Allmand scurried along the fence line then turned left, cutting through someone’s yard. I followed only to slow down when I reached the fence. I held up the pistol and cut the corner in increments, trying to avoid being ambushed.

Then I caught a glimpse of Allmand ahead of me. I considered dropping to my knee, stabilizing my hand and trying to hit him even from this distance. Just as the thought crossed my mind, I saw Allmand step out in the road and point his gun at someone.

A blue Peugeot sedan screeched to a halt right in front of him. He moved quickly to the driver’s-side door and pulled a woman from the car. He yanked her out by her arm then discarded her on the road. The woman screamed, then sobbed once she hit the asphalt.

I broke into an all-out run. I didn’t even change my trajectory when he fired another round at me. Then I saw the Peugeot pull away. I skidded to a stop in the street. I fired two wild shots at the fleeing vehicle. All I managed to do was knock out the rear window.

Allmand was escaping with the plutonium.

Chapter 46

Chapter 46

I immediately turned and checked on the woman that Allmand had dragged out of the Peugeot. She was dressed in western clothes: a long skirt and long-sleeve shirt. She was in her thirties and still shaken, crying and muttering in Pashto.

I asked her in English if she was okay and she nodded. I helped her to her feet. Then she hugged me tightly. Just an emotional reaction to a traumatic event. I held her for a few seconds, then I turned and saw the car disappearing down the street. Just as I was about to give up hope of catching Allmand, a streak of light cut across the road and struck the Peugeot.

There was a bright light and a moment later the sound of the explosion. Someone had fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the car. The blast lifted it off the street more than five feet and flipped it on its side. The car made a horrible screeching sound as it slid across the rough asphalt and came to rest in a ditch on the side of the road.

I gently released the woman and started jogging toward the car. I knew there was a danger in this, but I needed to secure the plutonium. I had no idea what I would do if I confronted whoever fired that RPG.

As I got closer to the car, another flash popped up in my vision. Another RPG sailed across the street and struck the bottom of the Peugeot, now lying on its side. This time it ignited the gas tank and the explosion was spectacular.