Pressure (24 page)

Abhi shoved a shaken-looking Mariotte away from him. The agent eyed them nervously, and rubbed his neck, scratching the spot where the scalpel had been.

“Keep him covered,” Abhi told Paolo.

Paolo pointed his weapon at Mariotte. “Oh, I intend to. Believe me.”

“What happened?” Carrie asked. “I thought you were going to stay with Paolo?”

Abhi frowned. “Why are you shouting?”

“Gunshots.” She pointed to her ears. “I can't hear.”

“Ah.” Abhi then raised his voice. “I was in Paolo's room, until that man and another agent came to kill us. Then we thought it might be better if we came to find you instead. Looks like I was right, yes?”

Carrie nodded. “And thanks for that. But where's the other agent?”

“Locked inside a custodian's closet on the first floor.”

“We need to hurry,” Carrie said. “I don't know if they can get a signal inside that truck or not. The walls might be too thick. But if they can, then we have to assume more are on the way. And that big guy, Maberry, is around here somewhere. He came down with Ochse and Barbet.”

She glanced around in apprehension, half-expecting the laconic agent to jump out from behind a cement column and start shooting.

“They've been spread thin so far, dealing with the mercenaries and other staff. But our luck won't hold.” She turned to Paolo. “Are you up for traveling?”

Paolo smiled. “I'm fine, Gatito. And I'm glad that you're okay, too.”

“What's the plan?” Abhi asked. “Because we need one, fast.”

Carrie shrugged. “Steal a car, and make for the American Embassy in Port Louis.”

“Sounds good to me,” Abhi said. “The sooner we're out of here, the better. I've had enough hospital food for one lifetime.”

The ringing in Carrie's ears subsided even as the pounding inside the truck grew louder. Carrie wondered how long they had before Ochse or Legerski tried to shoot their way out of the vehicle. Both men had been momentarily disabled, but she guessed they'd be recovering any moment now. Even in the dark, they'd be able to find their weapons. She wondered if such an attempt would actually work. She turned to Mariotte.

“Do you have the keys to one of these vehicles?”

He eyed her warily. “If I say yes, you're just going to have him shoot me anyway.”

“Well, maybe. We might shoot you. We just won't kill you. Not if you cooperate.”

“Bullshit. I don't believe you. I help you, then you'll kill me.”

“We could have killed your partners,” Abhi pointed out, “but we didn't. Unlike you people, we're not murderers. Now, answer the lady's question.”

Mariotte's gaze shifted warily to each of them, and then settled back on Carrie.

“I'm going to reach in my pocket—”

“No,” she interjected. “I'm going to reach in your pocket. You're going to hold very still. Maybe we won't kill you, but if you try anything, Paolo can still shoot you in the balls or your kneecaps. Understand?”

He nodded, trembling noticeably. Carrie wondered if it was from fear or nicotine withdrawal. Or maybe both.

Slowly, without taking her eyes off his, Carrie reached into Mariotte's pocket and retrieved a set of car keys. Up close, he stank of cigarettes and coffee and sweat. She stepped back from him and turned to Abhi.

“Did you search him, before?”

“Yes. He has no weapons on him, other than his breath.”

Mariotte flinched at the insult, but didn't say a word.

Carrie held up the key fob and pushed a button to unlock the doors. A black SUV chirped in response. Its headlights flashed just a few rows from where they stood.

“That must be the one,” she said. “Okay, what do we do with him?”

“Go get the vehicle,” Paolo suggested. “I'll keep him covered. You drive back over here and we'll take him with us.”

Carrie glanced at Abhi, who shrugged.

“Works for me,” he said. “As much as I hate to say it, having a hostage might come in handy. Just be careful, Paolo. Watch him closely.”

“You be careful, too,” Paolo replied. “More of them are probably on the way. Be quick about it.”

Carrie and Abhi ran for the SUV. They were climbing inside when a gunshot reverberated throughout the parking garage. It was quickly followed by another. Alarmed, they jumped back out of the vehicle and turned to see Mariotte sprawled on the concrete, blood already running from his body. Paolo sat in the wheelchair. Smoke curled from the barrel of his pistol. Mariotte's left leg jittered and twitched. Then he stopped moving.

“Paolo,” Carrie shouted. “What the fuck?”

“He tried to attack me, Gatito. I had no choice.”

Abhi frowned. “You killed him.…”

Paolo lay the still-smoking pistol in his lap and wheeled toward them, grunting with the effort. His hospital robe strained at the seams.

“Yes,” he said, his tone flat. “I killed him. He lunged at me just as you were getting in the car. So I shot him. And unless we want to end up the same way, I suggest we go. Now.”

A chime dinged, and they heard the elevator's hydraulics begin to whine.

“Somebody is on their way down,” Carrie said. “Let's move!”

She slid in behind the steering wheel and started the ignition. The pounding and shouts inside the truck had grown frenzied now. As Abhi helped Paolo into the backseat, and then folded up the wheelchair and stowed it in the cargo section, they heard a muffled boom, followed by another.

“What was that?” Abhi asked, jumping into the passenger seat and slamming the door.

“They're trying to shoot the door open,” Carrie explained.

“Will that work?”

“I don't know. But we're not going to be here to find out.”

Two more gunshots echoed throughout the garage. Carrie caught a glimpse of muzzle flashes from inside the truck, coming from behind the door. That meant they'd managed to at least shoot through it.

“I think it will work,” she muttered. “Time to go.”

Carrie dropped the SUV into reverse and hit the accelerator. Their taillights flashed in the gloom. As they passed by the elevator, she was alarmed to see three more Alpinus security agents emerging. All three were armed. Carrie sped up. They glanced toward the SUV, and then ran toward the loading docks.

“Why didn't they shoot at us?” Abhi sounded bewildered.

“Tinted windows,” Carrie panted.

“This is getting worse by the minute,” Abhi said.

“Yeah,” Carrie agreed. “It is.”

She scanned the garage, looking for the exit, and followed the arrows painted on the columns and walls. After a few nerve-wracking moments in which she was convinced they'd gone in circles, they found the exit. The gatehouse stood empty, but a mechanical arm blocked the way.

“Punch it,” Abhi said.

“That only works in movies,” Carrie replied. She turned around to Paolo and stuck out her hand. “Give me the gun.”

“Why?”

“Because I asked nicely.”

Shaking his head, he turned the weapon over to her. Carrie flung the door open and sprang from the vehicle. She opened the guardhouse door and scanned the control panel, until she found a button to raise the gate. Hydraulics whined softly as it lifted into the air. Then, after making sure the coast was still clear, she got back into the vehicle and handed the pistol back to Paolo.

“Thanks.”

“I'm just glad you didn't have to use it.”

“Me, too.”

They sped out of the garage and up a ramp. Bright floodlights snapped on, momentarily blinding them. Squinting against the glare, Carrie focused on driving. They followed the road, which brought them around to the front of the clinic, and then arrowed through the thick foliage before terminating at another guardhouse. Unlike the booth in the parking garage, this one was occupied. Two more security agents stood in front of the gate, weapons drawn.

“Punch it,” Abhi said again. “And hope this actually works outside of the movies.”

Seeing that they had no choice, Carrie stomped the accelerator and the SUV roared forward. She ducked down as low as she could. Abhi and Paolo did the same. The agents opened fire. Flashes burst from their pistols in the darkness, bullets pinged against the SUV, and then the sound of the gunshots followed. The vehicle shuddered and rocked as the bullets slammed into it. The steering wheel jerked in Carrie's hands, but she managed to hold it steady. Then, the hail stopped as she closed the distance. The two men leaped aside as the speeding vehicle bore down on them.

“Hang on,” Abhi shouted.

They slammed into the gate with a crunch that shook the vehicle, but the mechanical gate snapped on impact and the SUV blew through the opening, shuddering and bouncing on its suspension. Paolo groaned from the backseat. Carrie's arms were stiff as she gripped the wheel, expecting the airbags to deploy at any second, and was surprised when they didn't. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the two agents scrambling to their feet. When she turned her attention back to the road, a tree loomed large in the headlights. Carrie yanked the steering wheel to the left, gritting her teeth as the tires scudded against a curb.

Another agent rushed out of the foliage, his expression panicked and breathless. Armed with some type of compact machine gun, he opened fire as they sped past. The first few rounds slammed into their vehicle, but then the weapon's recoil pulled him off target, and he sprayed the trees. She stared into the muzzle flash. When she looked away, spots danced before her eyes.

“Anyone hit?” Carrie yelled.

Neither Abhi nor Paolo responded, but she couldn't risk glancing at them.

Then, much to her surprise, she realized that they had exited the grounds. A main road stretched out in front of them. Headlights winked in the distance. She hit the on-ramp without slowing, and sped onto the road.

Abhi sat up and glanced around. “Is everyone okay?”

“I am.” Carrie nodded. “Paolo?”

“I'm fine, all things considered. But it's cold back here in just this hospital gown. Can you turn on the heat, please?”

Carrie looked at the dashboard and saw that the check engine light was on. She turned the switch for the heat, and warm air blew across her feet. Despite having been shot at and used as a battering ram, the SUV seemed to be handling okay. Despite the warning from the check engine light, which seemed to glow balefully in the darkness, the temperature gauge seemed normal, and there was no sign of steam leaking from beneath the hood.

“I think we made it,” she said. “This thing seems to be running okay. Although I'm surprised the airbags didn't deploy. I, for one, will be writing the manufacturer a strongly worded letter…”

“They're not mandatory in Mauritius,” Abhi explained. “Probably never installed, or if they were installed, then they were never activated.”

“Who cares?” Paolo sighed with relief. “Carrie's right. We made it!”

“Not yet,” Abhi replied. “You can bet your ass they'll be coming after us. We should get off this road as soon as possible. Maybe even change vehicles, if we can.”

“We've got no money and no identification,” Carrie reminded him. “And Paolo's wearing a hospital robe. He looks like an escaped mental patient. I'm not hijacking another car. Stealing from those assholes is one thing. Carjacking from some innocent civilian is another.”

“Well, then we had best lead them on a merry chase.”

“Don't worry,” Carrie said. “All we have to do is reach the embassy in Port Louis. Then we'll be safe.”

“Yes,” Abhi countered. “But to do that, we need to first figure out where we are.”

“Good point. Watch for road signs.”

They drove into the night, and the darkness seemed as oppressive as it had along the bottom of the ocean.

 

FOURTEEN

They rode in stunned silence for a while. Carrie assumed that Abhi and Paolo were each coming to grips with the situation in their own way. She felt nauseous and edgy as leftover adrenaline coursed through her system. Her hands and feet jittered, and her left eye kept twitching uncontrollably. Trying her best to ignore it, she guided the SUV on a bewildering series of turns, choosing at random, hopping from highways to back roads to service roads and then back onto the highways again, all in a desperate effort to lose any pursuit while also putting as much distance between them and the Alpinus facility as possible. She kept glancing in the rearview mirror, alert for any signs that they were being followed, but—beside a few nerve-wracking false alarms—the coast remained clear.

She had hoped to find one of the roads that Maberry and Mariotte had used when the two had driven her and Abhi to Takenaka's ship. At least then, she'd be able to find the harbor, and possibly help. But nothing looked familiar in the dark.

“Check around,” she suggested, finally. “See if there's anything in here we can use. Maybe there are more guns.”

Paolo found nothing after checking around the vehicle's rear. Abhi meanwhile searched the glove compartment and the other storage nooks, but came up empty other than an atlas of Mauritius, a packet of tissues, and a crumpled, empty cigarette pack. He consulted the atlas, squinting in the dark, and then glanced up at their surroundings.

“Is that mountain over there Le Pouce?” Abhi pointed out the window.

“I think so.” Carrie nodded.

“Then that puts us in the Moka District.”

“Not that far from Port Louis,” Paolo said. “All we have to do is make it over the Moka Range.”

“Easy as pie,” Carrie muttered. “Nothing to it.”

“You are much more optimistic than I am,” Abhi said.

“Aren't I always?”

“The Moka Range is all winding mountain roads,” Abhi said. “There's very little in the way of lighting or widely populated areas. If they're going to hit us, those roads would be the best place for it. Great place for an ambush, too. How many bullets do you have left, Paolo?”