The local guy, who had dealt with Ryan’s crew for years, knew exactly the type of person Ryan was. But today, seeing how Ryan was indulging this woman? That was new-and worth paying attention to.
Hearing Echo jump into the conversation, the local guy nodded. “Yes. Egypt is both a deeply religious country and a desert nation. The combination of complicated regional influences and factions makes the presence of desert bandits not all that surprising.”
“Bandits still exist nowadays?” Echo muttered to herself, a bit thrown off.
In her mind, bandits were relics of the 18th or 19th centuries. The fact that they were still around felt absurd, like coming across a living antique.
The local guy chuckled. “Why wouldn’t there be?”
Echo raised an eyebrow, giving a slight nod.
Yeah, bandits had always been around-they just had different names now. These days, they were called mobsters or gangsters. Same business: stealing, killing, pillaging. The methods hadn’t changed; only the branding had gotten slicker.
That thought made her glance sideways at Cobra. Come to think of it, wasn’t he the guy who just blew open someone’s front gate and trashed half their house? That was classic bandit behavior right there.
And if she was being honest, she wasn’t much better-she’d been dragged right into this life too. Sure, she liked elegance over brute force, but she couldn’t deny she’d adapted.
Blowing up the Silver family didn’t even feel wrong to her.
Cobra noticed her look and immediately scowled. “What the hell are you-”
“Down!” Ryan’s voice cut him off sharply. His eyes snapped open, and before anyone could react, he lunged forward, slamming Echo’s head down with a rough shove.
Hawk and Cobra, having followed Ryan for years, reacted instinctively. The moment Ryan shouted, they hit the deck without thinking.
Cobra, sitting right next to Echo, grabbed her arm and yanked hard, twisting the steering wheel in the process. The Jeep swerved violently off the road, skidding at an angle.
Even the local guy, tough as nails, didn’t need a second warning. He must’ve sensed what was coming because he shouted, “Take cover!” and dove for safety.
A split second later, a shrill whistle pierced the air, followed by a massive explosion. A scorching wave of heat blasted through the air, hotter than the desert sun. The temperature shot up instantly, making the very air around them feel like it was on fire.
Before Echo could even react, Ryan slammed her head down, and the deafening explosion followed immediately. The blast wave was strong enough to make her hair fly up, and though some hot fragments rained down, they barely stung.
What Echo didn’t realize was that the heat and shrapnel hadn’t hit her directly because Ryan had shielded her with his body. With him covering her, the worst of it never reached her.
Ryan, practically lying on top of her, hooked his arm around her neck the moment the explosion passed and yanked her upright.
“Drive!” Ryan ordered in a low, urgent voice.
Echo had been through enough with Ryan by now that she didn’t need a second to think. She slammed her foot down on the gas pedal, flooring it. With a quick twist of the wheel, she shot past the lead Jeep and tore into the open desert, speeding wildly toward the dunes.
In the rearview mirror, Echo caught a glimpse of the Hummer that had been tailing them-it was now engulfed in flames. The roaring fire didn’t seem all that dramatic against the endless gold of the desert, but it was enough to flip her mindset from sightseeing mode to full-on survival.
That Hummer was supposed to be their ride. It had been specifically arranged for Ryan, the only vehicle that matched his stature and style. Ryan didn’t have any extravagant tastes, but men of his rank preferred things that reflected their status. If Echo hadn’t taken a liking to the Jeep, Ryan would’ve been in that Hummer-and they all knew how that would’ve turned out.
Gunfire erupted right after the explosion. The air filled with the sharp cracks of bullets and the thunder of grenades as more Jeeps emerged from the dunes and opened fire on the remaining vehicles. A couple of Jeeps pivoted sharply, now chasing after Ryan and the two cars following Echo.
Even though Echo pushed the Jeep to its limit, she could still hear the relentless explosions behind them. The sheer intensity of the firepower told her everything: whoever was coming for them wasn’t holding back.
“What the hell is going on?” Echo muttered under her breath, her brows furrowing as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.
She didn’t care where the road took them-her only focus was keeping ahead of the chaos. With a glance in the rearview mirror, she adjusted her course and kept barreling forward.
Ryan turned to check the two Jeeps chasing them. The men riding on the back were bold-one of them hoisted a rocket launcher onto his shoulder, aiming right at their vehicle.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed.
Another earth-shattering explosion erupted behind them.
In the rearview mirror, everything played out in surreal slow motion for Echo.
One of the pursuing Jeeps burst into flames, and then exploded violently. The driver didn’t even have time to react-the burning vehicle flipped wildly, spinning through the air like a fiery pinwheel. Just as it was about to hit the ground, a second explosion ripped through the air, shattering the Jeep into a shower of burning metal. The fragments scattered across the golden desert like sparks from a cruel, brilliant firework display-beautiful in its destruction.
The scene unfolded before Echo’s eyes in vivid, slow-motion clarity.
Even though she had faced life-and-death situations with Ryan before, this was the first time she saw everything laid out so sharply, that every detail burned into her mind.
A chill ran down her spine, but instead of fear, it brought a ruthless calm and unshakable focus.
Echo slammed her foot down on the gas, making the Jeep tear through the unknown desert terrain.
She knew she had to keep weaving. Driving in a straight line would make them an easy target for the rocket launcher-wielding pursuers, but constant zigzagging wasn’t much better.
Their enemies had Jeeps just as fast as hers-there wasn’t much advantage to exploit. If they couldn’t shake them soon, they’d be caught.
Echo’s mind raced through all these possibilities, calculating every risk with cold precision.
“There’s a salt lake up ahead! You can’t drive there!” the local guy yelled, glaring back at the pursuing Jeeps while gripping his weapon. “The land around it is like a swamp-if you get stuck, that’s it. Game over.”
“Shut up!” Echo shot back, eyes locked on the road ahead.
She hated people telling her how to drive. She needed total focus-without it, they’d be dead long before they even reached the salt lake.
“You-” the local guy began, scowling in frustration.
“Don’t distract her,” Ryan cut in, his tone cold and firm.
He knew better than to interfere with Echo’s driving. He’d ridden with her before, through firefights and tight escapes, and not once had he given her directions.
A true master behind the wheel didn’t need instructions. Driving fast and recklessly wasn’t what made her a champion-she had skill, instinct, and a will to survive.
Ryan trusted her completely.
Echo’s sharp eyes locked onto a man behind them, lifting a rocket launcher and aiming straight at her. She gritted her teeth, yanked the wheel hard, and veered just in time, threading her way through the explosion as it erupted in a blinding flash beside her.
With every twist and turn, she pushed the Jeep closer to its limits, skimming just past the edge of disaster.
The two Jeeps chasing them began to fall behind, realizing they were on the verge of losing her. The frustration must’ve gotten to them, because they gave up on careful aiming and opened fire wildly. Explosions erupted all around, sending sand and debris flying in every direction.
Echo’s Jeep plowed forward through the chaos, enveloped in waves of golden dust and fiery blasts. The relentless explosions surrounded her, turning the desert into a deadly light show of red and gold. The men chasing her lost visibility in the storm of sand and fire-she was nothing more than a phantom in the chaos.
From above, the scene must have looked surreal. The Jeep, weaving and twisting like a fish darting through turbulent waters, narrowly slipped through gaps that seemed impossible to navigate. Fire blossomed all around it, but Echo’s instinct and timing were flawless. Every explosion meant to rip the Jeep apart missed by inches. Through the swirling dust clouds, the Jeep shot forward like a bullet, racing deeper into the desert, unstoppable and defiant.