“Yes. It will bring us to a busier area where we’ll blend in.”
“Let’s go then.”
They took off at a light jog, moving around the museum at a rapid pace that brought them quickly to the moped, but the cops were close. Even Nadirah could hear the loud sirens.
They hopped on and immediately took off, Nadirah driving rapidly, her body tense.
It took them but minutes to make it to an area with traffic, allowing them to blend in. He’d almost relaxed when he heard something exploding. A glance back showed nothing.
Nadirah murmured, “I wonder what blew up.”
Phoenix had an inkling. They pulled over and Nadirah jumped onto social media, confirming his suspicion.
She held out her phone to show him a video of the museum billowing smoke.
Chapter Six
Despite being the one driving,Nadirah barely noticed the passing scenery on the ride back to her place. Shock clung tight, although she’d at least managed to shed the panic when she thought Khalid might have died in the museum explosion. She’d fired off a text to him immediately upon hearing the news and sighed in relief when he’d replied he’d made it out safely.
Khalid didn’t see what happened, but later texted to say it appeared as if someone started a fire in one of the storage rooms, which then ignited something that acted as a bomb. The arsonists all escaped, and the police were calling it an act of terrorism, although she had to wonder what they achieved by destroying priceless artifacts.
Given the wind noise and her frazzled nerves, she and Phoenix didn’t discuss anything on the ride home. Only once she parked did she slump and sigh. “That was unexpected.”
“No shit.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Do you think the people who broke in were after you?”
“Doesn’t seem likely. I mean, no one knew we’d be there. Then again, seems like an awfully big coincidence.”
“I wonder why they started the fire in a storage room? Wouldn’t eco terrorists have gone for the more high-profile artifacts to make a point?
“I think the better question is, which storage room?”
“You think they were after the same thing as us?”
He shrugged. “Given what’s happened, it’s not that far-fetched. Maybe some new thugs were after me and thought we were still in the building when they set the blaze.”
“How would anyone even know we were there?”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know. It shouldn’t be possible since one of the first things we did when we escaped the lab holding us prisoner was to remove the devices we’d been implanted with.”
Her eyes widened. “They chipped you like animals?”
His lips twisted. “Not just like. I am, after all, half tiger.”
“Could there be a second device?”
He shook his head. “We all went through multiple ultrasounds and even an MRI each to make sure, the latter not being easy in Canada, as those machines are booked solid. Good thing Takhi had a friend who managed to sneak us into a clinic.”
“It’s crazy to me that anyone would do that to people.”
“Those hunting me have deep pockets and see no problem protecting their investment.” A claim spoken with a grimace.
Nadirah couldn’t help but remember the hired thug from the zoo. “Could we have been followed?” She glanced around fearfully up and down her street with its many houses.
“It’s possible.” His less-than-reassuring reply.
“If we were followed, then what happened at the museum was meant to harm us.”
