by David Nees
Evangeline looked down and shook her head. “I told you. It’s too painful. It should never be revealed, not be talked about.” She looked back into his eyes. They were eyes that could be hard like a killer’s or glow with understanding. She had seen both in him. “You have to trust me.”
Dan sighed.
They talked late into the night, always working their way around the subject. Dan kept refusing to entertain Evangeline’s idea of them living together. It wasn’t at all tenable but she was like a bulldog and would not let the idea go. Perhaps it was due to her horror at being returned. Dan had by now decided that her father must have abused her, but he needed to penetrate the darkness that lurked behind the story. He needed Evangeline to tell him. That was what the Watcher had said.
The two men stopped below the chalet. They had been told it was the last one on the road, the third one. After passing the second cottage they killed the headlights and drove slowly upward. They were a couple of hundred yards below the chalet when they stopped. The passenger reached back for the satchel lying on the back seat. He took out a short barrel AK-47 with a folding stock. The driver took out an MP5 chambered in 9mm. Both weapons could be fired in automatic mode; the MP5 could fire 800 rounds per minute, the AK47 600 rounds. Both men had semi-automatic hand guns holstered to their belts. They didn’t plan on leaving the kidnapper alive when they grabbed the girl. With a nod to each other, they exited the BMW and started walking up hill towards the chalet.
It was midnight. Dan and Evangeline had talked and talked. She snuggled against him, partly to use her sexuality to convince him and partly just to enjoy the pleasure of his tenderness without any expectations. For his part, Dan just relaxed and tried to hold his ground. Now they were both at the edge of sleep, sinking further into the couch and each other.
As Dan was drifting off he heard a click downstairs. Instantly he was awake, his eyes open in the now darkened main room, his ears intently probing the chalet for unusual noises. There was another click.
Dan jostled Evangeline.
“What is it?” she asked, still half asleep.
“Shhh.” Dan leaned close to her ear. “Someone is downstairs.”
She opened her eyes wide now and looked at him. She started to speak but Dan put his hand to her mouth and shook his head. He leaned close to her ear again.
“Get up and go to the back window. If you can slide it open, do it and go outside. If the window starts to squeak, stop. Do not make any loud noise. Understand?”
She nodded and got up. Dan rose from the couch. His hand gun and other weapons were up in his bedroom. There was no time to retrieve them. He had no shoes, only socks on his feet. He quietly padded over to the island counter in the kitchen area. He slipped a large knife from the wooden holding block. It had a ten-inch tapered blade that started at three inches across. It was stiff and strong. He grabbed the knife in his fist like he was going to stab it into a table. He went over to the edge of the stairs.
Whoever entered had to come up the stairs to get into the rest of the chalet. He’d meet them at the top of the stairs. Dan figured he had one chance. His back was against the wall; his right hand holding the knife was positioned across his abdomen. When the intruder stepped beyond the door frame Dan would fling his arm in an arc slamming the blade into the person’s neck, one chance, one blow to take them out. There could be no time to check on who it was. These were not friendlies coming in the middle of the night, picking the door lock; this was a hostile intrusion.
His senses, now heightened, could detect footfalls on the stairs. Was there more than one person? Dan wasn’t sure. He slowed his breathing and readied himself. He had the element of surprise but only for one moment. After that he would be unarmed facing someone whom he could be sure was armed.
Dan spared one glance across the room. Evangeline had pushed open the window and was crawling through it. He hoped she wouldn’t use the moment to run again. He dismissed any further thought of her and turned back to the moment at hand. The furtive steps were coming closer.
Dan tensed. A figure showed in the door frame and Dan exploded. His arm flung across his body at the intruder. The blade glanced off the clavicle and sank into the man’s lower throat. He jerked back pulling Dan forward. Dan’s feet slipped on the floor and he crashed against the intruder. The man’s right hand held an MP5 which went off as his reflexes pulled the trigger. The gun sprayed bullets across the room and into the stairwell ceiling as he fell back down the stairs, carrying Dan with him.
The MP5 fell away. Dan tried to stay on top of the man, but the intruder’s shoulder dug into a step and he flipped over, throwing Dan ahead of him. There was another man, falling with them. He had been right behind the one Dan stabbed. When they crashed at the bottom, Dan shoved the injured intruder aside and scrambled to his feet. The second man was uninjured and armed. Dan could see the short assault rifle. He had to close on him before he could bring the weapon into action.
He leapt forward. The second man was getting to his feet and bringing up his weapon. He was taller than Dan and thicker; built like a linebacker. Dan threw himself at the man with all the force he could muster, as if tackling a runner in football. As the weapon came up, Dan swung his left arm at it to deflect it.
The gun fired an automatic burst. Dan felt a searing pain in his left side. The breath was almost knocked out of him. He let out a loud grunt as he slammed into the larger man. One of the rounds had hit him. He had to disable his opponent quickly before the man could bring the weapon into action again.
As Dan’s head slammed into the man’s chest, he also swung his right fist towards his throat. The blow missed the throat, hitting the man in the side of his neck. It was not a disabling blow but contributed to stunning him along with getting some of the wind knocked out of him. His grip on the weapon slipped and the machine gun fell behind him.
Dan spun to the right, crying out at the pain in his side. The man threw a right hook at Dan’s head with a meaty fist. The blow hit him in the temple but its impact was diminished by Dan’s moving away from the punch. Dan used his momentum going to his right to throw a right hand into the man’s kidneys. He was rewarded with a solid grunt from his opponent. Now though, the intruder squared up to Dan and threw a left at his head. Dan raised his left to block it and the man threw his right into Dan injured ribs.
Dan let out a yell and fell back against the wall. The pain almost blinded him. The man closed on him, his right hand reaching to unholster his pistol. Dan was running out of options. As the man was pulling out his pistol, Dan flung his right leg up and hit the man in the groin. He followed through like a field goal kicker. The intruder let out a howl. His knees buckled with the pain of smashed testicles. As he fell, he tried to pull his gun out. Dan stepped up and placed another kick under the man’s chin which snapped his head back. He hit the ground. His head flopped back on the concrete floor with a loud splat that spelled a cracked skull and concussion.
The gun dropped from his limp hand. Dan kicked it away. It was too painful to reach down to retrieve it. He sagged back against the wall and put his right hand to his left rib cage. It came away wet with blood. A careful exploration around the wound indicated that the bullet had not penetrated, but skimmed across his side, gouging out a channel and probably cracking a rib. The pain was severe but the wound was not life threatening.
Chapter 24
___________________________________
D an went over to look at the man he had stabbed in the throat. He was choking on his blood. He would not last much longer. The other man was still unconscious.
“Steve?”
He heard Evangeline call from outside the door.
“I’m okay,” he shouted to her. “Don’t come in.”
The door opened as he finished saying those words. She gasped at the two figures lying on the concrete floor. Then she looked at Dan.
“You’re hurt,” she exclaimed going over to him.
“I’m okay. The bulle
t only grazed me but I think I have a cracked rib.” He winced as he spoke.
“It hurts,” she said.
Dan nodded. “Do you know these men?”
Evangeline looked at the unconscious man first and then the one stabbed in the neck. She shuddered at the sight of his last choking gasps.
“Can you help him?” she asked.
Dan shook his head. “I can’t save him. Remember they tried to kill me. And who knows what they would have done with you.”
“They would have brought me to Aebischer,” she said. “I recognize them. They visited the mansion a few times. They work for Aebischer.”
“Why wouldn’t he just wait to have me return you? That’s what the arrangement was supposed to have been.”
Evangeline looked Dan in the eyes. “Maybe he wants you dead. He’s a very cautious man. With no witnesses he can lock me away and no one will know.”
Dan thought about that for a moment. “Go upstairs and gather some food and any extra clothes you can find. We have to leave.”
Evangeline just stood there.
“Go now!” Dan shouted. “I have to take care of things down here.”
She turned and climbed the stairs. When she was gone Dan went to the utility sink in the corner of the room and filled a can with cold water. He splashed it into the face of the unconscious man. He stirred. Dan squatted down close to him.
“Für wen arbeitest Sie?” Who do you work for?
Then man stared at Dan. He repeated the question adding “Herr Aebischer?” There was a flash of recognition on the man’s face which told Dan the answer was “yes”.
“Did Pietro Conti send you?”
The man didn’t answer but just looked at Dan. Then he turned to look at his partner.
“He’s dead or dying,” Dan said. “Do you want to join him?”
The man just looked back at Dan without answering. His eyes were the cold eyes of a trained killer. One who knew how the game was played. You win, someone else dies. You lose, you die.
“Pietro Conti, did he send you?” Dan asked again.
“Macht nichts,” came the response.
He was not going to get any more information out of him. It didn’t matter. He knew who had sent them. Dan stood up, walked over to the man’s discarded 9mm, picked it up and put a round in the man’s forehead. He then went over to the man he had stabbed and did the same.
Evangeline opened the door at the top of the stairs. “Are you alright?”
“I’m okay, stay up there.”
Dan didn’t relish his next chore but it would give them extra time before any pursuit began. He took the doormat and placed it under the first man. Then grabbed him by the legs and pulled him through the basement game room to the rear door. He would put the bodies in the woods. They would be found without much work, but they could gain a few precious hours before any alarms were raised.
When he was done, he climbed the stairs back to the main floor. His side was searing in pain. Dan tried to ignore it.
“Let’s get going,” he said.
“Why? You’re injured. You need to bandage that wound.” She bent down to examine his side. “Look, you’re still bleeding. We need to stop that and then you need to rest.”
Dan shook his head. “You don’t understand. These men were sent to kill me and, at best, take you back to your father. I don’t know if there are more of them. If so, they may be coming. And, we have two dead men here. We don’t want to be around when the polizei show up.”
“But your wounds—”
“Out in the Rover I have an emergency first aid kit. I’m going to get it and you can help bandage the wound. Then we must go. Finish gathering any food and clothing you find. We didn’t get a chance to buy you some new clothes and it’s too cold for just your T-shirt.”
He turned and went back down the stairs to retrieve the first aid kit.
Evangeline washed the wound with soap and water. After, he had her pour some clotting powder on the gash and then place some pads over it. She finished by wrapping gauze around his mid-section to hold the pads in place. When she was done, Dan climbed the mezzanine stairs and packed his gear. He had Evangeline help him carry the bags down to the main level. She had packed some food and drinks. She had also found a jacket in the main floor closet which she put on over her T-shirt.
With a last look around, they both headed down the stairway and out into the yard. Dan started the engine and then just sat there.
“Are we going?” Evangeline asked.
He nodded. “I’m wondering if the track goes over this hilltop or just ends further up. I don’t want to go back down towards the village for obvious reasons.”
“These alpine trails are used to get to higher pastures either for grazing or growing,” Evangeline said with some authority. “If it’s a high mountain, they end at the highest pasture or field the farmers can clear. If it’s a lower hill, they often go over and down the other side.”
“Which one is this?”
“My guess is it’s a lower hill, like the ones we can see across the valley.”
“I hope you’re right,” Dan replied. “We’ll give it a try.” He didn’t relish backtracking but Evangeline seemed sure about how the geography worked and it was far better than going back down to Sankt Nikolai. Someone in the town must have given him up. He didn’t want anyone watching them depart and triggering a pursuit. He put the Range Rover neutral and selected Mud & Ruts from the Terrain Response menu. The Rover rose up on its suspension. He drove out of the yard and turned uphill.
Chapter 25
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T he Range Rover was an expensive luxury SUV but it came with a strong off-road heritage. Behind the Terrain Response menu selection was a wonder of electronic wizardry. The result was increased ground clearance and the vehicle’s electronics monitoring wheel spin and directing drive through the differentials to the wheels that had traction. With the technology working behind the scene, the Range Rover picked its way up the muddy, rocky two-track steadily. The driver just needed to guide it away from any deep holes or ruts.
They drove upward in silence. When in the forest, Dan used the headlights. Out in the open he drove nearly blind with no lights showing. He did not want to signal the vehicle’s presence to anyone down in the valley. Evangeline kept looking back over her shoulder, obviously worried about pursuit.
“Did you kill the two men downstairs?” she asked. “I heard two shots.”
“I helped complete the process. They were going to die within minutes, or at the longest, an hour.”
“Why do that? Do you enjoy that?”
“Don’t be silly. They tried to kill me. I had a hand-to-hand fight with one of them. Had I lost I would be dead and you’d be in their hands…for whatever they had planned.”
“But they were going to die.”
“Yes. And they might have been able to call someone, or someone might have shown up to save them or get some information from them. I couldn’t take that chance. It made no difference in their ultimate fate.”
“I don’t understand you. You can be so kind and tender, and the next moment so cold.”
“I live in a dangerous world. You have no idea about my life.”
Evangeline didn’t say anything. She seemed to be processing what Dan had told her. Finally she changed the subject.
“Where are we going?”
“Whoever is behind this will know we’ve escaped, probably within a day. We can count only on a day’s head start. They’ll find the bodies soon enough and that could set off a hunt for our vehicle. I’m thinking they may have our plate number, but it doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t be hard to stop every Land Rover they come across.”
“How do we escape, then?”
“They’ll expect us to head to Italy. At least that is what I’m going to assume. We’ll go south to Slovenia instead. Once in that country we should be safe from police patrols.”
“Do you know
how to get there?”
“Not in detail. Look it up on the navigation system and see if you can figure it out.”
Evangeline bent over the Rover’s GPS system and began to work on it. They continued their slow, steady pace up the mountain. Finally they rolled out onto an open field that sloped away in three directions. The two-track went up and over it into the next valley.
“Just as you said,” Dan remarked. “We’ll use the paved roads when we get to the valley and make more time.
Evangeline looked up after working with the nav system for another ten minutes.
“I’ve got it figured out…I think. If we head directly south we’ll hit two big lakes, Ossiarcher See and Wörthersee.” She paused for a moment to think. “Do we want to stay away from large towns?”
He played it out in his head. He could race for the border and hope to cross before anyone became aware of what went on at the chalet. Or he could assume that there might be an alert out for them this very morning. In which case, if they used the main roads, there was a high probability they would be stopped either on the road or at one of the larger towns. Did he trade off time, staying longer in Austria for stealth, or make a quick run for it?
Stealth won out. He had no idea how quickly their escape would be discovered and the men found and he didn’t want to bet on what he didn’t know. He did know using the back roads gave him a good chance to get into Slovenia where they would not be pursued. He did not anticipate an all-Euro alert.
“Yeah. Larger towns will be more dangerous after word gets out about us.”
Evangeline went back to the nav map and began fiddling again. Finally she looked up.
“There are big towns around both those lakes. We’ll have to backtrack to the southeast. It will be longer, but we can avoid large towns.”
“We can’t go back to Graz.”
“No. We go more south. We’ll head to the south of Wolfsberg and cross at a little village named Pfarrdorf.”
