Misha cocked his head, looking at them both. “Everything this woman says is lie.”
The lady’s voice spoke clearly. “I was the one who helped Misha break out of his jail cell. Did he mention it?”
Grace met Misha’s cool blue eyes.
The hitman sighed. “That part is, unfortunately, true.”
Miami, MO
“We’ve got decisions to make about how to plan for the next bridge.” Ezra had the map out so Butch and Haley could see where they were. His dirty fingernail pointed near the town of Miami, but more specifically to the upside-down U-shaped bend in the river a couple of miles short of it. “We’re here, at the start of this turn. Maybe eight miles on the water to Miami. We can be sure these guys chasing us are going to be waiting there. The place barely looks like a town on this map, so there aren’t going to be cops we can call. How we approach the bridge, and survive, is entirely up to us.”
Butch looked up. “Remember our plan back at Kentucky Lake, before we were swept up by the draining waters?”
“How could I forget?” he chuckled.
“We were going to help those ladies get past the roadblock by coming at the men from behind their position. A sneak attack.”
Haley held up her hand. “Wait a second. How many women have you helped on your journey? Is this a regular thing with you guys?” There was underlying sarcasm she didn’t try to hide.
Ezra didn’t miss a beat. “Lots. Maybe a dozen. I drive the boat, but Butch brings ’em on board like nobody’s business.” He kept his expression focused and serious. As he expected, Butch was mortified.
“No, wait a second. It wasn’t how it happened at all. Those women were married.”
“Married women?” Haley scoffed, sliding back from the map. “Is that really your game?”
Ezra cracked a smile.
Butch went on, looking only at Haley. “We were helping them, yes, and they were married, but—”
Ezra bellowed with laughter.
“What?” Butch asked in surprise.
He winked at Haley. Butch caught him doing it.
“Oh, I get it. You two are joking with me.”
Haley came back to the map. “Of course we are. I told you I was going to have fun with you. Do you honestly think I would believe this is some kind of post-apocalyptic booze cruise, full of fun, frolic, and married women?”
“No, not when you put it like that.” Butch shook his head, but was smiling, too.
“I really needed a laugh.” Haley oriented on Ezra. “Thank you for playing along.”
He’d been happy to oblige. The next few minutes were decidedly unfunny as they looked at the map and tried to figure out what they were going to do to protect themselves on the passage underneath the bridge. They discussed building defensive measures, such as using driftwood to construct a shelter. They also considered finding an iron sewer lid, which would make a bulletproof shield, but they were far from any town where they could steal one. Neither method was foolproof. Both were defensive, which was their biggest drawbacks.
“It’s about five miles from here to here,” Ezra pointed at the near side of the U-shaped bend and then at the town of Miami on the far side. “Like Butch said before we had a laugh, our plan in Kentucky would work here. What if we walked along the bank and then snuck onto the bridge? We could shoot the men while they’re waiting for us.”
Butch snapped his fingers. “One of us could go up each bank. We could pinch them from two directions.”
Haley became excited. “I could drive the boat up the middle. Distract them.”
“Absolutely not,” Butch said immediately.
“Why?”
He seemed to think on it. “Because we’re going to drop E-Z off here. Then you and I are going to park the boat on the other shore and go together.”
“Don’t you think she should watch the boat?” Ezra suggested.
She glared at him. “Don’t try to pawn me off as nonessential. I made the decision to travel with you two. I want to contribute. I can’t learn how to do it if I’m watching paint dry on the boat.”
Ezra wanted to argue it was important to keep the boat from falling into the hands of passersby, but he didn’t think anything would change her mind. There was also the risk of backing himself into the corner of guarding the boat, which he didn’t want to do himself. It couldn’t be Butch, either. He was the tip of the spear.
If Butch wanted to take Haley, he thought it was a good compromise. “You’re right. Butch will keep an eye on you. And, yes, I think getting the pinch on these guys is the only way we’ll ever be free of them. There’s likely to be more TKM people closer to Kansas City. We don’t need them getting reinforcements there.”
Everything came together in the next few minutes. They each took a rifle and extra ammo. Only Haley’s rifle had a spare mag, so they needed to lug boxes of rounds in their new backpacks. The major item he changed in Butch’s plan was electing himself the one to drive the boat around the U-shaped bend. It would be his responsibility to park and hide it.
“Good luck, you two,” he said, waving at them as he backed the boat away from shore. As he spun the wheel and adjusted the direction, he imagined the blonde girl was Grace instead of Haley. He sincerely wished his daughter was part of the expedition. Of course, having her with him would negate the reason for the trip in the first place, and he admitted he’d be more cautious about letting her go off with Butch. However, given the available pool of manpower, he honestly believed the young girl would be safer with the experienced warrior rather than him.
The pair headed up the bank and into the woods.
They’d synchronized watches. He had ninety minutes to hop off his boat and run to the bridge. That’s when they both planned to start shooting.
Ezra tapped the bobber keychain, making it sway on his dashboard.
Susan wouldn’t even recognize the violent man he’d been forced to become.
Denver, CO
Petteri spent much of the afternoon moving pieces on his chessboard, which was how he’d come to think of all the dig sites around the nation. When he wasn’t talking to his staff personally, he was considering which of the sites he was willing to give up to the feds. When Stricker had said the president was going to demand two sites if he didn’t give up the first, he was resigned to the fact he didn’t have a viable choice. He needed Stricker to keep the National Guard off his back until he’d collected his ore. Losing one site was worth keeping the larger arrangement.
However, he was going to make Stricker pay for his betrayal at some point down the line. The man had made him look like a fool, and for that there was no forgiveness.
When the phone rang again, he reached for the handset, but instead jolted in place as the floor moved under him.
“What the hell?” He picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Sir! I’m the lobby security supervisor. There’s been a breach of the building. A group of armed police are inside the lobby.”
“Did they blow us up?” he replied.
The man sounded frantic. “They used explosives to come through a concrete wall. They’re shooting at us and now heading upstairs!”
“For me?” he asked with surprise. Catching himself, he continued. “Of course they’re heading for me. Stop them! That’s an order.”
The line went dead before he got confirmation, giving him heartburn. He imagined the security man hanging up and pretending he didn’t hear the order. The guy was probably more interested in his own safety than protecting his boss. Petteri expected the man to lay down his life for him. He certainly paid enough to demand such a minimal level of dedication.
An instant later, Mr. Aarons ran through his office door. “Sir? You okay?”
He stood up. “You better have a plan. The lobby said the police are breaking into this office building.”
The bearded man nodded grimly. “We have a plan, sir. I need you to come with us right now.” He stood aside, inviting Petteri into the
hallway.
His heart fluttered. A sudden wave of extreme anger bubbled up, directed exclusively toward the Denver mayor. She must have betrayed him to allow her police to attack in such a brazen assault. That feeling was followed up by sheer panic, as he suddenly realized the police might not be interested in arresting him.
“My safety is in your hands,” he said, hating how vulnerable it made him.
“Follow us, sir,” Mr. Aarons advised.
Other security officers were down the hall. One man held the door to the stairwell, as if inviting him to lead the charge toward the police ten floors below.
Mr. Aarons waited for him to reach his door, then the security chief ran toward the stairwell entrance. He followed at a brisk walk but hesitated at the final doorway.
The guy waited on the first step down.
“We’re going toward them?” Petteri asked.
“We need to get onto the eighth floor. It’s where I have everything set up. You have to trust me, sir. It’s going to be all right.”
Howard had once trusted the man. It was time to do the same.
CHAPTER 11
Somewhere in Central Wyoming
Grace and Misha stood on the grassy slope of the tall hill in the middle of the big blue sky of Wyoming. A moody storm front loitered on the distant horizon, threatening someone dozens of miles away. As majestic as the scenery was, her attention was consumed by the realization Misha hadn’t escaped from his captors. He’d been released from his prison by the crazy woman trying to kill them.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” Nerio’s voice inquired on the radio.
Misha didn’t hold the talk button. He spoke to her and Asher. “Petteri Tikkanen was going to kill me last night. I told you he brought me from the Yellowstone dig site. That part was true. Only fact I left out was Nerio opened my cage and helped me out of the building. I swear to you on my dead family I am not working with her. I found you because I knew you were in danger.”
Asher crossed his arms. “Or she let you go so you’d lead her right to us.”
Misha actually seemed surprised. “This is not possible. I am professional. Do not make mistakes.”
The radio came to life. “Is he explaining away his role in my finding you? I guess I should thank him. He did lead me right to you people.” She sounded like she was having fun talking to him.
Misha became angry. He keyed the mic and held it close to his mouth. “You know what you say is not true. You let me go, yes, but I was not followed. I was careful. I knew you were a crafty sooka.”
“Ouch, my dear Misha. We don’t have to argue like a pair of lovers, do we?”
Misha held the radio as if it had turned into a hornet. He shot a horrified look to Grace. “I am not her lover.”
“It’s not for me to say,” she replied.
Nerio went on. “If you take out both of the targets while we’re on the radio, I’ll put in a good word with Peter the Tick when we get back to Denver. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”
Grace’s heart had crept into her throat without her noticing until she swallowed in fear. None of them were aiming guns at each other, but the hitman was a professional. He could shoot them dead before they fumbled with the pistols in their holsters. She watched carefully to see if he was reaching for his gun, but he wasn’t.
The seconds went by.
One of the nearby fence posts cracked as a bullet slammed into it. The three of them jumped, though Misha’s twitch was the least noticeable. A few seconds later, a distant gunshot resonated on the wind.
Misha searched the surrounding countryside. “She is close.”
They squatted to make smaller targets, but they were on an exposed hillside with nowhere to run.
“Kill them, Misha. This is a friendly request with a big cherry on top.”
He held the radio low. “We have to run for tunnel.”
“But we’re on top of it,” Asher replied.
“When you get there, jump down to tracks. She’s going to shoot us otherwise.” He held up the radio and spoke into it. “Nerio, what guarantee do I have you will not kill me once I do as you ask?”
“No guarantee. Consider it a professional courtesy from one independent contractor to another, washed-up, hitman. This moment is the whole reason I let you out of your cage. I wanted to see if you would come through for me after saving your life. Petteri was going to kill you, you know.”
He whispered. “Run, now!”
Grace and Asher took off at a sprint, but Misha lagged. He talked into the radio. “I will have answer for you in moment.”
“I’m sure you—” the woman’s voice cut off. “Ah, I see. Running is a big mistake. As it says on my favorite T-shirt, you’ll only die tired. Alejandro, kill them!”
The zip of a bullet ripped through the windy air. Grace’s hair went sideways and directly in front of her face as she ran the hundred yards down the hillside toward the tunnel entrance. A second bullet whizzed by, slapping into the dirt not more than ten feet behind her. The distant echo of gunfire was off to one side.
“She’s on the left!” Misha advised. “Go down the left side of the tunnel entrance!”
Grace looked toward the sounds, morbidly curious where the shots were coming from. All she saw were more hills and the usual grass, but there was a lot of ground in front of them. The deadly shooter could be anywhere out there.
She ran for a few more paces before a force spun her around and made her fall into the crunchy grass. The echo of a shot followed a moment later, suggesting she’d been struck by a bullet.
Asher had been behind her. He leaned and grabbed her arm to get her back up.
Nothing felt punctured or broken, which she thought was a miracle. After stumbling for a short way, she made it to her feet. The final stretch to the tunnel was steeper than the rest of the hillside, accelerating her run. Moments later, they reached the edge of the tunnel entrance.
“We have to go over there, where it’s lower.” Asher pointed to the leftmost wall. If they jumped down where they were, it was at least a twenty-foot drop to the tracks. A fall with all the gear they carried was almost certainly going to break an ankle.
“Go!” she replied.
Misha hurried by. “Like this!” He ran ahead as they tried to keep up. Without announcing himself further, he slid feet-first into the grass, guided himself over the edge, caught the lip for a fraction of a second, then fell ten or twelve feet to the rocks below.
She and Asher did it with a lot less grace. She sat down with a rough plop, and Asher bumped into her. The shooting continued, but they were already behind the slope of the ground dug out for the railroad. Asher hopped down first, then waited for her to follow. She shucked off her pack and let it drop. Then she held the edge of the rocks and let herself fall.
“I’ve got you,” Asher said, bracing her as she landed.
She spun around in his arms, letting herself enjoy the fleeting feeling of security. However, Misha handed her the pack, which had been split open on two sides by one of the shots. The bottled waters were punctured. They’d soaked the entire underside of the pack.
The radio crackled to life. “My husband has some explaining to do for his poor shooting performance. While we take care of that, I’ll leave you three to discuss Misha’s betrayal. And Misha, my offer still stands. Eliminate them and you can still return to your old job. Unlike some other people, I won’t threaten to kill your family if you don’t get it done. I’ll simply snuff you out with the others.”
Blood drained from Misha’s face. She figured he was going to curse out the woman for being so cruel, but he instead tucked the radio into his belt and ignored it. When he saw her expression, he turned to her. “Nichevo. Is nothing. She lost me completely when she mentioned wife. She knows about it. It tells me she and Petteri are working together. None of what she said was real.”
She cleared her throat. “Except the part where she let you go.”
“Except that, yes. But I th
ink you understand why I did not tell you. She is not exactly, um, how to say? She is not sane.”
Grace nodded. “At least we agree on something.”
Miami, MO
Ezra was glad the younger kids had gone on the other side of the river. By the time he’d parked the boat, he figured he only had three miles to walk, rather than the five miles of woods and farmland they planned to cross. The afternoon sun was hot and the wet terrain alongside the river was a treasure trove of mosquitos.
“For once in my life, I wish I owned a cowboy hat like Butch,” he said to the buzzing cloud of bugs.
At first, he followed the path of the wooded shoreline, but he worried the men on the bridge would spot him as he walked closer. He decided to divert into a nearby field, which required him to travel up and over a tall earthen levee. The thirty-foot-tall structure ran for miles on both sides of the river. It was designed to protect the farm fields from all but the worst floodwaters of the river. He soon heard vehicles on the roadway, signaling how close he was to the bridge.
His watch said he had thirty minutes before he needed to fire the first shot. By agreement, he was to be the one who fired the lead-off round, so Butch would be listening for him. As such, he figured he needed to get closer to the bridge, if only to figure out where the targets would be located. He closed in on the two-lane roadway coming off the bridge.
A few cars had used the bridge during his approach, but the remote highway wasn’t well traveled. He halted in hip-high corn stalks while listening for traffic. It took several minutes before he heard a vehicle.
After waiting for the sound of the car to fade, he walked onto the roadway, intent on seeing if the blue trucks were already parked on the span. He had to go up the embankment of the levee to where it met the highway. The intersection was raised about thirty feet over the surrounding fields, giving him a good view of miles of farmland as well as the roadway over the bridge and into town. Not a car was in sight.
However, as he craned his neck toward the bridge to see what the town of Miami was all about, he noticed movement in the field across the roadway. A farm access ramp ran down the side of the levee, allowing farmers to get their combines and plows into the fields. The slope of the gravel road allowed several trucks to hide down in the depression.
Impact (Book 5): Black Page 9
