"Back exit?" Kara asked.
"Engine compartment leads to the stern deck," Novik said, already moving.
The first shots came through the cabin windows before they could reach the rear of the boat. Kara dove to the floor, pulling Novik with her, while Max returned fire through the broken glass.
They squeezed through the narrow opening into the engine room, the sound of automatic weapons fire echoing behind them.
They emerged onto the stern deck just as one speedboat pulled alongside, its occupants spraying bullets at the cabin where they'd been hiding moments before.
"Jump!" Max shouted.
They went over the side together, hitting the cold water of the bay with a shock that drove the air from her lungs. Behind them, the cabin cruiser erupted in flames as someone threw an incendiary device through the broken windows.
They swam underwater as long as they could, surfacing near another dock as the speedboats circled back, searching. But in the confusion and smoke from the burning boat, they slipped away unseen. For a moment, she thought they might have lost Novik, but then he came to the surface, looking even more terrified.
Sirens rang through the air. She could hear yelling as people came out of their boats, and within seconds, the two speedboats were out of the harbor. They paddled to the dock. Max helped her out as Novik climbed onto the boat, and then Max followed. She was afraid Novik might try to run, but the sight of the burning boat seemed to make him realize they were his only hope of staying alive.
Chapter Twenty-One
After dropping Novik off at her office, where Tyler was waiting to interrogate him and get him into protective custody, she and Max went down to the parking garage. "I think we should leave your car here," she said. "Why don't you grab your bag from your Jeep?"
He nodded and walked over to his Jeep and got his overnight bag. As they got into the SUV, she started the engine and then said, "I don't want to go to my place, and I don't think you should go to yours. Our addresses are probably known, and I really don't want to deal with any more explosions."
"I agree. Do you have another safe house?"
"No. We'll have to go to a hotel. Maybe one with room service," she added. "Something medium-sized, clean, safe. Hopefully, it's just for a night, and we can find Qadir tomorrow."
"Hopefully. But there is no way we are doing that kind of hotel," he said. "Let's go to the Castleton."
"Excuse me? That's a new five-star luxury hotel by the park."
"And you don't think we deserve it?"
"It's way out of my range. How much does Dominic pay you?"
He laughed. "Enough. And I have an ID and credit cards we can use that won't be traced back to us. If we're going to hide out, let's do it in style."
"Is that the way they do it in the CIA?"
"No, but it's the way I'd like to do it now. It's been a long day."
"We look pretty bad," she said, her clothes still damp from jumping into the water, her hair still wet and tangled. "Or at least I do."
He shot her a quick look. "You do look a little ragged. I'll check us in. You can go into one of the shops and buy whatever you need for the night."
The thrifty, responsible part of her wanted to tell him there was no need to waste money at an expensive hotel, but the thought of gourmet room service, a thick robe, and maybe even a Jacuzzi tub was too enticing to resist. So, she kept her mouth shut and drove to the Castleton.
They left the car with the valet. Max gave his last name as Anderson, and then they headed into the hotel. The lobby was spectacularly beautiful: shiny marble floors, glittering chandeliers, wood-paneled walls with incredible art, and the furniture looked like it had come straight from a showroom.
"There's a boutique," Max said, handing her a credit card. "Use this. And for God's sake, buy some nice things. You deserve that, too."
"I'm not ordinarily a big spender."
"Neither am I. You've seen my apartment."
"That's true," she said, thinking about that. "You don't live like a rich person."
"Tonight, I'm going to live exactly like that, and so are you. If you come out empty-handed, I'm going to go into that store after we get a room and buy some things for you myself."
