“And you?” Raja whispered.
“I am going to try my best to talk my way out of this.”
Right, Buchanan. Good luck with that one.
Sluggish, he emerged from the car using the open door to conceal his Glock. Depending on what they had discovered in the house, Craig expected the Feds to approach with guns first and questions later.
Gravel crunched under the tires of the 4x4 as it rolled to a stop several yards away. The windows were tinted, a common enhancement in the south.
The back doors swung open. Not a good sign. They came in numbers.
Stout men in sunglasses emerged, but aside from that common denominator, they did not resemble federal agents. Tight black tee shirts hugged bulging bronze biceps. As they stepped out from behind the doors, the AK-47’s in their hands were definitely not government-issued. Craig no longer bothered to conceal his weapon. He now hefted it over the doorframe, training it on the sweat-stained chest of the closest man to advance.
When the passenger door opened, it came as no shock to see Diego rise from the vehicle like a black-feathered Phoenix. He carried no weapon. He didn’t need to. There was already a small arsenal trained on the Hyundai as the driver got out and added his weapon to the mix.
Craig sensed movement and caught a flash of shiny metal atop Zak’s thigh. A terse shake of his head warned him to refrain.
“Hola, agent Buchanan.” Diego stepped forward.
His arrogant advance was surely due to the visible outline of a Kevlar vest beneath his yellow Polo shirt. “It has come to my attention that you have put my brother in the hospital.” His eyebrows hefted. “Yes, that’s right. I’m sure you’ve already figured out his true identity.” He made a tsk-ing sound. “That displeases me—perhaps even more than the fact that you shot him. Don’t think that sparing his life is going to save yours.”
Craig’s stomach knotted. “Well there you go,” he muttered. “I’m tired, Diego. I’m tired of this dance. You want my life. You have me. So you might as well let this group go. They know nothing about you.”
“Really?” Diego dipped at the knees so he could peer through the windshield. Leaning slightly to the left, he inclined his head. “The blonde. You’re going to tell me that she knows nothing about me? Are you suffering from memory loss, Buchanan? It was only 24 hours ago that I caught you both creeping around my property.”
Craig prided himself on reading faces. It was clear to him that Diego barely extended a second glance in Aimee Patterson’s direction. There was no recognition in his eyes. She had spoken the truth.
“Here’s what you’re going to do,” Diego interrupted his thoughts. “Your friends are going to get out of the car, and then you all are going to take a walk.”
A muscle in Craig’s jaw twitched. Rooted with his legs locked, he stared down the black eyes of his nemesis. No matter what fantastic story the three Pattersons harbored—they were innocents. It was his job to protect the innocent. The fact that he had feelings for one of them spurred on his resolve even more.
“To quote you, Buchanan,” Diego started to unravel, “I’m tired as well. Get the people out of the car and let’s get this over with. My brother is waiting for me at the hospital.” He swiped at a swarm of gnats attracted to his hair gel. With his lip hooked into a snarl, his goatee resembled a question mark beneath his chin.
“What are you going to do, kill everyone?” Craig challenged.
Dammit, this couldn’t be happening. He had to buy time. But time for what? No one knew where they were because he had broken the law and fled a crime scene. Aimee, Zak, Raja—they would be shot by these soldiers, and he had all but pulled the trigger. “You’re classier than that...or so I was led to believe.”
Bait him.
“Don’t piss me off, Buchanan. I am class. I have always been class. I despise messes like this.”
“Right. Usually your henchmen deal with this—or your brother. Same thing.”
Diego curled his fist and took a step before catching himself. A low hiss poured across his lips as he cocked his head. Yanking his thumb in the air, he triggered his driver into motion. The statuesque figure approached the Hyundai, rounding the back to open the rear door and haul Raja out. Her strangled cry of protest was like a knife through Craig’s ribs. He raised his gun into the air in surrender.
“Alright,” he said, defeated, “I will tell the others to get out.”
Holding his finger aloft to ask for a second, he dipped into the open doorway.
Inside, Zak’s sharp gaze appeared ready for battle.
“This is bad. Real bad.” Craig warned. “Will that weapon of yours work on them?”
The nod was automatic.
“I don’t want you to use it unless absolutely necessary, do you understand?”
“Mr. Buchanan?” Diego called. “The instructions were simple. Do you need a reminder?”
Raja’s bleat of panic drew Craig’s head out of the door so fast that he clipped his skull hard on the frame. Across the roof he met her eyes. There was alarm there, but God help him, there was trust as well. Irrationally, he wanted to repel that faith. He didn’t deserve such devotion.
“Everyone out.” He shouted into the car.
Car doors clicked and Aimee rounded the back of the vehicle to reach for Raja.
“Aimee!” Zak yelled.
“Señor Buchanan, calm them down and escort them over to the bridge,” he paused, “and if you would be so kind as to toss your gun in the grass there.”
No bulky contours were discernable beneath Zak’s shirt. Craig had no idea where the weapon was concealed. It was too late to consider the ramifications of using it...or whether it was just a toy concocted from a ludicrous tale.
Tormented, Craig cast his Glock into the weeds. With his hands raised, he rounded the car and trailed after the group being herded towards the bridge.
Unwittingly, Raja led the ensemble, her arm crooked in the grasp of the swarthy assailant. A gun driven into her lower back encouraged her swift pace. With each touch of that muzzle, Craig doomed the man to hell for all eternity. Hastening to gain ground on the three hostages ahead, Craig felt the same stab of a muzzle in his spine.
“Slow down,” a hoarse voice commanded.
“I wouldn’t be so eager to join them,” Diego called from a few steps behind.
They reached the abandoned railroad bridge, climbing over wooden planks that formed an X across it to prevent the passage of any vehicle. Judging from the stability of the rusted carcass, no one would dare try, though. As he mounted the grass-mottled railroad tracks, Craig could discern the river a good 20 or 30 feet below churning with a forceful flow. He paid little heed to it, though. His focus was on Raja. Never did she concede unease to her captor. Instead, her shoulders were pinned back and her expression was stony. Even now he could see her calculating, scanning the structure and noting the angle of the sun.
Oh, my beautiful scientist. I wish you could concoct a way out of this.
Her gaze met his over the span of the few yards that separated them. She would not relent. She urged him not to relent either...not to give in to the intimidation. If anyone considered Raja reserved or acquiescent, they had misjudged her. This woman was shrewd. Quiet, but shrewd. And she humbled him.
Under the urging of the gun at his back, he climbed through the crisscrossed planks and stepped onto the spongy wooden platform. As death loomed, an image of his parents surfaced. They had worked so hard to give him a good life. A happy life. And now that life was about to end. He wished he could thank them. Granted, he had done his best to express gratitude by showering them with material items—but he wanted one more chance to say the words.
“Her first.”
Diego stepped past him, gesturing towards Raja. She was hauled to a railing as stable as a banister erected from toothpicks.
When Craig tried to launch he was caught from behind, an arm locking around his throat—cold metal against his temple, ensuring his compli
ance. His chest heaved with effort but the fleshy noose constricted.
To his right, Zak was similarly detained as Aimee cried out and fought to be at his side. It earned her an identical snare.
With everyone secured, Diego stepped into the middle of the circle—a ringleader with a malevolent grin.
“I don’t know who these people are,” he scoffed, “but they travel with you, and my brother was hurt in their house, so a lesson needs to be taught. No one interrupts my work.”
“You represent the law.” He jeered at Craig. “Do you know what little regard I hold for the law? Your law cannot stop me. I am stronger than a suit and badge. I own most of the suits and badges. My connections will soon render your pathetic attempts powerless.” He nodded at Raja and the behemoth guard dragged her sneakered feet closer to the edge.
“Stop!” Craig yelled. “She can’t swim. I’m the one you have a problem with. Leave her out of this. You want to push someone off the rail—I should be the one.”
“Dios mio! How friggin noble.”
“Enough!”
The outburst shocked everyone into silence. All heads swerved to the huffing auburn-haired female with her arms locked behind her back. Even the stocky weight-lifter who held her flexed the muscles of his bald head in consternation.
“You are insane,” Aimee shouted at Diego, not backing down from his malignant stare. “This—” Unable to use her hands, she twitched her chin, “—this is insane. “You are not going to throw my friend in the river. She will drown and you will be a murderer. Might I suggest a better resolve to this situation?”
Diego arched an eyebrow and grinned. “Oh, I’m all ears.”
Twitching her arms like a cricket, she tried to pry free. “A better option would be to let us all go. After all—what can we do? Identify you? I’m pretty sure your face will come up on an internet search, so what is next for you—kill everyone in the world who can identify you? Won’t that impact your clientele?”
Craig recognized Aimee’s ploy. She was distracting Diego as Zak discreetly began to finger his belt. Although his arms were similarly fastened, his hand could reach the back of his waistband. It was a move that would not go undetected for long.
“And stacking up bodies here. Won’t that just draw in every division of feds within a hundred-mile radius—all while you’re trying to sneak in to see your brother? You’d be better off with a diversion far away from here to draw law enforcement off.”
Diego chuckled. “Interesting. I do appreciate your insight. But dead bodies mean no voices—no loose ends that appear later to bite you in the ass as I’m getting bit right now.” He tipped his head in Raja’s direction. “Toss her.”
A skirmish at the rail stopped Craig’s heart. Raja struggled against the brawny arms hauling her to the edge. In the last second of precarious balance she connected with his eyes. There was tenderness there. It seeped into his soul—and then it was gone. Brawn surpassed slender limbs as Raja was shoved past the point of balance and into the abyss.
“Raja!” Adrenaline infused Craig with the power to jerk out of the grasp of his captor. Hurling towards the rail, he gaped down at the churning river below.
Swim, babe. Swim.
“Zak!” Aimee’s shriek drew Craig’s attention away from the river.
Zak was doubled over, his face contorted in pain. Even his captor looked perplexed as he gave Diego an, I didn’t do anything look.
Was it a ploy? Another diversion? The pain seemed genuine.
“Zak,” Aimee cried again.
“Sound,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “So loud.”
Searching the sky, Craig saw no encroaching planes, and the railroad track was defunct. What could be hurting him? It had to be a distraction.
“Gayat.” Zak would have fallen to a knee were it not for the awkward tug on his arms by a man who was growing impatient with this display.
“Christ, will you just shoot him already?” Diego growled.
Surrendering one of Zak’s arms in order to extract his 9mm, the gorilla howled in protest as Zak surged up, his free arm arcing and striking out like a steel pipe to the man’s shoulder.
Beside him, Craig sensed the driver aim his gun at Zak. With a hasty martial arts-type kick, Craig sent the gun spiraling into the air. Before the driver could dive for it Craig rammed his shoulder into the man’s lower spine, knocking him flat on his face.
Aimee’s captor hauled back his automatic, lodging her against a steel girder with his thigh and shoulder.
A brilliant flash went off—like the sun had exploded into a torrent of spiraling blue circles—a utopian shower. Blinking for clarity, Craig realized that the guard who had clutched Aimee was now motionless on the concrete. Zak’s profile against the sun exposed the shiny instrument clutched in his hand. Raja’s words rang in Craig’s ears. Zak is a warrior. It was evident now—evident in the tall, controlled stance. Judging by the athletic plant of his legs and the rigid set of his arm, he portrayed every bit the part.
In another balanced maneuver, Zak’s arm swung to emit a bolt of lightning across the bridge. When the radiance faded, two men were on the ground and the third retrieved his fallen gun and began shooting aimlessly, blinded by the assault. Diego ducked under the blitz of bullets from his own man’s gun.
“Idiot,” he screamed. “Shoot the tall one.”
“Aimee, get down,” Zak hollered.
Craig used the melee to circle around. A bullet buzzed by his ear like a supersonic mosquito. He disregarded it. He had to stop this man and get to the river. It had to be close to seven minutes now. Had she surfaced? Had the fall been too great? Was she knocked out by the impact?
One lunge and Craig tackled the burly form at the hip, using his arm as an axe to chop at the man’s limb. Again the bullets rained, ricocheting off the ground like atomic popcorn. As everyone jerked backwards, silence descended.
Diego hobbled towards his closest employee, but Zak moved quicker, arresting the weapon before Diego could reach it. Craig scooped an Uzi off the ground and aimed it at Diego. The Colombian gave him a withering smile in response.
“What do these things do?” Zak inspected the 9mm. “Shoot rocks?”
“Something like that.” Craig would have chuckled at the sheer absurdity of the whole situation, but his mind was fixed on Raja.
Zak approached Aimee, his free hand cupping behind her neck. “Are you okay?”
She looked up at him with glossy eyes and whispered, “Yes, but Raja—and what happened to you? What did you hear?”
“That was for real?” Craig asked. “You didn’t stage that?”
“No. It sounded like an explosion. But heck, your damn airplanes sound like explosions to me.”
Nodding, Craig continued to scrutinize Diego. “How long does that—that—”
Zak tracked his eyes and held up the silver dispenser. “Star laser?”
Craig swallowed. “Yeah. How long will that keep them out?” He nodded at the bodies on the bridge.
“As I said, I’m not really sure what the effect is here on Earth. On Ziratak it will stun a mecaw for a pretty decent time—enough to make an escape. On the Horus I’ve only fired it in training, but there were two other planets where I used it, and it was similar to Ziratak.”
Here on Earth. Craig held a hand to his head. Madness.
“I’m going after Raja,” he declared, putting the madness behind him. “There are handcuffs in my glove compartment. They will secure him.” He indicated Diego who was standing with his arms crossed and a stark grimace beneath his goatee. “I hope you’re right that these guys will remain unconscious...at least long enough.”
“You can talk about me like I’m not here,” Diego quipped, “but I saw that freak-ass gun go off. Is that what the government is working with these days?”
“You’re right. I am going to continue talking as if you’re not here,” Craig glared and then kept walking until he reached the Hyundai.
When he
returned, he handed his Glock to Zak. “Can you hold this for a minute?”
Zak took the gun, but kept the star laser nestled in his right palm. “Just more comfortable with this one,” he hedged.
With a reflexive nod, Craig grabbed Diego’s arm. The man resisted, but Craig had zero patience. Tugging the Colombian towards the steel railing, he commanded, “Sit down.”
When the man remained rooted, Zak moved in beside Craig and leveled the laser on Diego’s chest. “I believe he told you to sit.”
Diego stared them both down with contempt, but he buckled his legs and slid his back down the girder. Even in this reticent position he condemned them to death with his black gaze. Disregarding the impotent threat, Craig jerked the man’s arms around the metal frame and ensnared his wrists in the handcuffs. There was a certain amount of satisfaction obtained at the defining click.
‘You realize that I will hunt you down and destroy you,” Diego vowed quietly.
Craig retrieved his gun from Zak and pointed it at the man whose expensive pants were now soiled with granular concrete and sand.
“You better pray that the police come fast,” Craig whispered hoarsely, “because if that woman is dead, I’m coming back here to finish you off.”
Diego snorted. “Of course she’s dead.”
Coldness seeped into Craig despite the voracious heat of the sun. His fingers tingled with the urge to reach for the man’s throat. “Then so are you.”
With no time for this verbal volley, Craig turned and started towards the craggy embankment that hugged the river’s edge. Hastened footsteps trailed him, along with a plaintive, “Zak, I’m going with him. We have to find Raja.”
Another set of heavy steps crunched across the gravel, and then evaporated as they traipsed across the grass. Honed in on a path lashed with dense weeds and gnarly roots, Craig sought the quickest route down to the water, but the cliff was steep—a sheer wall of red clay. As he progressed he eyed the swift current, calling out Raja’s name. There was no answer. No sight of her. It had been at least fifteen minutes since she went into the water. A host of childhood prayers droned in his mind. He recited them all, hoping that one would work. Finally, up ahead, the plateau tapered off and nature created a staircase of tumbling rocks down to the water’s edge.
Beyond : Series Bundle (9781311505637) Page 57
