Once Malak left the garage she took a zigzag route to the airfield, doubling back a few times. When she was certain she wasn’t being followed, she drove directly there.
As she had suspected, it was quiet.
At the far west end of the field she spied a white Gulfstream in front of a hangar. She maneuvered the SUV to a parking space near the jet and paused for a moment, her hands on the steering wheel. There was a fuel truck just pulling away from the plane. The door opened and a stairway unfolded until it rested on the tarmac.
Malak the Leopard drummed her fingers on her right thigh, trying to calm herself. Taking several deep breaths had little effect. She was closer to bringing the cell down than she had been since she had taken on the Leopard’s identity. Now it felt like she was at the point of no return. The truth was, Smailes said the plane would carry her to San Antonio to meet the other members of the Five. But she had no way to verify this. For all she knew the Gulfstream could be carrying her anywhere. Even to her death.
Contacting Ziv again was out of the question. Somewhere out there was one remaining car bomb. Boone would have his hands full looking for it, plus he also had to get Q and Angela to San Antonio.
Every maternal instinct she possessed told her to restart the Suburban and drive away. To find Angela and never let her out of her sight, no matter the cost. She leaned her head on the headrest and closed her eyes. She was getting so close. If she did not get on that plane there was no doubt the cell would fade away for a while. But eventually they would find her and exact their revenge. The only chance to regain her old life was to see this through to the end. Boone, Ziv, Callaghan, and the president were all watching out for her and now Angela was involved. Her daughter’s safety was paramount. That was all she truly cared about.
Angela was her little girl. Of course fifteen was not so little anymore and Angela was full of fight and spirit and possessed a fierce intellect. But Malak had left her. Abandoned her. The reasons were worthy ones, but the ache would never go away. Her actions, no matter how well-intentioned, had put her little angel in danger. It ate away at her.
A man dressed in a short-sleeved white shirt and navy blue khakis descended from the plane and stood at the base of the steps. The weather was clearing. The rain and clouds had moved to the northeast. Now the sun was brightening the sky. The man shielded his eyes against the glare, looked at the Suburban, and glanced at his watch. To Malak he looked impatient. Impatient people made her nervous.
She pulled the pistol from her waistband and released the clip, checking the load. Would she be the only passenger on the plane? Might one of the other Five be waiting aboard? Questions flew through her mind. Every step she took from this point forward led her farther down an unknown path. The cell could have someone waiting for her on the plane. Perhaps, after the fiasco of the raid and Number Four’s injuries, she was no longer trusted. Malak cleared her mind and willed the persona of the Leopard to take over. She pushed thoughts of Angela and doubts about everything out of her mind. From this point forward she would remain on high alert.
As always, the Leopard would be ready for anything.