Surviving the Storm

by Heather Woodhaven

  She put one hand on the door handle and looked straight into Valentina’s eyes. “Do you have a weapon? Because otherwise you’re going to have to focus on running...no more slow walking.” She studied Valentina’s face. A ripple of emotions had caused her to breathe heavy. “Maybe we should try the garage,” Aria muttered.

  “So the evidence didn’t wash away with the tsunami?”

  “No,” Aria said, waving her hand. “But we can discuss all that later. Let’s go.”

  “I can’t let you do that.”

  Aria looked down and found Valentina pointing a gun straight at her heart.

  NINETEEN

  They were at a standoff, and David wasn’t sure what the next move would be. If it hadn’t been for Aria making him promise not to shoot the man in the back, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but the gunman who had been punched in the nose, had his suit set on fire and been fumed to pass out, was a little mad. Just a little. And a whole lot determined.

  “There’s no way I’m putting down my weapon,” the man said, his voice shaking with rage. “And I’m not killing you straight away either. This won’t be easy for you.”

  Nothing about this week was going right for David—why should he have assumed his plan would? He wasn’t scared by the man’s threats, though. He’d seen guys mad—he had three brothers after all—and he could tell when a guy was talking smack or not. This man was exaggerating about killing him slowly. Not that he wasn’t going to kill him, though. No, that was certain. Unless David shot him first. Which meant there was only one thing to do...stall him until he had a plan.

  David kept the nail gun level at his chest just as the gunman kept his 22-caliber pointed at David’s head. David’s back was pressed against the far eastern pillar holding up the porch so that he could see if anyone was coming from his backside. David let his eyes dart around his surroundings, praying for a solution. And please help Aria rescue George’s wife, Lord.

  He wasn’t one of those guys who worked better under pressure. David needed to relax, pretend this was a bully and let his mind run with it. David sighed. “Well, if you’re going to have fun with it, seems like we should at least have introductions. I’m David McGuire, and you are?”

  The gunman frowned a half second, taken aback by the question. It was the pause that David needed. On the rapid contact setting, he pressed the trigger. The nail gun did not disappoint. It hit the man’s gun barrel with enough force to wrench it out of his hands and back. Unfortunately, on the rapid setting the nails kept firing even as he let up on the trigger. The nails attacked up and over the man’s head and then, as David was trying to stop it, in a straight line down and into the porch. Another gunman—the guy Aria referred to as Robert—rounded the corner, gun out. Robert hollered and a shot rang out, painfully close to David’s right ear. The pain was excruciating, and the stinging in his head wouldn’t stop.

  On instinct, David turned and sprinted into the darkness, past the large tree separating the house from the condo construction. He couldn’t trust himself to aim and shoot with any accuracy due to the pain. He kneeled down behind the trunk, dropped the nail gun and pressed against his right ear with all the pressure he could give. If only he could ease the throbbing. His hand was wet. He tentatively felt with his finger and his head started to spin at the realization a notch out of the top of his ear was missing. Below it the ear was already starting to swell. He prayed the cartilage hadn’t shattered.

  He could still hear with his left ear, although it was hard to focus when his other eardrum seemed to be throbbing with the rush of blood to the area.

  “Go after him!” the gunman yelled at Robert. “Where’s my gun?”

  “I think it went by the window. He’s in the trees. I’m not going after him without a flashlight. I think I got a shot on him, so he should be easier to track.”

  “She says she has evidence,” a female voice interjected.

  David dared to peek around the trunk. They had Aria. The plan, getting shot, it was all for nothing. He gritted his teeth. Pain or not, he needed to get to a better vantage point if he had any hope of rescuing her.

  He squinted at the building behind him. While without drywall, the framing seemed to be finished and there was a giant opening just above the leaves of the tree he was hiding behind. If he could get up there, he might get a better shot at the men...and the woman with the gun. He shook his head. If that woman was George’s wife—the betrayal he felt for his departed friend produced another surge of adrenaline. He clenched his jaw, jumped to his feet, and while keeping his back low in case they could see him through the hanging foliage, darted to the back of the condo building.

  He walked through the open door and the smell of wood soothed him. He was at home on a construction site, and it gave his level of courage a boost. Taking the steps in front of him by two he reached the third level in seconds. If he went to the front of the building he would be just over the treetop enough that he should be able to get a decent shot, as long as he was fast and they hadn’t moved yet.

  They wouldn’t stand out in the open for long, although the Robert guy did seem to be under the impression David was the type of man to run. That may have been true in his younger years, but that was one thing that had changed. Now, he was the type of guy who would stand his ground and fight for what mattered.

  If he bent a knee at the edge of the framing he’d be right above the treetop with a clear shot and... David shook his head. Mere hours ago he had promised Aria that he always followed safety protocol. But this was different. He was trying to save Aria and there was no time to waste. He argued with himself for half a second until he spotted something shining off the reflection of the full moon. A personal fall arrest system hung from the middle of the building, between what would be two different apartments. It was a top-of-the-line system, which meant it would be very easy to use. He sighed and made fast work of slipping on the attached harness.

  The system hung from a steel rod installed straight into the ground and would, theoretically, be able to hold five thousand pounds. A man of his size, if he fell from six feet up, would create a force close to two thousand pounds, which was why so many severe injuries happened with falls of that nature. He guessed he was standing over twenty feet above the ground. If set up correctly, and he fell, the system wouldn’t let him drop more than six feet.

  The harness snug on his body, he bent down low and snuck to the edge of the frame. The pulley system resembled a retractable leash as it let out enough line for him to continue to walk. David took a deep breath, wobbling a bit. His sense of balance was a little off as his ear continued to throb in rhythm to his heart rate.

  “She’s right. I have evidence.” He heard Aria’s voice drift up. She spoke to the men sternly, her volume rising. “And I’m not the only one who knows where I’ve hidden it.”

  “You referring to the guy I just shot? Cause I guarantee he’s not going far before I finish him off.”

  David dropped to one knee. He could barely see over the branches. He had intended to lie on his stomach for more support, but it seemed that wasn’t an option.

  “No, he’s not the only one,” she challenged. “Besides, he doesn’t know anything. He’s just a new hire that happened to get in the way.”

  David smiled. She was trying to protect him, stall and keep them talking. He shifted the nail gun drive to single-shot mode, afraid an errant rapid fire round might end up striking Aria. He balanced his elbow on his left knee and tried to take aim. The question was, where would he shoot first?

  “Is that so?” Robert replied. “Then why was he helping you?”

  “Because he has good manners,” she snapped.

  Robert took a step forward and straightened into a threatening posture. David tried to steady his shot, but he was too close to Aria for comfort.

  “I can vouch for that,”
the strange woman answered. “He was a new hire. George had said he wouldn’t arrive until late today.”

  “Bad timing on his part because it doesn’t matter,” Robert growled. “He’s still a liability.”

  “Who else knows where the evidence is hidden?” the woman interjected.

  Aria raised her chin. “I sent a text to a policeman friend.”

  “That’s easy enough to check.” Robert pulled the bag away from Aria and took a step closer to the porch light as he shuffled inside for her phone.

  It was the chance he needed. David aimed for the gun in Robert’s hand. He shot...and missed. The nail hit Robert’s forearm. He released a guttural scream. The other man jumped back on the porch, having apparently found his gun.

  The thug ignored Robert’s scream and pointed his gun in David’s direction. David was sure they couldn’t see him, but it apparently didn’t matter to the gunman. The guy gritted his teeth, raised his arm diagonally and started shooting blindly—on a death mission.

  David spun around to change location. A bullet pierced his right shoulder. He screamed as his flesh ripped apart. The pain sent him reeling sideways. His foot twisted and he found himself falling backward. His arms flailed, trying to regain equilibrium. The nail gun slipped from his fingers. But it was too late, he was falling, and with a sickening crunch his backside hit something hard. Whatever he had hit was breaking away underneath his weight. It gave way, and he was airborne again.

  TWENTY

  Aria tried to lunge for the gunman’s arm, but Valentina shoved the gun barrel deeper into her lower back, at the same time as she dug her fingernails into Aria’s upper arm. Aria arched her back in pain but stopped trying to move. A crash grabbed her attention. In the dim light she saw the shadow of a man fall from above the tree. The nail gun hit the ground followed by a six-foot figure. “No,” she cried. “David!”

  Her lungs stopped working. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest went into spasms. Her eyes stung. Not again, not again. She lurched forward to go to him but Valentina’s steel grip held her back. “It will do no good.”

  “Kirill, help me!” Robert barked. He gripped his hand, moaning, a nail sticking from his forearm. Kirill rushed to Robert’s side and helped him up. He ushered his boss inside but looked over his shoulder before the door closed. “Get the girl inside. Then use a flashlight and see if he’s really dead.”

  The last word sent a shiver down Aria’s spine. Tears that fell without reservation grew to sobs. Aria couldn’t hold herself up any longer, and Valentina didn’t try to stop her as she sunk to her knees, her head in her hands.

  “So that was a lie,” Valentina said. “You knew him.”

  The pain was crushing Aria’s rib cage. She wanted to die. At least her dad knew she had loved him with all her heart. At least George knew of her loyalty and devotion. But David...she’d told herself she couldn’t be with him to avoid what seemed like the inevitable, and instead...her worst fears had come true anyway. And right in front of her eyes. She wished she could have taken back the two years without him. Tears spilled onto her sweater. “I loved him,” she croaked. Aria looked up through hazy vision at Valentina. “Like I thought you loved George,” she sneered.

  Valentina’s features hardened. “Don’t. You have no idea how much I loved that man. But he...he loved that place too much. He could’ve taken the money they were going to give us and we would’ve been happy, but he chose. He chose that place over me.”

  Aria shook his head. “But they’re not out to kill you. You’re part of this. You arranged the whole thing,” Aria said, putting the pieces together. “I knew George would’ve never agreed to sign a contract like that without someone he trusted encouraging him to do it. He did it for you,” she accused. “If you loved him, you would’ve known he was a man of integrity. He’d never have turned a blind eye to this.”

  The mask of pain she’d seen Valentina bear earlier returned. “Get inside. We aren’t done with you.”

  “Why should I do anything you want? You killed him.”

  “I didn’t kill him,” she screeched. Valentina’s arm shook as she raised the gun to Aria.

  Aria shook her head. “You played your part. And they’ll kill me too, as soon as I give them what they want.” Aria stood on shaking legs, anger fueling her muscles. “They’re going to kill you too, Valentina. Make amends,” she challenged. “If you loved him at all, like you say, bring justice to George’s death.” Her voice broke and the tears blurred her vision again. The only thing that kept her fighting at that moment was the thought of her mother at home, sick with worry. She needed to live, for her.

  “They won’t kill me,” Valentina replied, her voice thick. “And if you help, I promise they won’t kill you.” Her eyes darted to the side and Aria knew she was lying.

  “You can’t promise such a thing, can you?”

  “Hush,” Valentina ordered. She pulled out a phone and turned on the flashlight setting. “Save yourself more pain and look away.”

  Aria couldn’t tear her eyes away, though. The beam of light swept past the tree trunk to the nail gun on the ground, and to a figure covered by branches and...and David’s shirt. Valentina shut off the light. “I’m sorry,” she said. “There’s nothing you can do for him now.”

  “I saw Kirill kill George too,” Aria said. Her only weapon was her words. “Shot your husband point-blank.”

  Valentina’s gaze snapped back to Aria’s, her eyes widening.

  “He loved you, you know,” Aria said, knowing it was true but would also serve as a more painful blow than any fist could. “He told me himself.”

  Tears welled up in Valentina’s eyes. “Get inside,” she hissed. She leaned down and swiped up Aria’s bag. Robert had dropped it the moment the nail hit his forearm. Valentina straightened and shoved Aria through the open front door with the pistol in her back. Aria cried out at the same time Valentina slammed the door behind them.

  * * *

  David had never been so thankful for adrenaline. He had heard stories about people being able to do amazing things while it pumped through their veins, but now he understood. It was the only thing keeping him moving, the only thing keeping him from passing out from the pain in his shoulder and his ear. He had to save Aria before it was too late.

  He peeked around the wide trunk only to watch Aria and Valentina reenter the house.

  The moment he had stepped on that top floor, eager to save her, he had regretted his promise to Aria. But if he hadn’t stayed true to his word and put on the safety gear, he’d be a dead man by now. And if it hadn’t been for this blessed tree, he’d have been shot to death. He’d give God the praise for that one.

  When he had fallen, it had broken a thick branch...about six feet in length. He had reached out and found another branch and hung on as the log crashed to the ground.

  Aria’s haunting cry still gave him chills. He had no doubt that she had assumed the shadowed figure on the ground was him, not a broken part of the tree. He had wanted to call out, to assure her he was okay—well, maybe not okay, but alive at least—but with his weapon on the ground, that would’ve been foolish. David had been hanging in the air, amid the remaining tree branches, when he heard the Kirill guy order Valentina to use a flashlight to check that he was dead. Aria proceeded to start an argument with her.

  It was an odd sensation, kind of like witnessing his own funeral, except Aria was showing no sign of restraint. Although she didn’t realize he was still alive, her passionate zeal was helping the situation. It gave him time to prepare. Keep her talking, sweetheart.

  Using his left hand, he had tried to reach back and undo the D-ring holding the harness to the cord. Yet it only served to fling him around all the more. He’d dangled a good six feet over the ground. So he’d gripped the closest branch with his feet and tried again. This time the clip escap
ed him and he had collapsed on a branch that was, thankfully, thick enough to hold him.

  As fast as his left hand allowed him, he’d removed the harness, then removed the long-sleeved Henley. Using one arm had been tricky but he’d managed. He had dropped down the rest of the way to the ground, draped the Henley over the top half of the fallen branch and covered the remainder of the log with loose branches. If Valentina had looked too closely he’d still have been found out, but he’d hoped the fog would force her to come closer. She’d need to investigate to be sure. If she approached the branch, it’d give him the advantage of surprise and hopefully he could gain control of her gun.

  He had tensed behind the trunk, waiting to spring, but the lady had seemed squeamish. She’d merely waved the light over the area for the briefest of glances. He’d straightened. All that worry for nothing.

  Now, Aria was inside. He needed to find out what they were planning to do with her and attempt a rescue without a gun. They wouldn’t have likely taken her inside just to kill her. Or would they?

  He picked up the nail gun. The plastic casing had busted. Great. If he survived, he’d need to pay a hefty chunk to replace that expensive piece of hardware too. More importantly, he was left without any weapon to help Aria escape. He shook his head and prayed for wisdom as he snuck to the back of the house.

  * * *

  Aria tried to clear her vision by wiping the tears away with the backs of her hands. Robert was in the kitchen, chugging liquid from a clear glass bottle. She had an inkling it wasn’t water or soda.