by Kim Baldwin
Kat continued forward toward the sounds, approaching as quietly as she could. When she got within fifteen feet or so, Jake went quiet. Kat froze. She listened. She crept closer. She leaned over Jake’s prone body. With her goggles on, Kat could see Jake’s eyes were closed. She heard her deep, even breathing and realized she was asleep. Perfect. She’d much rather deal with all of this later at the bunker. She lifted Jake gently but firmly in her arms. Meanwhile, I can think some more about what I’m going to tell you.
She started back, moving as quickly as she could. Stay asleep, Jake. Just stay asleep.
*
Otter followed the snowmobile tracks with growing anxiety. He could barely make out the slight depression in the snow. He was peering so intently at the track just in front of the sled that he was almost upon the rock wall before he knew it. It stood some twenty to twenty-five feet in front of him. His initial confusion at the sight of the trail dead-ending was quickly replaced by a shrewd appreciation for Hunter’s camouflaged entrance.
He cut the engine and turned off the headlight, plunging him into darkness. He cursed himself for not keeping an eye further forward. Hunter had probably discovered Frank just this way—he’d driven right up on her hideout.
Otter looked around. He could see no cameras. Not that he probably would. It was too dark and there were too many trees around to hide them in. He shrank back against an enormous oak, hiding in its shadow, and waited for a few minutes, his eyes scanning the surrounding area. When nothing happened, he took out a small flashlight with a bright, narrow beam and approached the rock wall.
He flashed the light back and forth along the ground in front of him. The snow in the whole area was flattened by tracks. There had been a lot going on at this spot, but a thin layer of new snow told him no one had been here in the last several minutes. He searched the rock wall for a way in, concentrating on the area that had the largest concentration of tracks.
He was rewarded with the quick discovery of the security panel.
*
Just a few feet from where Otter stood, Frank lay on the other side of the wall on the sleeping bag, studying the room he was in. There wasn’t much to see. The snowmobiles and generator were lined up along the opposite wall, some ten feet out of his reach. Two small bulbs attached to the generator provided enough light for him to see the rest of the room was nothing but solid concrete, except for the two doors: the panel they’d come through from outside and the steel door Hunter had gone through. Both needed security codes to access.
Frank believed that Hunter meant it when she said she’d reward him for being patient and cooperative. But still he worked at his bindings as surreptitiously as possible, afraid she might be watching him with hidden cameras. His eyes were alert as he strained against the chains and duct tape.
*
Kat paused on the trek back to the bunker in an open space where the trail seemed to disappear. She made wide sweeps in the snow with her feet, clearing a small area before she gently set Jake down. She kept her left arm behind Jake’s shoulders and sat down beside her, resting Jake’s head against her chest. Jake stirred but didn’t awaken.
Kat flexed her sore arm a few times before retrieving her GPS device from her coveralls. She sighted in their current position and checked the direction and distance to the bunker, whose coordinates were preprogrammed into the instrument.
As she put the GPS away, she studied Jake’s face, composed and serene in sleep. The woman’s earlier sobs of pain rang in Kat’s ears. It was wrenching, the ache she felt at having frightened Jake into running from her. She could think of no convincing explanation she could offer to Jake for what had happened, except some version of the truth. She didn’t know precisely what Jake had seen and what she’d heard. But how much of the truth do I tell her? That would depend a lot, Kat guessed, on what Jake’s reaction was when she woke up.
Kat’s mind went back to the engine sounds she’d heard earlier. She had to get moving. The long night wasn’t over yet. Kat scooped Jake up and started off in the direction of the bunker.
*
Otter stared at the security panel. He studied its housing and how it was affixed to the wall. But he didn’t dare touch it, afraid it would alert Hunter of his presence. He wished now he’d spent more of his prison sentence reading up on electronic gadgetry. He’d never been good at it, and there had been too many advances while he’d been serving his time.
He stepped away from the wall and shined his flashlight beam around the area, searching in an ever-expanding circle. He could barely make out a single foot trail that led away from the wall, around the hill. He didn’t really want to wander far from the snowmobile. It was still snowing and he knew he could easily lose his way. But he had committed himself to this. The way back to the crash site was surely covered up by now, so he had to find a way into Hunter’s hideout.
He began following the foot trail. It was very hard to see near the exposed rock wall but a bit easier once it led into the woods, where the new snow hadn’t accumulated quite as much. Otter followed it for several minutes, up the hill and through the dense woods. He was startled to see a light through the trees in front of him.
When he crested the hill, he found the source. In the clearing just ahead, a large round metal hatch stood wide open, light pouring from within. He approached with caution. This is just too easy. A trap?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Otter crept up to the hatch. He unzipped his insulated coat and drew his .38 revolver from its shoulder holster. It had been a long time since he had carried a gun, but it still felt familiar in his hand. He peeked down the hatch and listened for any sound from below. Nothing. He put his flashlight away. It was going to be difficult to descend the ladder with the gun. He’d just have to proceed slowly, alert for any sound or movement beneath him.
He started down, pausing every couple of rungs to listen. He was soon in the tunnel. He noted the doors at each end—the big steel one with another security panel next to it and the other, with no locks that he could see. He spotted a security camera mounted on the wall, high above the door with no locks. He hustled to get beneath it, out of its range of sight. He stood in front of the door. Gun at the ready, he very slowly tried the knob.
It surprised him when it turned. He heard the click of the mechanism and eased the door open. He glanced inside. He stepped into the doorway, using the door as a partial shield, expecting to see Hunter leap out at him at any moment. She’s too damn good at that, he remembered with a shudder. His eyes took in the large living room, the bookcases and couch, the desk and monitors, the kitchen, and the three doors in the room, all of which were open.
When another minute had passed with no sound or movement from inside, he slipped over the threshold and crept toward the corner where the two doors stood open. Every muscle was alert. His heart was racing. His eyes were everywhere. When he got to the bedroom door, he glanced inside. Nothing. He repeated the careful inspection at the bathroom door. He checked the shower.
He crossed the living room to the pantry and checked that room as well. He relaxed slightly. The place appeared to be empty. Was Hunter out pursing Frank? Or disposing of his body? Otter wondered. It certainly seemed careless of Hunter to leave an entrance standing open. But what other explanation could there be?
He would wait for her. Surprise her. Finally get revenge for all those years in prison. He glanced around. Where to hide? His eyes fell on the monitors. He recognized all three views: the tunnel, the clearing where he’d found the open hatch, and the rock wall. Damn good thing she wasn’t here when I drove up. She’d have ambushed me before I ever found the hatch.
Just as he was finishing that thought, Otter saw movement in the first monitor. It was...a person. Someone tall. Hunter. He smiled. My timing is better than the last time I saw you. He took a couple of steps closer to the screen. He saw Hunter go to the security panel, but she had her back turned away from the camera. The wall slid open. She stepped inside where he
couldn’t see her but was gone only a minute or two. She went back outside but was soon out of camera range again.
Otter worried briefly that she might find his snowmobile. But Hunter returned almost at once, and this time she carried a body. She went by so quickly it was hard to tell much about the burden she was toting. But he knew it could not have been Frank, who’d been described to him as a big guy. The body Hunter carried was smaller. He realized it probably was a woman. She killed that Scout chick Thomas told me about. When did she get here?
Once Hunter was inside again, the wall slid back into place.
You’re coming, Otter breathed, assessing his potential hiding spots. He decided to wait in the pantry, with the door left slightly open as it was when he arrived. He thought it was the least likely place she’d go immediately. That would give him time to observe her and plan his moment of attack. Perhaps he wouldn’t want to spring on her the moment she arrived. She would probably be on high alert after confronting Frank and Scout.
He hurried through the pantry door and positioned himself behind the wall, comforted by the gun in his hand. He peered through the narrow opening between the door and the frame and tried to remain calm. The anticipation was both dreadful and delicious.
*
Kat was physically spent by the time she arrived back at the bunker with Jake. She’d immediately dismissed the thought of getting back in through the open emergency hatch. It would be impossible to carry Jake through the narrow opening. That meant she would have to go in through the generator room. She didn’t like that option because it meant she’d have to go by Frank. She didn’t want him to know about Jake’s presence, and there was always the chance he might have gotten free from his confinement and be waiting for her return.
But she had little choice. She needed to get inside immediately. She’d just have to hope that she could get by Frank quickly with a still-sleeping Jake.
As she emerged from the woods near the rock wall, she glanced down. She saw tracks from a boot tread she didn’t recognize. They were very fresh and easy to see, and they led off toward the emergency exit. You had to leave the damn hatch open. That explains the engine I heard.
She realized she’d have to put herself in view of the security camera if she was to get inside the main entrance with Jake. She wanted to disable it, but it was in a tree and virtually inaccessible. The branches were slick with snow and ice.
Kat laid Jake down next to a large tree after clearing away as much snow as she could. A quick surveillance of the area turned up Otter’s snowmobile, which had nothing on it to identify the owner. The keys were still in the ignition. She pocketed them.
She moved toward the rock wall, punching the numbers in while she turned her back to the camera and withdrew her Glock from the pocket of her coveralls. She slipped inside and glanced toward the corner, reassured that a startled Frank was still securely trussed up.
She took in the rest of the small chamber. Nothing was disturbed. There was nowhere for someone to hide, and she could see from the green light on the panel next to the steel door that no one had come through it while she was gone.
She turned to her prisoner and glared at him. “Face the corner, Frank, and close your eyes. I don’t want to hear a peep out of you for the next few minutes.”
He rolled over awkwardly, curious about the change in her demeanor, but said nothing.
Kat pocketed her Glock and went back outside. She scooped Jake up in her arms and returned to the generator room. She glanced toward the corner. Frank lay perfectly still, eyes averted.
Kat shifted Jake’s weight in her arms so she could extend her right hand to punch in the security code first at the exterior door, to close it, then at the steel door, to gain access to the tunnel. She glanced frequently at Frank as she completed these tasks to make sure he wasn’t moving. Her arms were more tired than she’d ever remembered. But the adrenaline pouring through her gave her renewed energy.
Once the steel door was unlocked, she shifted Jake’s weight again, hefting the woman over her left shoulder. It freed up Kat’s right hand and arm. She glanced again at Frank as she withdrew her gun from her coveralls. He hadn’t moved.
She opened the door a few inches and peered in. There was no one in the tunnel. As she pushed the door open, Kat could feel Jake stir.
The blonde mumbled something and started thrashing about. She was waking up. At the worst possible moment.
“Shh,” Kat said softly over her shoulder, but it was no use.
Jake tried to raise her head up to see where she was and what was happening.
Kat stepped over the threshold into the tunnel and shut the door behind her. She shoved the Glock back into her pocket and lowered Jake to the floor with her back propped up in the corner near the steel door. She knelt in front of Jake so that they were face-to-face.
Kat stiffened even as her eyes sought Jake’s. She expected Jake to become frightened—panicky even, perhaps—at finding herself back at the bunker.
But Jake’s expression went from one of hazy confusion to happy recognition when their eyes met and she registered where she was and who she was with.
Before Kat could speak or react, Jake reached out with her good arm and pulled Kat into an awkward embrace. “You’re all right! Thank God. Thank God.” Jake pulled her to arm’s length and studied her face. “But you’re hurt,” she cried, seeing the cut on Kat’s face and the blood on her face and clothes.
Kat was dumbfounded. This was not at all the reaction she’d expected. “It’s nothing,” she said, smiling a little. She fought to subdue the joy she felt at the embrace and tender words. While the obvious caring and concern in Jake’s voice reassured her, now was not the time for explanations.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Kat began, her eyes not leaving Jake’s. “But we can’t right now. Someone may be in the bunker. It’s a very dangerous situation. Jake, I have to ask you...again,” she emphasized, with mild rebuke in her voice, “to trust me. You must stay here and not make a sound until I come back.” She didn’t wait for a reply. There was no time. She grabbed a couple of coats from the wall and laid them behind and over Jake. They would keep her warm and help conceal her.
As she leaned over Jake to tuck the heavy coats around her, Jake reached up and put her hand around the back of Kat’s neck.
Jake pulled their heads close together until her mouth was only a couple of inches from Kat’s ear. “I promise to do exactly as you say this time. I do trust you. Please be careful.” She held Kat there, their cheeks touching, for just a moment.
“I will,” Kat whispered back. She pulled away reluctantly as Jake released her grasp on the back of her neck. They looked at each other a moment, then a small smile crept first over Kat’s face, then Jake’s.
Despite their perilous situation, both had had their greatest fears alleviated, so they could not help but smile a little in sheer relief.
Kat turned without further word and approached the door to the living room. She stopped outside and removed her boots. She grasped the doorknob with her left hand as she pulled out her Glock with the other. She didn’t look at Jake.
Hunter couldn’t have distractions.
*
She turned the knob, unlatching the door. She stepped to the side, her back against the wall for protection, and inched the door inward. She craned her head around the door frame to see inside the living room. All was quiet. After a few moments, she ducked down and slipped inside, crouching behind the waist-high kitchen counter that protruded several feet into the room.
Her sixth sense of alarm was ringing loudly in her ears. Someone’s here. She knew it. She could feel it. She was in an exposed position if they were in either the bedroom or bathroom to her right. She doubted that the intruder had found the weapons room, so that left the pantry as the only other place to hide. Three choices. She poked her head up in a quick motion to take in the pantry door on the other side of the counter, some fifteen feet away. It was open a few inch
es, but she knew she’d gone in there herself when she was looking for Jake. Did I close it? She couldn’t remember. She’d been in too much of a hurry.
She stared at the two open doorways to her right, with her gun aimed in that direction. She listened. She waited. She tried not to think of Jake. She risked a glance toward the monitors. She could barely make Jake out in the picture on the first screen. Covered by coats, lying in the corner farthest from the camera, she looked like a pile of discarded clothes.
Kat returned her focus to the situation at hand. She waited some more, but could detect no sound from any of the rooms the intruder might be in.
*
Otter had learned some measure of patience in prison. At the moment, however, he could barely contain his fevered energy. The object of his long obsession was within striking distance.
He saw the door open and Hunter’s quick glance over the counter in his direction. Seeing her close up, even for that brief instant, sent his heart racing. He took long, deep breaths to calm himself but remained frozen in place, afraid the slightest movement would alert her to his presence.
He aimed his gun at the place he’d seen her raise her head, waiting for it to reappear like a pop-up target in a carnival shooting gallery.
He was disappointed but not surprised that she appeared to know someone had broken in and was waiting for her. She’d taken care of two other assassins tonight, after all. But Otter knew her better than the others did. And that, he told himself, gave him an advantage. He knew how extraordinarily patient she was. She would wait as long as she needed to, to gain an advantage in a difficult situation.
