Supernatural

59

APRIL — ALEPPO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — 5:39 PM

Morgan went through the front doors and went back to where Joey and Pepper were. They were just getting into a car. Pepper hopped into the passenger seat, and Morgan went in the back with Joey.

"What happened?" Joey asked.

"Nothing. It's taken care of," she replied vaguely. She looked at the driver who looked back at her through the rear view mirror. "Do you speak English?"

The Arabic man looked back at her blankly.

Pepper sighed. "هل يمكنك اصطحابنا إلى فندق هليوبوليس؟"

He pulled into the road, saying, "أوه ، نعم يا سيدتي."

"You speak Arabic?" Morgan asked, surprised.

"I speak several languages," she said, modestly. "I'm a genius, remember? Keep up."

Joey snorted.

"What did he say?" Morgan said instead, ignoring her.

"I asked him to take us to Hotel Heliopolis. He's going to take us there."

"Good," she said, leaving back in her seat. They drove for a few minutes in silence, though she could tell they were itching for details on what happened to the officers.

"Hey Morgan?" Joey said, looking through the back window. "You said those guys were taken care of, right?"

"Yeah, why?" She asked, looking where he was searching for any suspicious.

"Because the black BMW has been following us," he said, worriedly.

Morgan turned back to the front. "Pepper, can you—"

"On it," she interrupted, turning to the taxi driver. "هل ترى أن بي ام دبليو السوداء؟ هل يمكن أن تحاول التخلص منهم؟ إنها بعض الزحف التي كانت تتابعنا منذ هبوطنا(Do you see that black BMW? Could you try and shake them off of us? They're some creeps that have been following us since we landed)," Pepper said in flawless Arabic.

He nodded, saying, "كل ما تقوله ، على الرغم من أنه قد يؤخر وصولك(Whatever you say, though it may delay your arrival)."

She smiled. "نحن لا مانع.(We don't mind)."

"Is that a yes?" Joey asked.

She nodded in confirmation.

The driver's apparent definition of losing a tail was switching occasionally between lanes to get in front of other cars on the highway. This poor method did nothing to rid them of the officers who kept getting dangerously close to the car.

"That's it, let me take over," Morgan said, impatiently. "I'll drive. This guy and I can switch seats."

"Pulling over is not going to help the situation," Joey said.

"Who said we're pulling over?"

Switching seats with a driver while driver proved very difficult. Pepper, from her passenger seat, put her foot on the gas and took control of the steering wheel. The confused driver, even after some Arabic explanation, kept on apparently asking if it was a good idea to do what they were about to do.

"I hope you guys know I haven't gone through any driving lessons yet," Pepper kept saying.

They unbuckled their seat belts and the driver got into the back seat, squished between Morgan and Joey, all three uncomfortable. Morgan then went up to the front, and in a quick movement, Pepper let go.