Ashfall

by Denise A. Agnew

  She nodded, relieved for that much. “Good.”

  “You’ve got the handheld radio right here. Keep it with you. The cell phones may or may not work. We’ll be in touch as soon as we can.”

  Anxiety churned in her stomach, and as he walked away, she sucked in a shaky breath. “Don’t get dead.”

  Adam turned back when he reached the door. He almost looked like he would say something, but instead he smiled. When she heard the back door close, the sound held finality. She sagged into a chair. Two tears escaped, one from each eye, and she wiped them away. She made her way to the office and sat with the handheld radio as well as the computer and other equipment. Adam and the General had briefed her on everything she needed to know—yes, there were things she was clueless about, but at least she could handle the basics for now. Despite her desire to accompany them on the quest to find Ian and Penny, she understood the real reason why she wanted to go with them.

  Yep. She couldn’t deny it. She was falling for Adam.

  Hard.

  The thought of him in peril curdled her insides. Okay, so she hadn’t known him long. In a normal relationship situation, in a world unburdened by chaos and partial anarchy, her hook-up with this man would be considered too fast and foolish. She even thought it was on some level. In this tip-tilted world, though, nothing had ever felt so right.

  Resignation replaced disappointment. She understood why they’d left to rescue Ian and Penny. The thought of vital, strong Ian dead wouldn’t compute. Whatever barriers the General had in his relationship with his daughter, she could imagine the trepidation churning inside the man. He’d thought Ian could rescue Penny, but Ian wasn’t immortal. She rubbed her hands together, prickling with nerves.

  “Suck it up,” she whispered. “You’re acting like a ninny.”

  She decided to base herself in the control room/office and snagged a bottle of water from the small refrigerator located in one corner of the room. She’d taken a few sips when she thought she heard something odd at the back door. A thump maybe. She listened. There it was again. She set the bottle on the desk and headed out of the office. Maybe Mark had arrived already and didn’t have his key card.

  She had a line of sight with the door as she walked down the hall, and there wasn’t anyone standing there. A glance at the monitor above the door didn’t show anyone. Okay, she was hearing things, getting creeped out. But she didn’t have her Glock with her. Damn it. She’d become too complacent living among men bristling with testosterone. She headed for the stairs, taking them at a trot. After she located her weapon in the bed stand, she made sure it was loaded. She grabbed her shoulder holster, placed the Glock inside it, and instantly felt safer.

  She headed down the steps, and had just passed the doorway to the control room on the way to the back door when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye.

  Something heavy slammed into the back of her head, and a flash of pain punctured her senses. Everything went dark.

  * * * *

  Low, throbbing pain in the back of Mally’s head and in her neck brought half awareness. She lay perfectly still and took in impressions. A crazy newscast over a radio. Newscast? No, this was some man talking the end of the world and how men needed to take wives and hide in the countryside. Only those who’d learned the way of old-time righteousness and oneness with God would survive. She realized it was a man talking to himself in the front seat. It brought flashbacks of her father, of Manny. Of a life she thought she’d left behind.

  The rumble and vibration of an engine, a cushioned seat beneath her back. Was she in a SUV? She choked back a moan and tried to reach for her head. She couldn’t move. Fear spiked along with total confusion. Where the hell…? She opened her eyes. Her wrists and ankles were duct taped. Thankfully her wrists weren’t pinned behind her back. She glanced around and saw buildings through the windows. Recognizing the tall structures near the center of town, she realized whoever kidnapped her had taken one of Sentry Security’s SUVs. She drew in steady breaths and tried to steady her panicky heartbeats. She could barely see a man’s head above the driver’s seat and recognized the blond, spiky hair.

  Magnus. Shit. What the hell do I do now?

  No matter what she did, she couldn’t let him know she had regained her senses. She wriggled her hands, but the tape job held. Thinking fast, she took in what she could see. Out of the corner of her left eye she thought she saw an item on the floor. Moving as slowly as she could, she rolled to her left. Her Glock lay on the floor. Seriously? This guy left my weapon where I might reach it? Amazed and yet gratified, she tried to figure out how she could reach the gun without rolling off the seat. Whatever happened needed to occur fast. She battled with fear, ruminated on failure. If she’d only convinced Adam to take her with him, she wouldn’t be in this mess, and anger at herself and him mixed into a vicious soup. At the same time, she knew how ridiculous it was to blame any of this on Adam. He couldn’t have known this would happen. She’d had no clue. How had Magnus gotten into the compound through the back door unless he’d stolen a key card?

  She couldn’t reach the Glock without falling off the seat. She worked through possibilities. None of her ideas would pan out if she couldn’t escape the duct tape. Time rolled on as she inched her wrists apart this way and that. She almost held her breath in fear Magnus would be alerted. With micro movements she worked her ankles and wedged them apart a small space. Progress.

  Magnus’s voice more fervent as he ranted about biblical passages and how men of God’s favor would take women and repopulate the earth. Oh, crap. Was this what Magnus had planned for her? Kidnapping and rape? She sucked in a breath as new apprehension tore through her. All right. All right. Calm down. I can handle this. Rape would be bad. Very bad. But if he planned on populating the earth, and maybe she let him do what he wanted—she almost choked as bile stung her throat. Maybe she could get out of this alive if he thought she was compliant.

  Other thoughts raced through her mind. She’d find her way out of this if she kept her head. Once more she took deep, steady breaths. Panicking wouldn’t help, but it was damned hard to keep her equilibrium. If the General had fired Magnus for manhandling women, she could speculate that Magnus had dire plans for her. She steered her thoughts back to the task of freedom.

  Minutes later she realized she couldn’t see buildings from her vantage point. They’d left the city and headed to who knows where. Damn. Damn. Must work faster. She concentrated on her task. Her skin burned with irritation. Magnus laughed and startled Mally into stillness until it occurred to her that he laughed. She wasn’t listening anymore as she concentrated on escape. They turned down a side road and as tall, thin trees whipped by, the surface under the car became rougher. With one last pull she yanked her right hand free from the tape. Seconds later the car came to an abrupt halt, and Mally knew she had to act fast. She leaned forward and grabbed the gun off the floor. She came up, both hands guiding the Glock.

  He must have seen her in the mirror, pointing her weapon at his head. She didn’t have time to speak as he growled and lunged at her over the back of the seat. Instinct tightened her grip as he came at her.

  She fired.

  He let out a yell, his anger and probably pain echoing in the small space as his blood splattered.

  With her feet still taped together she couldn’t escape. “Don’t move!”

  Magnus gripped his left shoulder, his teeth bared as he grimaced in pain. He growled at her like a beast. “Fucking bitch! You shot me!”

  Her heart thundered in her ears, her body vibrating so hard from adrenaline she thought she’d shake apart at the seams. She kept her focus on Magnus, waiting for him to make another move.

  She smiled at him, but it was anger and stark fear motivating the grin. “Guess you should have thought of that possibility before you kidnapped me. Drive us back to town. Back to the nearest police station.”

  Between his panting breaths and groans of pain, he glared. “Bullshit. I’m
not taking you anywhere.”

  “I guess you’d rather die?”

  He looked down at his wound, the blood seeping around his fingers. “I think you hit something important.”

  “If I’d wanted to kill you I would have shot you in the head.”

  She’d aimed in that split second for something that would hopefully disable but not kill. She took a steadying breath while he stared at her. She could see him working things out, and she didn’t let down her guard. Magnus had military training, and underestimating him could prove the death of her.

  She continued to move her feet, trying to loosen the duct tape around her ankles. “Look, you and I know you’re going to bleed out if we don’t get help. Turn around and drive us back to town. And do it fast.”

  He hesitated, his mouth forming another grimace. Without a word he drove. He controlled the vehicle with his right hand, maneuvering it to turn around. He started toward town.

  “You stupid bitch. You’ve ruined everything,” he growled his hate.

  Despite her desire to get back to town, curiosity also demanded answers. “Why did you kidnap me?”

  “Revenge on two fronts.”

  “What? Why? Because you lost your job for hurting a woman?”

  “Stupid bitches like you deserve to be hurt.”

  “You’re wasting your time on me? I don’t get it.” She wanted him talking. Anything to keep his mind away from bad ideas like killing her.

  “Look, the General prides himself on doing a good job. He’s always so damned perfect. So straight-laced.”

  “So? He’s a general. You were in the military right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then you would understand straight-laced.”

  He grunted. “That’s crap. He took that woman’s side against me.”

  She didn’t know all the details, but if she wanted to keep him talking she needed to ask. “What did you do to the woman?”

  He didn’t answer. Finally he said, “That asshole MacDaniel isn’t such an angel himself.”

  “Oh? What did he do?”

  “He’s a righteous prick.”

  “Okay.” What did she know? Though he didn’t seem to be from the short acquaintance she’d had with him, she couldn’t say she knew enough about him. “He’s the one that caught you messing with the woman, right?”

  “I wasn’t messing with her. She came on to me. It was all a misunderstanding.”

  “So you weren’t trying to manhandle her?”

  “She said she wanted it rough.”

  There was no way in hell she believed a word he said. “Then why didn’t the woman say you weren’t trying to hurt her?”

  “She’s one of those cock teases that gets off on playing one man against the other. Just like all of you are.”

  Fear that had never left escalated. How the hell am I going to get out of this mess? She doubted she had time to ferret out all of this man’s psychosis and try to talk him out of whatever he planned. Her mind ran in circles trying to decide what to do.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway. Like I said, you’ve fucking killed me,” Magnus said.

  He punched the accelerator and the SUV surged forward at a roar. It picked up excessive speed quickly—the vehicle was already going too fast.

  “Slow down,” she said. “You’re going to wreck us.”

  “Screw you, bitch.” His voice rasped in his throat, as if either pain or difficulty breathing was making speech hard.

  “I don’t think so.”

  She couldn’t see the speedometer but the jerk had to be going close to ninety on the winding, somewhat narrow dirt road. What the hell did he think he was doing?

  She used her left hand to work at the duct tape while keeping her weapon poised at his head. If the bastard made a move—

  The SUV lurched and headed for the side of the road.

  She kept a tight grip on her weapon out of sheer desperation. “What the hell are you doing!”

  As momentum kept them charging forward, she didn’t have time to think. They went airborne and she saw the trees coming at them seconds before impact. All she heard was the smashing, crunching force as they hit a stand of trees, and she was launched over the seat.

  Chapter 13

  “What?” Adam’s voice turned rusty as he spoke to Mark over the radio in the SUV. The General drove toward Bangor, but the way was slow. With the National Guard in place rioting had stopped and people could move about more freely. Traffic going both ways was a bitch. “What the hell did you just say?”

  “She’s not here. Mally isn’t here and one of the SUVs is gone,” Mark said.

  Adam glanced at the General and saw the concern on the older man’s face. Adam frowned as he spoke into the radio again. “That doesn’t make sense. She’s supposed to stay put.”

  “Yeah, well, women don’t always do what you tell them to.” Mark’s voice sounded light-hearted.

  “Especially not Mally,” Adam said.

  “Something isn’t right, though. Why would she leave and take the SUV without trying to contact you? To go back to her place?” Mark asked.

  Adam shook his head and saw the grim line of the General’s mouth get thinner. Traffic ahead came to a dead stop. Son-of-a-bitch. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  “Me, too,” Mark said. “I’ll check video and see if I can tell what happened. What are you going to do?”

  Adam’s frustration boiled inside. “Traffic is at a standstill. Standby.” Adam turned to the General. “You heard what Mark said. Do we keep going or turn around?”

  The General started at him, his eyes showing pure frustration. “I know what you want to do.”

  Adam couldn’t deny it. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a bad feeling. Something’s happened. Mally wouldn’t take off on her own without contacting us.”

  The General grunted. “You don’t know that.”

  “All right, I don’t know it. That’s why I’m asking you.” It almost killed him to not know if Mally was all right, but he’d made a commitment to help the General.

  “I want to find my daughter. But from the look of traffic we aren’t getting there any time soon.” Without another word, the General edged his way into the grassy center median and did a totally illegal turn.

  Luckily for them cars coming in the other direction back toward Buckleport had slowed to a trickle and they wedged into the flow with ease. Adam relayed to Mark that they would return to Buckleport and begin searching for Mally and the missing SUV.

  Adam didn’t know how to express the desperate feeling that took root inside him. “Thank you, sir.”

  The General grunted. “Yeah, yeah. I remember what young love is like.”

  Adam felt heat filling his face, but didn’t know what to say to the man’s observation.

  “Besides, I have the same instinct as you do,” the General said. “Something isn’t right.”

  Knowing the General agreed with him didn’t help. Adam wanted Mally in his arms again.

  * * * *

  Mally awakened again, but she didn’t think she’d been out long. The SUV made a strange tick, tick, tick noise. Perhaps the engine on its last legs. Pain radiated up her back and into her head. She was damned sick of getting the crap kicked out of her. Plus, she’d been knocked out twice. She hoped all the raps on the head didn’t dissolve brain cells she might need later. Despite a dull aching across her body, awareness crashed into her full force. She was wedged between the front seat and the dashboard. Where’s my Glock? Panic surged up her throat. She heard labored breathing. Magnus was right next to her in the driver’s seat. She struggled to turn around and pulled herself onto the passenger seat. Magnus lay back, arms akimbo and head turned away from her. Blood continued to soak the bullet wound. He looked unconscious.

  The SUV’s front, rather than crushing inward, had walked itself up the side of a big tree. The back end sagged into the ditch. She saw her Glock by her feet, and scrambled for it. As she brought it
up, Magnus turned his head toward her, and his eyes barely opened. He groaned. She reached behind her for the door panel and tried the latch. It didn’t budge. She tried again and again to open the passenger door. Nothing.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” she hissed her displeasure.

  Magnus opened his mouth and a little blood came out.

  “Don’t move.” Her voice was a dry croak. “You’re hurt bad. I’ve got to get us help.”

  He smiled. Coughed and wiped at the blood on his mouth. He glanced down at the red on his fingers. “Shit, lady.”

  “You were driving like a maniac.”

  He snorted a laugh. “Never thought pussy would be the one thing to get me killed. What a fucking way to go.”

  She reached for the radio, hoping it would work. She tried once. Twice to call for help and got nothing but static. She cursed inside. She didn’t have her cell.

  “Have you got a cell phone?” she asked.

  “Yeah. You’ll have to come and get it. Right front pocket.” The smirk on his lips dared her.

  She hesitated. Although pale, he didn’t look down and out yet. If she reached over there, he could easily grab her. As it was she couldn’t leave the vehicle, couldn’t move into the back seat without brushing by him and risking that he’d lay hands on her. She kept the gun pointed at him. She took inventory of her own aches and pains. She didn’t feel that much more worse for the wear than she had earlier. To her amazement, the duct tape around her ankles had split during the crash.

  Pain lashed through her right side, and she gasped. Maybe she’d lacerated something or broken a rib. She didn’t know. She kept her attention pinned on the wounded man. He tried his door and it also wouldn’t open.

  “You could crawl over the back seat and try the back doors,” he said.

  “No. Try opening your door again.”

  He grunted as the door resisted. He tried repeatedly but couldn’t get it open. He fell back against his seat, sweat on his brow. She couldn’t see his left shoulder well, but she imagined the bleeding continued.

  Keeping her weapon leveled on Magnus, she said, “You crawl over the back seat and try the doors.”