He glanced at the other guards, who looked stunned by what had happened.
So maybe Hao was the only traitor?
“Eyes outward and set the perimeter,” Nash barked. “He won’t be alone.”
Then he grabbed Steers and threw her into the Maybach’s back seat. “Stay down,” he told her.
He slammed the door shut and pulled his gun just as automatic weapons fire came at them from the alleyway off to their right. Nash dropped to the pavement as the bullets struck the men in front of him. Within seconds the remaining protection detail members were wiped out.
Nash emptied his mag in the direction of the shots, then crawled forward and snatched weapons from two of the dead men. He opened fire even as he propelled himself toward the car on his back. He took return fire and then finished off both mags, spreading his shots in a wide arc before jumping into the driver’s seat of the car. He shifted into gear and slammed down on the gas, then dodged around the empty lead car in front.
The Maybach flew down the once-quiet street as bullets pinged off the metal hide and bulletproof glass. The tires were also struck but they were run-flat, he knew, and kept rolling. But one heavy round hit the passenger’s side window with such force that it nearly shattered.
“They’ve got explosive rounds,” Nash called out to Steers. “Stay on the floorboard. Do not sit up!”
As more bullets banged off the car, Nash turned right at the next street and then blew through a red light. He hung a left that probably pushed the Maybach to the limits of its handling capability. He then orchestrated another turn so extreme that Nash had to use all his strength to maintain control of the heavy vehicle. This was not the way back to Steers’s building, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to go there. There had clearly been betrayal in the ranks, and he had no idea how deep it went.
He called Thura, told him what had happened, and instructed him to check on Masuyo and Hiroko. He next called the Hong Kong police and told them what had occurred.
Then Nash drove until he came to a park and stopped the car. “Okay, I think we’re safe.”
When she didn’t answer he looked over the back seat.
“Victoria-san!”
He jumped out of the car, opened the battered rear door, and peered inside.
Steers was on the floorboard, covered in blood.
He turned her over and he could see the slash on her neck.
“Oh my God.”
How the hell did I miss that when I put her into the car?
He popped open the glove box, grabbed the first aid kit there, and treated the wound as best he could. He sat back on his haunches, hovering over her. She was going to die if she didn’t receive medical attention. And quickly.
As he stared down at the critically wounded woman, Nash’s mind filled with the images of his daughter, happy and safe, and then he imagined her bones lying in the dirt. And then the memory of the box in Steers’s basement crept into his mind.
I can do nothing and just let her die right now. I can’t be blamed. I can make a statement to the police and then go home. And my nightmare will be over and Maggie will be avenged.
When the groans of the injured woman reached his ears, Nash knew he could not just sit by and watch Steers die.
And if I ever get to that point, I’m no better than she is.
He drove to the nearest hospital and carried the unconscious Steers into the emergency center, where he screamed for help. Her blood now also covered him.
Doctors and nurses converged to aid them.
Nash told them what had happened, and they quickly triaged Steers’s neck wound. A minute later she was rolled away on a gurney, leaving Nash standing there helpless.
As the swing doors closed behind the medical team with Steers, his phone buzzed. It was Thura.
“All good here, man. You saying one of them tried to kill her?”
“Yes, Hao. I neutralized him, but the rest of the detail is dead. They didn’t appear to be in on it. But it was an ambush all the way. So keep your eyes and ears open, all right?”
“You got it. Think she’s gonna make it?”