'I count maybe nine, plus whoever's in the plane,' Yoshi said.
'We can't let them take her,' Kevin said.
'I don't know we got a lot of choice, pal.'
'Grenades on that dead dude there.'
'Not even we can throw that far, even if we could get to him before he gets up again.'
Kevin looked around for options. The two dogs whined as they crawled through the sand toward the plane. Blake was stirring.
'Make sure that cunt doesn't get up,' Kevin said.
Yoshi shot Blake.
Kevin shimmied across to the dogs, tore into his arm, and let them both lick at the cut.
Fuck, it hurt, those tongues pushing into the wound, lapping at blood he couldn't afford to lose.
He reached out through the blood, calling on Taipan's presence, channelling the memory of his maker summoning cattle...
Bush tucker
...and he felt the connection click with Byely and Cherny. They understood. They were willing.
Yoshi and the sniper were still firing, and Kala had joined them. Several attackers had fallen, but others had formed a ragged arc in front of the plane while two figures tried to get a struggling Danica up and in. Bullets dug up sand, pinged on the plane's fuselage. The podgy suit at the door ducked back and Danica sprawled on the sand.
Kevin hustled the dogs forward as he charged at the downed trooper. The man stirred. Kevin shot him in the head. The dogs barked. Kevin flopped down beside the body, and the dogs followed suit, one on either side.
Yoshi dug into the sand on his left side and fired a burst. 'What now?'
Kevin pulled two grenades from the soldier's webbing.
'Any idea how long these fuses are?'
'Six seconds, maybe? Eight at the most, I'd guess.'
'It's gonna be tight.'
'No way can you throw that far. It's gotta be seventy, eighty yards.'
'I'm not going to. We need to give the dogs their chance.'
He gave each dog a grenade. They bit down, understanding, linked by blood. He pulled both pins, and told them, 'Go!'
'Hope the release doesn't go early,' Yoshi said as he changed magazines.
'Cover them,' Kevin said, and began snapping off shots.
The dogs bolted, like greyhounds out of the box, low to the ground, sand flying up from their paws.
Kevin summoned a doppelganger. It was bloody hard work, with the noise and the fear and the anxiety; his wounded body protesting at being forced to concentrate. The figure appeared, wavering, ghostly, on the ocean side of the plane, and some men turned to it, shouting in surprise, and fired. It vanished, Kevin unable to keep up the illusion. Hot liquid ran from his eyes and nose.
The dogs had spread out, Cherney going in hard and straight, Byely, a little slower, limping slightly, going wide.
A trooper fired from the hip. Cherney sprawled as though she had hit a trip wire, rolled and flopped at the man's feet. An explosion threw the trooper back and knocked another off his feet. The plane rocked as sand and smoke sprayed up. Shrapnel whirred.
Byely jagged around a gunman and ran for the plane. Two soldiers were lifting Danica up to the suit. Byely knocked them down as he leaped for the open door. The man in the suit fell backward out of sight. Danica fought to free herself from her captor's grip as the dog tried to scramble into the plane.
'No,' Kevin shouted. 'That's not what—'
An explosion blinded him. Danica, the dog, the soldiers, vanished in the flame, the roar.
The plane's wing collapsed; the fuselage flickered with flame. The plane edged forward, pivoting on its left side where its landing gear was stuck, the wing digging into the earth. And then the fuel in the plane's wing exploded, and the rest went up.
The troopers still standing were bowled over.
'Let's get in there,' Yoshi said, 'before they recover. I don't want to face those boys in hand to hand.'
He and Kevin ran across, firing at anyone who looked remotely mobile. They decapitated them all.
For a long moment, they caught their breath, swords and guns dangling from their hands.
'Fuck.' Kevin surveyed the wreckage; desperately hoping Danica had survived the blast. 'Fuck!'
'Sorry, pal.' Yoshi squeezed Kevin's shoulder. He rolled a body onto its back. 'So who are these guys, anyway?'
'Gespenstenstaffel?' Kevin suggested. 'Max's stormtroopers.'
The men wore black jumpsuits, combat boots and bulletproof vests. They had eagles embroidered in black on their shoulder tabs. 'Though the ones I've seen have a little GS logo on their collars. Maybe these blokes are something different.'
'Well, they're ex-whatever now, bud. All vamps, though.'
Kevin swore, again, one more hearty 'Fuck'.
'Come on,' Yoshi said. 'There's nothing more to do here. Let's head back.'
They found Bruno, a hunting rifle slung across one shoulder, emerging from the scrub at the base of the dune, and Kala checking their dead. Blake and Mel sat against the camper. It was hard to say who looked the more dazed.
'Where's Danica?' Kala asked.
Kevin turned away from her. 'Gone.'
'Gone where?'
He pointed to the burning wreckage. Was that a piece of dog he saw there? A hindquarter? Bile burned in his throat.
'What happened to the plane?' she asked.
'We blew it up,' Yoshi said.
She slumped to the sand. Then stared at Kevin. 'I hope you're satisfied. I hope your revenge was worth — this.'
Kevin turned his back and stared out to sea as the grief and anger threatened to pull him under. Tears stung his eyes.
Blake stood, wiped sand from his hands, and then slunk across to survey the mess on the beach. There were bodies everywhere.
He grabbed Kevin's arm. 'What about Mel? Who will cure her now?'
'No one, Blake. No one will cure her.'
'No, no, no.' He released his grip, his arms dropping as though made of straw, and he stumbled to the nearest chair still upright and slumped into it, head in his hands. 'They were meant to take us with them. To heal her.'
'You gave us up?' Kevin said.
Blake took his fountain pen apart and placed the ink canister on the table, then took off his boot and slammed the heel on to it. Pieces of metal lay amid the black splatter.
'You gave us up!' Kevin hefted his sword.
Kala seized his wrist. 'Enough!'
'I just wanted to save her,' Blake said
'I might have a way,' Yoshi said.
All eyes turned to him.
'A man in Sydney. A sorcerer, I guess you'd call him.'
'Not that fella Uhgrau you mentioned?' Kevin asked.
'That's the one. He works with blood magic. Different to your bloodhag, but still, he's pretty darn powerful. If anyone can fix her, he can.'
'Why on earth would he—'
'You can't take her!' Blake said. 'I need her.'
Kevin pulled his pistol and shot Blake through the head.
Mel blinked. A fresh trickle of blood dripped from her nose, across her lips, down her chin.
'Jesus, Kevin,' Kala said as she wiped the girl's face.
'He fought 'em off,' Bruno said, cradling his rifle. 'They was gonna finish you all, but he went to town with that rapier of his when they tried to get at the girl. Between him and ol' Winnie here, we kept 'em off youse.'
The sentry from the road ran up, panting and sweaty, as a small boat appeared from the north.
'That's your ride,' Kala told Kevin.
'Shit,' Yoshi said.
'We'll clean this up best we can, take the camper, catch the barge to Inskip.'
'Where will you go?' Kevin asked.
'Do you really expect me to answer that?'
'Don't stay here too long. They'll send someone. Might even be watching the barges.'
'For you. Not us.' She looked at the smear of Edie's blood and brain on the camper. 'Bring me some water, Bruno. Let's see to our people. VS's spin doctors can
handle the rest.'
'At least we've already got a fire lit,' Bruno said.
Kala took in the entire scene of devastation. She nodded once and looked away. But not before Kevin saw the tears brimming so dark and glistening, red on red.
'Kala?' he offered.
'End of the line,' she said, her eyes flaring green as she turned her back on him, tears withdrawn behind that icy glimmer. 'You'd better get started. It's a bit of a trip. Skipper will get you to the mainland okay. I'm sure you'll be able to find your own way back to Brisbane.'
Kevin and Yoshi helped Mel down to the water where the boat had anchored. The tide had started to come in; the boat pointed out into the bay as though eager to leave.
They scrambled aboard.
A shout from the shore: 'Hey!'
Kala ran after them. 'Aren't you forgetting something?'
Kevin and Yoshi looked at each other; shook their heads.
'The bloody poet!'
'He can make his own way back,' Kevin said. 'Or call his VS mates for a lift.'
'He knows me, Kevin.'
'It's your call, but remember this, Kala — VS already knows you. You're no safer than the rest of us. You're just further down the shit list.'
'I'd better keep my head down then, hadn't I?'
'It's not the end of the line,' he said, his voice drowned by the ignition of the twin outboards. 'Not while Mira's alive.'
Skipper pulled up the anchor and hurried back to the console to get them underway. Overhead, the sky was filled with stars. Kevin did not look back.
FORTY-FOUR
They huddled in the boat, aware that there was precious little shelter from the sun should they get caught out. The boat bobbed with the waves as Skipper steered south.
'Where are you taking us?' Kevin asked.
'Over the side if you don't let me concentrate. The Strait is a bitch at the best of times. At night—' She indicated her irritation with a violent shake of her head.
'We'll need a car,' Yoshi said to Kevin. One hand held the side; the other supported Mel's head pillowed on a life jacket beside him. The hull crunched on a wave, showering them with a fine spray of salt water. 'I can drop you in Briz-bane and keep going. I'll have her safe in Sydney in two days tops.'
'Sounds good,' Kevin said. 'Though I'm not sure why you're doing this. Or why this sorcerer of yours would help.'
Yoshi shrugged. 'Uhgrau will cream his pants when he knows that Maximilian did this to her. Who knows what he'll find. A few of Max's secrets might keep my big boss happy; considering.'
They were silent for a time. The smack of water on hull, the whine of the motors marked their progress.
'How long?' Kevin asked Skipper.
'We'll be there well before dawn, don't worry. I'm not all that keen on a dose of wolfbite myself, y'know.'
'Where's there?'
'We're going all the way up the river to Maryborough. It's a small place, quiet, lots of dark hidey holes, and, y'know, there's people.'
'People?' Kevin said.
'I don't know about you,' Yoshi said, 'but I could sure use a snack.'
'Can you drive a boat?' the red-eye asked.
'No.'
'Then eyes front. This trip doesn't come with meals.'
'I couldn't eat anyway,' Yoshi said, his knuckles white on the side of the boat.
'You really don't like boats, do you?' Kevin asked, though he was sure his grip was just as tight.
'Never interested me. I'd go out with friends, sure, but I was more of an indoors kind of guy. If I had to get fresh air, I preferred the mountains. I like ground under my feet. And now, well, the thought of being down there…'
Kevin checked the tie on his life vest.
The only time he'd been on a boat had been a tinnie on the river back home. This was not particularly pleasant. How the red-eye was steering, he had no idea. Islands slid by in the night, little more than shadowy shapes; and there were areas of white froth she said were reefs and sandbanks. She had some kind of GPS — a depth sounder, perhaps — but mostly steered by instinct.
Back in the day — before he'd been liable to shrivel up and die — this might've been fun. But at night it was interminable, and now all he could think about was being tumbled on the seabed, like some old-time diver without a suit, drowning for eternity.
Less than two months ago, he'd been a mechanic working for his dad. Now, well, drowning and gunfights were the least of it. Now, Danica was dead, and it was his fault.
He clenched his jaw and waited to land. He'd rather face another batch of Max's goons than spend any more time out here.
FORTY-FIVE
The name of the woman at the front desk was Cheryl, but everyone called her Amelia. She didn't seem at all happy to see him, which was not the level of customer service he'd expected.
'Phillip Reece. Haven't seen you in, like, forever.' She seemed distracted, as though she'd left the oven on.
'I've been out of town a lot.' In truth, this wasn't really his kind of place. He'd been here on duty rather than to see the escorts; he'd always preferred roll-your-owns.
'I heard that. Travel hasn't been kind to you, huh?'
'It can be wearing. But you do appreciate coming home, don't you?'
'What is it then: business or pleasure?'
'Is there a difference?'
'There is for you.'
'I heard you had a new girl. I'd like a half hour of her time.'
'Got a couple of new faces, Phil. You got a preference?' Her nails tapped on the desk, fumbling at a pen.
'One I want is called Rabbit.'
She shook her head, brow creasing, but he cut her off to save the pantomime. She wasn't very good.
'I'm going through an Alice in Wonderland phase,' he said. 'Just a quick talk, Cheryl. No one needs to know.'
The pen rolled across the desk and she slammed a hand down on it. He could see her, turning over the ramifications. He'd never used her real name before. She still had family.
'I think she's busy.'
'I'll pull up a pew then.' He strode to the waiting room, aware of Cheryl making a phone call, and arrived in the room in time to see Rabbit getting up from the bar, something pink in a martini glass behind her, and the barman setting a phone back on the wall. She wore stilettos and a black negligee, stockings, fingerless gloves to the elbow. Her hair was copper now, but there was no mistaking the silver Viscounts tattoo on her upper arm.
'I've been looking for you, Rabbit,' he said, and she said, with what she probably thought was Lauren Bacall but came across as Paris Hilton, 'Let me guess: all your life?'
'Just most of the night.' He flashed his ID and watched the mask change.
'I know you. I seen you; at the rink.' The puff went out of her, leaving wariness.
'Hey,' the bartender said. He wore just trousers and waistcoat, his arm showing a silver tatt of a broken heart. The Needle's work was everywhere, even here in one of Maximilian's key strongholds. If only those tattoos could talk.
Reece flashed his ID at the bartender. 'Rum, neat.' He gestured Rabbit back to the bar. 'C'mon, finish your drink.'
She settled, eyeing him as she sipped through the straw. His drink arrived, none too gently. 'Now get lost,' Reece said. Rabbit nodded an affirmation and the bartender got busy unstacking a dishwasher at the far end of the bar.
'You've done well for yourself, Rabbit. From streeter moll to Petite Morts, no less.'
'I'm a survivor, Hunter. I do what I have to.'
'I'm sure.' No point in setting her right. She might be less forthcoming if she knew he was just a glorified security guard.
'I realise you're on the clock, so I won't take up much of your time.'
'I've got twenty minutes yet. He's nice. A banker. Plays the international markets. Or something.'
'So how did you come to land on your back, Rabbit?'
She screwed up her face at him. 'After Johnny, um, after Johnny bought it, I was ready for a shift. I bumped into one of
the girls, she said I had the pins for it. I thought, why not?'
He listened to her retro speak, and played along. All those hard-boiled novels were good for something.
'So when you were auditioning your pins, you didn't happen to mention that you knew who sent Johnny after the mechanic, hey?'
She smiled slyly as she swizzled her drink. Crossed her legs. Oh yeah, she had the pins for it. Maybe even the smarts.
'I really don't know what you're talking about,' she said.
'That why the mechanic took you for a drive, the night Johnny bought it? To see if you knew nothin'. What did you tell him?'
'Nothin'. I told him nothin'.'
'I found you, Rabbit. You think the mechanic won't?'
She spilled a little of her drink, the straw flicking out of her fingers.
'Scarlet?' the bartender asked.
'Back off, sport,' Reece told him. He lowered his voice, his face right next to hers. 'What will you pay me to keep your little secret, Scarlet?'
'A dame. Johnny said a dame came to him with a photograph, a time and a place, okay.'
'A "dame"?'
'A woman, okay. A Thorn woman.'
'Marshall?'
'No. This broad was just some go-between. Sky was the limit, if he took the grease monkey's head. That's what she told him.'
'In those words?'
'Huh?'
'I know you still got a bit of the Viscounts' retro lip, there, Rabbit, but it's important. Is that what Johnny told you the go-between said? In those exact words?'
'I don't know. That's just what he told me, all right?'
'And who was she working for?'
'He didn't say.'
'But you suspected. He gave you a hint. "The sky's the limit" he told you.'
She pulled away, then, and the bartender stood up close, saying, 'That's enough'.
Cheryl came in. 'Private Reece, is it? I have someone on the phone for you.'
The bitch had done what she should've done in the first place and checked him out. Oh Cheryl, I thought we were friends.
'Private?' Rabbit said.
He shrugged and started to walk out. 'Some of us land on our back, others on our arse.'
'Do you really think the grease monkey will come back? After everything that's happened?'
The Big Smoke Page 18
