Deadly Intent: An Action Thriller (Adrian Hell Series Book 4)

by Sumner, James P.

  She sounds like a Bond villain...

  “Wow… you are seriously tapped in the head, aren’t you? I guess watching me beat your old man to death and leaving you for dead has left you with a few issues.”

  Her smile fades, and her eyes go dead, staring at me like she isn’t human. She holds my gaze for a moment, and then looks at one of the men sitting watching and nods. He stands and walks over to the lab opposite. The man behind me pushes me forward with his gun, and I step farther into the middle of the area, standing directly in front of Clara.

  A moment later, the guy reappears, escorting Tori by her arm. Her hands are behind her, presumably bound together, and her eyes are red—I’m guessing from crying.

  “Oh my God, Adrian!” she shouts.

  She goes to run toward me, but the guy restrains her, and she struggles in his grip.

  “Let go of me, asshole!” she yells at him.

  I fail to suppress a small smile. That’s my girl, defiant to the last.

  “Tori, are you okay?” I ask her, trying to remain as calm as possible. “Are you hurt?”

  Before she can reply, Clara steps forward. Without a word of warning, she leaps toward me and unleashes a right knee into my side. I didn’t see it coming, and I wince at the impact, doubling over and dropping to one knee. As she lands, she smashes her left elbow across my face, catching me on my cheek. It hurt likes hell, but I do everything I can not to register it. I stay still, staring at the floor and breathing hard through gritted teeth, absorbing the pain and using it to fuel my growing anger.

  I look up at her. “You’ve gotten brave in your old age,” I say, slowly getting back to my feet. “Makes such a difference being surrounded by all your friends, doesn’t it?”

  She strolls over to Tori and strokes her hair, twirling it in her finger as she looks at me. Taunting me.

  “I see nothing changes, Adrian. You’re still blind to the truth that is so clearly laid out in front of you. What’s happening is inevitable. Times have changed and have left you behind. You cannot stop what’s now in motion.”

  She turns to Tori and grabs both her cheeks in her hand before kissing her lips, forcing herself onto her with no emotion. As she moves away, Tori spits on the floor, and Clara looks at me and smiles.

  “I’ve worked closely with Hamaad El-Zurak to make this organization what it is. Yalafi Hussein is an idealist, but he’s naïve. He still thinks you can impose your will upon the people by using archaic methods of terrorism. El-Zurak is a great man, and his vision for a new world is... extraordinary.”

  She’s really boring me now, so I tune her voice out and focus on the environment around me. I have to admit, I’ve been so focused on getting Tori back, I think I’ve lost sight a little of the bigger picture. Not since back in New York, when I took Hussein’s laptop, have I really thought about what’s actually at stake.

  Oblivious to what Clara’s saying, I look around the room and start to see things that I hadn’t noticed before. Time slows to a stop as I take in every single detail. It’s almost like an epiphany. Like speaking to Clara has made me see that I don’t actually care that she managed to get away from me years ago. She’s not Wilson Trent. She hurt my pride more than anything, which is the only reason I held a grudge. But I don’t anymore.

  There are ten guys to my left, with one behind me, who has a gun to my head… but the group of ten all have their guns in their holsters. Average time for someone to draw their weapon and effectively take aim is three seconds. It’ll only take me two to disarm the guy behind me and fire at least four bullets…

  The screen behind her has a technical diagram of what looks like a satellite, so I can only assume it’s Cerberus. The set-up of this scene is like a lecture, as if everyone was looking at her as she gave them information. That, to me, says that she knows a decent amount about what Cerberus does, which validates her claim that she was close to El-Zurak.

  The table on my right is covered by papers and a laptop… those papers are confidential documents. I’ve seen enough in my time to recognize material that should be redacted. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say CIA. I can’t think of any way someone like Clara would’ve been able to get their hands on classified files like that without at least having an inside man. But the CIA isn’t the kind of place where you can bribe people…

  Slowly but surely, the pieces of this puzzle are starting to slot into place… Now I just need to get out of here and tell Josh I’ve solved things all on my own!

  Clara slaps me hard across the face, speeding time back to normal and bringing me back to the real world.

  “Are you even listening to me?” she screams.

  I look at her with the most neutral poker face I have. “Not in the slightest,” I say with a shrug. “Sorry.” I look across at Tori. “Baby, we’re gonna get out of here, okay? Just trust me.”

  She nods, and then Clara slaps me again.

  “You arrogant bastard!” she says. “You’ve always been so full of yourself and why? You’re outnumbered, and on the losing side of a war your country doesn’t even know it’s fighting!”

  I sigh and look at her with feigned sympathy. “I actually feel pretty bad for you, Clara,” I say. “I imagine you’ve spent the last few years harboring a grudge against me that’s slowly consumed you to the point where you probably don’t even care about El-Zurak’s plans for Cerberus. All you care about is getting back at me. Am I right? I mean, you were the one who told these extremist pricks about me in the first place. You would’ve known then that I wouldn’t have come and worked for you. I think you did it knowing it would prompt me to come looking specifically for you, so you could make some half-assed attempt at getting revenge.”

  She’s taken aback by, what I’m guessing is, a pretty accurate assessment of things, but quickly recovers.

  “Well, you’re here, aren’t you?” she says, like a petulant child. “So you’re just as stupid as you’ve always been, walking right into a situation you knew was a trap.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not here for you, Clara. I’m here for her.” I nod at Tori. “I couldn’t give a shit about you—don’t you get that? I stopped holding a grudge against you a long time ago. You’ve built yourself up to this fantastic showdown between us, and the fact of the matter is, I simply don’t care.”

  Okay, so that was a small lie. I do care—I’d happily snap that psychopathic bitch’s neck right now. Never mind the betrayal years ago—she kidnapped my girlfriend. That alone signed her death warrant. But she doesn’t need to know that. More fun to make her think she’s insignificant and watch her fester until she bursts.

  I look over at Tori who, bless her, is trying not to smile. I wink at her, and I see her swell up as she takes a deep breath, full of pride for her action hero who’s about to save her.

  Those are her words, by the way…

  I slide my left foot subtly out to the side, just a couple of inches, widening my stance a little. Then, in one movement, I flick my right heel up behind me, catching the guy behind me in his balls. At the same time, I duck to the left, to avoid the potential stray bullet. Luckily, there isn’t one. Sensing him bend forward, I spin around, pushing him over and snatching the gun out of his hand in one motion. As I complete my turn, the room slows down once more. I look past Clara and go straight for the guy standing by Tori. Mid-turn, I fire once and put a bullet between his eyes. He falls backward, and Tori jumps in shock, putting her hands over her mouth to suppress a scream.

  I continue the turn, coming round to face the bunch of ten. I know I’m only going to get a couple of shots off before they start to react, so I fire three bullets at the guys nearest to Tori. I hit two in the chest, killing them instantly, but only wound the third by catching him in the arm.

  Time resumes its normal speed and without thinking, I run at Tori, scooping her up in my left arm as I dash past her to find cover.

  “Come on, baby, we’re leaving!”

  She shrieks in shock as I sweep her off
her feet, whizzing her round and grabbing her arm, helping her run while still tied up.

  “What the fuck?” yells Clara behind me. “Don’t just stand there, you idiots! Shoot him!”

  We’re on the opposite side of the room to where they caught me, so I know my guns aren’t close by. We’re crouching down around the corner of a partition.

  “Are you alright?” I ask Tori.

  She nods, but doesn’t respond. I look behind her at her wrists, still bound in standard-issue law enforcement handcuffs.

  “Pull your hands apart as much as you can,” I say to her.

  She frowns and does it, tightening the chain. I take aim and fire once, making her scream. Before she can say anything, I lean round the corner and fire off a few more rounds, hitting another two men. So that’s four down, one wounded… leaving six, plus Clara and two stragglers. This isn’t going to be easy. While I have cover right now from anyone in front of me, it’s ultimately a large, open, circular room, so they can come at me from either side as well.

  With no real option for long-term protection, I need to take the fight to these assholes.

  “Tori, we need—”

  She interrupts me by kissing my lips, quickly and with as much urgency and love as anyone can give.

  “Just get me out of here,” she says.

  I smile and nod. It’s a weird feeling… my Inner Satan is in full-on survival mode right now, but the usual thirst for violence that goes with that isn’t there. I just feel a need to do what I have to, nothing more. It’s quite liberating, if I’m honest.

  I put my gun in her hand.

  “Wait here,” I say to her. “If anyone comes near you, shoot them.”

  Her eyes are wide, betraying a mixture of fear and lack of understanding. It’s a lot to ask someone who’s normal to take a life. I look her in the eye, so she can feel reassured and safe—so she can believe that it’ll be okay.

  She purses her lips and nods rapidly.

  I smile. “That’s my girl.”

  I stand and run to the right, keeping low. The remaining men are spread out and taking cover behind partitions and desks. I doubt the idea of me being unarmed at any point would’ve crossed their minds, which buys me some breathing space. But I know the guys on the perimeter will still be there, covering the exits, and they’ll see immediately that I don’t have my gun. I need to act quickly.

  I make my way around the outer wall of partitions, counterclockwise, and soon meet the first two guys, who are guarding the way I came in. They have their guns drawn, but aren’t expecting me to run at them, as they’re standing quite relaxed and facing forward, into the middle of the room.

  I reach them and deliver a kick to the first guy’s gut at full speed, sending him flying backward. I use the impact to take away my momentum, stopping to throw three punches in quick succession at the second guy—one to the gut, one to the side of the ribs, and a third to the jaw, starting with my right hand and alternating. He crumples to the floor and drops his gun, which I pick up in time to fire at the first guy, who’s back on his feet and taking aim at me. I hit him twice in the chest and then immediately duck back down as someone in the middle shoots at me.

  I wait a moment, and then put a bullet in the second guy’s head, who’s lying at my feet. I quickly continue my circuit, firing into the middle every time I come up to a gap in the walls. I don’t have eyes on Clara from my position anymore, but I can still spot where most of the men from the group are.

  I see an opportunity for a shot, so I step inside the first layer of wall and crouch by a desk. I line up my shot and fire twice, hitting one of the guys in the neck, which is visible, despite his cover.

  I carry on, and see my weapons just ahead of me. Keeping my gun aimed ahead, I slow down and crouch, eager to get hold of some real firepower. I reach my Berettas, but bullets immediately pepper the ground around me, forcing me to duck back behind cover.

  I look at my babies as the wooden partitions splinter around me, desperate to feel their comforting weight in my hands once more. I’m biding my time, waiting for a pause in the onslaught before I can make a dash for them again.

  After a few moments, the firing stops and I seize the opportunity.

  Got them!

  I scoop them up and take cover on the opposite side of the gap. I put both Berettas in my holster and pick up the Ithaca, chambering a round and hearing the comforting double-crunch of a shotgun ready to fire.

  I take a breath and close my eyes.

  Showtime.

  I spin round the corner and stride purposefully toward the center; the Ithaca aimed straight and low. I see movement in the corner of my eye on the left, so I turn sharply and fire.

  The great thing about a shotgun in this kind of situation is the damage it’s capable of. The buckshot sprays out in a conical arc in front of me when I fire, and the closer the target is, the more chance of them being blown in half. Right now, at this range, I don’t even need to be accurate—if someone’s within ten feet of me, I can aim loosely in their direction and they’re dead.

  The shot cuts through the table and hits the man hiding behind it in the chest. Just behind him, another man appears and I fire again. He flies backward from the impact, dead before he hits the floor. I flick to the right in time to see another man peek around the side of a partition. A shot in his direction blasts through the wall and rips through his torso.

  That’s three more down… can’t be many left now, surely?

  I reach the middle, where the original group is standing with Clara. I can’t see her anywhere. I do a slow circle, turning clockwise. The trick when doing this is to point the gun in front of where you’re looking, so the weapon completes the turn before you do. That way, when you see something move, you can take it out straight away, instead of having to readjust your angle first, which would cost you valuable seconds.

  I look past the large monitor and see two men side by side, who must’ve been following me. As I see them in my peripheral, I fire on instinct, knowing the barrel of the shotgun is aiming in the right place. I catch them both in the stomach with one shot.

  I hear movement behind me, so I spin faster and drop to a crouch, lining up the shot. However, as I look round, I freeze. In the gap is the last remaining man, aiming his gun at me. Next to him is Clara Fox. She’s got a gun in her hand too, and it’s pointing at Tori.

  I let out a heavy sigh.

  Shit…

  30.

  21:49 EEST

  “Drop it,” says Clara, slightly out of breath. “Or I drop your girlfriend.”

  Man, she looks really pissed off… I must’ve done a good job winding her up before. It’s worrying that she appears so unstable, given she’s holding Tori, but at least I know she’s unlikely to be thinking clearly. I’ll use that to my advantage, when the time’s right. For now, I’ll do as she says. She nods at me, looking at my body harness.

  “And those custom pieces of shit you’re in love with.”

  Reluctantly, I remove both Berettas from their holster and drop them next to the shotgun. She leans toward the man next to her.

  “Go and secure him,” she says. “But be careful.”

  I look at Tori. I hold her gaze so she can see into my eyes—see the confidence in them. I want her to believe this will all be okay. Because it will be. I’ve already won. Clara has messed up, and it’ll cost her, her life. She just hasn’t realized it yet.

  But she will.

  The guy approaches me on my left side. He’s tall, maybe my height. He looks like he works out—he has a big frame, but he’s an amateur. The guy’s arms are fully extended, meaning his gun will be within reach of me long before his body. I almost feel bad; it’s that easy…

  With a quick movement, I grab his gun hand by the wrist with my left hand, pushing his palm toward him with my thumb. This puts a strain on the tendons, causing an involuntary reflex that straightens the fingers, which consequently forces him to loosen his grip on the weapon. As it f
alls from his hand, I lean left and catch it with my right. Then, I turn his wrist away from him, forcing him to follow it with his body to relieve the pressure. As he does, I whip my left leg across and kick him hard in his right knee. With his body going left and now his legs going right, he quickly falls to the floor.

  In the same motion, I raise the gun and point it at Clara.

  “Step the fuck away from her, now!” I shout.

  “One more move and she’s dead!” she screams back at me.

  I smile and shake my head. “No, she’s not. You’re a mercenary, Clara, not an extremist. You’re not willing to die for this cause and, right now, she’s the only thing keeping you alive. You’re not going to kill her, no matter what I do. Not until you’ve gotten out of here. Which isn’t happening, by the way.”

  I casually lower the gun and aim left, firing three times at the guy on the floor without looking. All three bullets hit him in the chest. His body jerks from the impact and then slackens in death. I re-aim at Clara.

  “See?”

  I look in her eyes. Panic is setting in. It’s just her and me now. Yes, she has a hostage, but she knows me, and she knows there’s no way out of this that doesn’t involve her dying. Is she spiteful enough to kill Tori anyway, knowing she’d die but making sure as her final act that I suffer regardless?

  Of course she is.

  But that doesn’t mean she will. The Armageddon Initiative will have paid her a significant sum of money for helping them put this attack together. She won’t want to risk losing that if there’s a chance she can get out of here. No matter how small the odds.

  “It’s over, Clara,” I say, more calmly now. “Let her go, and maybe you get out of here.”

  “How’s that?” she snaps back—her gaze darting around the room, as if looking for a new solution.

  “You help me get to El-Zurak and stop the hijacking of the Cerberus satellite, and I’ll do what I can to make sure your help is taken into account when this is all handed over to the FBI.”