Page 81 of Fury

“Stay frosty, people,” Chapel comm’d the team.

Didn’t have to tell Davis twice. The uneasy feeling he hadn’t been able to shake in the Jeep was still going strong out here. Loose grip on the leash, he finished their loop around the courtyard. “Let’s run it again,” he muttered to his four-legged partner.

“Possible confirmation on Archie,” Blank comm’d. “Stand by.”

Here we go.

16

DOWNTOWN, ABU DHABI, UAE

Drivingdown Corniche Street late at night was like being hit upside the head by déjà vu.

Hollyn closed her eyes, fighting back memories of that night. Would this one forever change her life too? She clutched the straps of her Kevlar vest and prayed for everyone’s safety—especially Davis’s. City lights of downtown Abu Dhabi splashed over her face through the rear passenger window. How different her life was compared to a week ago.

Then? Mum and Dad had still been alive. She’d been happy, celebrating a victory . . . Tears pooled in her eyes as she remembered taking Dad’s arm at the gala. The way he and Mum had laughed at each other. Neither of them had let slip even an ounce of worry over what had been going on. For a moment, Hollyn wondered if her mum had known about any of it or if Dad had chosen to keep her as blissfully unaware as Hollyn.

Maybe if they’d all known, they could have?—

Don’t do it. It’s impossible to know and will only drive you crazy.

Benn whipped around a slower car. Accelerated slightly to avoid a red light. He kept glancing at the rearview mirror, and for a moment, Hollyn wondered if someone was following them.

No, no. He’d be acting differently . . . right?

“Right up here.” Glace directed him from the front passenger seat.

They were just a block away from the hospital now. Rows of palms lined the street with cityscape on one side and the dark expanse of ocean on the other. Lamp posts in the center divider held illuminated butterfly sculptures she’d always loved. A touch of whimsy in the heart of the hustle and bustle.

Hollyn watched the people walking down the sidewalks. Some laughing together, others on their phones. Still others were out for an evening jog, their lives going on as if nothing had happened. As if her parents—the only people who’d believed in her, loved her, chosen her,adoptedher—weren’t gone. She’d told herself before . . . everyone leaves. Eighteen years with a permanent family had almost convinced her it was forever. Her parents were amazing, and while this loneliness wasn’t the same as what she’d experienced as a little girl . . . it was still loneliness. Emptiness.

She spotted the skyscrapers and felt a hollow sense of desperation, knowing once this . . . adventure was over, she’d be back in Minlan, TN. With Mum and Dad gone, she would leave this incredible city. Alone. There might be gorgeous mountains in Tennessee, but there certainly weren’t any skyscrapers that looked akin to futuristic space towers like the Etihad Towers or grand leaning buildings like the Capital Gate. But like this ever-changing city, which had a lot in common with the States, she was once again smacked with change. Heartrending change.

They turned onto Al Ladeem Street heading toward their destination. She’d never been inside LLH Hospital, but Bongani had driven them past it several times, and she was familiar with the area. As Benn maneuvered their vehicle through the more populated part of the city, Hollyn was struck by the seriousness of why they were here in the first place.

Benn stopped at a red light, and she stared out her window.

Davis and the team seemed sure that the palace was the location for the demonstration . . . but if they were wrong? Countless lives could be lost if they didn’t stop Archie in time. And whoever he was working for or with. Her stomach twisted just thinking about his betrayal. He?—

Wait.

Hollyn sat up straighter. Squinted at the darkness competing against the city lights. She peered through the window toward the hospital. Was that—him!

“It’s Archie!”

“What?” Glace jerked to her. “Where?”

“Right—” She lost sight of him as a thick mob pressed in front of him, blocking her line of sight.

“Where?” Glace demanded.

“There—he was right there! Green shirt, crossing the . . . ” Even as she tapped the glass, he was again lost amid the sea of people on the street. She grunted. “Well, he was.”

“I . . . don’t see him,” Glace said.

Hollyn strained to see around the intrusive group.

Benn let off the brake just as Archie came back into view. Definitely him. As he hurried along, he kept casting glances over his shoulder. Seeing if he was being followed, maybe?

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