little more subtle."

Lennox grabbed the dash as Dragan swerved around an unexpected pedestrian.

"Okay," she said, righting herself. "So where is this safe house? "

Dragan glanced in the rearview mirror. "It's not exactly a safe house, but it'll do. And we can book a helicopter from there."

"So how long will we stay there?" she demanded.

"Only as long as we have to. We still don't know where we're going."

"Well, we're going to Greece eventually, aren't we? Isn't that the plan? That’s where your friend said Georgiou is, right?”

“I know that seems logical, but until we know for sure that Georgiou is there, we shouldn't take off."

Once again, he sounded so smug. She clicked her teeth together and stared at the passing scenery. They'd already left the city behind.

"Look, Lennox." His voice softened. "I know this is difficult. I know you want to charge ahead and find your sister. Every second we are delayed probably seems like an eternity to you. But if we don't proceed carefully, we're going to wind up dead. We can't go at this like a bull in a china shop. One of the things they're counting on is that when they find us and make us run, we'll make more mistakes. I'm not dismissing your ideas. They're solid, you know? It's just that we have to plan. I've been in this game a long time, and planning is what makes the difference between living and dying."

She didn’t answer. It certainly felt as though he was dismissing her ideas.

When she didn’t reply, he said, "You've been damn lucky so far, Lennox, but I believe things have changed."

"What do you mean? What's changed?"

He glanced over at her and then checked the rearview mirror again.