Jack gave a terse nod and jerked the wheel, spinning the Jeep around in a U-turn and earning more infuriated honking and more than a few crude gestures. “We’ve got to get that flash drive before Hale gets his hands on it. What else can you tell us?”
But Ralston’s lids had fluttered closed.
“Ralston’s losing a lot of blood,” Maddie said. “How long before we reach the airstrip? He needs medical attention.”
Luke turned back to assess the situation, but his face was grim. “We’re still—”
The window in Maddie’s door shattered, cutting off Luke’s words. She cried out and ducked down, shoving Ralston onto the seat and shielding him as the car next to them slammed into the Jeep.
Jack hissed a curse and jerked the wheel, returning the assault as Luke fired out his window at another car that was accelerating to ram them from behind. Then, with the steely calm Maddie was accustomed to, Jack held a hand out. “Maddie, your weapon, please.”
Maddie shoved her Glock into his hand. Without missing a beat, he aimed it out the window and fired with barely a glance. Immediately, the car swerved away as the driver slumped over the wheel. Maddie lifted her head in time to see the sedan crossing into oncoming traffic and onto the opposite curb where it slammed into a concrete wall painted with a brightly colored mural.
She ducked back down with a sharp curse when the Jeep’s back window shattered.
Luke fired off two more shots. “Clear,” he announced a few seconds later.
She lifted her head and glanced behind them to see the other car had come to a stop in the middle of the street, several bullet holes in the windshield. She closed her eyes on a sigh, then turned back to check on Ralston.
Her stomach sank when she saw his wide, vacant expression. “Damn it!” She slumped back against the seat, her shoulders sagging as she met Jack’s gaze in the mirror. “Ralston’s dead.”
Jack nodded, his jaw going tight. Then he jerked the wheel, hopping the median to head back in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” Maddie asked. “The airport is in the other direction.”
“We’re going back for Ian,” Jack told her. He turned to Luke. “Get on the phone with headquarters and get a lock on Ian’s location.”
“He said he’d meet us at the rendezvous point,” Maddie reminded him. “Shouldn’t we go wait for him there?”
When Jack didn’t immediately respond, she glanced between Jack and Luke, their grim expressions telling her all she needed to know. “He’s down.”
Jack’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I’m not leaving a member of my team behind.”
