Page 35 of The Lazarus Protocol

The woman said something, and Kai responded in the same language, then said to Ash, “She has a car up ahead. Couple of rows down. She said we can’t have it.”

Ash froze, and one of the kids bumped the back of his legs. The woman whispered harsh words.

He lifted his fingers to the side, where Kai would see, and told him two men were coming down the next alley.

Ash prayed the shouts and blazing fires would cover the pop of suppressed gunfire and stepped into the alley, squeezing the trigger and watching the two men hit the ground.

Behind him, Kai said, “No, don⁠—”

Ash spun back to see the woman and kids make a run for it. He glanced at the alley once more, then he and Kai were following her. Making sure she made it to her vehicle—though it probably looked like they were chasing her.

One of the kids took a tumble. Ash got there fast enough to scoop her off the ground. The woman kept running, dragging the little boy with her.

Kai fired behind them, shooting at someone.

The woman ducked between two doors leaning against a structure. When the kid squirmed to go after her, Ash set her down. She scurried in, and Ash followed them, discovering an ancient gray compact car covered with a tarp. The woman climbed into the driver’s seat. Okay, then. He figured they could give her a fighting chance to get her children out of here.

Ash ducked back out into the night, the bright glow of structures on fire lighting the night. Spreading fast.

Inside the garage, the car engine coughed and turned over.

Kai ran to him. “They’re right behind me.”

“Upstairs.” Ash raced at a ladder on the side of a nearby house and scrambled to the roof, then rolled to lie on his back while Kai came up behind him. “We need a vantage point if we’re going to cover their exit.”

“You should’ve given them candy bars and convinced them to take us with them.”

Ash just shook his head and heard a crash. “She drove through the door.”

The car engine coughed again, then caught and sped down a narrow lane between structures. Ash was pretty sure he heard an animal cry as she careened away from here with everything in the world that mattered to her. But the obstructions in the lane slowed her, and the brake lights swerved before she hit something else that sounded like a metal trash can.

Then someone yelled.

“They’re coming after us,” Kai said.

“And she might have trouble ahead of her.”

Ash looked where Kai indicated and got the two men in his sights, aiming down over the lip of the roof. No way would these bad guys catch up to the woman. She was in a car and they were on foot, but if she ran into a big-enough obstruction, they might reach her. He didn’t want to know what they’d do to appease their anger that she’d had the audacity to try to escape.

Kai fired two shots, taking both men down.

Ash spun his aim and saw a pickup truck race from the blazing structures to the lane where the woman was fleeing. He fired at the driver through the windshield. The truck swerved and hit the corner of the makeshift garage where the car had been, breaking through the side in a way that caused it to topple over against this one.

The whole building shook and started to list to the side. “Time to get off this ride.”

Ash clambered to his feet, and a bullet sang past his ear. He ducked down on one knee—no cover to be found—and twisted to fire back.

The guy who’d shot at him fell off the side of another roof and hit the ground with a thud.

“Jump.” Kai ran to the edge of the building and leaped across to the neighboring roof.

Ash heard another shot whiz past him, ducked his head, and followed. Kai fired at the insurgent, whoever he was, then kept firing. Ash skidded onto the roof behind him. Kai spun, running with him to the next roof. They jumped simultaneously.

Ash landed, rolled awkwardly, and came up. “Ladder.”

“Go.” Kai held aim on the alley below, covering Ash while he scrambled down.

Ash returned the favor, and Kai landed beside him. “Up for a run?”