We continued that way for several minutes, passing cars and inching down the narrow, bumpy road as it switched back and forth along the edge of the mountain. Several times, the Jeep skidded and juddered, hydroplaned, and risked sliding off the road and over the cliff. The guardrails—usually broken—gave me no confidence, when they were present and intact at all. More likely, we would careen through the barrier and take a flyer down the steep hill, coming to a stop only once we’d tumbled five hundred or a thousand meters over the edge.

I prayed faster and harder and held onto my seat.

Five more minutes passed without a crash, but several hair-raising escapes, as we veered around vehicles at what felt like a breakneck speed. In reality, we couldn’t have been traveling faster than thirty miles an hour in the traffic and rain.

When I thought I could take no more, I glanced ahead and spied the round-bodied car we were bearing down on. Ranjit jerked the Jeep into the right lane and floored it, clearing the car and jumping back into the left lane just before a truck could end our lives in a fiery crash. I reeled around to see out of the plastic window behind me.

“Jesus Christ, Ranjit! Stop!”

He couldn’t very well look back at me, what with the sharp turns and slick road, but he told me to shut up. If I had to vomit, do it in my lap.

“No,” I shouted to be heard. “You just passed them! They’re behind us!”

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Ranjit did not, in fact, stop. That wasn’t really a possibility given the situation. Instead, he asked me if I was sure. There were plenty of blue Ambassadors on the road. Was this one really theirs?

“Yes,” I cried. “The left taillight is out. It’s them!”

Ranjit switched on the blue light on the roof and hit the brakes. The car behind us slowed to avoid hitting us. And then it zoomed around us and barreled down the mountain. Bikas surged past the car in front of him, and we were stuck behind a slow-moving Fiat. The traffic climbing the hill in the opposite direction crawled up the steep incline. The single taillight one car ahead grew fainter as it put distance between us.

Ranjit sounded the siren again and flashed his lights. Then he pulled around the Fiat and chanced it on a curve. A truck heading for us veered to the side just in time to miss us, and we darted back into our lane. Ranjit hit the gas and, bald tires and all, he pointed us at the car forty meters ahead.