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“Sure. Why?”
“I think we should mix the order up. I think we—you and I—should either be in front or the last in the convoy.”
Pierce thought it over. “You know, doctrine has it that the protected vehicle should be protected from the front and the back. Is there a reason not to respect protocol?”
Riley shrugged, looking uneasy. “You think in terms of protocol and military doctrine. I think in terms of mathematical probability. It just seems rational to switch the order on a randomized basis.”
Pierce studied her. She was holding up really well in a situation that would have any other civilian screaming and begging to be protected in a bunker. She realized that, for the moment, if the escalation were to stop, it was on her, until they managed to get the big guns on their side.
It was probably just a hunch, but damn it. She had a right to her hunches. His life had been saved twice in the battlespace because he zigged instead of zagged. And even if it wasn’t a hunch, if it made her feel better, why not?
He tapped his comms twice, which went out to both vehicles. “Alpha One here, we will be bringing up the rear. Confirm.”
“Alpha One, bringing up the rear,” came the confirmation.
Alpha Two pulled out, then Alpha Three, then he pulled out too, keeping a regulation distance.
“Thanks, Pierce,” she said softly.
“Sure.” He knew his voice sounded remote. Usually driving relaxed him, but not when driving in a convoy with the possibility, however remote, of an attack. Then all his senses fired up and all he saw was the road and the angles and the geometry of it.
She must have taken the cue because she settled back and opened her laptop. Riley was like him—work was her go-to.
It wasn’t rush hour, so they made steady progress toward the safe house. Pierce kept checking his environment but so far, all clear. No one following them. Suddenly Riley gave an exclamation.
“What?”
She turned her beautiful eyes toward him in alarm. “Pierce! Does Jacob Black have a drone accompanying us?”
“I don’t think so.” He tapped twice, and he put the question to Black. Then turned to her. “Nope. Black says no Black Inc. drones. Why?”
“There’s a drone following us. It’s been with us for ten minutes. About a hundred yards behind us!”
Goddamn!
Pierce told the other two drivers. The comms would be absolutely secure in Black Inc. vehicles. They were discussing countermeasures when Riley shouted, “The drone just shot something at us! Evade!”
“Evade!” he shouted and the three vehicles scattered as an explosion hit where the middle vehicle had been just seconds before. Their vehicle was heavily sound proofed but they could feel the percussive effects nonetheless, and great clots of asphalt and dirt rained down on the hood.
“Hang on!” Pierce shouted as he wrenched the wheel and went off-road, driving over curbs, over a grassy sward. They were on Virginia Avenue, just across from the Watergate.
He crossed traffic to get to the hotel garage. Pierce accelerated down into the parking garage, breaking the boom gate, going down two flights. He braked heavily, coming to rest an inch from the wall, exploding out the driver’s door. Riley understood and was already standing beside her door, backpack on, ready to take her cues from him.
Good girl. Man, this was a woman in a million. She wasn’t hysterical and she wasn’t terrified and she was looking to him, ready to follow his lead.
He was ready to lead but—where? Goddamn. There was a leak somewhere. He had no idea how, but the leak had to be in Black Inc. So going back to the safehouse was out of the question. He tapped his ear piece twice.
“You guys okay? Roberts and Cullin?” The teammates in the middle. The ones targeted. “And Black, is he okay?”
“This is Roberts,” came a breathless voice. “It barely missed all of us—thanks for the heads up!”
“Thank Riley. She’s the one who saw it. Is the drone still operational?”
“No. Archer shot it down. But now we have to wait for law enforcement to come. Where are you?”
Pierce hesitated. He trusted these men but there was possibly a mole inside Black Inc. He felt really sorry for the poor bastard when Jacob Black found out. But in the meantime, he was responsible for Riley’s safety and they had to go off grid. “Riley and I are going to disappear. I’ll get in touch later.”
Now it was Roberts’ turn to hesitate. “Roger that. Keep her safe.”
