“There is one thing I need to get first,” Dani said. “Go on. I’ll be right there.”
Quinn eyed her for a moment. “You’re not planning on going inside there, are you?”
“What? No. I don’t have a death wish.”
“Don’t take too long,” he said. “I don’t think I can make Ananke stay down here much longer.”
__________
THE WALK TOWARD the corner of the room felt unreal, as if Dani were watching it on a movie screen instead of making the journey herself. How many times had she thought about this? How many times had Marianne gone over the details so Dani wouldn’t forget?
Go to the corner left of the chamber.
Run a finger up the south wall and feel for the thin line cut into the surface.
Three inches up, push.
The concrete cracked under the pressure of her hand and fell in small chunks to the floor, revealing a black door no larger than a postcard. She slipped a finger into a depression and pulled the door open.
As she’d been told to expect, in the box was only one thing—a small Moleskine notebook. Though the other bidders would have been interested in the rumored bombs her father had hidden away, Dani knew this notebook was what The Wolf had really been after. She put it in her pocket, not bothering to open it. Either the information was there, or it wasn’t.
“All set?” Quinn asked as she entered the elevator.
“All set.” She turned the key and started their ascent.
“You going to tell us what that was all about?” Nate asked.
“No,” she said.
__________
THOUGH ORLANDO HAD been less than pleased when Dani suggested she remain behind, it turned out to be a good thing. The others had not been gone for more than a few minutes when another round of contractions hit.
Daeng had gone off to check on the prisoners and by the time he returned, she was in control enough to hide her discomfort.
She had to get out of there soon, though. The interval between contractions was already down to ten minutes—probably a little less. With Garrett, labor had been a slow and steady process, but this time it felt like Orlando had suddenly caught a brakeless express train to Delivery City.
Several minutes later, the elevator motor kicked in and the car returned.
“Well?” Orlando asked as everyone piled out.
“Be thankful you stayed here,” Ananke said, looking unnerved.
“What happened?” Orlando asked Quinn.
Quinn told her about the four portable nukes, then said, “There’s no reason we need to hang around here any longer. I’ll call Helen. This place is her problem, not ours.” He glanced at Dani. “Unless you have any objections.”
She shook her head.
The discussion turned to whether or not they should leave the prisoners there, but Orlando heard only bits and pieces as her contractions ramped up once more.
“Helen should make that call,” Quinn said. “We’ll leave them down—” He looked at Orlando. “Are you okay?”
She gave up all attempts to conceal her pain and grabbed Daeng’s arm to keep from falling. “Not exactly,” she said, her fingers digging into her friend’s flesh.
Quinn rushed over and put an arm around her to help support her. “What’s wrong?”
She looked at him as if he were insane. “What do you think is wrong?”
Ananke, calm and clinical, asked, “How far apart are your contractions?”
Orlando blew out a breath. “I think about eight minutes that time.” She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, riding out another wave of pain before continuing.
“She’s having the baby?” Nate asked. “Now? Here?”
“Just breathe, sweetie,” Quinn said. “Breathe.”
“What the hell do you think I’m doing?” Orlando said.
“I-I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t mean anything!” Orlando shouted.
“Maybe you should sit down,” Nate suggested. “Shouldn’t she sit down?”
“Do you want some water?” Dani asked. “I’m sure I can find some.”
Ananke slammed her palm against one of the nearby crates. “Hey, everyone. Eyes on me!”
All conversation ceased.
Looking at Quinn, she said, “Unless you want your baby born in a missile silo, I suggest we concentrate on getting her out of here!”
__________
ANANKE AND DANI led the way up with Nate and Daeng coming next, carrying Orlando in the cradle of their clasped arms. Quinn was immediately behind them.
Not knowing what else to do, he alternated between giving Orlando words of encouragement and updates on their progress. Whether she was listening to him or not, he didn’t know, but he couldn’t stop talking even if he wanted to.
When they stopped for a quick rest around the three-quarters point, Quinn offered to switch with one of his friends.
“Absolutely not,” Orlando said. “Look at you. You’ll drop me.”
He hadn’t noticed until that moment that he was shaking.
Not long after they began walking again, Orlando’s contractions returned. Ananke looked at her watch.
“How far apart?” Quinn asked.
Without looking back, Ananke said, “Let’s just say the sooner we get out of here, the better.”
__________
THE BABY WAS born in the backseat of The Wolf’s Explorer. Ananke, the only one with any birthing experience, acted as Orlando’s midwife. After she made sure the child was breathing properly, she held the cord for Quinn to cut and handed him his daughter.
“Do you have a name picked out?” she asked.
If their child had been a boy, he would have been named David Abraham, in honor of Quinn’s brother who’d died as a child, and Orlando’s mentor who’d passed the previous winter. And if a girl—
“Claire,” Orlando said, looking both exhausted and happy.
“Claire what?” Ananke asked.
“We haven’t decided on a middle name yet,” Quinn said.
“How about Ananke? It has a certain ring to it.”
Orlando frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I did just help you deliver her.”
Orlando’s expression softened. “You did. Thank you. I…I’m glad you were here.”
Ananke looked at her for a moment, as if waiting for a punch line. When one didn’t come, she said, “I didn’t have anywhere else to be.”
__________
THOUGH TAKING THE Explorer would have been preferable, the police would be looking for it and the car Orbits had fled in. So the only safe vehicle for Quinn and his team to leave in was the sedan Orlando had been driving. Everyone was able to fit in only by having Orlando lie across Quinn’s, Daeng’s, and Ananke’s laps.
A phone call to the Mole secured the services of a doctor in Topeka who wouldn’t ask questions. They arrived at his home twenty minutes later, and soon after Orlando and Claire were both asleep in the doctor’s guest room.
“Quinn?”
Dani was standing just outside the guest-room doorway. Quinn quietly walked into the hall and shut the door.
“I need to get going,” she said. “I have…things I need to take care of.”
He knew it had something to do with whatever she took from the bottom storage level.
“I can leave, can’t I?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“What about your client? You’re supposed to give me to her.”
“My client will be more than happy with the silo. I can’t guarantee others won’t still be looking for you, though. It’ll be a little while before word gets out that your father’s stash is in the hands of the US government.” He paused. “I might know someone who can help you.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Have you not been paying attention the last couple of days? Because clearly you do,” he said with a sm
ile. “My friend can get you new identifications, arrange travel to wherever you want to go, and make sure you’re not being followed.”
“And then he tells you and you know where I am?”
“I have no interest in knowing where you are. I’ll put you in contact with him and then I’m out. He’s a little odd but you can trust him.”
When she finally accepted his offer, he connected her to the Mole. An hour later, a car arrived at the doctor’s house to pick her up.
Nate, Ananke, and Daeng said their good-byes before Quinn took his turn.
“In a few months you should be able to stop hiding.”
“I’m not sure I know how to do that,” she said.
“You’ll figure it out.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you. I’m glad you guys were the ones who found me.”
“I am, too.”
She planted a kiss on his cheek and then hurried to her car.
__________
ANANKE LEFT THAT evening after spending some closed-door time with Orlando. With a wink and a “see you later, boys,” she was gone.
“What were you two talking about?” Quinn asked Orlando later.
“Old stuff. Nothing you need worry about.”
“Are you two friends now?”
“Did I say that?” she asked, but with none of the venom he would have expected.
Claire squirmed and opened her eyes.
“Can you hold her for a moment?” Orlando asked.
He lifted his daughter into his arms and stared into her eyes. “We did this?”
“Yeah, we did.”
Claire wrinkled her brow in the exact same way he’d seen Orlando do a million times.
“She’s perfect,” he said, as he wondered if there could ever be a better moment than this.
CHAPTER 43
ONE WEEK LATER
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
FOR THE LAST several days, Helen Cho had embarked on a housecleaning mission. The first casualty was the overnight director on duty when she’d been kidnapped, who’d been recruited by The Wolf. It turned out he wasn’t the only leak in the office. An assistant info tech had been feeding information to another branch of US Intelligence, and an agent doing the same with an independent, ultra-patriotic organization. All three were arrested and would soon be appearing in a secret court.
The acquisition of the silo was an unexpected bonus. With the weapons and the nuclear devices came the woman responsible for Helen’s disappearance. Not wanting to chance losing her in the stateside system, Helen had The Wolf rendered to a secret base in eastern Europe, where the extraction of information about the woman’s business dealings would be performed under less rigorous standards than in the States. As for Ricky Orbits, Helen decided a nice, ten-year stretch in a federal facility would be adequate.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
THERE WAS NO official rebuke of Morse’s actions in connection with the Charles Hayes matter. There were only citations and tributes in the wake of a “requested” early retirement. As for Lyle Clark, Morse’s contact on the board of directors, some people were too powerful to be removed.
WASHINGTON, DC
VALOR, TOO, HAD to serve up a sacrificial lamb. Though Scott Bennett had been no more than a go-between, he was called upon to pay the price.
News services carried a story about rumors concerning a well-known lobbyist’s connections to Mexican drug cartels. The connections would one day be proved as false, but the mere mention of the possibility was all that was needed to start the death spiral of his career, and the business he had worked so hard to build disappeared overnight.
Valor understood sacrifice, and appreciated Bennett playing his part. He would be required to live a quieter life, but money would continue to flow his way, and he was promised that one day he would achieve great success again.
BERLIN, GERMANY
ASSISTANT TRADE ATTACHÉ Komarov had a message waiting for him when he arrived at the embassy instructing him to destroy the codebook hidden behind his filing cabinet. He was further instructed to avoid all contact with Herr Schwartz.
He knew it had to do with the operation a week earlier, but what specifically he had no idea, and didn’t want to find out.
It was over. That’s all that was important. And he couldn’t be happier.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
THE CITY OF Angels was abuzz with the news of prominent businessman Thomas Rachett’s arrest in connection with a secret sex club he had apparently been running. Each day more tidbits would leak out about other illegal dealings he’d supposedly been involved in, threatening to bring down not only Rachett but several well-known politicians.
GEORGE TOWN, CAYMAN ISLANDS
THE MOLE TURNED out to be even more helpful than Dani could have hoped. Within forty-eight hours of leaving Quinn, she had five sets of IDs, all with different names, and had crossed unmolested into Mexico.
Per the Mole’s suggestion, she had taken a circuitous route to her primary destination, allowing him to ensure she didn’t pick up any unwanted admirers. By the time she stepped off the plane in the Cayman Islands, a whole four days had passed since she had visited the silo.
She was up early that first morning, studying the appropriate page of her father’s notebook. At nine a.m., she put the book away, showered, dressed, and walked the five blocks from her hotel in George Town to the bank where the first account was kept.
The bank president personally handled everything for her, but even with his help it took all morning to finalize the transfer. That afternoon she repeated the process at bank number two.
The next day she was able to fit in three different institutions. And on the seventh day after she left Kansas, she visited the final four.
One would never know from the modest dinner she had that evening that she was now worth nine hundred and forty-eight million dollars. But her wealth would only be temporary. The money wasn’t really hers.
It belonged to the promise.
“There’s a book he keeps in the bottom level,” Marianne had explained. “Bank account numbers and passwords. His failsafe in case he needs to purge his digital copy. If I can’t get it, you have to.”
“I will,” Dani had said, though at that time, she hadn’t known how, if it came to it, she could possibly pull it off.
“And promise me you’ll use the money to help whoever he’s hurt. If I can’t, you’ll be the only one left.”
“I promise.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brett Battles is a Barry Award-winning author of over twenty novels, including the Jonathan Quinn series, the Logan Harper series, and the time hopping novel Rewinder. He’s also the coauthor, with Robert Gregory Browne, of the Alexandra Poe series. You can learn more at his website: brettbattles.com
ALSO BY BRETT BATTLES
THE JONATHAN QUINN THRILLERS
Novels
BECOMING QUINN
THE CLEANER
THE DECEIVED
SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (U.S.)/THE UNWANTED (U.K.)
THE SILENCED
THE DESTROYED
THE COLLECTED
THE ENRAGED
THE DISCARDED
THE BURIED
Novellas
FLIGHT 12
Short Stories
“Just Another Job”—A Jonathan Quinn Story
“Off the Clock”—A Jonathan Quinn Story
“The Assignment”—An Orlando Story
“Lesson Plan”—A Jonathan Quinn Story
“Quick Study”—An Orlando Story
THE REWINDER THRILLERS
REWINDER
Book Two Coming December 2015
THE LOGAN HARPER THRILLERS
LITTLE GIRL GONE
EVERY PRECIOUS THING
THE PROJECT EDEN THRILLERS
SICK
EXIT NINE
PALE HORSE
ASHES
EDEN RISING
DREAM SKY
&nb
sp; DOWN
THE ALEXANDRA POE THRILLERS
COWRITTEN WITH ROBERT GREGORY BROWNE
POE
TAKEDOWN
STANDALONES
Novels
THE PULL OF GRAVITY
NO RETURN
Short Stories
“Perfect Gentleman”
For Younger Readers
THE TROUBLE FAMILY CHRONICLES
HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE
Table of Contents
Book Description
PRAISE FOR THE JONATHAN QUINN SERIES
THE BURIED Copyright © 2015 by Brett Battles
To the memory of my friend and former colleague
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALSO BY BRETT BATTLES
The Buried Page 29
