Return Fire (Sam Archer )

by Tom Barber

  Pushing Send, Marquez returned the phone to the vest and glanced at Chalky. ‘How’s the chest?’

  ‘Sore. Think I’ve had enough punishment for one day.’

  He smiled.

  ‘I take any more of a beating, people will start thinking I’m Archer. Just not as ugly.’

  She laughed, looking out of the window again, the city rolling past.

  ‘I’ve never been here before,’ she said.

  ‘England?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Shit, you’ve been missing out.’

  ‘Clearly,’ she replied.

  He glanced over at her and smiled. ‘It’s good to finally meet you. Next time I’m in New York you should come out with us. I was over there for New Year with Arch and Josh.’

  She smiled. ‘Oh, I heard all about it. I think it’s taken seven months for Josh’s liver to recover.’

  Chalky grinned, then paused. ‘How’s Archer doing over there?’

  She thought for a moment. ‘I’ve been a cop for over a decade. I started out in the Bronx and worked up through two different divisions to the Counter-Terrorism Bureau. But he’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with.’

  She glanced over at him.

  ‘He surprised a hell of a lot of people too. We all found out about the strings that had been pulled to get him working in the Bureau. Then of course he walked in and as soon as people saw what he looked like a lot of them made up their minds on the spot, figuring he’d be a waste of space. My old partner was one of them. Turned out they were all wrong.’

  She smiled.

  ‘Sort of ironic, having a guy being judged on his looks for a change.’

  ‘Yeah, his face is a burden,’ Chalky said, smiling as they pulled up at a red light. ‘But your people weren’t the first to underestimate him.’

  He sat waiting at the light and turned to look at her.

  ‘But I meant how’s he doing?’ he asked. ‘Personally?’

  She paused. ‘I think he struggled at first. Wasn’t easy for him to come into the Department the way he did. Not with his accent and the favour Franklin gave him by fast-tracking him into the Bureau. He keeps a lot of things to himself, but you could tell it was hard. I think he missed you guys.’

  She paused.

  ‘But in the last few months, he’s looked more settled. I think he’s finally happy.’

  ‘Because of Vargas?’

  ‘I think she’s got a lot to do with it.’

  Chalky didn’t reply; Marquez glanced over.

  ‘You all miss him.’

  Chalky didn’t respond, his silence speaking volumes.

  ‘He’ll come back,’ she said. ‘One day.’

  ‘But not for a while. It sounds like he’s doing a pretty good job over there.’

  ‘Yeah, he is.’

  Chalky paused. ‘Today’s been a nightmare. Two of my colleagues are dead. The rest are all in hospital. But the strange thing is, a small part of me doesn’t want this to end.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because when it’s over, Arch goes back.’

  He smiled, shaking his head.

  ‘Jesus Christ, I sound like a bad rom-com. People hear me talk like this, they’ll start getting ideas.’

  ‘He’s your best friend. It’s OK to miss him.’

  She paused.

  ‘I made it into the interrogation room just before he left to find the defibrillator. When you weren’t breathing, he wouldn’t give up; he’s the one who brought you back. Everyone else thought you’d gone and had given up. So take it from me, he cares about you just as much as you all care about him.’

  Chalky looked over at her, but didn’t speak.

  The red light in front of them turned green.

  Staying silent, Chalky moved forward and then took a left down a side street.

  As Marquez started to say something, she glanced in her side mirror for the first time in a while and then stopped abruptly.

  Chalky glanced over at her quickly then checked his rear view mirror.

  There was a silver Audi with blacked out windows turning left, following close behind them.

  ‘Recognise it?’ Chalky asked.

  She nodded. ‘I think so. Same model that the gunman ran over his buddy with.’

  She peered closer.

  ‘But the plates are diff-’

  The end of her sentence was lost as suddenly a black car pulled across the end of the road in front of them, stopping with a screech of brakes. It appeared out of nowhere, completely blocking their path, and forced Chalky to slam on his brakes.

  The action threw him and Marquez forward, their seatbelts locking and preventing them from being catapulted through the windscreen; a moment later, they saw the doors on the car ahead open and four figures in khakis and shirts step out.

  One of them was Dash.

  Each man had an AR-15 assault rifle and all four weapons came up simultaneously, aimed at the ARU BMW.

  Back at base, Archer and Nikki had sprinted upstairs, Archer carrying Nikki’s laptop as they raced across the damaged 1st floor into what was left of the Operations area.

  They were now by the phone sitting on the floor, which was still ringing. Archer quickly opened the laptop as Nikki plugged a wire into the phone from her laptop and then started typing as fast as she could, the fingers on her free hand flickering across the keys as she pulled up the tracing program, peering in close to see what she was doing.

  ‘Hurry, Nik!’ he said.

  ‘We’re there!’ she said, hitting a last key, the tracing software on the screen, ready to be activated. ‘If it’s her, keep her on the line for one minute. That’s all I need.’

  They both looked at the phone, which continued to ring.

  Then Archer pushed Answer.

  He didn’t speak, waiting. In the silence, he glanced at her laptop and saw the trace had begun, the red numbers ticking down as the map of London appeared, a pulsing red circle over the grid.

  00:57.

  00:56.

  He continued to wait, listening.

  Then he eventually broke the silence.

  ‘It’s you, isn’t it?’

  ‘I recognise that voice. It’s the man himself,’ the female voice said. ‘The prodigal son has returned. Have you enjoyed your homecoming?’

  He glanced at Nikki, who checked the screen.

  00:53.

  00:52.

  ‘I’ve had better.’

  ‘I’m sure. But tell me Sam, how does it feel?’

  He paused.

  ‘How does what feel?’

  00:48.

  00:47.

  ‘Knowing that PC White, Detective Marquez and Miss Carter are all about to die?’

  Archer hesitated; he glanced at Nikki, whose eyes had widened in confusion.

  Before either of them could react, they heard a footstep crunch on some broken glass behind them.

  It was followed a half second later by the quiet click of a pistol’s hammer being drawn back.

  FORTY THREE

  ‘Holy shit!’ Marquez shouted as the four men opened fire with the AR-15s.

  She and Chalky both threw themselves sideways into the gear well as automatic gunfire riddled the car, the brutal echoes of the assault weapons filling the street and the muzzle flashes lighting up the night. As the bullets tore into the car, Marquez and Chalky were showered with debris and glass, the quiet of a few minutes ago completely shattered.

  ‘Hold on!’ Chalky shouted, stamping his foot down on the accelerator as Marquez stayed down, reaching for her MP5 which was stowed beside her right leg in the foot-well.

  The car suddenly leapt forward, the sudden move surprising the gunmen who were forced to stop firing and leap out of the way as the BMW ploughed forward and slammed into the blocking car, knocking it slightly off kilter. The impact activated the twin airbags, but they were shot out almost immediately and instantly deflated as their tops each caught a bullet.

  Staying low, Ch
alky grabbed hold of the gear lever, slammed it into reverse and pushed down on the accelerator again, holding the wheel level and steady. The car sped back as Marquez sat up, taking the safety off the MP5 and firing on the four men ahead, shooting through the smashed windshield and forcing them to take cover. Emptying the magazine, she risked a quick look behind and saw they were heading straight for the man who she and Archer had shot at earlier, the man who’d escaped in the car and then run over his partner, the ex-US Army soldier.

  Chalky kept reversing and smashed straight into the Audi, the lone gunman only just jumping out of the way in time but managing to unload with the shotgun, two shells blasting into the back of the car and a third taking out Marquez’ headrest as she ducked.

  Using the car like a Dodgem, trying to batter his way out, Chalky switched the transmission to Drive as Marquez reloaded then fired at the man behind them, the guy flinging himself to the ground behind his car.

  ‘Go!’ she shouted.

  The BMW shot forward as Marquez turned her attention back to the gunmen in front of them and opened fire through the shattered windscreen. As they sped forward towards the blocking car, Chalky suddenly twisted the wheel to the right, causing the BMW to smash into the rear end of the gunmen’s vehicle, hitting it hard like a battering ram.

  The force of the impact smashed a severe dent into the front of the BMW but also spun the blocking car to the side, giving the BMW just enough room to escape through the gap.

  Chalky kept his foot down as they shot forward; beside him, Marquez reloaded for the last time then changed hands and fired with her left through the rear windshield at the five ambushers, the barrage not hitting any of the gunmen but forcing them to stay down and giving her and Chalky a chance to escape.

  Taking a hard right turn, Chalky sat straight up and sped on as Marquez’ MP5 clicked dry.

  ‘Shit, I’m out!’ she said.

  ‘Take one of mine!’ he replied, checking his rear view mirror to make sure they weren’t being pursued then shifting his attention to the road ahead, squinting through the smashed-up windshield.

  Both of them were bleeding from small cuts from the flying glass; wiping blood off her temple, Marquez pulled the magazine from her MP5 and replaced it with one that she took from Chalky’s vest.

  ‘God dammit!’ she said. ‘I’ve had enough of this shit! Where the hell did those guys come from?’

  Before Chalky could answer, they heard the sound of rubber on tarmac, and the two cars suddenly skidded around the corner into view on the street behind them.

  ‘Burn it!’ Marquez shouted, slamming the stock of her MP5 forward and turning to fire as Chalky floored the accelerator.

  On the ARU HQ’s blown-out 1st floor, Archer and Nikki had slowly turned after hearing the pistol being cocked behind them.

  They were looking at Bernhardt.

  He was standing ten feet away, holding Josh’s Glock in his scarred hand, aiming it directly at them.

  Behind the gun, his dark eyes were expressionless, half-concealed by the milky scar tissue surrounding them, like two dark pebbles half-submerged in sand.

  ‘Surprise,’ he said.

  ‘Are you there, Camden?’ the female voice called over the loudspeaker.

  ‘I’m here.’

  ‘I’ll leave it with you. You know what to do. Kill her; I want him alive.’

  Then the call went dead.

  Looking over her shoulder slowly, Nikki glanced at her screen. The trace had frozen at 00:23.

  Just over twenty seconds from knowing this woman’s location.

  ‘Your friend and the NYPD bitch aren’t coming back,’ Bernhardt said. ‘Right now they’ll have more holes in them than a sieve.’

  He smirked, looking at Archer.

  ‘Such a shame. All that effort to bring him back from the dead only to lose him again.’

  ‘You’re one of them,’ Nikki said. ‘Part of Dash’s team.’

  Bernhardt grinned. It stretched the damaged skin on his face, tightening it.

  ‘Yes, I am.’

  ‘She called you Camden.’

  ‘My call-sign for this operation. We all have them.’

  He smiled, looking from one to the other.

  ‘I admit, I’m surprised you’ve lasted this long but you’ve been more than helpful. Not only did you bring me into your base, you gave me the chance to see your old sergeant’s address right when I helped you with your phone. Remember?’

  Nikki didn’t reply.

  ‘And it’s amazing what a simple text message can do.’

  ‘You told them where Marquez and Chalk were going?’ Nikki said. ‘But they tried to kill you too.’

  ‘No,’ he said, looking at Archer. ‘You were on the money about that. They were trying to wound your friend here to take him alive on the boss’ orders. Our employer was very specific about that. I didn’t have time to get to my weapon inside the house and I’ve seen men on the same side get killed before in the process of eliminating a target, so I decided to allow myself to be rescued and taken with you. I did try and slow you down though.’

  He smiled, lifting his foot and rolling his ankle easily, with no pain.

  ‘And this all worked out for the best, right? Adapt and improvise. You brought me right into the centre of your operation. Now Dash knows everything: how many of you are left, who’s carrying what weapons and what you know. Which isn’t a lot I might add.’

  He focused on Archer, seeing his hand inching towards the Glock in the holster on his thigh.

  ‘Take it out, finger and thumb, and toss it.’

  Archer didn’t move. Bernhardt suddenly fired, Nikki jolting and screaming at the sound, the bullet putting a hole in the blackened wall two inches from Archer’s head.

  ‘Last chance.’

  Without a choice, Archer complied, slowly taking the pistol out and tossing it to the floor a foot to his right.

  ‘You said you left that world behind after you got burned,’ Archer said. ‘But that’s bullshit, isn’t it.’

  ‘Oh, everything until then was true,’ he said, ‘But you’re right, I didn’t leave. I’ve been working with Dash ever since. You think after someone did something like that to us that we could just walk away?’

  ‘You said you came back five months ago.’

  ‘That was bullshit, same as that girlfriend I was texting in the car; I’ve been in constant contact with Dash and our employer ever since you brought me in. Three weeks ago was the first time I’ve been back to this shithole of a country in years, and that was only because of you.’

  ‘Why is this about me?’

  ‘You were getting close downstairs. But you’ll find out soon enough.’

  Bernhardt licked his cracked lips, his tongue flicking out and catching some white stuff that had gathered on the edges of his mouth.

  ‘How many of you are there?’ Nikki asked, desperately trying to buy them some time.

  ‘Enough.’

  ‘But not that great though are you?’ Archer said. ‘Two unsuspecting police teams and still you only manage to kill three guys. And one of those was your own man.’

  Bernhardt paused. His eyes narrowed.

  ‘You’re not making this easier on yourself.’

  ‘Who is she?’ Archer asked. ‘Who hired you?’

  ‘Jesus, you’re a disappointment,’ Bernhardt said. ‘I heard so much about you. You’re supposed to be this shit-hot hero cop, and you still haven’t figured it out?’

  ‘So why don’t you tell us?’ Nikki said.

  He turned the Glock on her. ‘No point. I’m going to kill you. And I’ll be doing you a favour; some friends of mine are going to be here any minute, the ones who just killed your friend and the Latina bitch. They haven’t had any female company for a while.’

  Keeping the pistol on Nikki, he flicked his dark eyes to Archer and smiled.

  ‘Well, not counting your girlfriend of course.’

  Archer didn’t reply. Bernhardt looked back
at Nikki.

  ‘Then once you’re dead and we’ve worked the hero detective here over a bit, we’re going to take him to see our employer.’

  He focused on Archer.

  ‘Then she’s going to kill you, but not after she’s had some fun. And while she does that, we’re going to pay the hospitals in town a visit and finish off the rest of your friends. And as you said downstairs, you get to die last. After all of your friends are gone. The woman you just spoke to on the phone has it all organised. And believe me, she’s an expert.’

  Standing together, side by side, Archer didn’t reply; neither did Nikki. They kept their focus on the former soldier.

  Making sure they didn’t look at Lipton, who’d just appeared from the stairwell behind Bernhardt.

  Bernhardt shook his head and whistled through his teeth, turning his gun on Nikki.

  ‘Time’s up. I wouldn’t want to be you right now, my friend,’ he said to Archer.

  ‘And I wouldn’t want to be you,’ Archer said, as Lipton raised his MP5.

  The ARU guard aimed the sub-machine gun straight at the back of Bernhardt’s head.

  But then part of the damaged floor under his foot gave way.

  Bernhardt heard it and whirled around, moving like lightning.

  Lipton had lost his balance, his foot caught in a hole, but fired at the same time as Bernhardt. He took a round in the arm as he hit Bernhardt in the leg, both men recoiling from the impact of the gunshots. As Lipton fell back, dropping his weapon, Bernhardt rode the shot to his leg and aimed at the guard’s head, but suddenly heard movement behind him and spun back.

  Archer and Nikki had split either side, going left and right. Aiming for the analyst as he needed to take Archer alive, Bernhardt fired again, Nikki screaming in pain as she took the round in the leg.

  Hitting the blackened, debris-ridden floor to his right as Nikki was shot, Archer scooped up the Glock and aimed from his side in one double-handed smooth motion, putting the sights on the gap between Bernhardt’s dark eyes as the man turned to look at him.

  He saw them widen for split-second as he looked at Archer, realising his mistake, the former Para’s gun still aimed at Nikki.

  Then Archer pulled the trigger.