‘Close the door,’ he said, moving towards her.
She slipped into the room and pushed the door shut. ‘What’s going on?’
Ross held the flashlight up to her. ‘I think we’re in trouble.’
‘What do you mean?’
He didn’t answer and instead pointed to the rim.
Nina moved closer, then saw the red stain at its edge and lowered her gaze to the blanket on the floor. ‘Is that… is that blood?’
‘I think so,’ he murmured. ‘I think Phil was killed.’
‘Murdered?’
‘Shh,’ Ross hissed. His hand shot out and covered Nina’s mouth. ‘Keep your voice down!’
She nodded, and he lowered his hand.
‘Why would someone kill Phil?’ demanded Nina. ‘What the hell is going on around here?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘Unless it’s to do with that body he said he found up by the creek.’
Nina’s gaze fell to the unconscious man lying prone on the bed. He hadn’t moved the whole time they’d been talking. But what if he was pretending?
‘Do – do you think he did it?’ she whispered.
‘I don’t think so,’ said Ross. ‘He seems pretty much out of it.’ He walked round to the other side of the bed.
‘So it must be Sean?’ Nina said. Then paused. What if Ross was the killer?
Their eyes met, and he began to shake his head.
‘It wasn’t me, Nina.’
She began to back away from him. ‘Stay there, Ross.’
‘Nina, please – listen to me,’ he said, kicking the bag by the bed out of his way. He started to move towards her. ‘You’ve got to believe me. I had nothing to do with this.’
‘Stay away from me!’
Nina stepped back, until her fingers touched the door handle, then cried out as the door moved under her body weight, pushing her forwards.
It opened, and Sean peered into the room.
‘Is everything okay? We heard voices.’
‘It’s fine, really,’ said Ross, his voice calm. ‘We were just talking.’
Nina’s gaze moved from Ross, then back to Sean.
Something in Ross’s expression frightened her, and she wondered when he’d learned to lie so easily.
‘Th-that’s right,’ she stammered. ‘We were wondering how long this storm is going to last for.’ She forced a smile. ‘It’s been a while since either of us can remember one as bad as this.’
‘Okay.’ Sean’s eyes flickered back to Ross, then to the torch in his hand.
Nina saw his jaw tighten and acted on instinct.
She shoved herself against him, and, caught off balance, he staggered back through the open door, his face contorted with anger.
She slammed the door shut and then panicked as the handle twisted and the door began to move against her weight. ‘Ross!’
‘Here!’
He joined her at the door, slipping the chair underneath the handle. Breathing hard, he narrowed his eyes at her.
‘You okay? What happened there?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know – something about the way he looked at you. He saw the flashlight in your hand.’
Sean began to hammer on the door, his fists thundering on the thin wood.
‘This isn’t going to hold for long,’ whispered Nina, running her hands over the surface. ‘What are we going to do?’
‘I think we found our murderer,’ said Ross.
‘I think you’re right – but why kill Phil? Because he found the other body?’
Ross nodded. ‘And he was asking a lot of questions. Maybe they got spooked.’
‘You think Dani is involved too?’
‘She must be – there’s no other explanation, is there?’
‘Would you two mind keeping the noise down? I’m trying to think.’
Nina spun round.
The stranger was sitting upright, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
‘Excuse me?’
He lowered his hand. ‘I said, keep the noise down.’ He paused when Nina glared at him. ‘Please.’
He grimaced and clasped a hand to his injured shoulder.
‘What the hell is going on?’ Nina strode over to the bed. ‘Did you kill Phil?’
‘No.’
‘Then why on earth didn’t you help him?’
‘I couldn’t,’ said the man. He sighed. ‘If I had, I would’ve blown any chance I’ve got to get you and Ross away from here.’
Nina opened her mouth to speak, but then realised Sean had stopped banging on the door. ‘I think he’s gone.’
‘He’ll be back.’ The man looked away from her. ‘How are you holding up, Ross?’
‘Like shit.’ Ross checked the chair would hold the door handle before joining them. ‘You know John?’
‘He’s my partner. We got split up. I got stabbed.’
‘How did we do patching you up?’
‘I hurt like hell. Had worse, though.’ He eased himself up until he was sitting. ‘Did John give you anything to look after, for emergencies?’
‘There’s a bag under the bed – far side.’
Nina watched as the man stretched across the width of the bed until he could reach the sports bag.
‘We’ve got to move, people. Get ready to muster out,’ he said. ‘Where did you put your rifle, Ross?’
‘On the counter.’
‘Not good.’
He pulled out a t-shirt and a cotton shirt from the sports bag and eased them over his shoulder.
Nina spun round to face Ross. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I’ll explain later,’ he said, refusing to meet her gaze. ‘I promise.’
The stranger said nothing and instead returned his attention to the sports bag. His hands reappeared, a large gun in one and a magazine of ammunition in the other. ‘Are the phones working?’
‘There are no mobile phone signals, and the landline’s gone down.’
The stranger swung his legs over the bed, checked the safety on his gun, and leaned forward.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
‘Saving you.’ He stood, swaying on his feet, and she reached out to steady him. ‘Thanks.’
‘You’re welcome.’
He grinned, appearing to ignore the note of sarcasm in her voice. ‘Now you’re catching on.’ He moved to the window and peered out into the night. ‘Is there a back door out of here?’
Nina nodded. ‘Yes. Why?’
‘’Cause we’re not going out the front door. I’ll run out of ammunition if we try to shoot our way out of here.’ He turned and snatched up the flashlight from where Ross had dropped it onto the bed, and tucked it down his shirt. ‘You know the layout of the place, Ross?’
‘Yes.’ Ross held his hand up, jangling the keys. ‘And the back door is locked.’
‘Good.’ The stranger glared at Nina to stop her from interrupting. ‘Did you hear that?’
She shook her head mutely, glancing at Ross.
‘Voices. They’re coming back.’ The stranger hurried towards the door and put his ear to the surface, then spun round. ‘We’re not going to make it in time. What’s below that window?’
‘Trash cans.’
‘Perfect.’ He moved to the window and peered out into the darkness, then gripped the frame and pulled. It didn’t move.
‘It’s been stuck for years,’ said Nina.
The stranger grunted, tried once more, and then gave up. ‘Ross, grab that chair. On my count, smash the window.’ He checked over his shoulder. ‘Nina, fold that blanket up and bring it over here. As soon as he breaks the window, drop it over the sill and get out. Okay?’
‘Okay.’ Nina crouched and hefted the blanket away from Phil’s body, averting her eyes from the dead man’s face. She folded the covering and joined the stranger and Ross by the window.
‘Do you have a jacket in that wardrobe?’ he asked.
‘Yes, why?’
‘Go put it on – quickly.
You’ll need it out there.’
Nina handed Ross the blanket, dashed across the room, and pulled her leather jacket off its hanger. Two of her father’s old work coats swung next to it. She grabbed them and threw one to Ross, the other to the stranger.
‘Let’s do this,’ he said. He held Nina back. ‘Turn your head away,’ he said. ‘Okay, Ross. Three. Two. One!’
The crash from the wooden chair hitting the window panes exploded round the room.
‘Now!’ The stranger used the butt of his gun to smash the remnants of glass from the frame.
Nina moved, throwing the blanket across the jagged shards in the sill.
‘Go,’ he urged.
She scrambled through the opening and landed between two steel trash cans, knocking them to the ground.
As a lightning bolt streaked through the sky, she scuttled out of the way and cowered next to the wall, her thoughts in turmoil as she tried to process what was happening to her.
A man lay dead on her bedroom floor, probably murdered. A stranger who had appeared at her doorstep covered in blood was now pushing her through her own bedroom window, urging her to hurry, and he was armed with the biggest handgun she’d ever seen.
She jumped as Ross tumbled through the window beside her, fell into a crouch, and flattened his body to the wall, before the stranger’s face appeared at the window.
‘Everyone okay?’
They both nodded.
‘Good. Help me here.’
She joined Ross at the window and helped the other man scramble to safety. Her eyes opened wide as an axe head smashed through her bedroom door behind him.
‘Move it people, or we’re going to have company real soon.’
Nina cowered as a blast emanated from the back of the truck stop.
With one final effort, the stranger landed on the ground next to them.
‘I think they just found out the back door’s locked,’ said Ross, his voice shaking.
‘And they’ve got your rifle,’ said the stranger.
‘What do we do?’ Nina searched Ross’s face for answers, but he looked as scared as she felt.
Instead the stranger stood, handed Nina a dustbin lid, and pointed across the concrete hardstand.
‘Head for the biggest vehicle to give us some cover. No sense in getting trapped in one of the outbuildings if we can’t call for help.’
Nina grabbed the lid from him. ‘And this?’
‘A bit of protection in case they start firing at us before we get there.’ He shrugged. ‘It might work.’ He turned to Ross. ‘Don’t stop running, understand?’
‘Yeah.’
Nina’s heart lurched as Ross’s eyes opened wide and he began to yell; at the same time a splintering crash emanated from her bedroom.
‘Run! Come on!’
The man behind her didn’t hesitate.
He shoved her hard, sending her stumbling towards Ross, who grabbed her hand and pulled her after him.
She heard Sean curse, then a loud explosion as he fired the rifle.
‘Go! Go!’ yelled the stranger.
Nina shrieked and then concentrated on keeping pace with Ross, their feet squelching into the soft layer of mud that now covered the walkway between the truck stop and the vehicles.
Nina stumbled across the forecourt between the two men, her feet sending up a spray of water as she tried to keep up with them, her arm aching from being pulled along by Ross.
The stranger matched Ross’s pace, but Nina noticed how he held his hand against his shoulder, and she imagined the droplets running down his face were sweat as well as the rain that beat down on them.
A flash of lightning crossed the sky, illuminating the forecourt and the vehicles parked under the canopy. Nina cried out in terror, momentarily certain they’d be struck by a lightning bolt, seconds before thunder echoed around the valley.
Ross pulled her down behind his pick-up truck, their breathing audible over the deluge of water around them.
Nina tried to catch his attention, to seek reassurance, but the stranger slid to a stop beside them, squatted down, and aimed his weapon back towards the truck stop. Although Nina and Ross gasped for breath, she noticed the stranger appeared enlivened by the shocking turn of events, despite his injury.
‘Everyone okay?’ he asked.
Nina recoiled as a lightning bolt struck the ground less than a mile away. The sound wave reached her a split second later, the resounding crack of electricity ripping through the air.
‘Y-yes,’ Nina managed. ‘I’m okay.’
‘Good.’ The stranger shifted his weight, and jutted his chin towards the back of the pick-up truck. ‘Get yourself down that end, Ross. We’ll try to put some more space between us and them.’
Nina watched as Ross ran in a crouch along the length of the vehicle. When he got there, he checked over his shoulder at her.
She opened her mouth to call to him, to let him know that she’d join him, when gunfire roared from the direction of the truck stop.
She ducked instinctively, and turned to the stranger.
He used a hand to signal to her to keep her head down, then peered over her, back towards the buildings, and fired four shots in quick succession.
A roll of thunder echoed the last bullet, the rumbling echoing in Nina’s chest.
A moment’s silence preceded a loud curse, and then Sean’s voice cut across the forecourt.
‘You’ve got ten seconds to show yourselves, or I’ll kill you all!’ he yelled.
‘What do we do?’ cried Nina.
‘I don’t know,’ Ross shouted, and looked to the man next to Nina for help.
The stranger chuckled under his breath.
‘Jesus,’ he drawled as he readied his weapon. He slid a fresh magazine into his gun.
‘Looks like it’s going to be up to me to get you out of the shit, doesn’t it?’
15
Nina’s jaw dropped at the excitement in his eyes. It scared her, and she looked to the man behind her for reassurance. ‘Ross? What’s going on?’
In reply, he shuffled back towards her and pushed her to the wet concrete next to the truck’s door. ‘Keep down.’
The two men crouched beside her, and Ross turned to the stranger. ‘Now what do we do?’
‘The phones definitely weren’t working?’
‘No.’
‘Shit.’ The stranger punched the side panel of the truck. ‘Okay. We couldn’t have foreseen this. Plan B then. We’ll drive as far as the creek. Hopefully there’s still some equipment left in John’s car we can use.’
Nina’s attention moved from one man to the other as they spoke, her mind racing. Ross and the stranger were talking as if they knew each other, as if they’d been expecting something like this to happen tonight. She glared at the stranger.
‘Who are you?’
‘Nina, this is Special Agent Kyle Roberts,’ said Ross. ‘He’s with the FBI. I was helping his partner, John.’
‘FBI?’ She began to stand. ‘What the hell is going on here?’
In reply, the FBI agent placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her down. ‘We’ll explain later. Right now, we have to get out of here.’
He pushed her out of the way, and she watched as Ross reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the keys to the truck, his hands shaking. He caught her staring at him, and his lips pursed.
‘Not quite the welcome home you were expecting, right?’
Nina remained silent, shocked at how little she knew about the man standing in front of her.
What was he doing with the FBI?
And what the hell was the FBI doing in Mistake Creek?
Next to her, Kyle’s head flicked towards the truck stop, a second before she felt his weight against her.
She looked to see what had caught his attention and shrieked. Sean stood in the doorway, the rifle in his hands.
‘Get down!’
The report from the weapon echoed into the night.
&
nbsp; Nina swore as the two men landed on top of her, protecting her from the onslaught.
A strong hand wrapped around Nina’s arm and she was half-pulled, half-pushed by the two men until they’d reached the opposite side of the truck, out of firing line from the truck stop.
Kyle grunted as they hit the ground and then yelled in her ear.
‘Okay, move!’
He fired his gun over his shoulder as they ran side by side towards the next vehicle.
A split second later, another shot blasted at them, and they ducked for cover behind the next truck.
Nina’s ears rang from the noise, but she heard a muffled cry from Ross and looked up to see him leaning against the back of the truck, clutching his leg.
‘No!’
Nina shoved against Kyle’s weight, fighting to untangle herself from his limbs to reach Ross.
A mask of pain contorted his features, and she noticed his face had gone a sickly pale colour.
Kyle hauled her down, holding her against his body until she stopped thrashing, then pulled her with him, and they crawled the few paces to where Ross lay.
‘How bad is it?’ asked the FBI agent. ‘Is it deep?’
‘I can’t look,’ said Ross.
‘Here, let me.’
Nina watched in horror as Kyle prised Ross’s fingers away from the wound and exposed a bloodied mess of skin and denim. A large dark stain of blood bloomed over his jeans, splinters of white bone protruding from the wound. She whimpered, her gaze meeting his.
‘What about my truck?’ Ross hissed.
Kyle moved carefully to the passenger door and slowly raised his head. He ducked back down and crawled to where Nina and Ross waited. ‘That first blast tore a hole in the front tyre,’ he said.
‘Shit.’
‘What about the other one?’ asked Nina. ‘Can’t we take that instead?’
‘No,’ said Kyle. ‘It’s too exposed. We’d have to cross right in front of the building to get to it. We’d be dead within seconds.’
Ross groaned, tried to shift his leg, and cried out in pain.
‘This is bad,’ Kyle murmured. ‘We can’t move you like this.’ He cursed, clutching his shoulder. ‘How the hell did our cover get blown?’
Nina leaned towards the FBI agent. ‘You’re bleeding again.’
He grimaced and lifted his hand off his shoulder, as if noticing the fresh blood for the first time.
Two FBI thrillers: Before Nightfall and Mistake Creek Page 29
