Deadly Echoes

by Philip Donlay

  “What did they say?” Michael asked.

  “Jason!” Donovan called out. “I just spoke with Buck. He says backup is on the way, but that we’re supposed to get out of here!”

  “Roger, sir. That means we need to move. Now! How bad are your injuries? Can you walk?”

  “I’m fine.” Donovan winced as he stood and hobbled toward the door.

  Jason motioned him to wait. “Stay here until I reach the door and check the parking lot. Buck tells me you might be armed.”

  On the floor next to one of the VIP seats, was Donovan’s briefcase, as well as Erica’s shoulder bag. Donovan crouched and retrieved the pistol. “I am now.”

  “If we’re threatened, we shoot until the threat no longer exists.”

  “You have a gun?” Michael looked at Donovan as if seeing him for the first time. “Since when do you carry a gun? We’re Eco-Watch, we save stuff, we don’t shoot people.”

  “We do both now.” Donovan watched as Jason opened the door and surveyed the parking lot. Judging it safe, he motioned for the two of them to leave the safety of the Gulfstream. Donovan let Michael go first. He grabbed Erica’s bag and his briefcase and followed. Michael quickly shut and locked the da Vinci’s door. Then the two of them hurried toward Jason.

  “I’ll get in the SUV and pull around to create a barricade,” Jason said. “Once I’m in position, you both get in on this side. I want the two of you in the seats behind me. Strap in, and stay low, because we’re leaving here like we’re on fire.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  “Where’s Dr. McKenna?” Donovan asked as another SUV swung in behind them.

  “She’s in transit to the same location.” Jason half turned as he spoke. “They’re five minutes ahead of us. The SUV behind us is our backup. They’ll escort us all the way to the safe house.”

  “I feel like I just sat down in the middle of a movie and I have no clue what’s going on,” Michael said. “Tell me exactly why you were in Seattle. How did you get there? How did you get hurt and who in the hell is Erica and why was she kidnapped?”

  “It’s complicated,” Donovan said to buy himself some time to think. He knew Michael wasn’t going to rest until he had answers, and the moment they were at the safe house, Buck and Lauren would be asking the exact same questions. He needed a story that would stand up to everyone’s scrutiny.

  “I’m up for complicated,” Michael said. “I’m a pretty bright guy—try me.”

  “Erica reached out to us through headquarters while we were in Orange County. Turns out she has information about who is behind everything that’s been happening. Lauren ran some things past her contacts in the CIA, Erica seemed legitimate, and the evidence we needed was in Seattle.”

  “Not very complicated so far. How did you get to Seattle?”

  “A brand-new G650, compliments of Gulfstream. The da Vinci was still down for maintenance.”

  “What’s the evidence she had? Who are these people?”

  “They’re some sort of splinter group from an old organization called the One Earth Society.” Donovan continued the lie. “Erica knew of another former member who lived in Seattle, someone who was farther up the food chain than she was. Erica contacted him, and he was willing to speak with us, but by the time we got to him he was gone, vanished.”

  “How did you get hurt?”

  “We were in a sketchy part of Seattle. There was a thug with a bad temper.”

  “Why was Erica kidnapped and not you?”

  “Trust me, I’ve been thinking about that for the last two hours. The only reason I can come up with is to continue to make me take the blame for the atrocities they’re committing.”

  “Are they going to kill her or ransom her?” Michael asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you care about her?”

  “Yes.”

  “What does Lauren think about Erica being in the picture?”

  “Why, what did Lauren say?”

  “Nothing directly, but she’s upset. I can only assume that means she thinks you and Erica are involved. Are you?”

  “I honestly don’t know how to answer that question.”

  Michael studied his friend for a moment. “You just did.”

  Donovan was about to try to explain when his phone rang. The number was blocked. He paused a moment, collected himself against who he suspected was calling, then answered.

  “Nash.”

  “Hello, Robert. I see you’ve been rescued. I hope my friend wasn’t too hard on you. She can play a little rough at times. Interesting turn of events today, wouldn’t you say.”

  “What do you want?”

  “As usual, you’re no doubt surrounded by friends you have to lie to everyday. Don’t worry, that burden will be lifted soon enough. I do have to say, Robert, Erica was quite the surprise, and how long have you known her? When exactly did you discover it was me pulling your strings?”

  Donovan could tell that Garrick was outside. He could hear the faint ebb and flow of the wind in the background. “What do you want?”

  “Erica’s beautiful, isn’t she? It’s tragic really, now you’ve lost another woman you care about, a loved one under your safekeeping has been kidnapped. No bodyguards to intervene, just your arrogance and stupidity. Meredith and Costa Rica all over again, only this time there will be no ransom, no negotiations, just the fact that after I learn everything she knows—I’m going to kill her.”

  Donovan remained as passive as he could despite the avalanche of rage he felt for the man on the other end of the line. In a hushed voice he replied. “If you do, I’ll hunt you down with every last molecule of my being. You’d better think long and hard about that reality.”

  “You don’t scare me, Robert. You never did. Once I destroy Eco-Watch, as well as your family name, I’ll reduce you to a man who has to hide from his own shadow. You’ll be living in your own private hell, just as I did. You won’t have any fight left in you, I promise.”

  The sound of the wind abruptly ended, and Donovan knew that Garrick was gone.

  “Him?” Michael asked.

  “Yeah, they have Erica.”

  “Any ransom demands?”

  “No, nothing but taunts and threats. He’s a vicious bastard.”

  “We’ll deal with him.”

  “Thanks, Michael,” Donovan said.

  “We’re here,” Jason announced.

  Donovan looked outside as the SUV turned down a long, tree-bordered driveway that emptied into a paved area that led to a three-car garage. Two SUVs were already sitting outside, evidence that the other half of the entourage had arrived. The house was a large two-story cedar structure with a giant wraparound porch, and based on the brick chimneys, there were at least two fireplaces. Donovan couldn’t see any other homes, but he did spot two armed men stationed outside.

  “Let’s move it, men,” Buck called to them from the front door. “I’ve got a medic standing by to dress those wounds.”

  Michael and Donovan followed Jason out of the vehicle down the sidewalk.

  “Who owns this place?” Michael asked.

  “A friend,” Jason replied as they walked into the cavernous living room.

  “This way,” Buck said, and led the way.

  Donovan followed and the hallway opened up into a warm, very homey kitchen. There was a vaulted ceiling, lots of wood and granite, very rustic. Across the room, Lauren sat on one of the bar stools that separated the eating area from the kitchen. One of Buck’s men was waiting, with an impressive first-aid kit open on the table.

  “Can we give Mr. Nash some privacy?” He said to those in the room.

  “She can stay. She’s my wife,” Donovan said, though it appeared Lauren didn’t intend to get up. Jason, Michael, and Buck filtered out until it was just the three of them.

  “I’m a doctor. We don’t use last names when we’re on the job. Just call me Pete. Can you please remove your shirt and describe to me what happened.”
r />   Donovan placed his briefcase as well as Erica’s bag on one of the kitchen stools, took off his shirt, and then very gingerly peeled his undershirt over his head. The pain in his lower back was making it difficult to move, so he was forced to stop and try to free his arms one at a time. He felt a pair of helping hands and when the fabric finally pulled free, he realized Lauren had provided the assist. The expression on her face told him the bruise on his back wasn’t pretty.

  “How did this happen?” Pete asked as he took a closer look.

  “The attack was from behind. I was hit in the kidney first and then it was followed up by a kick in the back. That was when I hit my head on the side of a car. I also took a shot to the ribs.”

  “Does this hurt?” Pete asked as he touched the bruised area. The speed at which Donovan twisted away gave him his answer. “What happened here? These stitches are new.”

  “Oh, that’s nothing. I’ve been a little accident-prone lately,” Donovan said as he dismissed the wound to his upper arm.

  “Judging from all the other scars, you’ve always been a little accident-prone.”

  “Since I was a kid.” Donovan shrugged it off.

  “Have you urinated since all of this happened?”

  “No,” Donovan replied. “Is there a bigger problem than just a bruise and some tenderness?”

  “Hard to say.” Pete stood and examined the minor bump on Donovan’s forehead, checked his pupils, peripheral vision, then used a magnifying instrument to check both retinas. Pete took Donovan by the forearms and examined the abrasions on his wrists.

  “Snap-ties,” Donovan said. “They’re stronger than they look.”

  “There’s a reason people use them. Can you move all of your fingers? Rotate your wrists. Good. Now I need you to hold still while I examine your ribs. This might hurt.”

  Donovan did as he was asked. As Lauren watched, Donovan couldn’t help but notice her arms crossed defensively in front of her, an expression of disapproval on her face.

  Pete asked Donovan to sit down and he proceeded to clean, disinfect, and dress the abrasions and cuts. When he was finished, he handed Donovan two unmarked bottles of pills. “Buck already informed me you don’t have any drug allergies, so here are some antibiotics. One tablet four times a day. Take them until they’re gone. The other pills are Vicodin, take them every four hours as needed for pain, watch the liquor consumption, the two don’t mix. If you discover more than a trace of blood in your urine, I need to be informed immediately.”

  “Thank you, Pete,” Lauren said.

  As Pete gathered his things, Donovan threw on his shirt and had it buttoned halfway when Buck strode into the room followed by Michael.

  “I know you’re tired, but I need to debrief you.” Buck motioned for Donovan to sit. “This won’t take long. First, how many of them were there?”

  “I’ll stand,” Donovan said, not wanting this meeting to last very long. “Only Nikolett Kovarik. She ambushed me in the parking lot.”

  “You never saw her coming?”

  “Not until it was too late to do anything. We were trying to fool the press, not a trained operative. She forced me at gunpoint back into the hangar where she subdued Erica and bound our hands behind our backs.”

  “Did you try and get her to talk?” Buck continued. “Did she say anything at all?”

  “She said she’d been tracking the Eco-Watch jet online since it left Seattle and she was waiting for us when we landed. When she saw you meet Lauren and no one else got off the plane, she remembered seeing you shuffle cars around. That’s where she waited.”

  “Damn it!” Buck shook his head as if accepting the blame. “I can promise you she didn’t follow Lauren. The only reason she’s in Anchorage is because the others are here as well. Why did she take Erica?”

  “I think she believed she was making it personal.” Donovan replied. “They killed John and Beverly Stratton. They tried to kill Lauren. For all we know they’ll try to kill everyone I care about.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” Buck folded his hands together, his words solemn, more fact than wish. “You told me on the phone you suspected the pipeline was a target. Why?”

  “One of the environmental debates right now is drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. If something happened to the pipeline, the political and environmental fallout would ensure no drilling would ever take place inside ANWR. Erica recalled talk of sabotaging the pipeline. If these people manage to blame Eco-Watch in the process, it would be a fatal blow to the organization.”

  “This is why we need to alert everyone in Alaska who can help us stop these people,” Michael said, scanning the others’ faces, trying to gather support.

  “It would create utter chaos,” Buck said. “Every armed citizen who cares about this state would be out in force to guard the pipeline. We’d scare them off, and they’d vanish. We’d lose them for sure.”

  “Until their next eco-crime and then the cycle starts again,” Lauren added. “They can’t be very alarmed at this point. We haven’t come close to touching these people. It’s the three of us against them. Erica is probably telling them the same thing.”

  “Logistically, if the pipeline is in fact the target, the mountains are where they have the best chance of getting in and getting back out. With all the latest equipment in the da Vinci, we can watch them without them knowing and have the Eco-Watch helicopter ready to move the moment we spot something suspicious.”

  “I see what you’re thinking and from a tactical point of view it’s not bad,” Buck said. “I maintain that we play our hunch, but if we discover a threat, we alert the authorities.”

  “Agreed,” Donovan said though he had no intention of being a spectator, or stepping aside. “We need people and machines in place at first light.”

  “That makes it a short night,” Buck replied.

  “I’ll see everyone in the morning,” Lauren said, then turned to Donovan. “Can we find somewhere private to talk?”

  “There are two bedrooms and a bathroom in the basement,” Buck told them, “Your luggage is already downstairs.”

  Lauren found the door to the basement. Donovan grabbed his briefcase and Erica’s bag and followed. Once downstairs, they switched on the lights, moved past a pool table and down a hallway where they found a door that led to one of the guest bedrooms. Lauren closed the door behind them and leaned up against it as if trying to hold the world at bay.

  Donovan sat on the bed and waited. He wanted Lauren to start this conversation. She obviously had something to say, and whatever it was, would set the tone.

  “I heard everything you said upstairs. Buck bought it, I’m not so sure about Michael.”

  “Michael and I spoke in the car coming here, he’s good.” Donovan said.

  “What else happened?”

  “Nikolett told Erica who I am,” Donovan said in a hushed voice.

  “She’s probably not going to be able to do much with that information before Garrick kills her.”

  “Unless she uses the one bargaining chip she has left. I’ve not seen them, but Erica claims to have taken copies of all the files from the clinic before she left. She holds information on nearly two dozen people who have had their appearance changed. Most of them are probably Mossad operatives.”

  “Do you have any idea where the files are?”

  “No.”

  “What else did she say?” Lauren began to pace, eager for more information.

  “Nikolett did jump to one wrong conclusion. It occurred to her that because you were in Paris, you and I must be separated. Therefore, Erica must be my new romantic interest.”

  “You already alluded to that. That’s not much of a leap,” Lauren said without malice.

  “Erica ran with it.”

  Lauren stopped pacing and turned to face Donovan. “Are you telling me Erica led Nikolett to believe that her death would hurt you more than mine?”

  “I think she knew she was going to di
e anyway.” Donovan nodded.

  “Is it how she really feels about you?”

  Donovan had no ready answer. “Garrick called.”

  “When?”

  “On my way here. Just his usual rhetoric, but he did confirm that he had Erica. He made some comparisons to Meredith in Costa Rica. Laughed that someone I cared about was going to die.”

  Lauren stopped pacing and sat down next to her husband. “I’m sorry about Erica. I know how much you like to protect the people you care about. That’s one of the things I love most about you. How are you doing with all of this?”

  “I can’t process anything right now except stopping Garrick and Nikolett.” Donovan took Lauren’s hand and squeezed affectionately. “I’m glad you’re here though.”

  “I’m glad I’m here too.” Lauren glanced to where Donovan’s soft-sided briefcase lay on its side, the contents exposed. “When did you start carrying a gun?”

  “Since I came home from the hospital,” Donovan replied. “Let’s not talk about all of that tonight, okay? We have to get up early, tomorrow promises to be a long day.”

  “I understand about the gun,” Lauren said. “The safe, normal life we once led seems like a distant memory. In Paris, my people were dying, and Nikolett just kept coming. She was relentless. I grabbed a pistol and fired at her, I just kept pulling the trigger. I was so angry and frightened, I wanted her dead.”

  “It’s okay,” Donovan wrapped his arms around Lauren and pulled her close. He had no words for his wife. He’d killed a man in California, and if everything went as he hoped, he’d soon add Garrick and Nikolett to that list. He felt no remorse or uncertainty, they deserved to die.

  “What have we become?” Lauren whispered.

  Donovan found her lips with his and what started as a tentative embrace quickly became a powerful force. Breathing heavily, Lauren wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back on the bed. Donovan moved on top of her and saw that she was half lying on his briefcase. He swept it off the bed while Lauren arched her back and pulled Erica’s bag out from under her. She had it by the straps and was about to fling it away when she stopped.