The Bourne Deception - By Robert Ludlum & Eric van Lustbader Page 0,31
dead Australian drifter and the paperwork identifying it as Bournes. It was a recurring disease shed picked up on the island: The thought of his imminent death was enough to cause her to run, and keep running. Except that wherever she went she ended up at the terrifying place where shed started, at the moment hed fallen to the ground, at the moment her heart had stopped beating.
The elevator door opened onto the shadow-drenched concrete expanse of the garage, and she stepped out, her car key in her hand. She hated this late-night walk through the almost deserted garage. The smears of oil and gas, the stench of exhaust, the echoes of her heels ringing against the concrete made her feel sad and achingly lonely, as if there was no place in the world she could call home.
There were very few cars left; the parallel white lines painted on the unsealed concrete stretched away from her, ending where shed parked her car. She heard the cadence of her own strides, saw the movement of her crooked shadow as it passed across one square pillar after another.
She heard a car engine cough to life and came to a halt, standing still, her senses questing for the source. A dove-gray Audi pulled out from behind a pillar, turned on its headlights, and came toward her, gathering speed.
She drew her custom Lady Hawk 9mm from its thigh holster, moved to an expert sharpshooters crouch, thumbed off the safety. She was just about to pull the trigger when the passengers-side window slid down and the Audi screeched to a halt, rocking on its shocks.
Moira!
She bent her knees more to lower her line of vision.
Moira, its me, Jay!
Peering inside the Audi, she saw Jay Weston, an operative shed poached from Hobart, the largest government ODCoverseas defense contractorsix weeks ago.
At once she put up the Lady Hawk, holstered it. Jesus, Jay, you couldve gotten yourself killed.
I need to see you.
She squinted. Well, shit, you couldve called.
He shook his head. His face was pinched and tight with unaccustomed tension. Cell phones are too insecure. I couldnt take the risk, not with this.
Well, she said, leaning on the window frame, whats so important?
Not here, he said, looking around furtively. Not anywhere where we can be overheard.
Moira frowned. Dont you think youre being a bit paranoid?
Being paranoid is in my job description, isnt it?
She nodded; she supposed it was. All right, how dyou
I need to show you something, he said, patting a pocket of an expensive-looking sapphire-blue suede jacket slung across the passengers seat, then took off toward the ramp up to the street before she had a chance to climb in or even answer him.
She sprinted to her car, starting it up with the remote as she ran. Hauling open the door, she slid behind the wheel, slammed the door shut behind her, and put the car in gear. Jays Audi was waiting for her at the top of the ramp. The moment he saw her approach in his rearview mirror, he took off, turning right out of the garage. Moira followed.
Late-night traffic with people returning home from the theater and movies was light, so there was no real reason for Jay to run the lights on P Street, but thats precisely what he continued to do. Moira put on speed to keep up with him; more than once she barely avoided being clipped by the cross-street traffic, tires squealing, horns blaring angrily.
Three blocks from her building they picked up a cop on a motorcycle. She flashed her high beams at Jay, but either he wasnt looking or he chose to ignore her because he kept running the red lights. All at once she saw the cop flash by her, heading toward the Audi in front of her.
Shit, she muttered, putting on some more speed.
She was thinking of how she was going to explain her operatives repeated infractions when the cop drew up alongside the Audi. An instant later hed drawn his service revolver, aimed it squarely at the drivers window, and pulled the trigger twice in close succession.
The Audi bucked and swerved. Moira had only seconds to avoid slamming into the car, but she was fighting the immoderate speed of her own vehicle. At the periphery of her vision she saw the motorcycle cop peel off and head north at a cross street. The Audi, in the middle of a series of sickening pendulum-like swings, smashed into her, sending her car spinning.