after a certain number of iterations. We just need more time.”
“I cannot thank you enough,” Alex said, “this is extremely helpful for me.”
“You’re very welcome,” Blake replied. “Call anytime, for anything at all. Clarence will keep looking. Good luck!”
She thought for a few seconds about what to do, ignoring the Tandouri Mutton that was getting cold in front of her. She grabbed her cell again, this time sending an encrypted text to Sam.
‘Need to see you now. Say where.’
A minute later, his reply came.
‘Sheraton New Delhi, room 306.’
She took a couple of bites from her food, signaling for the check and programming her phone to get driving directions. She realized she had to lose Pranav, her driver, and drive herself through New Delhi. She had no other option.
She reached the Toyota and Pranav hopped off from behind the wheel to open her door.
“Pranav, you need to take a cab and get yourself home, do you understand?” She gave him forty dollars in small bills, a small fortune for New Delhi. He looked confused.
“Ma’am, I drive you,” he said.
“Not tonight you’re not, sorry. May I have the keys, please?” she asked, extending her hand.
He held the keys, looking even more confused.
She sighed and just snatched the keys from his hand. She hopped into the Toyota and drove away slowly, getting used to the car’s right side steering wheel and the streets with left side driving. This is gonna hurt, she thought.
In the rearview mirror, she saw Pranav speaking to the driver of a black SUV, some local brand she didn’t recognize, but that SUV looked very much like a Jeep. Now she knew what her followers were driving.
She hit the gas and entered traffic in the screams of horns from the heavy traffic. She held the wheel tight, her knuckles white from effort and her palms sweating. She followed the GPS directions with difficulty for a while, until she got the hang of driving on the left side of the road. It was weird, and the crazy, unpredictable traffic made it even worse. She stopped at a red light, making the cars behind her honk furiously, but she didn’t budge. She checked her rearview mirror and saw the black Jeep knock-off right there behind her, third car back. She took a quick breath and turned left, on the red, pedal to the metal. Then she turned left again onto a small alley, instantly killing the engine and lights. She saw the Jeep pass on the street behind her. She waited a few minutes, then drove away from the alley, resuming GPS instructions. She drove for a few minutes, checking her surroundings all the time. Suddenly, the Jeep was back, on the lane to her left, a little behind her. She hit the gas; there was no other way. She sped by a farmers market, managing not to hit much; although she did run too close to a clothing rack, her bumper and wiper getting entangled in a couple items. She dragged those along for a while, until they finally became loose. The Jeep was following her aggressively now, giving up all attempts to stay inconspicuous. She took a sudden right turn onto an alley in the market, making her tires squeal and some pedestrians run scared. The Jeep still followed, hitting a bunch of grain buckets and spreading their contents onto the sidewalk. People screamed and ran as she drove by; she honked almost constantly. She came close to hitting an old man, but managed to maneuver out of the way and just hit a small wooden cart instead. Melons scattered everywhere, the Jeep smashing them as they came. She took another tight turn onto a small bridge, squealing her tires some more and scraping the side rails. The Jeep still followed, hitting a snake charmer’s basket and throwing it into the air, snakes falling from it onto the ground as the crowds shrieked and ran. The fake Jeep’s turn radius must have been a little too wide, or the driver not very skilled. It missed the tight turn onto the bridge and hit the end rail straight on, making it do a side flip through the air and land head first into a muddy river.
Alex slowed down and watched the black SUV as it sunk slowly into the muddy waters of the river, while the two men on board were making their escape. They were going to be just fine. She hit the gas happily, resuming the instructions on her