“Please let this backpack hold something I can use. Please.”
* * *
“There.” Rick pointed ahead at a cleared area near the road. “It’s recently been mowed. Tire tracks in the mud.”
“This’s our location all right, but there’s no sign of Zelner’s vehicle.”
“Let’s circle around to make a stealth approach.” Rick continued down the narrow road until he found a spot wide enough for a three-point turn.
He stopped shy of the clearing, and they got out to retrieve their gear from the back. They still wore body armor from the raid on Zelner’s house, but even their type-IV vests wouldn’t do much good against a smart bullet. They grabbed assault rifles and extra ammo, and Rick strapped his sniper rifle over his back. No way would he go against a lethal smart bullet without a long-range option of his own.
Rick signaled for Kaci to follow him and set off. His rifle to his shoulder, he kept his body low and his gaze sweeping the area. He noted motorcycle tracks near the tire ruts and a pile of discarded branches. He pointed at the items for Kaci, who nodded, displaying her understanding that Zelner had once camouflaged something there, likely his truck.
Rick moved on, discovering scrub that had been trampled by large boots. In bare patches he also spotted smaller, female footprints in the mud. The delicate prints nearly swamped him. On the one hand, he was thrilled to see Olivia had reached this location alive. On the other hand, her bare feet in the mud reminded him of her vulnerability.
He forced himself to continue forward and slip through a narrow opening in the trees where motorcycles had decimated the soil. About twenty feet later, the path opened to a clearing where a ditch ran alongside a creek. He ran his binoculars over the area.
“Motorcycle tracks in the ditch on the right,” he whispered. “Two different tire treads.”
“Two bikers, then,” Kaci replied. “Zelner has help.”
“With no truck at the road, it’s likely Zelner isn’t here.”
“He could have been dropped off and is in the mine. No, wait. That doesn’t work. The odds of a signal pinging from underground are slim.”
“Maybe the GPS was wrong.”
Kaci shook her head. “Maybe he was on site when the phone company pinged his cell, and then he left. He’d have to depart to the south, or we would have seen his truck on the road. I’ll text Max to issue an alert.”
While she sent the text, Rick ran the latest development through his brain and boiled things down to one option. “If there’s even the slightest possibility that Olivia is here, we go forward.”
Kaci nodded.
“We’ll track the bikes,” he said. “I’ll head out first.”
Together, they bounded from one covered position to the next. When the motorcycle tracks ended, Rick signaled a break and a search of the nearby area. Kaci soon waved him over to where she bent over boot prints, her phone out. “Same prints as the ones Brynn lifted at the crash scene. We might not find Zelner at the end of the trail, but at least we know he’s been here.”
* * *
Hysteria threatening, Olivia plunged her hands into the backpack. Her fingers landed on a headlamp. She laughed with joy, a nutty, wild laugh scaring her almost as much as her surroundings. She turned it on. Nothing happened.
“No! It can’t be dead.” She shook it. Got a flicker of light, but then it went dark. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she wouldn’t cry. She swallowed hard and frantically clawed through the bag until her fingers landed on the coolness of a switchblade.
“Yes! Yes!” She started maneuvering the knife out of the bag, but dropped it.
“Calm down.” She thought of escaping and being reunited with Rick to calm her nerves and located the switchblade to prop the handle between her knees so she could cut off her cuffs. She sawed at the ties. Wrists first, then ankles. When the last one broke, she crawled toward where she’d last seen the lantern, her body stiff and clumsy and her feet numb.
Her fingers touched the hard plastic. “Yes!”
She flipped on the switch and light, blessed, wonderful light, flooded the space. She blinked hard until her vision cleared. She spotted a six-pack of bottled water and rinsed out her mouth, then chugged a whole bottle and planned her next move.
She would have to flee, but which way did she go? Ike and Virgil had entered on one side but departed in the other direction. She had to assume they knew the best way to enter and exit the mine, and she would follow their lead. But in case they came back through the exit, she needed to be armed.
Her feet tingling, she crawled back to the pack to take inventory. The bag contained first aid supplies, more of the confounded zip ties, and another headlamp, this one in its original packaging. She unpackaged the lamp, confirmed it worked, and fixed it on her head. She then searched for a weapon other than the knife, which she had no confidence in her ability to defend herself with. She came up empty-handed.
She glanced around the space again. The box. Rifle. Yes! She crawled over to it. Found a large—no, monstrously big rifle and giant bullets. She held one in her hand. It ran nearly the full length from her wrist to the tip of her middle finger.
She couldn’t possibly handle the large weapon that shot these monster bullets, but if they were the self-steering ones, she couldn’t leave the box behind for Ike. She stood, testing her feet. Found them able to hold her. She tried to grab the handles to lift the box, but she couldn’t reach both ends. Still, she could drag it behind her. She only had to hope that she found a flat tunnel and equally flat terrain outside.
She secured the lid again, then took another long drink of the water. Having no idea what she might face ahead, she put another bottle into the backpack and slipped it on her back. It would be nice to take the big lantern for better lighting as she moved, but she needed both hands free to get the box out of the mine.
“Okay. You can do this.” She grabbed the nearest box handle and backed toward the opening.
A quick shine of her light down the tunnel, and she was happy to discover a smooth, level floor, but the ceiling wasn’t very high. She bent low, placed one hand on the wall behind her to help stay in the middle of the tunnel, and then started backing out. She dragged the box through the dirt, the rasping from the wood sliding over rough ground comforting as she achieved a rhythm.
The tunnel soon turned right. Her head throbbed with the exertion, and she stopped to catch her breath. She shone her light down the new route. The passageway was taller and a bit wider here. She maneuvered safely around the corner and picked up speed in the larger space. The box hit a rock in the floor and bounced to the side, striking a timber. The rotting wood gave way with a sharp crack. The rock above her groaned.
A wide crack split the ceiling. The earth opened up. Dirt and debris hissed through the gap. Filtered to the ground.
A loud rumbling reverberated above. The sound built, resembling a freight train. The ground shook. She teetered.
“No. Oh. No.”
She dropped the box.
Ran under the collapsing ceiling. Begging, with each step she took, for her life to be spared.
Chapter 31
A rumble sounded to the east and shook the ground beneath Rick’s feet. He knew the feeling. Had experienced it when caves collapsed in Afghanistan.
Olivia!
He threw caution to the wind and charged up the hill, then ran until he stood in front of a narrow mine opening. Clouds of lung-clogging dirt and dust whooshed out and mingled with the rain.
Kaci rushed up behind him. “You think Olivia’s in there?”
“Yes.” He was surprised he could form a word.
“Stay here. I’ll go back to get FINDER and the other equipment,” she offered.
Shovels. She meant FINDER and shovels to dig for Olivia. For a moment his brain refused to comprehend the situation, then reality hit him with the earth-shattering force of the tunnel collapse.
“Rick?” Kaci asked.
“Be careful,”
he managed to get out.
He heard her bolt in the other direction, but he couldn’t take his eyes from the opening. Should he go in after Olivia, or would that put both of their lives at risk? He knew nothing of the inside of this mine. Had no idea of the depth, the length, the stability. Based on the small opening, he doubted it was much of a mine, and guessed that whoever had dug it likely hadn’t shored up the walls, as safety standards hadn’t existed back then.
What could he do? Could he even call out to her, or would Zelner come slinking out of the woods and put a .50 in Rick’s back?
“What next, God? What?” He waited for a moment, hoping for some crazy sign in response, but God didn’t work that way. Rick had to take action. If he failed to have peace about his decision, that would be his indicator that he was doing the wrong thing.
He covered his mouth and nose to keep the dust out and moved closer to the opening. Peered inside. Haze and blackness greeted him. He skirted to the side, scrambling up the hill. Dirt filtered into the air ahead from what he believed to be an exit. Could he move over the ground without risking another collapse?
“Think, man.” His brain seized up. He was frozen in time. Unable to move forward. Backward. The stakes were too high for him to make a mistake.
He had to try. He moved ahead, judging the soundness of the earth one step at a time. Expecting it to collapse at any moment. He kept going. Traveled the distance. Saw the exit with rocks piled high.
His heart fell. If Olivia was inside, could she possibly be alive? Kaci would soon be back with FINDER. Then he’d know.
He heard a muffled noise from behind. Kaci? He whirled to check.
A gunshot sounded from the trees. A bullet rasped across his forehead. He lifted his rifle. Another slug slammed into his chest. Hitting his vest. Knocked the breath from his body, and he dropped his rifle as he doubled over in pain. He scrambled to grab it.
A third bullet hit him from the side. Sliced into the unprotected area by his armpit. Razor-sharp pain cut through him and brought him to his knees. Blackness colored his vision. He fought it off. Tried to move. Couldn’t.
He collapsed to the soggy soil. Rain pelted his face. He tried to get up. Failed. He was powerless to save his own life, much less save Olivia’s.
A man walked past him. Zelner.
Rick reached for his handgun, but Zelner bolted over the hill ahead before Rick could lift the gun into firing position. Was the creep heading for the other tunnel entrance? Going for Olivia?
Rick swiped at blood streaming down his forehead. He rolled to retrieve his rifle. Stars danced in front of his eyes. He blinked hard and waited for the wooziness to pass, then he belly-crawled.
Stay low. Dig deep. Just like you learned in the marines.
Blades of fire knifed through his chest and blood oozed out. Blackness threatened. Beckoned, offering relief from the pain. He was weak, but he only needed one shot. Perfectly aimed. He had to keep moving.
He gritted his teeth. Swiped the blood from his eyes again. Moved forward. Every few inches he had to rest. Breathe. Pray he didn’t black out.
At the crest of the hill he saw the tunnel opening. Saw Zelner step inside. Olivia’s face came to mind. Her soft smile trained on him, beckoning and encouraging him to keep going. He had to do this. For her.
He gripped the rifle to his chest and rolled down the hill. Every time his shoulder hit, he nearly retched. He reached the bottom, breathless and weak. He dug for strength and practiced deep breathing to gain control and move into position.
Slowly, painstakingly, he unfolded the rifle bipod. Planted his left forearm on the ground, the pain excruciating. He dialed in his scope. Searched the tunnel for Olivia. Didn’t see her. Good. She wasn’t in the line of fire. He dialed in on Zelner. Rick didn’t relish propping the rifle stock near the gaping bullet wound, but he had no choice. The recoil would intensify his pain. Take him out. Meant he had only one shot before blacking out.
He exhaled. Dropped his finger to the trigger. Planted the rifle butt on his shoulder. Blood left his head. Darkness swirled like a fog.
He dug deeper. Aimed. Fired.
The recoil took his breath, and the blackness came.
* * *
Zelner dropped to the ground. Olivia screamed, then clamped her hand over her mouth. Had Ike’s buyer trailed him back here to kill him and steal the weapon? If so, she was a sitting duck, and he would kill her, too.
She clawed at the rocks that were trapping her foot. Frantic. Panicked. They didn’t move. Of course not. They were too big, and she’d already tried and failed to move them.
Was she going to die here? Near enough to the entrance to see the daylight? To reach out and almost touch the fresh air, yet unable to move into it?
She heard a noise outside. Footsteps coming down the hill. A low voice. Female? Maybe. She couldn’t be sure, but who said the buyer couldn’t be a woman?
The footsteps closed in on the entrance.
Olivia looked for a way to hide. She couldn’t.
A shadow moved over the opening. The person was holding a rifle. Olivia held her breath. Waited.
Father, if I’m to die, please watch over Rick. Over my family.
A rifle swung around the corner. The person darted back.
“Olivia, is that you?”
Kaci? Dear God, is it Kaci?
“Kaci,” Olivia called out.
“Are you in danger? Zelner?”
“He’s dead. Someone shot him.”
“Rick,” Kaci replied, and swung into the space.
“Rick? Where is he?”
“He’s been shot.”
“No! Is he—”
“He’s alive. Barely. I packed the worst wound. Medevac helicopter is on the way.” She set down her rifle and grabbed a board.
“Zelner had a partner,” Olivia warned. “Virgil.”
“No worries. He’s cuffed to his truck.” A quick grin flashed on Kaci’s face as she shoved the board under the largest rock. “When I lift this top boulder, pull your leg free.”
She pressed down on the end. Her face contorted with the strain. The rock rose. A sharp ache cut through Olivia’s ankle, but she bit down and pulled it free. She stood and pain nearly took her down, but she had to see Rick.
Kaci came to support her, and they hobbled outside together.
Rick lay on his back. His face deathly pale. A blood-soaked bandage at his chest. Olivia picked up speed. Dropped to the ground beside him.
“Rick,” she said as she cupped his face, tears falling like the rain around them. “Wake up, Rick. Please.”
His eyes opened.
“You’re safe,” he whispered.
She smiled at him. “I love you. Don’t you dare leave me.”
His eyelids closed. She took his hand. Prayed. Begged.
Brynn and Cal sidestepped down the hill, their faces filled with worry, but Olivia wouldn’t budge from Rick’s side. When the medics arrived, the others dragged her away from him.
Medics worked on Rick. Put him on a backboard and declared his loss of blood the greatest danger to his life. They headed up the hill.
She started after them. Her gimpy ankle took her down, and she struggled to get back up. Brynn and Kaci came to her rescue and helped her up the steep incline to where the whirring sound of a helicopter’s rotors made talking difficult. Medics loaded Rick into the helicopter. She tried to go after him.
Brynn held her back. Tears poured down Olivia’s face, and she could barely see the helicopter spiral up into the sky.
“I have to be with him,” she said between her sobs.
“Don’t worry,” Brynn said. “We have a chopper on standby to pick us up.”
Olivia faced the woman who’d been so reserved thus far. “I don’t care what you say. I’m going with you.”
“Of course you are.” Brynn smiled. “Look. I know I was the last one on board with believing in your innocence, but it’s my job to watch out for my teammates. I didn’t w
ant Rick getting involved with a woman we hadn’t cleared.”
“And I’m cleared now?”
Brynn nodded. “Zelner might have died before we could question him, but Virgil filled us in on the operation. He even laughed when I mentioned that you might be involved.”
The sound of the next chopper approaching took Olivia’s attention, and everything was a blur until she was in the hospital waiting for Rick to get out of surgery.
“You look pale,” Kaci said as she dropped into a nearby chair. “You shouldn’t have refused to let a doctor check you out. You clearly have a head injury, not to mention your ankle. You can’t ignore them.”
“I’m fine for now.”
“At a minimum you’re in shock.” Max came to stand over her. “Maybe not the medical definition of it, but in shock nonetheless.”
“Like I said, I’m fine, and I won’t be sitting in some exam room when Rick wakes up.”
“That could take hours.” Kaci rested her hand on Olivia’s.
“Then I’ll sit here for hours. Days, if that’s what it takes.”
Kaci’s phone dinged, and she took her hand back to tap the screen. “Got a text from one of the agents watching the coffee shop. They caught the guy who deployed the ransomware on the senator’s machine.”
“Any relation to our case?” Max asked.
She shook her head and turned her attention back to her phone.
The team settled in to wait with Olivia, offering to get coffee and snacks, but she couldn’t eat until she knew Rick was okay. Three hours passed before he was out of surgery and recovery, and Olivia hobbled to his bed, each step nearly taking her down. A bandage covered his forehead, and she saw the outline of a much larger one under his hospital gown. His color had returned, and the doctor said he would make a full recovery. She studied his face, so peaceful in sleep. The peace she wanted for him, but not this way.
The door opened, and she spun, nearly toppling as she watched Max pushing Shane in a wheelchair. Max stopped near the bed. Olivia wanted to tell them to go away. She didn’t want to share Rick with anyone. She had to let him know how she felt, and she wouldn’t do that with an audience.
Kill Shot Page 32
