She heard John ask the gas station attendant about the condition of the roads ahead and how far it was to the next village. But she didnt hear the mans mumbled answers. John climbed back in the car and made a production of stowing his wallet and settling into his seat again. As he did so, he said without moving his lips, We have a decision to make.
Do tell.
This place is entirely controlled by whomever youre trying to hook up with. Frankly, I dont think its safe for us. We can stop here for the night, or we can move on and try to find a village thats neutral territory.
Did the guy on the phone tell us to stop here? she asked in an undertone.
John shook his head as he latched his seat belt. Nope. He said this place was about halfway to where we were going and mentioned that it has an inn, though.
She glanced outside. Really? I dont see one.
The gas station attendant said the pub has a couple rooms for rent.
Melina grinned over at him. For rent by the hour, or the night?
He grinned back. I hesitate to think of the state of the bed linens.
She nodded. We go on.
I cant promise the next village will be any better, he warned.
She shrugged. Im learning to enjoy not playing by the rules. Lets do our own thing tonight.
He grinned over at her. I like the sound of that.
They drove for another hour as the sun set behind them and twilight settled outside. When the hills had turned a colorless gray and the trees were black silhouettes looming over the road, John exhaled in what sounded for all the world like disgust.
Whats up? she asked quickly, picking up on his disquiet.
Traveling at night in this part of the world is asking for trouble.
That didnt answer her question. What wasnt he telling her? She pressed. What kind of trouble?
He shrugged and glanced at her. Pick your poison. Anything from roaming wild pigs to Shining Path guerrillas.
The way I hear it, theyre not so different.
John laughed. I dunno. Those pigs are pretty smart.
The lightness of the moment faded along with the last vestiges of twilight. She asked soberly, So what are our options?
Heres the thing. The guy in the last village lied to me. He said the next town was forty kilometers away. No more than an hour down this road. Weve gone sixty-five kilometers, and theres no sign of civilization anywhere near here.
Alarmed, she blurted, What does that mean?
I imagine our friend has called ahead to some sort of welcoming committee wholl be out here looking for us before too much longer.
Melina jolted, looking around outside, wildly.
Easy, darlin. Were far from defenseless. Ive got a few aces up my sleeve.
Just then he gripped the steering wheel tightly and swore under his breath. She peered up ahead and made out some sort of large, irregular obstruction lying across the road. It looked like a fallen tree.
Looks like its time to pull out one of those aces, she bit out.
Climb in the backseat, John ordered tersely. Hurry.
She complied with alacrity, falling in an ungainly heap on top of something hard and sharp in his gear bags.
He continued, In my green duffel that youre lying on, pull out the big gun on top and a couple of pistols, and pass them up here. Then buckle yourself in back there. Were going cross-country. Its gonna get rough.
He wasnt kidding. He swerved hard to the left, off the road. They banged down and up again through some sort of ditch, and then they took off across an open field strewn with stands of trees and brush. In a matter of seconds, the Land Rover was bucking and bumping over the most god-awful terrain she could imagine. John fought the steering wheel like it was a wild bronco, muscling it forward by sheer force of will. It was an impressive display of strength.
Apparently, the field was some sort of drainage or flood zone, for it was streaked by gullies. Thankfully the gashes, varying in size from a few feet deep to large enough to swallow the entire Land Rover, were mostly dry at the moment. Mostly. Mud splashed up, covering the vehicles windows until Melina could barely see outside.
A crack of sound, like a truck backfiring, made her jump.
Get down! John yelled, flooring the accelerator.
The ride went from horrendous to epic in its discomfort. Amusement park rides had nothing over the pounding she was taking back here! She lay down in the backseat for a few moments, but got so sick so fast that she had to sit up again. She braced a hand against the ceiling to protect her head from banging into the metal roof. How John could see where he was going, she had no idea. It was pitch-black outside, and hed turned off the headlights. A few more cracks sounded, from behind them this time. She thought she heard faint shouts, but she couldnt be sure.
After a few minutes, the ride smoothed out some, which was to say it went back to merely terrible. A splash of water slammed the window beside her, startling her badly. However, it also washed most of the sticky mud off the window. They were running along the bed of a river-size gully, a high clay wall looming outside the window. Periodically, they crashed into pockets of standing water, some as deep as the front fenders. But the sturdy Land Rover plowed right through them.
Eventually, the vehicle slowed down. John began peering outside, obviously looking for something.
Can I help? What are we looking for? she asked breathlessly.
A low spot in the bank so we can get out of here.
Lovely. They were trapped down in this canyon? What if it ran out on them? Then what? Youre sure no ones following us? she asked quickly.
Im fairly certain theyve given up by now. None of them have vehicles with the suspension this one has. Theyd be hard-pressed to keep up with us.
Thank God.
You can come up here if you like. The rides smoother than back there, over the rear axle. But youll have to hold the guns in your lap.
In immense relief, she climbed back into the front seat, managing to get all tangled up in her own legs and arms and seat belts and gun straps. But eventually, she got it all sorted out. She glanced over at John and he was grinning at her.
What?
Having fun yet? he asked lightly.
Fun? Fun! You think fleeing armed bandits is fun? she exclaimed.
Nah, thats just another day at the office. Watching you try to climb into a seat full of firearms-now thats fun.
She stuck her tongue out at him. And realized, suddenly, that hed effectively broken her tension. Shed bet he hadnt done that by accident, either. Whats next, assuming we can get out of here?
He shrugged. Well get out eventually. Its just a matter of how dicey the maneuver will be. After that, well find someplace to hunker down for the night. In the morning, well figure out where we are and proceed toward our destination from there.
He made it all sound so easy. She shuddered to think what would have happened to her back there if he hadnt been with her. Shed have driven straight into that ambush. And she had no illusions about how a good-looking, relatively wealthy, foreign woman would have faired at the hands of a bunch of bandits.
Bingo.
She jumped at Johns sudden outburst. He slammed on the brakes and backed the Land Rover up, turning it ninety degrees to face the riverbank on their left. A solid wall of dirt loomed in front of them. You dont expect to drive up that, do you? she asked in dismay.
Sure. No problem.
Thats a vertical wall! Well flip over.
Nah, this is a tough old bird. Itll climb that. Hang on, and lean forward when we hit the wall.
Oh my God. She grabbed the bar across the dashboard in horror as he gunned the motor and the Land Rover leaped at the riverbank. The vehicle bucked and slid, its tires clawing at the bank, finding purchase, slipping, then finding purchase again. The vehicle did, indeed, stand up almost on its hind end as the engine roared and the tires threw mud wildly in every direction.
Lean forward! John yelled.
She flung herself forward in her seat and John did the same. Whether or not it helped, she had no idea, but at the last moment before she thought the Land Rover had to flip over on its back, its rear wheels caught, and it surged up the last six feet or so of the bank. It burst up and over the edge, skidding sideways as it hit level dirt and the squealing tires caught solid ground.
John stopped the vehicle. He peeled his fingers carefully from around the steering wheel. She noticed they were clawed from the effort and took several seconds to straighten once more. Well, he panted. That was fun. You okay over there, Mel? You look a little pale around the gills.
Near-death experiences have that effect on me, she replied dryly.
He grinned and put the vehicle into gear once more. Driving at a much more sane pace, he eased across the wide pasture they found themselves in. A farmhouse blinked with light on the mountainside above them, but John gave it wide berth and drove past it. On the other side of the dwelling, he let out a quiet exclamation of satisfaction.
She peered outside to see what so pleased him. A dirt road stretched away in front of them. Little more than a parallel pair of gravel tire tracks, it was, nonetheless, a vast improvement over the past half hours worth of terrain. She sighed in relief as he guided the Land Rover along the crude road.
Well. That was interesting, she commented.
More interesting than I was hoping for, but not as interesting as I expected, he replied calmly. What kind of work had he been in before this, that nearly dying at the hands of bandits had barely fazed him? And the way hed handled the Land Rover-no normal person couldve done that. He had some special sort of training. Had he been a policeman, maybe? It would explain his familiarity with guns, too.
Who were those guys back there? she asked.
He glanced over at her grimly. I was hoping you could tell me.
I dont have any idea!
He sighed. Brought the Land Rover to a stop. Turned off the ignition and lights. Alarmed, she saw him studying her in the dark, his eyes no more than shadowed hollows of blackness in the night. True confessions time, Melina. Someone just tried to kill us, and that changes the rules of this game. It means you owe me the full truth and nothing but the truth. Now.
She closed her eyes in despair. Im sorry, she whispered.