[Quinn 01] - The Cleaner

Quinn glanced down at the backpack on the floor between them. Inside was more than enough Semtex to destroy the van and its contents completely. He nodded toward it.

'Hide it between the boxes,' he said.

She looked at him. 'But we don't set it off until we've got Garrett, right?'

'That's the plan. I just don't want to be messing with that stuff later.'

With only a slight hesitation, she reached down and picked up the backpack. She carried it into the back, then unhooked the cargo net holding the boxes in place and pushed open a gap between the containers. Carefully, she placed the bag as close to the center of the pile as she could get. Once the net was resecured, she slipped back into her seat.

'Not until we find my son,' she said, nodding toward the back of the truck.

They found themselves back in the Mitte, driving west on Unter den Linden, near the Brandenburg Gate. Ahead was Tiergarten, Berlin's version of Central Park. In the center was a large traffic roundabout that encircled the Grosser Stern monument, a golden winged angel which looked out over the city from the top of a giant pillar.

Quinn tried to maneuver to the right and take Ebertstrasse toward the Reichstag, but there was too much traffic. He was forced to continue forward, into Tiergarten. To compound his problems, the road had widened into four lanes in each direction. No way he would be able to keep them from pulling up alongside now.

'This might not be the best way to go,' Orlando said.

'Yeah, I know.'

When he looked into his mirror, he saw that the silver Mercedes had been joined by a midnight blue BMW. Whoever owned the car apparently enjoyed his privacy. The windows seemed to be darkly tinted all the way around, including the windshield.

'New arrival,' Quinn said.

Orlando took a look and nodded.

Their only hope was that they could reach the traffic circle before the others did, and use its inherent confusion to their advantage. Quinn pressed the accelerator as far down as it would go and sped forward.

Behind them, their pursuers were driving side by side. It was almost like there was a conversation going on between the cars. Then, when they were halfway through the park, the Mercedes accelerated.

Quinn waited until it was even with his passenger-side door, then he gave the steering wheel a jerk to the right. The driver of the Mercedes slammed on his brakes and swerved out of the way.

Ahead, the Grosser Stern monument drew near. Parked along the side of the road, just before the traffic circle, were several tour buses. Even in winter, the monument would be crawling with tourists.

'He's coming back again,' Orlando said.

Quinn swung the steering wheel again as the Mercedes neared, but the driver had anticipated the move and kept coming.

'Oh crap,' Orlando said.

'What?'

Before she could answer, a bullet slammed into the passenger door. Immediately, a second one shattered the side window, then lodged into the roof just above Quinn's head.

'Dammit!' Orlando yelled. 'I thought you said they'd only fire warning shots.' 'The warning shots would be for me,' he said. 'You're kind of expendable.' 'Then let me drive and you be the expendable one,' she said, taking a deep breath as she finished.

He looked over. Her face was etched with pain.

'Are you hit?' he asked as he swerved to the left, sideswiping an Audi and creating a little distance between himself and the Mercedes. 'It's nothing,' she said, her teeth clenched. Blood was running down her left arm.

'Are you sure?'

'I'm fine. It's just a cut.' She held out the hand of her other arm. 'Give me your gun.' Quinn gave her his SIG. 'You'll need a new mag, too,' he said as he dug one out of his pocket.

She reloaded the gun, then turned and fired three

shots out her window. The first sailed over the hood of the sedan, but the second and third punctured the side of the car. The Mercedes veered, then straightened out, continuing forward.

As the rear window on the driver's side started rolling down, Orlando fired again. But instead of hitting the open window, the bullets shattered the closed one in front of it, the driver's window. One moment the Mercedes was beside them, a second later it swung violently to the right and slammed into the side of a tourist bus parked at the curb.

'Nice shot,' Quinn said.

The traffic circle was just ahead of them now, six lanes of vehicles, traveling counterclockwise around the monument. As Quinn swung the van into the inner lane and began racing around the circle, he checked his mirrors again. The BMW was still there, content to follow. But about a quarter mile behind it, several police cars raced toward them.

Quinn waited until the monument was between him and the police, then veered off the circle in the direction that would take them north out of town. Hopefully he'd be able to shake the police.

The BMW was another matter.

Chapter 39