by Dirk Patton
“Jimmy’s here brother-man!”
“Release it, Jimmy,” Liam shouted to be heard over the roaring engine. “Give it all back. Right now!”
“Jimmy can do that, but why dude?”
“No time to explain, just do it. How long will it take?”
There was a momentary pause and they could hear Jimmy working his keyboard.
“Jimmy’s done, bro. Jimmy restored everything.”
“Thank you, Jimmy. I owe you.”
“No, no, superman! Jimmy’s ass owes you! Jimmy’s ass would have been popular in---”
Liam ended the call without waiting for Jimmy to finish.
“So that’s your plan? Give him everything he wants?” Baldwin asked.
“No choice. He’s got Katarina and I don’t think he’s bluffing.”
Baldwin was quiet for a moment in thought before taking a deep breath.
“Call the Canadians.”
“What?”
“Call the Canadians,” Baldwin repeated. “Lin’s holding an American FBI agent against her will. That should get a hell of a reaction. You’ve got to know someone that can get a response team rolling on short notice.”
“Not going to risk it,” Liam said, shaking his head. “It only takes one person to be on Lin’s payroll and a call gets made. That happens, she’s dead.”
“You really think he’s not going to kill both of you? That he’ll just let you go with your word that you’ll work for him? Soon as you have her back, he’s lost his leverage.”
Liam shot a glance at Baldwin, then jerked the wheel and cut off a slow-moving minivan.
“Then what the fuck do we do, Baldwin?”
“Buy some time. Let me go see Ed. He’s always up for a fight and he’s got a lot of friends.”
“We’re out of time and Lin isn’t going to give me any more. I’ve got to give myself up.”
“Christ,” Baldwin muttered. “Okay, fine. I’ve got a couple other goodies in back that Ed gave me. When we get there, give me time to get in place.”
Liam risked taking his eyes off the road to look at him with a raised brow.
“Don’t ask questions, just give me ten minutes. When you get inside, be sure you’re close to Kat. When the fireworks start, get her flat on the floor ‘cause I’ll be coming fast and hard and killing anything that’s not prone. Got it?”
“I know the drill,” Liam said with an appreciative nod. “But you don’t have to do this.”
“I might not be the guy bangin’ her, but she’s family to me. So, yeah, I do have to do this.”
“Don’t say that,” Liam said.
“Say what?”
“That I’m banging her. Makes it... it’s not... Fuck it! She’s special, you know? Different. Not someone you bang.”
Baldwin watched him for a long moment before extending a closed fist.
“Sorry, brother. You’re right,” he said as Liam bumped it with his.
***
Katarina was once again secured to a chair, only this time in the most lavishly appointed room she’d ever seen. Through a wall of glass, the view of the water and city beyond was breathtaking, but she had no appreciation for it. Not when everywhere she turned there was a demon’s hideous face staring back at her.
It was difficult for her to look at any of them, but she was learning to focus on the outer human face instead of the terror behind it. Not that she wasn’t completely aware of what was possessing these men, but she wasn’t about to reveal that she knew what they really were.
Angela stood beside her, unhappy that Lin was making her wait to receive her bounty. He had learned of her connection to Liam and was eagerly anticipating their reunion.
“Ten minutes,” he said after checking a diamond studded Rolex. “Do you think he will arrive in time?”
Katarina refused to look at him.
“Ahh, I understand you are upset,” Lin said. “But you should not have taken what was not yours. You are responsible for all of this, Agent Daniels.”
Katarina steadfastly stared at a point on the marble floor between her feet.
“Very well. If you do not wish to pass the time with conversation, perhaps we shall begin preparing in the event Agent Macleod is late.”
He barked a sentence in Chinese and two of the guards hurried out of the room. They returned a few seconds later, their arms loaded down. A heavy plastic tarp was spread across the floor, then they bodily lifted Katarina’s chair, placing her in the middle of the protected area.
Her breathing became shallow with fear as they set up a folding table in front of her and placed a thick slab of wood in its center. A pair of stout iron clamps were embedded in it, the right size and shape to securely hold an arm to its surface. With rising panic, she noted several deep cuts in the wooden surface that could have only come from a heavy blade, and the blood stains that had soaked into the grain and turned nearly black.
A long, heavy cleaver and an ivory handled sharpener were placed on the end of the table. Lin picked them up, examining each carefully before slowly drawing the foot-long rod along the cleaver’s edge. It made a subtle grinding sound that was too much like the hiss of a demon, then the blade rang sweetly as it rolled off the end.
“Have you ever witnessed an amputation, Agent Daniels?” Lin asked, continuing to work the blade against the rod. “It is shockingly bloody. Unless, of course, a tourniquet has been put in place prior to the cut.”
A woman came forward and with her eyes averted and head bowed, placed a thick rubber tube and a wooden T-handle on the far end of the table. Katarina noted there was no demon within her, then her eyes were drawn to the tourniquet and tightener.
“You don’t need to do this,” she whispered.
“I sincerely hope you are right, Agent Daniels. But you’re in Agent Macleod’s hands now,” he said, laughing at his attempt at a pun. “His timeliness will determine---”
He stopped speaking when a guard dashed into the room and rattled off something in Chinese.
“He is here!” Lin said as if announcing the arrival of a great dignitary. “I am so relieved. I would have been saddened to start our new relationship on a sour note.”
Placing the cleaver and rod onto the table, Lin moved away to face the door in anticipation of greeting his guest. Katarina looked at the cleaver, then glanced around. Everyone was focused on the door, waiting for Liam to appear. She looked at Angela and began speaking softly.
“You want to watch him kill Liam? You know he will. Paying him to be an inside man is bullshit and you fucking well know it! You admit you still love him. Ready to watch him die?”
“Love doesn’t pay the bills,” Angela answered.
Both women’s attention shifted when Liam, escorted by a pair of guards, walked into the room. His eyes found Angela, narrowing in barely contained anger, then settled on Katarina.
“Heartless bitch! He loved you, once,” Katarina hissed.
“Welcome to my home, again, Agent Macleod!” Lin said expansively.
“All of it,” Katarina mumbled to Angela.
“All of what?” she asked as quietly.
“The whole bag. Two point five million. It’s all yours if you help.”
“I’m here,” Liam said, his eyes boring into Lin. “Let her go.”
“I’m a little outnumbered, but thanks anyway,” Angela mumbled to Katarina, but her attention was focused on Liam.
“Soon, Agent Macleod,” Lin said, smiling broadly. “Soon. But first, we need to discuss the particulars of our arrangement.”
“Cut me loose and the money’s yours. All of it. He’s not going to pay. You’re not leaving alive, either.”
“What’s to discuss?” Liam said to Lin. “I know what you want, and I’ll do it. Just let her go.”
“Ahh, but Agent Macleod. How am I to ensure you keep your word once I no longer have leverage? No, I think Agent Daniels needs to remain as my special guest until you’ve proven your value.”
�
��You can’t trust him!” Katarina hissed at Angela. “If you could, you’d already have your money. Now, cut me loose!”
“That wasn’t our deal,” Liam said, taking a step toward Katarina.
One of the guards instantly stepped into his path, blocking his progress. Liam spoke as he stared into the man’s eyes.
“Tell him to move before I move him,” he growled to Lin.
“All of it?” Angela hissed and Katarina nodded.
“Every penny.”
Lin watched as Liam and the guard faced off, then made a production of drawing a pistol from beneath his suit jacket.
“Fuck,” Angela muttered.
There was a soft snick of a folding knife being deployed, then the first nylon tie holding Katarina to the chair was cut.
“Sometimes,” Lin said, beginning to turn towards the two women, “it is necessary to demonstrate one’s seriousness with a dramatic act.”
The second tie parted and Katarina was free. Lin’s hand came around and his eyes passed across her to settle on Angela. The pistol roared and bucked in his hand. Angela fell back as one of the glass panels overlooking the water suddenly shattered.
Liam was in motion instantly, attacking the guard who wasn’t really expecting things to escalate. A gray canister sailed in through the broken window and clattered across the floor as Liam snapped the guard’s neck and threw the body aside. He launched himself towards Katarina, but she was no longer in the chair.
Snatching up the sharpening rod, she held it in front of her and it burst into flames, instantly growing in size and shape to become a broadsword. The flash-bang grenade Baldwin had tossed into the room detonated at that moment. More glass shattered from the concussion and smoke filled the air. Katarina was closest, falling to the floor and losing her grip. The flame vanished and the sharpening rod skittered away across the polished marble.
Automatic weapons fire erupted from near the windows, quickly advancing into the room. Guards fell as Baldwin dashed forward, seeking cover behind a grand piano. Men groaned from the effects of the grenade and several lay unmoving in pools of blood. Katarina started to fight when a hand grabbed her arm, but it was Liam, trying to protect her with his body.
Time slowed for Katarina and she watched in horror as two demons rose from a pair of dead guards. With a strength she didn’t know she possessed, she shoved Liam aside and dove for the rod. The creatures instantly cued in on the movement and screamed as they rushed forward.
On the floor, Katarina grabbed the rod and rolled to her back. As the first demon leapt, the burning sword reappeared and she held it straight out. The beast was in mid-leap and couldn’t prevent its head from being impaled.
Pushing the body aside, Katarina leapt to her feet to face the second one as Baldwin came forward and emptied an entire magazine into its chest with no visible results.
“Stop shooting!” she screamed, leaping for the creature.
Recognizing the danger, the demon changed direction, chunks of marble torn from the floor as it used its talons to gain traction. The beast moved with inhuman speed, disappearing through the door.
Katarina started to give chase, but Lin and the surviving guards were recovering from the grenade blast. Whirling the sword as if she were born to wield it, Katarina waded into the midst and began dispatching the possessed. Skulls were split open, the searing flame of the weapon leaving the stench of burnt flesh heavy in the air.
Soon, only Lin remained. He stood motionless, watching Katarina approach with the sword held above her shoulder, ready to strike. It burned so fiercely that as she drew closer, the fabric of his expensive suit began to smoke, but she was unscathed. As she prepared to deliver the killing blow, Lin’s eyes suddenly changed and a pair of burning red orbs stared at her out of his face.
“We know you now, Katarina,” he spoke in a voice not his own. “One has survived and now we all know of you. We shall come for you, for we are many.”
Katarina swung, the sword trailing an arc of fire. Lin was struck on the ear, the weapon continuing through his skull until the top half of his head fell free and the body crumpled to the floor. Breathing hard, she turned to find a stunned Baldwin staring at her, a compact machine gun dangling from his hand.
Across the room, Liam cradled Angela in his lap. A large blood stain soaked the front of her shirt. Katarina tossed the sword away and it was once again the sharpening rod when it landed on the floor. Rushing past Baldwin, who was staring at the demon she’d killed, she knelt next to Liam.
“She’s alive,” he said, meeting her eyes. “Barely.”
“Don’t... forget our deal,” Angela said in a weak, whispery voice when she saw Katarina looking at her.
Sixty-Three
“They don’t know if she’ll make it,” Liam said, tucking away a new disposable phone he’d used to call the hospital where Angela had been taken.
He had done everything he could to help her while Baldwin called for the medics. Then they’d gotten the hell out of the house and melded into the city before the authorities showed up and began asking impossible to answer questions.
Now, courtesy of one of Ed’s friends, they were on a large fishing boat making its way out of the Burrard Inlet. He was taking them to the San Juan islands in Puget Sound, which were part of the US. From there, they’d be able to walk onto a ferry or catch a plane to anywhere in the country without having to worry about clearing immigration.
“Sorry, but she got what she deserved,” Katarina said.
“I don’t know what happened to her. This wasn’t the Angela I knew. Except for helping you at the end.”
“You know she only cut me lose for the money, right?”
Not responding to her question, Liam lit a cigarette and stared at their wake.
“Is Baldwin okay?” he asked.
“He’s about as freaked out as I’ve ever seen anyone. But he’s getting over it.”
“He’s a good guy.”
“He is,” Katarina said, taking his hand in hers. “Told you to trust me.”
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the fresh sea air and the momentary respite from danger.
“The demon,” Liam suddenly said. “Lin. What it said before you killed it.”
“Something Zophiel warned me about. Kill the body without destroying the brain, the demon is released. And if they know who I am, they’ll come after me.”
“That’s a little detail it could have been handy to know.”
She hugged his arm close and smiled. Despite everything that had happened, she felt safe and content at the moment.
“Oh!” she suddenly exclaimed. “What did Jimmy say?”
“He got all of Lin’s accounts. We’ve got almost a hundred-and-fifty million, stashed in a bunch of accounts all over the world.”
Katarina thought about that for a moment and sighed.
“More than enough to hide anywhere we want,” she said.
“You should call Vance. Find out exactly where you stand.”
Katarina considered that for a moment then held her hand out for the phone. She had to call information to get her attorney’s number, then had them connect her. She was mildly surprised when he answered his own office phone.
“Agent Daniels,” he said warily. “Please tell me you are calling to arrange your immediate surrender.”
“I guess that means there’s no good news.”
“In fact, quite the opposite. There is an active manhunt, or perhaps I should say womanhunt, underway at this very moment. Your best course of action is to walk into the nearest police station and surrender yourself. Do not answer any questions or speak with anyone until I can reach you.”
“I’m not going to be doing that, Mister Vance. You see, I’m innocent and I can prove it.”
“You can help prove it by turning yourself in, Agent Daniels.”
“What if I were to tell you I have Special Agent in Charge Pettigrew confessing to the crimes for which I’m
being charged? On video.”
There was stunned silence from the other end of the phone.
“If validated, that would be a game changer,” he said breathlessly. “Can you bring it to me?”
Katarina leaned to the side and thrust her hand into her pocket. Her fingers failed to find the media card on which Pettigrew’s confession had been recorded.
“I’ll call you back,” she said quickly, letting the phone drop out of her hand.
Leaping to her feet, she frantically searched all of her pockets, but failed to find it.
“It’s gone!” she cried, looking at Liam with a horrified expression.
He stared back, watching her face crumble into tears of sheer exasperation.
“Go into the cabin and get undressed,” he said quickly. “Maybe it slipped through a seam and it’s in a sock or...”
She was already racing inside and he followed. In a cramped cabin normally used by a crewmember, she stripped completely. One by one, each of them meticulously examined every piece of clothing, even removing the insoles from her shoes.
“Angela!” she blurted, her eyes flashing. “It has to be. No one else had the chance!”
“Then we’d better hope she survives,” Liam said. “That thing could be hidden anywhere.”
“Goddamn it!” Katarina screamed, looking helplessly around the cabin.
When her eyes settled on Liam, he gently pulled her into his arms and held her as she sobbed.
Two hours later the boat eased up to a dock in Friday Harbor, Washington. It was late evening, but the sky was still bright. A massive ferry was disgorging hundreds of people who were strolling about, enjoying the beautiful weather. Baldwin thanked the man who’d brought them out of Canada, and they stepped ashore.
Katarina was despondent as well as physically exhausted. She followed where Liam led, but seemed unconcerned with the destination, watching the ground a few feet in front of her as she walked.
“What the hell’s he doing here?”
She looked up when Liam spoke, surprised to see Jimmy. A massive black dog that looked more like some mythical monster sat at Jimmy’s side, leash hanging slack between them. The dog was well over a hundred pounds of solid muscle. The people leaving the ferry were giving Jimmy a very wide berth.
