Moose reached an arm around Molly and pulled her down suddenly so that she was below the line of sight through the back window. At the same moment, Molly yanked the steering wheel to the left and cut onto a side street. The three pursuers were moving too fast to make the turn, but only one of them slammed on brakes. A moment later, that car reversed, then pulled into the street and began flying toward them.
Sarah had no choice but to slow down when she came to the end, because she couldn’t see whether anything was coming. That gave the single car a chance to get a bit closer, but then she floored the Chrysler again and roared out and to the left. By the time the follower got to the corner, she had already turned right at the next intersection and was out of sight. She hit a color button and the car went from its normal silver to a bright green.
The powerful car was making eighty miles an hour through the streets of what appeared to be a residential neighborhood, squealing around corner after corner as Sarah drove a random path in order to throw off their pursuers. After five minutes of such driving, she suddenly slowed to the speed limit and made three more turns in quick succession.
“We lost them,” she said. “Now I just want to get away from here quietly before the cops show up.”
Moose let Molly sit up again, and she stared at him for a few seconds. “Just so you know,” she said, “any other man who shoved my face into his lap like that would have gotten a taste of my pepper spray. Since you’re with Noah, I gave you the benefit of the doubt this time, but don’t try it again.” She turned to Noah. “Does she always drive like that?”
“That’s her job,” Noah said. “Sarah is one of the best drivers in the whole world, and she can handle just about anything that has wheels. She doesn’t have to drive that way very often, but I’m glad she can when it’s necessary.”
Molly looked at Neil. “Okay, and what about these two back here? One looks like a string bean, and the other looks like he ought to be playing football.”
“The quarterback is Moose, he’s my backup man. That skinny kid on the other side is Neil, and he could probably give you a run for your money in the IQ department. According to our bosses, he’s got the highest IQ they’ve ever seen, and he can pull intelligence out of thin air with a computer. He hacked into the security cameras at that restaurant, and that’s how I was able to watch you. I don’t think we’ve found anything yet that he couldn’t find out, if I asked him to.”
Molly was nodding again. “A three-man support team, right? Transportation, intel and muscle. I’ve seen a paper on the advantages of espionage teams built that way, but I didn’t know any of our alphabet soups were using it. You’re E & E, right? Did I get it right?”
“He could tell you,” Moose said, “but then he might have to kill you. And if you know the Boss, you know he’d do it.”
Molly’s eyes shot open wide and she stared at Moose. “Good point,” she said. “Noah, forget I asked.”
Sara switched the car back to its original silver color and took a different route back to Molly’s place. She wasn’t surprised to see one of the three cars that had been following them sitting outside the gate that led into the subdivision. She pointed it out to Noah, who nodded.
“I see them,” he said. “I would have been surprised if they weren’t waiting for us here, but they won’t make a move on us here, not with the security on this place.”
Sarah pulled in and stopped at the gate, and the guard on duty stepped out to the car.
“Good evening,” he said politely. “How can I help you this evening?”
Molly leaned forward. “Hey, Ray,” she said. “These are some friends of mine, they’re giving me a ride home.”
Ray looked the other occupants of the car over, then smiled at Molly. “Okay, Ms. Hanson,” he said. “Oh, by the way, I’m supposed to get your signature on a receipt for something that got delivered today. Could you come inside the guard shack for a moment?”
Molly rolled her eyes. “Sure, Ray, no problem.” She turned to Moose. “Open up, Muscles,” she said. “They’re not going to let us pass here until I go inside and assure them you’re not holding a gun to my head.”
Ray grinned as Moose opened the door and stepped out, allowing Molly to get out as well. “Sorry, folks, it’s our protocol, and I have to follow it. Everything I do here is being videotaped and recorded, and I happen to like my job.”
Noah smiled at him. “Trust me, I understand completely. You need to frisk us?”
“No, that’s okay. As long as she’s able to get out of the car and step inside, it’s a pretty safe bet you’re not forcing her to take you in with her.” Ray followed Molly into the guard shack, where she could be seen through the windows smiling and talking with the other guards. A moment later, he escorted her back to the car. “Okay, folks, you can go on in. And by the way, I appreciate your cooperation.”
“Not a problem,” Sarah said, and Noah nodded his agreement. As soon as Molly and Moose were settled back into the car, she put it back in gear and eased through the opening gates.