The Buried

by Brett Battles

  “No sign of the girl?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  She checked her watch—8:57. “Have them move into position to deal with the watcher, but not to engage until the meeting begins. Once you’ve done that, you can take us in.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  __________

  QUINN PAUSED AMONGST the trees at the north end of the gas station. He glanced at his watch. Two minutes until the meeting.

  Needing to get closer, he sneaked to the back corner of the lot and scooted behind the long, rectangular garage.

  “The SUV’s on the move,” Orlando reported.

  “Nate, status,” Quinn said as he continued down the back of the building.

  No answer.

  “Nate, status.”

  A mic click. Nate was there but couldn’t talk.

  “Do you need backup?”

  Double click. No.

  “Are you in position?”

  A long pause, then a whispered, “Almost.”

  __________

  THE PARKING AREA for the café was only a hundred feet away when Nate’s hand shot up, stopping his friends. Squatting down, he pointed ahead at the person he’d just seen. He motioned for them to stay where they were and began creeping forward.

  The man was hiding in some trees, his gaze focused on the highway. As Nate’s view of him improved, he saw that the guy fit the description of one those Quinn had seen with Orbits.

  Nate was about to move in a little closer when he spotted two other men, twenty feet behind the first, these belonging to The Wolf.

  He motioned for Daeng and Ananke to join him. Together, they watched The Wolf’s duo move up another ten feet and stop.

  Nate considered the options and then gestured to Daeng and Ananke what he wanted to do.

  Ananke raised an eyebrow and grinned.

  Quietly they moved forward, just settling into position when Quinn radioed to check their status.

  __________

  AT 8:59 AND 56 seconds, a dark blue Ford Explorer pulled into the gas station.

  Damn well better be her, Orbits thought.

  He dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the table and got up, his omelet untouched.

  CHAPTER 38

  ORBITS’S INSTRUCTIONS HAD been for The Wolf to park her vehicle on the north side of the gas station’s main building, opposite the café, so her driver did exactly that.

  After a moment, the man touched his headset and announced, “Mr. Orbits is leaving the café.”

  “Still alone?” The Wolf asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Bianca, be a darling and move into the front, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course.”

  Bianca switched to the front passenger seat, limping only slightly.

  “He just reached the gas station,” the driver reported.

  __________

  QUINN LOOKED AROUND the southern end of the garage. From this new position, he could see the back of the café, but the gas station was hidden from view. He crept to the front corner where he had a view of both. What he didn’t see, though, was the Explorer.

  “Do you have a position on The Wolf?” Quinn asked Orlando.

  “She’s parked on the north side of the gas station.”

  The side he couldn’t see. “Got it. Thanks.”

  He sneaked over to the main building, and moved along the back until he neared the north end. Crouching, he used his phone technique again to see the other side.

  The Explorer was there, all right. He could even see the silhouettes of the people inside. They seemed to be just sitting there, doing nothing.

  He was beginning to wonder if something had gone wrong when Orbits stepped around the front corner of the building.

  __________

  THE SECOND THE Wolf saw Ricky Orbits, she said to her driver, “You can have the watcher dealt with now.” She then pushed the button that rolled down her window and smiled. “Mr. Orbits. Good to see you. Why don’t you join me?”

  __________

  THE TWO-MAN team moved again.

  When Nate was sure The Wolf’s men were going to take down Orbits’s guy, he, Daeng, and Ananke moved in behind them.

  Orbits’s man apparently sensed at the last moment that something was up, because he turned right before The Wolf’s team got to him. A couple seconds earlier and maybe he could have escaped, but the best he could manage now was to get in a couple of hits before they subdued him.

  He was barely on the ground when Nate, Daeng, and Ananke grabbed his attackers and rendered them unconscious.

  They zip-tied everyone and gagged them with their own shirts.

  “Three neutralized,” Nate reported.

  “Three?” Orlando said.

  “One of the guys with Orbits and two with The Wolf.”

  “How did you….You know what? Never mind. Quinn’s over at the gas station. The meeting’s about to start. North side.”

  “Copy that.”

  __________

  ORBITS DIDN’T LIKE the idea of getting in the woman’s car, but until he gave her the girl, he knew she wouldn’t try anything.

  He climbed into the backseat. In front, there was a man behind the wheel and a woman in the passenger seat, staring at him. She was a looker, the kind he might actually keep around for more than one night. She was sizing him up like he was a meal. It seemed as if at any moment she would start licking her lips. He kind of liked it.

  “Pleasure to meet you in person,” the woman beside him said, holding out her hand. “I’m The Wolf.”

  “Yeah, swell,” he said, making a quick job of shaking. “How about we get the transfer done and get you your merchandise.”

  A chuckle. “You seem to forget the parameters of our agreement, Mr. Orbits. No money until I see the girl.”

  “And no girl until you at least free up the initial twenty-five million.”

  “Did it not go through?” she asked, feigning surprise. “Bianca, could you pass that bag back?”

  The other woman, Bianca, handed The Wolf a thin, leather briefcase from which the Wolf removed a laptop. After she started it up, she spent a few moments navigating to where she wanted, and then said, “You’re absolutely right. I am so sorry. I must have clicked the wrong box.”

  Right, he thought. The wrong box.

  She tapped the keys a few more times and then turned the screen toward him. On it was the bank page for the escrow account with the initial payment. “My apologies again, but I’ve removed the hold so you can transfer it out at any time.” She held the computer out to him. “You can use this if you’d like.”

  “I don’t think so.” He pulled out his phone and used it to initiate the transfer into his account. After he verified it was in process, he said, “Now, about the second twenty-five.”

  “For that, I will need to see the girl.”

  “Give me a moment.”

  As he reached for the door, she touched his arm.

  “I’m sure you understand, but I must insist you remain here with me until I see her,” she said.

  Orbits turned, intending to tell her she could insist all she wanted but it wasn’t going to happen, except the gun Bianca was pointing at him kept the words from leaving his mouth.

  “All right, I get it. I can play it this way.” He settled back in his seat. “I tell you, though, it would be easier if I’m not wondering if her finger might accidentally twitch.”

  With a nod from The Wolf, Bianca moved her weapon out of sight.

  “Thanks,” Orbits said, and then called Stafford. “Bring her in.”

  __________

  A SOFT CRUNCH. Dirt on asphalt.

  Quinn whirled around to see one of The Wolf’s men rushing at him. No way to stand up in time, he dove, hitting the man in the gut and knocking them both to the ground.

  The guy shoved Quinn away and tried to push himself up, but Quinn got to his feet first and jammed a knee into the guy’s head, sending the attacker back to the asph
alt. Dropping onto him, Quinn slammed the butt of his palm into the side of the man’s head. Two more slugs and the guy was out.

  “Well done.”

  Quinn twisted around, ready to take on a new attacker, but found Nate, Daeng, and Ananke.

  “Have I mentioned what a pleasure it is to watch you work?” Ananke whispered.

  “Ananke, shut up,” Nate whispered.

  With Nate’s and Daeng’s help, Quinn moved the guy behind a Dumpster and secured him.

  Three of The Wolf’s men were now out of commission. The woman’s team had been reduced to the guy driving her SUV and the motorcyclist. Orbits was in even worse shape. One man down had cut his team in half.

  Quinn used his camera to check on the meeting. Nothing appeared to have changed—Orbits was still inside the SUV with The Wolf.

  “Nate, Ananke, go around front and hold at the corner,” Quinn said.

  They headed off the long way around.

  Quinn watched the phone’s screen, knowing something had to happen soon. The wait ended two minutes later when a sedan turned off the highway and pulled into the spot next to the Explorer.

  “Nate, do you have eyes on the sedan?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” Nate whispered.

  “How many inside?”

  “I can only see one. It’s the guy who was driving the ambulance.”

  “No Dani?”

  “I don’t see…wait.” A pause. “He’s looking into the backseat area and talking. She must be there.” Another beat. “The door to the Explorer is opening.”

  Quinn looked at his phone again, but the door in question was on the other side and he couldn’t see much of anything.

  “Orbits is getting out,” Nate continued. “So is the driver of the sedan. They’re talking…okay, Orbits is opening the back door. The Wolf is getting out now…she’s looking into the sedan.”

  Quinn was starting to get frustrated about not having a direct line of sight, but then the front passenger door of the Explorer opened. The motorcyclist slipped out quietly and moved around the back of the SUV.

  “Nate, be ready,” Quinn said. “Daeng, follow me.”

  __________

  “HERE WE GO,” Orbits said as Stafford pulled the sedan beside The Wolf’s vehicle. He reached for the door but stopped and looked back, first at Bianca and then at The Wolf. “I’m going to get out. Don’t shoot me.”

  The Wolf gestured at his door. “Please.”

  He exited and motioned for Stafford to do the same. Once the other man was out, he asked in a hushed voice, “Any problems?”

  “All good,” Stafford responded.

  “Has Parnell seen anything?”

  “I haven’t heard from him.”

  No news was good news.

  “Mr. Orbits? Is everything all right?” The Wolf called from inside the SUV.

  “Just fine,” he said.

  He opened the sedan’s back door. Danielle Chad lay across the rear seat, her head at the other end. Stafford had tied a cloth around her mouth so apparently it hadn’t been all good.

  “It’s showtime, baby,” he said. He looked back at the SUV. “If you want to see the merchandise, now’s your chance.”

  After exiting her vehicle, The Wolf bent down and looked into the sedan.

  “Well, well. Miss Hayes. It’s been a long time.”

  Hayes? Orbits hadn’t heard that name before, but it obviously meant something to the girl, because the defiance she’d been wearing as a second skin was showing cracks.

  “Okay, you’ve seen her,” he said. “Authorize the final payment and she’s all yours.”

  The Wolf straightened back up. “Good idea. I’ll need my computer.” She climbed back into the Explorer, but instead of grabbing her laptop, she shut the door.

  __________

  STAYING LOW, QUINN and Daeng moved over to the SUV. Quinn gestured for his friend to remain near the front end, where Daeng could watch the driver, and then headed to the back. The motorcyclist stood at the other corner, gun in hand, peering at Orbits and The Wolf.

  Quinn could hear the two talking on the other side, something about payment and computer. A moment later, the Explorer rocked slightly, followed by the door slamming shut.

  Taking this as her cue, the motorcyclist moved around the corner toward Orbits.

  __________

  ORBITS TWISTED AROUND to find a smiling Bianca pointing her gun at him.

  His own weapon was still under his jacket. He might’ve been able to pull it out, but he’d never get a shot off. So he threw himself into the sedan on top of Danielle. From outside, he heard the spit of Bianca’s weapon, the bullet sailing through the spot he’d been.

  He grabbed his pistol but the barrel caught on his jacket. The weapon slipped from his hands and slid under the front seat. He felt around for it but couldn’t find it.

  Two more shots went off, one from Bianca’s direction, the other coming from where Orbits had last seen Stafford.

  Giving up on the gun, Orbits threw himself into the front seat as more shots were fired. When he started the engine, Stafford fell against the hood, his face covered with blood.

  Son of a bitch!

  Certain that Bianca was only a step away from putting a bullet in the back of his own head, Orbits shoved the car into reverse and slammed the gas pedal to the floor.

  __________

  BEFORE QUINN COULD get to the other side, he heard two sound-suppressed gunshots. As he sneaked a look around the corner, he saw Orbits’s other man pop up from the other side of the sedan and fire his weapon. The motorcyclist returned the favor, her aim a lot better than his.

  Quinn rushed in behind her and placed his gun against her back. “Drop it.”

  She froze.

  “Last warning.”

  As the pistol fell from her hand, the sedan shot backward, the open rear door smacking into the motorcyclist and shoving her against Quinn. Together they whacked into the Explorer and tumbled to the ground.

  The woman tried to grab his gun but he was having none of it. So she spun around until she spotted her own weapon several feet away and dove for it. Her fingers had just touched the hilt when—

  “Not a good idea,” Nate said.

  Nate’s gun was pointed at the woman, while Ananke and Daeng had their weapons trained on two people still inside the SUV.

  Quinn jumped up and yanked open the Explorer’s back door.

  “Out.” He grabbed The Wolf’s arm and jerked her out, then pressed his gun against the base of the driver’s neck. “You, too.”

  The driver did not resist.

  While Quinn picked up the dropped weapons, Nate and Ananke quickly patted down the driver and the women, confiscating a Glock 9mm from the man but finding nothing on the women. Daeng zip-tied their hands and ankles.

  “Let’s go,” Quinn said, and climbed behind the wheel of the Explorer. He smiled at The Wolf. “Thanks for the ride.”

  When the others were inside, he whipped the Explorer backward and raced away from Karl’s K-4.

  “Nate, call the cops,” he said. “Have them pick up The Wolf and her friends.” He checked to make sure his comm mic was on. “Orlando, Orbits is heading your way.”

  No response.

  “Orlando?”

  CHAPTER 39

  ORLANDO STARED IN the direction of the unseen gas station, trying to visualize what was going on from the less than descriptive conversation coming over the comm. Something had gone down, that’s for sure. It sounded like her friends had gotten the upper hand.

  She was starting to think maybe it was all over and they could get back to their lives when she spotted a gray sedan heading north at an unusually fast speed. She watched it approach. It appeared to have only one occupant.

  It wasn’t until the car passed by that she was able to get a good look at the driver.

  Ricky Orbits.

  She started the car and pulled onto Highway 4, a couple hundred feet behind him.

  ___
_______

  FOR THE FIRST thirty seconds after Orbits sped away from Karl’s K-4, he watched his rearview mirror more than he watched the road ahead. He was sure The Wolf’s Explorer would be right on his tail, but so far, it didn’t appear to have even left the station.

  At some point, though, they would come. And this piece-of-crap sedan would never be able to outrun them. He needed a place to hide, somewhere they would never look.

  The abandoned café they’d used the night before was coming up in a few miles, but it was right off the highway and seemed too exposed.

  Hold on.

  There was one place that only Orbits knew about, and it was definitely not just off the highway.

  Feeling like he might have a chance, he continued north until he reached the unmarked dirt road.

  __________

  ORLANDO PICKED UP the call after the third ring.

  “Nate?” she said, her voice coming out of the speaker.

  “It’s all of us,” Nate told her.

  “What happened back there?”

  “Later,” Quinn said. “Right now you need to keep an eye out for—”

  “Orbits?” she asked.

  Quinn paused. “Yeah.”

  “He buzzed by me a few minutes ago. I’m following him now.”

  That explained why her comm wasn’t working. She’d driven out of range.

  “Does he know you’re behind him?” Quinn asked.

  “I don’t think so. He’s flying down the road, but not any faster than when I first saw him. Please tell me that you got Danielle so I can back off.”

  “We didn’t. He still has her.”

  She swore under her breath. “What happened?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “What about The Wolf?”

  “Left her and her people tied up at the gas station and called the cops. We’ve got her Explorer.”

  “You weren’t kidding about complicated.”