“It would draw too much attention. Besides, it’s in my Mercedes.”
Malik was going to catch hell from Tower about that.
David’s phone buzzed. “Idris says it is a roadblock. Men without uniforms. It could be the Sky Kings, or it could be SARS—the Secret Anti-Robbery Squad. Either way, it’s bad news.”
“What are we going to do?” Kristi’s voice was calm, but Malik sensed her fear.
David dialed a number on his phone. “If we cannot get to the airport, we will bring the airport to us.”
Malik understood what he meant, but Kristi probably didn’t. “The helicopter will pick us up somewhere else.”
David spoke to someone in Yoruba, then sent a text message to Bruno and Idris. “They will escort us to the old, abandoned airfield. The chopper will meet us there. I will park the rental downtown and call the company to retrieve it.”
He made a U-turn and drove back into Kaduna, heading southeast this time. They passed through downtown and reached a run-down industrial area on the outskirts of the city, the sound of a helo passing somewhere overhead. There, inside a broken gate, Malik could see crumbling asphalt—the remnants of old runways. Waiting for them on the tarmac was a bright red Bell 407, its rotors running.
“Do you trust this pilot?” Malik didn’t like the idea of depending on someone he’d never met.
“He, Bruno, Idris and the other staff know that if they betray me, there will be nowhere in the world for them to hide. So, yes, I do.” David parked, and they all climbed out. “This is where we say goodbye for now, friend.”
Malik shook David’s hand. “Thanks, man. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
David chuckled. “That is the truth.”
Kristi gave David a hug. “Thank you, David. Please give Cobra an address where I can safely send letters to Obi. Let him know how much I care about him.”
“You have a good heart. I can see why Malik is mad about you.”
Wait. What?
Okay, so David wasn’t wrong. Malikwasmad about her. He was out of his fucking mind over her. How else could he explain the past week?
Kristi kissed David on the cheek. “Please stay safe.”
“You, too. Take care of her, Jones.”
“You know I will.”
Bruno and Idris had already loaded their bags onto the helo, so there was nothing left to do but cross the tarmac and climb aboard.
“Have you ever flown on a helicopter?” Malik hurried with Kristi toward the bird, her hair flying in the rotors’ downwash.
“No.” She didn’t sound excited.
Bent low, he helped her board, climbed in beside her, and buckled his belt. Then he showed her how to wear her earphones and adjust her mic. “Can you hear me?”
She nodded. “Can you hear me?”
He took her hand, held it. “Lima Charlie, angel. Loud and clear.”
As the helo gained altitude, he saw David, Bruno, and Idris driving away. Getting Kristi to safety was entirely on Malik’s shoulders now. They had a long journey ahead of them and a lot of unknowns.
He wouldn’t fail her.
* * *
Samuel Kuti walkedinto the warehouse where the nine survivors from Jidda’s strike group had been taken. He knew the basic story already, thanks to their informant with the NPF. What he didn’t understand was howone mancould attack the camp in broad daylight, kill sixteen armed men, and escape unharmed with a woman.
The Sky Kings would want answers. If word got out that one of their camps had been attacked and sixteen of their men killed by an angry husband, they would lose face. That would be bad for business—and bad for Samuel.