The woman lying prone in the street had already rolled onto her back, simultaneously removing a FN P90 from beneath the undercarriage of the Mini Cooper. Steel panicked and swung his MP7 toward her.
But the woman sprayed Dima’s men from her back, sending three more to the ground.
The van’s engine roared. Steel glimpsed Zeus driving the van at the half-open front door of the first SUV, while still firing the MCX out his window. Crouching, Steel bolted for the Mini Cooper, firing sideways on the run.
Edwards ran toward the fourth SUV, shooting one of the men there. Matt fell down in front of Steel—Steel couldn’t be sure if Matt was hit or if he tripped. The woman by the Mini Cooper was already up, shoving Val into the back seat of the car. Steel couldn’t figure out how the woman forced Val into the car so fast when Val had a gun. And why would Val leave Matt without putting up a fight?
Men were getting out on the far side of the SUVs. To protect Matt, Steel knelt next to him and sprayed along the SUVs with the MP7. A blood stain on Matt’s sweatpants over his right calf was expanding. Matt’s eyes were closed and he was mumbling something. Steel wondered if he had a second bullet in him.
Angel’s rifle continued to strafe the SUVs.
His ears ringing, Steel dragged Matt down the low shoulder to get some cover. He glanced up. Across from him was the fourth SUV. In the back seat sat the stocky sniper he had spotted on SweetRide. Dima. Had to be. He was leaning over the back of a bent-over young woman—Edwards’ niece—aiming a rifle at Steel. Steel knew he was staring at death.
Edwards jumped between them, aiming his Glock at Dima—Dima fired. Edwards’ niece cried out as Edwards staggered and fell to his back.
Steel grabbed Matt’s arm and dragged him sideways toward the Mini Cooper, out of Dima’s view, while Angel’s MK18 continued to punch into the SUVs.
Steel threw himself into the depression off the shoulder beside Matt.
The Mini Cooper’s engine roared. The woman gunned the vehicle in reverse. On his side, Steel aimed his gun but didn’t fire as the Mini Cooper did a reverse one-eighty, immediately racing away to the east. Val sat in the back seat, staring at Steel through the rear window.
Zeus veered across the road, stopping the van so it shielded Steel from enemy fire, while spraying his MCX at Dima’s men. Steel jumped up, picked up Matt, and threw him into the van’s open side door onto the rear bench seat. He jumped in as the van accelerated forward. Working fast, Steel positioned Matt upright, buckling him in. Groaning, the young man still hung onto the computer satchel.
Steel scanned Matt. Only one bullet wound—his right calf—and blood on his forehead from the fall. Taking off his outer shirt, he snapped, “Follow the Mini Cooper!”
“Is Matt okay, sir?” Zeus gunned the van.
“Minor wounds,” replied Steel. He wrapped and tied his shirt around Matt’s calf wound. Then he scrambled into the front seat, studying the side-view mirror.
The SUV coming from the west blew through the intersection behind them, while the SUV from the north made a sharp turn, tires screeching, also in pursuit. Two of the parked SUVs made U-turns in the road to follow them.
Steel heard Angel’s MK18 still firing. Angel was on his own. He doubted they were going to make the rendezvous with him.
CHAPTER 22
Lucian instructed his driver to back their vehicle right up to the front bumper of Dima’s SUV. Then Lucian got out on the north side so the sniper in the marsh couldn’t target him. He strode to Dima, who was lying near the rear bumper of his SUV. Edwards’ niece was crying, huddled on the ground between two of Dima’s men.
Dima had his sniper rifle in hand, an SVDM rifle with a detachable bipod and a quick-detachable suppressor. Dima took the rifle with him everywhere. From a few past hunting trips together in Europe, Lucian knew Dima was quite good with it.
Dima fired a shot.
Lucian stared south, but he couldn’t see a target. “You’re going hunting?” He liked that idea.
Dima kept his eye glued to his scope. “He’s out there. I’ll find him and kill him.”
Lucian smiled. “Do you want help?”
“Yes. Drive down the south road and see if we can flush him out. He’s three hundred yards south, but maybe only fifty yards east of the south road.” Dima adjusted his scope. “Since Edwards blew the hand-off, you can sell Therese and we’ll split the money. When your men get the others and the flash drive, find the identity of the woman in the Mini Cooper. Maybe she was on Steel’s team, but she left him in the street.”
Lucian raised his eyebrows. “A mystery.”
Dima sighted through his scope. “Your people will clean up this mess?”
“Everything will be gone before the police arrive.” Lucian grabbed Therese’s arm beneath her shoulder and hoisted her to her feet. “Steel won’t get away. We’re in pursuit.”
Dima adjusted his scope. “If it’s possible, I want Steel alive. He’s another loose end.”
Lucian smiled. “Of course, if possible.”
The young woman continued crying as Lucian dragged her back to his SUV and shoved her into the back seat, where she immediately hunched over her knees.
Lucian sat beside her, speaking to his driver. “Turn south at the intersection. Drive three hundred yards and stop. And find out where the others are.”
His driver obeyed, talking into his coms to the SUV drivers in pursuit of Steel.
Gently pushing the young woman upright, Lucian kept his voice friendly. “Therese, your surrogate father is dead, but your real mother is alive. I think you might be seeing her sooner than you think, so take heart.”
Therese stared at him, uncertainty and distrust obvious in her reddened eyes.
Lucian smiled. “I hope you’re very close to your mother. I want her to share in your coming adventures around the world.”
ANGEL WATCHED THE REMAINING two SUVs. Steel was gone, and there was little else he could do now except save himself. But he wanted to put a bullet into Dima’s head. He had heard Edwards say Dima had his niece in the last SUV. Still, it was time to go. What motivated him now was returning to his beloved Jasmine and Renata.
He wore a black hood over his face and a dark green pullover, green camo pants, and hiking boots. When he had arrived he had rolled back and forth in the muck to complete the outfit. It smelled, but he didn’t mind joining himself with the rich soil.
He was about to make a run for it, when he spotted the sniper behind the last SUV. Had to be Dima—Steel had talked about the sniper on the Bahamas’ mission. That caused him to stay put. He doubted Dima saw him, even with a scoped rifle. He was too well hidden behind brush, which also covered him. Yet Dima would know his approximate location, and he would target the brush as a likely hiding spot. Thus Dima could shoot him without ever really seeing him. And Angel didn’t have a good enough view of Dima to return fire without moving.
He decided on patience and waited it out. A shot was fired. The bullet flicked up soil a foot from his head. On Angel’s right side, only two feet away, stood a large cypress tree. He had planned it that way.
The next shot came within inches of his head. Worse, the other SUV turned south and raced down the road just west of him. In seconds they would have him in a crossfire.
Furiously wiggling backward out of the brush, he rolled once to his right, and rose, the cypress tree now between him and Dima. Walking backward, he kept the MK rifle vertical in front of him so it wouldn’t be seen sticking out past the width of the tree. When he was thirty feet behind the tree, another shot rang out, biting the bark of a smaller tree to his left. Adjusting his angle, he continued to walk backward.
The SUV on the road west of him had stopped, almost even with him. Someone got out on the far side. Hoisting the MK18, Angel fired a burst at the back end of the SUV, keeping whoever was there hiding behind the vehicle. Immediately he fired a burst at Dima’s position too. Then he ran southeast to get farther away from both shooters.
; When he reached the next large cypress, he jumped behind it. A burst came from an MP5; a slug hit the tree trunk’s west side as he slid around it. The MP5 kept firing in bursts. To avoid it, he had to hide on the east side of the tree, which put him in more jeopardy from Dima.
He crouched behind the tall roots of the tree as another shot from Dima hit the tree.
Feeling a sting, he noticed a trickle of blood rolling off his right hand. His right forearm was nicked. Either caused by a splinter from the bullet hitting the tree, or the bullet itself. He looked closer. His vest had a hole in the side. An inch inward and he might have lost his spleen, and his life. He took a deep breath.
When the MP5 quieted, he raised the MK18 and slid around the backside of the trunk until the SUV on the south road came into view. He fired another burst, forcing the man there to slide out of sight. Switching sides behind the tree, he fired one shot at Dima’s position, forcing the stocky man to retreat behind his SUV too. Then he ran southeast again for the next large cypress. Fifty yards away. He varied his direction in short bursts, running as fluidly as he could, his hiking boots kicking up mud on every stride.
A shot rang out, hitting the ground ahead of him. Startled, he kept varying his direction in short bursts until he reached the tree, where he stood quietly, pressed against it, waiting. When he peered to the west, the SUV on the south road was hidden by trees. Dima’s SUV was also out of view. Perhaps his attackers had given up and left. They wouldn’t come after him on foot in the mud. Suicide. They would be too exposed.
He ran west at an even pace then, his thoughts scattered. He wondered how in the past he had always remained so nonchalant all the time, no matter what the danger. Walking alone onto cartel estates with twenty guards and not caring about death had been his norm. But he had been half-dead back then, with only Renata to keep him alive. Now his whole life mattered to him. Jasmine, Renata, enjoying the beach, nature, and even helping illegals was something he valued. He had much more to live for, and he didn’t want to lose any of it. He was also much more aware that one bullet could take it all away. He had seen Harry’s bullet wound—Harry could just as easily have died.
It made him wonder even more how Steel could work with friends and his fiancé with so much danger aimed at them. But when he recalled his past life, Renata had been in just as much danger for many years due to his work with the cartels.
In a half-mile the elevation was lower and the muddy terrain was covered with several inches of water. His boots splashed into it, soaking his legs. He didn’t mind.
He burst onto a wide path covered by four inches of water. A swamp buggy with oversized tires was parked there, facing south. Jumping into the driver’s seat, he dug out the key, started it, and powered down the trail. The swamp buggy was originally planned as the first rendezvous if things fell apart. But there was no way Steel or Zeus could get here now.
He had miles to go to reach the second backup rendezvous with Steel and Zeus, where his Chevy SS was parked. It was in the opposite direction, to the northwest. He doubted Steel would make that rendezvous either. He wouldn’t wait long.
The only major question on his mind was the woman lying in the street. Very skilled. Very dangerous. And she had Val. The woman had to be an enemy of Dima’s; she hadn’t shot at Steel. Curious. Maybe she was part of Steel’s team, and Steel had kept that from him. That made him wonder if he could truly trust Steel.
It made him suddenly regret allowing Steel and his friends to see his old man disguise, and showing them his medical contacts, his boat, and his safe house—all links to him that could jeopardize everything.
With an unidentified leak in the CIA, everything was more risky, more dangerous. The whole setup today had been a disaster. Not Steel’s fault. The man had somehow survived—Steel had much the same skill set and spontaneity that he had. But still.
Maybe it was time to get out. Let Steel figure things out.
CHAPTER 23
Steel watched the Mini Cooper racing a quarter-mile ahead of them. Zeus had the souped-up van floored; they were gaining on the small car. Zeus also had his SIG MCX on his lap, pointed at his door.
Steel’s phone rang and he answered it on speaker.
Val. Crying. Her voice wobbled. “Is Matt okay?”
“He’s alright, Val.” Glancing behind them, Steel noted that the four SUVs were gaining on them. Escape wouldn’t be easy. He had studied maps of the area and many of the side roads led to dead-ends or loops with one way in and out.
Val sniffled. “You won’t leave Matt. You’ll take care of him, won’t you?”
Steel wondered what was going on with Val and the woman. “He’s with us now. He’s safe, Val. Who’s the woman?”
Silence, and then a woman spoke. “You’re doing a poor job of protecting your assets, Mr. Steel.”
Steel recognized a British accent, with something else mixed in. Maybe Russian. “Who are you?” he snapped.
“Do your job and perhaps I’ll tell you sometime.” The line went dead.
Frustrated, Steel crawled into the back of the van, his MP7 in hand. He opened one of the back doors, firing immediately at the driver of the closest SUV. The SUV’s windshield was made of layered ballistic glass, but repetitive bullets would punch through if firing dead on. However the driver swerved the SUV to the opposing traffic lane. A shooter was leaning out the front passenger window of the SUV behind it. Steel plastered himself against the side of the van while firing at the man, and saw him take a hit.
“Mr. Steel, it’s going to get rough!” shouted Zeus. “You might want to strap yourself in, sir!”
Shutting the rear door, Steel scrambled back to the front and put on his seat belt. “You really don’t have to call me mister.”
Zeus gave an off-kilter smile. “I kind of like it.”
Steel stared at him. In the side-view mirror he saw an SUV accelerating alongside them on the shoulder. “Zeus!” he shouted.
“They’re coming on both sides! Hang on! Get ready, sir!” Zeus tapped the brakes, and the SUV behind them rammed into them.
Jolted forward, Steel had his gun up as the driver of the SUV to the right suddenly came into view—Steel shot the driver, who slumped over the wheel. The SUV flew off the road, plowing through small trees until it rammed into a big one.
Zeus had his gun ready on the other side, but the SUV there accelerated past their van, quickly gaining on the Mini Cooper.
An SUV rammed them from behind again, while another SUV roared up on Zeus’ side, firing at them.
Swerving the van to the left, Zeus tried to sideswipe the SUV, but it dropped back behind them.
Ahead, the Mini Cooper made a sharp left onto a narrow road, sending up a trail of mud as it flew down it.
“There’s an eastern loop ahead.” Steel thought it was a smart decision by the woman. It would have been his choice. “There’s a north exit too.”
The SUV ahead of them followed the Mini Cooper. Zeus made a careening turn behind it, followed by the two SUVs. Swerving the van left and right, Zeus was able to block the two SUVs from passing them in the turn. Bullets punched into the van’s sides and rear doors.
The road quickly narrowed, barely more than one lane in width, with more trees and brush along the sides. Several inches of water covered the ground off the road. Steel liked what he saw—the SUVs wouldn’t be able to pass them here.
In a mile the Mini Cooper took a sharp right, sliding through the turn and then accelerating. Steel thought the woman could drive. He stuck his MP7 out the window as the SUV following the Mini Cooper tilted in the turn. Steel aimed for the front passenger wheel and fired. MP7 staccato filled his ears, and the front tire of the SUV went flat. The vehicle tilted farther, and then fell over onto its side, sliding off the road and into the mud.
“Good shooting, sir!” cried Zeus.
“Go straight!” yelled Steel.
“Yes, sir!” Zeus floored the van straight ahead.
In the side-view mirror,
Steel watched the first SUV behind them make the turn, following the Mini Cooper, while the second one chased them. “Let’s stop the SUV behind us. Front tires.”
“I was thinking the same thing, sir.” Zeus slammed on the brakes, and the SUV crashed into them from behind.
Recovering from the jolt, Steel was out of his seat and onto the road, striding forward while firing at the SUV’s passenger door to keep anyone inside. Then he shot out the front passenger tire. Zeus’ MCX barked from the opposite side of the van.
The SUV rapidly backed up fifty yards from them, both of its front tires flat.
“Let’s go!’ Steel ran back to the front seat.
Zeus was already in the driver’s seat, gunning the van forward. Something grated on one of the van’s rear tires.
Steel grimaced. “What’s that?”
“The rear fender is bent against the tire, sir.” Zeus gripped the steering wheel. “We won’t get far.”
Steel checked the side-view mirror. The SUV behind them was trying to move forward, but its rims were bogged down in mud. It wasn’t going anywhere.
“Plan, sir?” Zeus eyed the road.
Steel was amazed the kid still sounded calm. “If we can make it another half-mile, we can stop the last SUV.”
Zeus hunched over the steering wheel. “You’re sure the woman is on our side?”
“I think she’s on Val’s side.” That gave Steel ideas, but he couldn’t prove it yet. He would ask Val when he got a chance.
Zeus cleared his throat. “For the record, you did a great job planning the hand-off. It wasn’t your fault, sir.”
Steel wasn’t sure he agreed. In fifty yards the mud slowed them more. The rear passenger tire felt flat. They would be riding on a rim soon. Ahead, the end of the eastern road loop was visible. Through the trees, Steel saw the Mini Cooper racing toward their road, still chased by the SUV.
Matt groaned. Steel glanced at him. The young man still had his eyes closed and wasn’t moving. For the best.
Steel Trap: A Jack Steel Action Mystery Thriller, Book 4 Page 14
