‘Do you forget, Ms Julianne, that I am an FPDA-approved security contractor. Licensed and bonded to the development authority, and subcontracted to the city to maintain order during emergencies. I think there has been enough gunfire and bloodshed this morning to constitute an emergency. And two vehicles are currently fleeing the scene of that gunfire at high speed, endangering law-abiding motorists and pedestrians and threatening the dignity and repose of the city at large. It is our duty to pursue them. And so we shall. You are still armed?’

She shifted in her seat and retrieved the SIG Sauer. Her neck muscles and most of those in her upper back seized up as she did so; she ignored the discomfort. The weapon felt heavy in her hand. It felt like something that could open up all sorts of possibilities.

‘How is Granger?’ she asked.

Shah turned off his smile while he answered. ‘Mr Cooley acquitted himself admirably,’ he said. ‘He detected the ambush as the attacking vehicle sped through the red light and he accelerated his own vehicle early enough to avoid being rammed amidships, so to speak. The impact was still significant, but it spun you around, rather than smashing and flipping your vehicle into the deep ditch by the side of the road, as was intended, I believe.’

The driver, a man Jules did not recognise, whipped the steering wheel back and forth as he weaved through the traffic at more than a hundred klicks an hour. They passed a pair of police cruisers going in the opposite direction. The cops showed no signs of providing back-up today.

‘But is Granger okay, Shah? He looked terrible after the crash.’

The old Gurkha nodded. ‘He has sustained injury. But he shall live and probably recuperate. Mr Cooley is one of my best men. Even shocked and disoriented by the collision, he managed to hold off your attackers while our support vehicles closed in. He killed one of them, in fact, as the man was leaning into the car to shoot you both.’ This seemed to amuse Shah greatly, and his face lit up again, smiling with Taoist contentment.

‘Oh . . . I guess I didn’t notice,’ said Jules, not really believing the words as they came out of her mouth.

Had Granger blown some bugger’s head off right next to her? She shook her own head in wonder, aggravating the strained muscles in her neck again.

‘How many of them are there?’ she asked.

Birendra drew out his seatbelt so he could turn around to answer. ‘There were about thirty of them, Miss Julianne. Many more than we expected.’