When she had turned off the bike and removed her helmet, Vivian glared at May Ling, then smiled at Emma.
“I returned from my run and found that you two had left, then I thought you might have come here.”
Emma looked over at May Ling. “I thought you called Vivian and told her where we’d be.”
“I guess I forgot,” May Ling said.
Vivian checked her watch, saw that it was just after eleven a.m., and fought the urge to look around warily. Jack Begley and his people were scheduled to attack Cody and Romeo at noon.
Vivian grinned at May Ling. “We should let the guys get back to work, and anyway, we have a day of shopping ahead of us, yes?”
May Ling’s stare as she looked at Vivian was anything but friendly.
“I just wanted to see Xavier.”
“And you have,” Vivian said. “But I’m sure he has work to do, right, Xavier?”
Cody gave May Ling a soft kiss on the lips.
“Have fun shopping and I’ll be home when you get back. Maybe we’ll go see a movie later, okay?”
“Yes,” May Ling said. “That sounds good.”
Emma and May Ling kissed their men goodbye, then returned to May Ling’s car.
“You hear that?” Romeo asked. “That sounds like one of the alarms is going off again.”
“What alarms?” Vivian asked.
Cody ignored her as he cocked his head to listen, and yes, he could just make out an alarm beeping in the trailer behind him. As Romeo looked along the road for a vehicle’s approach, Cody’s eyes searched the surrounding area. Beyond the wooden tool shed he spotted a man in the trees dressed in camouflage, with a rifle pointed his way.
Cody shouted while bringing out the small gun he carried in his pocket.
“Everybody get down!”
The man with the rifle fired three times, with one of the shots shattering the windshield of May Ling’s car. The girls were seated inside the vehicle, and as Emma screamed, May Ling bled.
116
Jumping The Gun
ROBBIN’S COVE, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY 2004
Rubin Knox let out a grunt of frustration as his first three shots missed his targets. The man with the dark hair had spotted him and shouted a warning to the others.
Knox had volunteered to do a reconnaissance of the area surrounding the jobsite. Jack Begley, Serge, and another nine men would attack the site at noon. Knox had told Begley that they should have an idea what they were walking into before attacking.
Begley hadn’t agreed, that is, until he spotted a car and then a motorcycle pass them and head toward the site. They had parked the two white vans they had on the side of the road in time to see the motorcycle turn onto the gravel road that led to the site. A look ahead showed no vehicles in the distance. Begley assumed that it had also visited the home under construction.
As it had gone by them, they could see that the car contained two young women, but the motorcycle passed by so fast that they failed to determine that the rider had also been a female. Because of the helmet she was wearing, Vivian’s feminine face was obscured as well.
“I should go have a look and see what’s going on,” Knox had told his boss, and Begley had agreed, while issuing an order. “Just observe and then report back here.”
Knox had nodded that he would do as ordered, but he had no intention of letting a golden opportunity slip by him.
With his sniper rifle and scope, he could put down two targets before they realized what was happening. Once he did that, the hundred grand bounty would be all his. It was an opportunity he had thought lost to him when he failed to get access to the location of Xavier Zane and Romeo Slade. He had sneaked into Begley’s office three times and found no email on the computer.
Then, one came in just hours earlier. Knox had expected Begley to sit on the address for a day or two while he planned an attack, but no, Begley was ready to go within hours. Thankfully, Knox was getting a chance to head off alone to do recon.
He intended to turn reconnaissance into two confirmed kills, then convert the kills into cash. When he drew near the trailer, Knox saw Emma and May Ling, but it was Vivian that caught his eye. She knew that they would be attacking today so why would she put herself in the line of fire?
Whatever, Knox thought. At least the girls are distracting the targets. This will be easy as hell.
That assessment changed when the men went on the alert and Knox had to dive for cover. His first three shots had missed the targets and now the men were returning fire.
* * *
Out on the road and sitting in the lead van, Begley pounded the dashboard after hearing the rifle fire.
“Damn you, Knox!”
Sitting beside Begley in the driver’s seat, Serge made a comment.
“Maybe the kid killed them?”
That hope faded when the softer sound of return fire was heard. All Knox had done was alert the targets that they were under attack. Begley was about to head up the driveway when his phone rang. It was Vivian.
* * *
When Knox began firing, Vivian slid off her bike and took cover behind the rear of May Ling’s car. She yanked a phone from her pocket and called Begley.
“Don’t attack. I’m up here at the house.”
“That’s Knox. The fool jumped the gun, but I’ve still got superior numbers. Take cover and we’ll come up there and kill them.”
“No, Begley. Not while I’m here. Besides, you’ve lost the element of surprise.”
“I don’t need surprise. We outnumber them six-to-one.”
“That won’t matter, not with these men. Back off, and we’ll make a new plan.”
“What about Knox? If he’s captured, he’ll talk.”
“I’ll handle Knox,” Vivian said.
* * *
While Romeo returned fire, Cody had rushed to the car to check on May Ling and Emma. Emma was all right, if frightened, but May Ling’s face and blouse were bloody.
“Oh God, were you hit?”
“I was cut by the windshield glass,” May Ling said, while pointing to a laceration at her scalp line.
Cody escorted the girls behind the rear corner of the trailer then crawled beneath it. The trailer was sitting up on blocks and had a foot of space under it.
“What are you doing?” May Ling asked.
“We have weapons and ammo hidden beneath the trailer,” Cody told her.
Romeo joined them and hugged Emma while hissing in sympathy at May Ling’s injury.
“Where’s Vivian?” Emma said. “Oh Lord, where is she?”
Vivian came from around the other side of the car. She had put her phone away after talking to Begley.
“I’m here. What’s happening?”
Cody emerged from beneath the trailer while holding two loaded AR-15’s.
“We’ll explain later,” he said, as he handed May Ling the gun he had taken from his pocket. “Keep down back here, but if you need to, use that gun.”
May Ling kissed him. “Be careful.”
* * *
Begley was still considering joining the fight when he heard the faint but distinctive sound of machine gun fire. While he and his men were armed with AR-15’s of their own, he had been hoping to sneak up on his targets and overwhelm them. Now that Cody and Romeo were alerted to trouble, Begley was sure that he would suffer casualties even if they came out on top, and one of those killed might be him. He decided not to risk it.
“Vivian is right. We’ll attack them another time. With her on the inside we’ll have a second chance.”
Serge looked over at the driveway leading to the construction site as he started the van’s engine.
“Damn that Knox. The kid was probably trying to cut everyone else out and get the reward for himself.”
Begley turned in his seat to look back as the van began moving.
“Knox is on his own now, and it serves him right.”
* * *
Knox avoided getting killed b
y Romeo only because the Citadel guard stumbled over a tree root. Romeo’s rounds passed over Knox’s head and hit the lowest branch on a maple tree. Knox fell to the ground and yelped as his right knee came in contact with a stone. The ground was rocky where he was running, however the trees provided a degree of cover.
A sound coming from his right caused Knox to look that way, and he saw Cody running toward him. Knox dropped to one knee, brought the rifle up to fire, and Cody hit him with three rounds in his chest. The impact of the rounds staggered Knox while sending pain coursing throughout his entire torso. He dropped his rifle, fell backwards, and moaned as he writhed in agony.
Romeo reached him first. He was puzzled by the lack of blood until he spotted the bulletproof vest beneath the holes in Knox’s black T-shirt. Vest or not, Knox was in great pain from the impacts. He was gasping as he tried to recover from the abuse the rounds had dished out.
When Cody stood over him, looking down with the most intense eyes Knox had ever seen, Knox managed to wheeze out a request.
“Don’t kill me.”
* * *
May Ling and Emma looked relieved to see their men in one piece. As for Vivian, she wore a worried expression when she saw that Knox was alive. The boys were leading Knox back with each of them gripping one of the man’s arms.
When the girls began moving toward them, Cody cautioned them to stay where they were, out of sight behind the trailer.
“We’re not sure it’s safe yet.”
After pushing Knox to the ground behind the concealment of Cody’s pickup truck, Romeo went inside the trailer and returned with several extension cords. He bound Knox’s hands behind his back, then his ankles, as Cody kept watch for new attackers. Knox was recovering from the impact of the bullets and was able to take a normal breath again.
“We can make a deal, right guys?”
Vivian stared at Knox. When he met her gaze, she gave a slight shake of her head.
“I can tell you who wants you dead and why?” Knox said.
“Are you working alone?” Cody asked as he searched Knox’s pockets. Knox didn’t answer; he looked worried when Cody found the paper he had folded up in his wallet.
It was a flyer that resembled a wanted poster. It had the sketches of two men on it drawn from the front and in profile.
Jack Begley had hired an artist to draw pictures of Cody and Romeo. Beneath the sketches were words telling of the reward that would be paid for information that led to locating them.
The boys had seen the sketch before. Roy Hutchins had gotten hold of one months earlier. While the men on the flyer resembled the boys, they weren’t perfect likenesses.
Cody showed the flyer to Romeo. “His name is Rubin Knox, and he was carrying this.”
“Begley’s reward, is that what you were after, dude?”
Knox smiled weakly. “That flyer is old; the Citadel is offering fifty grand a piece for you guys now.”
Cody pressed the barrel of his weapon against Knox’s head.
“Are you working alone?”
Knox flicked a glance at Vivian before speaking.
“Yeah, I’m alone. I spotted you guys down in town last week and thought I’d try cashing in.”
“You’re going to cash in all right,” Romeo said.
Cody and Romeo yanked Knox to his feet. As they began dragging him toward the trees on the other side of the trailer, Cody called to May Ling.
“We’ll be back soon. Call out if you see anything.”
May Ling looked frightened. Still, she was gripping the gun Cody had given her and nodded her understanding.
As they entered the trees, Knox figured he was running out of time.
“Whoa, guys, we can still make a deal, right?”
“No deal,” Cody said. “By the time we get done with you, we’ll know everything you know.”
“You don’t need to torture me. Look, I lied, all right? I’m not working alone. There are two vans full of men out on the road ready to roll in here at noon.”
“You’re lying again,” Romeo said, “If you had others with you, why attack us alone?”
Cody stopped walking.
“I want to check it out. I can see the road from that small ridge over there.”
“Go. I’ll keep an eye on Knox,” Romeo said, “but I think it’s obvious he was working alone.”
Cody made it to the ridge in seconds and looked down on the road. The two-lane byway was used predominantly by locals. Other than a pair of cars driving by there was nothing to see. Some distance beyond that, the avenue that bordered the shore was heavy with traffic.
When he returned to Romeo, Cody gripped Knox’s arm again.
“Nothing, he was lying.”
“What?” Knox said, as he realized the cavalry wasn’t coming to save him.
Cody and Romeo were again dragging Knox deeper into the woods when he began to squirm in their grip.
“I wasn’t lying. I came here with eleven other men, and another thing, that girl back there, she—”
A scream echoed through the trees cutting Knox’s words off in mid-stream.
“That’s May Ling,” Cody said. He was off at a sprint an instant later. Before joining him, Romeo gave Knox a rough shove to force him onto the ground. Knox hit hard and released a grunt, as Romeo hurried to catch up to Cody.
117
Freak Accident?
ROBBIN’S COVE, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY 2004
Vivian ducked behind a dense growth of shrubs as she heard Cody and Romeo headed back toward the trailer.
When she was certain they wouldn’t detect her movements, she rushed toward the area where they had left Knox. Vivian found Knox attempting to crawl away, with his ankles and wrists bound tight. When she whispered his name, he froze, then stared at her.
“Cut me free, Vivian, before those two get back.”
Vivian took out a knife as she moved behind Knox. Instead of using the blade to free him, Vivian set it down, then picked up a large stone.
“Hurry,” Knox said.
“Just hold still,” Vivian told him, as she raised the stone high.
* * *
Cody arrived back at the trailer with his rifle leading the way and his eyes scanning for trouble. Emma and May Ling were where he’d left them, but Vivian wasn’t there.
“What’s wrong?” Cody asked, as Romeo followed behind him.
May Ling pointed to her right. “Someone was moving around behind those trees.”
“I’ll check it out,” Romeo said.
As Romeo moved off, Cody asked about Vivian.
“She said she had to use the loo and walked toward those portable toilets on the left over there,” Emma said.
Cody frowned. “She should have come out after hearing May Ling scream.”
May Ling looked off to where the boys had dragged Knox.
“That man, is he… did you…”
“Not yet, but yes, he has to die. The son of a bitch nearly killed you and Emma.”
May Ling released a soft sigh. “I understand, but don’t make him suffer, okay?”
Cody kissed her. “I’m sorry you and Emma have to be involved in this.”
Romeo returned while shaking his head. When he looked at May Ling he smiled.
“There’s no one over there, but I did see a huge deer off in the distance. Could that be what you saw?”
“Maybe, all I glimpsed was movement.”
Vivian came into view as she emerged from the woods behind the portable toilets.
“Where did you get to?” Cody asked.
“I had to, you know, go. I would have used those dunnys, the toilets, but they’re both disgusting, so I went in the woods.”
“You should have stayed close, and didn’t you hear May Ling’s scream?”
“She screamed? Why?”
“A false alarm,” Romeo said.
Vivian crossed her arms over her chest. “Will somebody please tell me what’s going on? Someone shot at us and now y
ou two are running around like bloody commandos.”
“We can answer your questions later,” Cody said. “Right now, I want you ladies to get out of here and head someplace safe, but don’t go home until we call you. Rent hotel rooms for the night.”
Romeo handed his key to Emma. “Take my truck. We’ll have a glass guy come out here and replace the windows in May Ling’s car soon. That round took out the windshield and a side window.”
They kissed their women as Vivian stood by like the fifth wheel she was.
May Ling tried to hand Cody back the small gun he gave her, but he told her to hang onto it.
“Carry it in your purse, just in case.”
* * *
After watching the girls depart in the truck, with Vivian following behind them on her motorcycle, Cody and Romeo returned to the spot where they had dropped Knox. They had been expecting to find that he had squirmed off into the nearby brush in an attempt to hide from them. Instead, Knox was lying on his back right where they had left him.
He was dead.
Romeo knelt down and studied Knox, whose blank eyes were staring up at the sky. After shifting the body, Romeo removed a blood-stained stone that was under Knox’s head.
“Shit, the dude must have slammed his skull against this rock when I shoved him to the ground.”
Cody turned Knox over and studied the wound.
“His skull looks caved-in. Could he have hit the ground that hard?”
Romeo shrugged. “Must be a freak accident. Not that it matters. He was dead either way.”
“I guess,” Cody said. “But I think it’s weird. Someone could have bashed his head in.”
“Could Vivian have done this?” Romeo said. “She was gone while we were checking out what May Ling saw. And Emma told us that Vivian saved her from that carjacker back in London by using martial arts skills.”
Young Guns Box Set Page 52
