Heart of Stone (HOS Book 1)

by Rob Buckman

  He knew they were clear on this side, as it fell away into the escarpment they'd climbed. He saw nothing, which was as he expected. If any of those people were any good, that's exactly what he would see, nothing. Max and Maxine still fidgeted. At last, they caught something on the light breeze and shot off towards a large pile of rocks to the right of them. Mike swung his weapon that way and waited. He gave a soft laugh, feeling a sense of relief as the two wolves flushed an old grizzly bear out of the rocks. Between the two of them, snapping and growling they herded the animal away from Mike and Kat, towards the forest. It was fascinating to watch them work. As one moved out of reach of claws and sharp teeth, the other one moved in, nipping at the flanks until the bear turned and tried to catch it. It would then move away, drawing the bear after it. The other wolf would then come back in from the other side, and do the same. Kat and Mike relaxed, watching the fun. That was until the group reached the center of the meadow. Without warning, a man jumped up out of nowhere, running for his life towards the tree, the bear suddenly in hot pursuit.

  "Son of a bitch! I missed him!" Mike grabbed his rifle and tried to get a sight on the man but the bear kept getting in the way, as they dodged back and forth.

  Instead, someone else fired off a shot, but at the bear instead of the man. It came from the rim of the cliff. The bear staggered sideways slightly, but didn't slow down. It only made him madder. Mike switched to the cliff top, catching a quick picture of the man as he tried to shoot the bear again. It wasn't enough. He waited, taking his time, sooner or later he’d get a shot. The bear was definitely gaining in the race for the trees. It would be touch and go who got there first. Another shot rang out, but this time he had him spotted. 'The dumb fucker hadn't moved'. He'd made the mistake of firing from the same position. Mike held the sight picture, holding his aim on the spot he'd vanished, waiting for him to shoot again. He paid no attention to the man and the bear now, hoping they would stay visible long enough for the man to take one more shot. They did, he did, and Mike fired. Seeing the man slump sideways. A bright spray of liquid and tissue glittering in the sunlight for a second.

  "Let’s go!" he said grabbing Kat's arm and helping her up.

  Keeping to cover as much as possible, they made their way to the house, cutting right to get behind it as soon as possible. Mike took a key from under a rock in some poison ivy and opened a side door into the ground floor, motioning her inside. Closing and barring the door behind them. Moving soundlessly in the semi-darkness, he made his way through the lower house to a box mounted on a blank(?) wall, opened it and checked inside.

  "All clear,” he announced.

  "How do you know!" she whispered.

  "My alarm system that's how."

  "You sure it's working?"

  "Lady. No way, you’re going to get round this. It's under the floorboards, and there is no outside indication that it even exists. It's passive, so no detector in the world would find it."

  "How come?"

  "It would register as part of the house electrical system, which it is." She straightened up out of the defensive crouch.

  "And what if they switched the solar power off?" There was a slight note of sarcasm in her voice.

  "No sweat. It would register on the system and the battery backup would kick in."

  "I suppose I'll have to take your word for it. It’s your life on the line." Mike shrugged, either you believed it, or you didn't. He did, trusting his life to it more than once.

  No system is infallible, he knew that. Given time, all systems can be defeated. As he had had to do over the years. But first, you have to know, or suspect there was something to find, before you started looking for it. In this case, there wasn't anything to look for. Even if you suspected there might be something here, you would have to spend days or weeks finding and disarming it. By that time, assuming you had entered the building, you would have triggered the alarm. If you didn't come in, then you wouldn't trigger it. That was what his system had told him. No one had been in the house since he left. He quickly showed her around and checked the house anyway, just to be sure.

  "Would you like some coffee?" He asked.

  "I'd like to take a shower?"

  "You can but it had better be a quick one. There's no telling how long it will be before the others turn up."

  "I know. I promise it will be very quick, no more than five minutes and I'll keep my guns and clothes handy. All right?!" Her idea of quick was a little different than Mike's. He shrugged. At least he could hold them off long enough for her to get dressed.

  "All right. Go take your shower." She scampered off like a little girl with a laugh of delight. He didn't question her knowledge of the house.

  He took it for granted now that she was Kevin Ballard's daughter, and would have lived here for at least part of her life. A few minutes later, he heard the shower start and went about making coffee and some hot food, fresh, not dehydrated. From time to time, he took his glasses up to the living room and, standing back in the shadows, swept the tree line. That was the only direction they could come from, the escarpment at the rear being too dangerous in day light, especially with the unknown factor of not knowing if he was up here watching. That went for the side of the house as well—too much open ground to cover. That left the forest below. He also discounted the cliff for the same reason as the escarpment, too exposed. It was almost impossible to climb and too easy to get shot on it. The shooter on the cliff had surprised him. He wondering who he was and how long it had taken him to get into position. It also puzzled him how the other man had got to the center of the meadow without leaving a trail through the long grass. He shrugged, it would have to wait for another day. Tonight was when the danger would really come. He calculated that there were only five left now, limiting their lines of action. They’d paid the price of breaking up into individual groups, losing five of their number. He would have liked to go out and scatter a few hockey pucks around, but he didn't feel that brave or stupid at the moment. Not liking the thought of dying any more, not since Kat. This reminded him, she was taking a lot longer than five minutes for that shower. As he was about to go up and see if she was all right, she came down, looking none too happy about something.

  "Coffee on the stove, food in the oven." Kat nodded, preoccupied with something. "I'm going to take a shower and get into some clean clothes." He took a quick shower, re-dressed his wounds and climbed into clean clothes. He started to feel human again as he started on his third cup of coffee. Walking back into the living room he immediately scanned the tree line, looking for movement.

  "You did a good job redecorating the house..." He waved her to be silent as he noticed something in the tree line.

  Marking the spot, he quickly moved to the giant 'zelston' star scope, repositioning it on the spot he'd marked. It took a moment of fiddling, then he had it, some clown still with his head stuck up above some rock. His mouth was moving, as if talking to someone near him, but tracking back and forth he only caught small glimpses of what might or might not had been people. He did note the man he'd spotted had no camo paint on, and only a light hunting jacket. He was betting it was one of Rolass's security men, brought up as reinforcements. The question was, how many, five, ten, twenty? Tracking back to the man, he looked again, just in time to see the man jerked back.

  "What's going on Mike?" Kat asked as he stood back.

  "I think we've got more trouble from the look of it. More people."

  "Oh. You think they'd try it in broad daylight?" He looked at her and smiled.

  "Would you?" Kat blushed slightly knowing it had been a dumb question, but this man had that effect on her. Anyone who came up the hill in broad day light across open ground, knowing Mike was up here was either stupid or had a death wish. Two men had just paid the price of underestimating him; well one and a half she corrected, the second one dancing with the bear was an unknown.

  "What about tonight Mike?"

  "There is no way we can stand them off long, p
lus it would be simple to put an RPG into this house." She looked shocked at the thought of someone blowing up the house, but before she could say anything, he held his hand up.

  "Don't panic. I have no way of knowing if they have one for starters, plus we are going to leave."

  "They might still blow the place up thinking you, or we are still in it!" She said, heading to the kitchen.

  "Not if they see us leave." He said casually. For all of ten seconds, it didn't register. Then it did. She stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, did an about face and strode back into the room.

  "Leave! Are you crazy?! The moment you stick your nose out that door it’s going to be raining lead around here! This place will look like giant termites had been chewing on it!" Kat stood glaring at him, hands on her hips. He infuriated her by standing there, a cup of coffee and a cigar in one hand. His eye glued to the telescope.

  "Not me lady!" Deliberately pausing—“us!" She was half way back to the kitchen when he said it. Kat stopped dead in her tracks, did another smart about face, and stormed back into the room.

  "Did you say us?!"

  "That's right."

  "Now I know you’re crazy! If you think for one minute that I am going to stick my nose out that door, you've got another think coming! No way Jose' and that’s final. I'm going to get on your phone and holler for help!" She placed her hands on her hips again, spoiling for a fight. She might as well yell at the wall for all the notice he took.

  "I suppose you are going to invite them in for coffee and donuts while you're waiting for the cavalry to arrive?" he muttered, more to himself than her, but she heard.

  That stumped her. Of all the infuriating men, she had ever met in her life, this one won first prize: arrogant, egotistical, self-centered, opinionated, self-righteous, pig headed, stubborn, pompous, idiotic, a low down son of a bitch... She ran out of words for the moment. 'Why the hell did I have to fall in love with this one' she thought, mentally kicking herself. 'But he was right! Dam it!' And that's what infuriated her the most, 'Damn it! He's always right!

  "So where do we go?" She said through her teeth. "Down the escarpment?"

  "To the right of this house is a large slab of rock that looks like the end of a Dutch barn. Behind it is an airshaft that leads down to the cave system under this house. If we can get to it, I think there is a way we can get out lower down, and come out somewhere near town." Now that she had some ammunition, she marshaled her arguments and started in on his plan.

  "Oh great! We run out the front of the house, waving our arms I suppose, yelling "We’re over here". Then we run over to that large rock, go down into some cave system under the house, and wander about looking for a way out. All with an unknown number of killers on our trail! Wonderful." Now she was getting into her stride. This plan she was going to tear to bits.

  "Yes. That about sums it up." Mike commented offhandedly. That just added fuel to the fire. “With the storm coming in, and the low light, we should make it with no trouble at all.”

  "You are out of your mind! You don't know where the exit is, or even if there is one for sure. The first dead end tunnel we go into we'll be trapped, and shot like fish in a barrel. That's assuming of course that we make it to the air shaft in the first place." She stopped, seeing that she was not having much impression, yet.

  "I can just see us stumbling around in the dark trying to find the way out, because we can't use lights. That would be a dead give away, and I mean dead. I won't mention the fact that the town is approximately two to three thousand feet below us. Which means that to get there we will have to find a down shaft—a deep down shaft. In total darkness, with no light, that should be the most wonderful experience of my life. I'd just hate to miss that! I hope you hit bottom first so I can land on top of you and say ‘I told you so’ before I die!" That raised a smile on his face, but instead of breaking her heart as it usually did, it only made her madder.

  "Damn It! It's the most hare-brained idea I have ever heard of in my life. Why the hell did we have to come here in the first place? You must have known this would happen, you being so much smarter at this sort of work than I am!"

  "True, but you and I needed a bath. I don't know about you, but I started to stink, besides which, if I remember right this was your idea. We were also supposed to get up here without being seen, and leave you here." She looked at him in total astonishment.

  "Is that all you can say. We needed a bath? And it was my idea. My God, the man's totally crazy." Her appeal was upwards towards heaven but no one was home, or not listening.

  "Where else can we go? To the town, and turn the place into a war zone?” He said with a raised eyebrow. “Because make no mistake, those killers will come after us no matter where we lead them. They will keep coming until either I'm dead or they are. That's the object of this exercise lady. Either I kill all of them, or they kill me." What could she say? Again, he was right. This bunch would track him to the end of the earth to collect. But underground?

  "Mike. Do we have to go into the caves? Isn't there another way, say through the forest?" Her voice had taken on a pleading note in the hope he would change his mind.

  "Maybe. If I was on my own, I might try it, but not now."

  "Why on earth not?"

  "Because, at the moment I don't want to get killed or chance getting you killed." He'd lost her, puzzlement past across her face as she tried to work it out. What was he trying to say?

  "And you think there is a better chance underground."

  "Yes. It's the only chance we have, if we are to have any future at all."

  "I don't understand?"

  "If we get out of this, maybe you will." Even now, he couldn’t say it; couldn't tell her what was in his heart. He closed the door and locked it, shutting his feelings away, hoping that soon, he could unlock it again.

  "There is one aspect of going underground that’s in our favor. They will all be confined in one place as well as us. We will have some advantage in that we will only have to look in a maximum of two directions. Front and rear, instead of three hundred and sixty degrees if we went out into the forest."

  "But Max and Maxine could run interference for us."

  "And if they got shot?" He pointed out.

  "Oh no." She hadn't thought of that, nor did she want to, beginning to like the two animals.

  "If we can get them to follow us underground, I might have a chance to get them all at once. If not, we may be able to find a way out down below, and be gone before they know it."

  "Gone where?"

  "Your aircraft is still at the airport. You could make it to Denver, then on a commercial flight to Washington before they know what’s happening. I have some people there who can help you after that."

  "What about you?" She asked.

  "Once I know you are safe I'll have a free hand to do whatever needs to be done." It was the caves or nothing, the prospect of staying here becoming bleaker by the moment. They could hold them off for a while, but sheer weight on numbers would get them in the end, and long before any help could arrive. That was if they could find any help. At last, she understood the sacrifice he had made taking her with him. Alone he could have put up a running fight, hit, and run as they had done last night. Pitting his skill against theirs. With her in tow, he had cut his chances for survival in half. But rather than leave her to the tender mercy of the gang of cutthroats out there, he'd elected to take her along. Any anger she felt melted away, to be replaced if possible by an even greater love for him than she had before. But why-o-why did he have to be so infuriatingly right all the time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:

  "I told you to keep your fucking head down! You stick it up again and I'll blow it off and save him the trouble! You got it shit head?" Bonner snarled.

  "Keep your shirt on! I was only having a look for Christ sake." The security man looked at Will Bonner, knowing he was dead serious.

  The only reason he was up here was the one hundred thousand dollar bonus Ro
land Hawkins was now offering for Mike Grainger's head. Only five of them were dumb enough to go for it, the rest counting the bodies, not liking the odds. Whoever Grainger was, he was no boy scout that was for sure. To date he had killed ten men, two women and blown a chopper out of the sky. If all accounts to date were true, no one had even got close enough to get a single good shot at him. The day dragged on with no indication except Bonner's word that anyone was up at the house at all. Eight or nine men were scanning the house from time to time, without seeing anything. At least the guy who’d tangled with the bear was quiet at long last. He gone into shock, then coma, and it was doubtful he’d make it until morning. Score, eleven to nil in Grainger's favor.

  "Holy shit! There they go!" Mike had caught them completely flat footed. Kat and he were breaking cover a hundred yards from the house. Half way to the slab of rock, a few got off some wild shots but with only ten yards to go, none of them did any serious shooting. Uphill at a moving target, in poor light was something only a trained sniper would attempt. It was plain to everybody that the two figures made it to the rock intact.

  "Let’s move it people! Follow the tree line as far as possible and stay undercover!" It was good advice, as Mike and Kat were sending a few their way. No one was hit, that was not the point. It was nothing more than a 'come on'. And they fell for it.

  Bonner was suspicious. For the last ten minutes, no shots had come their way. And with twenty yards of open ground to cover to get to the rock; it looked like an invitation to get killed. The question became academic a moment later as one of the security men broke cover and ran towards the rock. Shooting from the hip as he ran, trying to make the bonus or die trying. Switching magazines he dived round the rock with his weapon on full auto, only to reappear a few moments later to wave them up.