“One man arrived three hours ago.” Tallfeather pointed toward the Mercedes parked in front of the middle building. “He stayed inside most of the time, but at dark he released dogs.”
Both Joe and Willie had seen the dogs circling the compound between the fences. They were mean and hungry looking but of little consequence to the Indians. Each would be stopped by a well-placed arrow.
All three men melted into the darkness seconds before the sound of an engine could be heard and headlights blazed a trail to the compound gate. A park vehicle pulled up and blew its horn three times. Moments later, the door of the smaller building opened and a man stepped out, striding angrily towards the fence.
Joe stared expressionless. So this was the creature who had taken Sophie’s life and would now obliterate people indiscriminately.
“Yes? What is it?” Myles snapped at the ranger.
“Sorry to disturb you, sir.” The ranger tipped his hat. “Got a wild fire at the north end of the park. All available personnel have been called out. Just wanted to let you know there will be no one here in your sector, probably until morning.”
“Oh. Sorry to hear that.” Myles paused then said belatedly. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Glad to be of service. It’s too far away to be any danger down here.” The ranger tipped his hat again and with a few more pleasantries he drove off.
The Indians watched silently as the madman with the fate of the world in his hands stalked back to his infernal machine.
“I’ve seen enough here.” Joe turned on his heel and he and Willie headed back to their temporary campsite. “Was there no other way to cause a distraction than by destruction?”
“No.” Joe could see that Willie too was troubled by this. “A fire was the only way to ensure that everyone would be up in the northern sector. Our men were careful. We picked land that needed burning. The blaze will be big enough to keep them busy, small enough to do as little damage as possible. After all,” Willie said, “if we fail tonight, then there will be no parkland anyway.”
“You’ve got a point.” Joe nodded grimly. “Let’s get back to camp and see what we’ve found out. Have you set scouts to watch for the bikers?”
“Yes.” Willie nodded. “We’ll stop them further away than the camp. Our men will be the first wave to retain the element of surprise. After that the bikers will roar in and hopefully scare everybody to death.”
Joe ignored Willie’s sarcasm. Really, it was a good plan. The bikes had the maneuverability to go almost anywhere in the woods and once an opening was made in the fence, they could race through even a narrow space. Even more importantly for a bunch of men fighting together who didn’t know each other, it was going to be easy to tell who was who. Anyone who was not wearing war paint or dressed in leather was the enemy. Joe hoped the bikers didn’t arrive too soon. They might be difficult to restrain. On the other hand, Chase had briefed them so perhaps Joe himself was guilty of a little stereotyping. Joe had faith in Chase. If Chase said his guys were okay, then they would be okay. Joe must just keep Willie away from them or all hell would probably break loose in short order.
Sixty-seven
Vroom. With a twist of the throttle, Chase burst out of the lane and roared onto the highway. He cut the corner so close they almost went horizontal. Shanna hung on for dear life. Her long hair whipped around them in a Medusa-like whirl. She tried desperately to keep her bare feet from touching any of the hot metal pipes and she clung to Chase like glue. Irreverently it occurred to her that she would have to shave her head. She would never get a comb through her hair again after this.
Chase reached the highway and straightened out. Shanna had no idea of their speed but they were racing the wind. She knew it had to be well over a hundred miles an hour. She refused to think about oncoming traffic. The bike flew into the night and Shanna’s thoughts flew with it. She prayed that Annie would be all right. She knew who had rescued her now, Chase had told her about Annie before. Instinctively she knew that Annie was desperately in love with Chase.
Ruefully, Shanna thought she was acting just like a woman. Half dead, rescued from unspeakable acts, flying for her life, she was thinking girl thoughts. It must be some kind of traumatic shock reaction. At least she wasn’t screaming and blubbering.
What about Mick O’Shaugnessy? Why had he taken her? Shanna shuddered as she thought of what might have happened. Mick was dead now. They could not ask him about Dominick. Dead. The man was dead. Good grief. There were going to be police and reporters and God knows what else. And who was that other man? What the hell was going on here?
Shanna laid her head on Chase’s back hoping this would keep her hair from lashing her face. She found this protected her from the wind a little and was easier on her eyes. It even soothed the turmoil of her thoughts a little. It was a surreal feeling, this flying into the night. She knew now what it was that the bikers knew. A wild kind of freedom, a oneness with the wind, the feel of the iron machine between her legs like they were melting into one living creature alone with the elements.
There was a noise behind her. Shanna turned her head. Bikers. Lots of them. She tapped Chase on the back. He glanced in his rearview mirror and nodded. Shanna felt the bike kick up another notch. At this speed they were risking certain death, whether from oncoming traffic, a patch of oil in the road, or a critter crossing the road. Shanna shut her eyes and surrendered to the wind.
After a few minutes she could stand it no longer. Shanna risked another peek behind her. One or two of the bikers seemed to be gaining on them. They were more strung out now. She turned back and felt rather than saw the stab of light reaching out to lock them in its glare. A semi, coming fast. There was a curve in the highway. That’s why they hadn't seen the lights before. Chase glanced behind him once.
The bike slowed a little and then suddenly swerved into the path of the oncoming semi. This time Shanna did scream. The semi filled her vision and she knew she would die. Thankfully, her arms had been practically locked around Chase or she would have been thrown and her body was so knotted up she couldn’t otherwise disgrace herself. The semi reacted with screaming brakes. It swerved wildly trying to avoid them and the driver had his hands full trying to keep the truck on the road. He didn’t have time to see the oncoming bikers.
Chase swerved neatly back and flashed past the oncoming truck. Shanna willed her muscles not to let go now. She heard the squealing brakes and sickening grind of crunching metal as the semi plowed into the oncoming bikers, scattering them all over the highway. Chase didn’t pause. He bent low and the two of them raced away to safety.
Later, when they pulled into the club, Chase swung off the bike and strode away without a word. He passed the stranger who was slouching nonchalantly at the bar having a beer with two of the boys. “Be right back. Got to check on Annie first.”
Brian acknowledged with a wave and continued drinking. Shanna saw him watching as she climbed painfully off the bike and hobbled towards the club.
Shanna watched Chase’s retreating back before she returned the other man’s stare. “Who the hell are you?”
Brian bowed slightly. “Brian Cavenaugh at your service ma’am.”
Shanna thought she’d gone mad. Was everyone a cowboy? He seemed to be her only option for getting information at the moment. She would get herself together first and then find out about Annie. “Well Mr. Cavenaugh, I would be grateful for a little help in getting to the ladies room. I could make it by myself but since I sat on the bike, these cuts on my feet are really starting to get painful.
“Of course.” Gallantly, Brian left his post, swept Shanna up on his shoulder fireman’s style and deposited her struggling wrathfully, in front of the ladies room door, much to the delight of the other guys.
Shanna had no energy left to spit fire and brimstone at this latest humiliation. She recovered her feet with as much dignity as she could muster and marched into
the ladies room slamming the door behind her. She hoped it got him on the nose, the prick. She didn’t dare look in the mirror. First things first, she set about cleaning off her feet. God what a sight she must be. Hallelujah. This was some place. There was a shower. There was a god after all.
Ten minutes later, considerably cleaner, Shanna had rummaged in the community closet and come out with an assortment of clothes.
Somewhat revived by being cleaner and relieved that she had no major injuries Shanna ventured forth, determined to find Chase and give him a piece of her mind for just walking away like that, after she found out how Annie was doing. The bar was virtually empty except for that insufferable cowboy. Who the hell was he anyhow? He was obviously not a biker, nor an American come to that. The cowboy smiled disarmingly.
“Much better. Friends? Let me buy you a drink. Please? I really thought it was the best way to get you there with as little pain as possible.”
Really. The man was insufferable. Although he was trying to look as contrite as possible. Shanna had other things to worry about anyway. “Brandy. Straight.” She looked around for signs of Chase.
Brian poured the brandy. “Afraid the barmaid has deserted temporarily. Chase left. They took the young lady over to some doctor’s house. She is in pretty bad shape. Lot of spunk, that one. Hope she makes it. He’ll be back shortly.”
Shanna’s face clouded. For a moment tears threatened. It should have been her, not Annie. She took a long slug of the brandy and waited while it slid down, warming her from the inside out. She remembered the last time she had drunk brandy like that as a child. A schoolgirl accident had turned tragic and her father had made her drink about a half a quart of the stuff. She had been in so much shock she hadn't felt it at all, but she was older now.
“Not much time? Why not and what have you got to do with all this?” Shanna demanded. She sipped the remains of her brandy as Brian filled her in on all that he knew. Apparently Chase had given him instructions to keep an eye on her while he made sure Annie was okay. Shanna thawed a little as she realized that Brian had saved both Annie and Chase. He had told her very little about himself, but with a few astute questions Shanna had a pretty good idea of his role in this whole thing and they acquired a guarded respect for each other.
“So.” Shanna glanced at the clock. “There isn't much time for Chase to get back here and for us to make the rendezvous on time.”
“Us.” Brian lifted his eyebrows. “Afraid not my dear. This is not for the likes of you. Only us men will be going to the lab tonight.”
“Like hell.” Shanna bristled. “Until I met Chase Larsen I led a nice quiet life. Since then I’ve been kidnapped, damn near raped and killed, not to mention lost in a cane field and almost run into a semi at a hundred miles an hour and that’s just for starters. My boss is one of the principal scumbags in this whole shebang. He is responsible for almost killing Annie as much as anyone else and if you think for one minute that you guys are going to leave me out of this free for all, you’ve got another think coming.”
Brian shrugged. “Orders are orders. Chase is right. That is no place for a lady. Don’t you think you’ve had enough excitement for one night?”
Shanna regretted her momentary weakness in asking for help earlier. She looked Brian up and down derisively. “I’ve met some chauvinistic, sexist morons in my time but you take the cake. This is the nineties. Did you just drop in from the last century or something? Are women all kept in the cellar where you come from?”
“Wish that they were” Brian muttered under his breath.
Shanna got the impression that this man would rather face a room full of terrorists armed to the teeth than one riled up woman. She suddenly felt a little sorry for him. A change of tactics was in order here. If she kept this up they would put her under lock and key and another glance at the clock told her there wasn’t much time. She slumped in her chair, the picture of defeat. “Perhaps you are right. I would only get in the way and I have no business holding you guys back. I guess I do hurt a lot more than I thought.” Shanna rubbed her ankle and pouted prettily, sighing, peeking at Brian from under her lowered lashes.
Brian sighed in relief. “That’s the spirit. It’s much better this way. You hold the fort and have bandages and stuff ready for us when we get back eh?”
Shanna ground her teeth while she nodded meekly. “Okay.”
At that moment Chase walked in the door and they both looked up expectantly but they could tell nothing from his face.
Chase nodded at Brian. “You ready? Let’s go.”
“Chase.” Shanna had turned pale, almost afraid to ask. “Annie, how is she?”
Chase shook his head wearily. “Too soon to tell. She absolutely refuses a hospital. It’s touch and go. The doc is the best but even he is praying.”
Shanna dropped her head dejectedly. Annie must make it. There was nothing Shanna could do for her. She was just in the way of everybody. Then she realized that there was. Annie would want to be there. Since she could not, Shanna must go in her place. It was because of her Annie was lying in a bed full of bullets.
“Is the gear loaded?” Chase had already forgotten her.
“Yep.” Brian was already moving.
“Be with you in a moment. I just need to touch base with the boys.” Chase was already on his way to the back room. “Shanna.” Chase turned as an afterthought. “You okay?”
“Sure.” Shanna nodded bravely. “Don’t you worry. You guys just take care.”
Chase gave her a long look and then continued into the back room with Brian on his heels.
Shanna watched them go and then turned her attention to considering which was the best way for her to get to the lab.
Sixty-eight
Dominick slammed the car door and marched towards the door of the lab. He wanted to get this over with. He had other things to do and they would be much more enjoyable than listening to a half-baked mad scientist on his latest tirade. Whatever Myles wanted, he would agree to it and be on his way.
Myles was busily scrawling mathematical notations on his wall-sized blackboard. They looked like an alien language to Dominick. Math had never been his strong suit except when it came to money. If it was dollars and cents, Dominick was first with the answer. He dumped his briefcase unceremoniously on the desk in the middle of Myles scattered paperwork and flipped it open, paying little attention to his surroundings. “Well? What was so all-fired important that I had to drop everything and come running over to wet-nurse you?”
Myles turned at Dominick’s entrance and to Dominick’s surprise, stopped what he was doing and came over until he was standing nose to nose with Dominick. He reached out and slammed the briefcase shut on Dominick’s hand.
Dominick howled in pain. “What the fuck did you do that for, have you lost your mind?”
“You dirty, conniving little prick, did you really think you could get away with it?” Myles spat the words at him through clenched teeth.
Dominick was taken aback. He nursed his bruised hand and backed up a little. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Myles watched him, eyes narrowed. “A one way ticket to Australia with a stop in South Africa is what I’m talking about, you slimy little pissant.”
Dominick thought fast. So. The gig was up. He didn’t know how Myles found out but it didn’t matter much. He had his agenda now and nothing was going to stop him. He had the formula and with Myles’ experimental prototype, he didn’t need the man. The South Africans would be able figure out the rest. Dominick shrugged. “So what?”
Myles closed in punching a finger into Dominick’s chest to accentuate each word. “You have my formula. You were going to sell me out. You little moron. Did you really think you were smart enough to get away with that? You know nothing, you little turd. You are dead. You hear me? Dead.” Myles voice rose until he was shouting in anger.
Dominick was starting
to sweat. Myles had really lost it this time. He even looked a little crazed. “Calm down Myles. You haven’t let me explain.”
Myles had begun pacing. He swung around. “Explain.” He grabbed Dominick by the lapels. “Explain. I have an agenda you cannot comprehend. Nothing will be allowed to interfere with that. You hear me? Nothing. Nobody steals from me.” Myles shoved and Dominick flew backward landing hard in a chair.
Dominick licked his lips. Myles’ spittle had landed on his face but Dominick was too afraid to wipe it away. This was not going according to plan. Perhaps a little bravado was in order. “Is that what you got me here for tonight? You needn’t have wasted your time. I’m in charge of this operation. Not you. I own you, Myles.”
“Not anymore.” Myles had grown strangely calm. “You will not leave here alive tonight. It is over, Dominick. You crossed up one person too many.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We can work this out. There’s so much at stake. Myles, please, let’s not ruin it now.” Now truly afraid, Dominick got up from the chair and started backing towards the door.
Myles raised his arm. It now held a gun pointed at Dominick. Dominick turned and ran. He got the door open and was halfway out when Myles fired. Dominick spun around and half fell against the doorjamb. He sagged there in disbelief. “My god. I’ve been shot. He can't do this to me.” Dominick reached up and felt the blood on the shoulder of his jacket. He stared at it in shock and then at Myles. Myles raised the gun again. Dominick turned and ran.
Sixty-nine
Chase, Joe, Willie and Brian sat cross-legged in the clearing. Introductions had been made, plans updated and they were ready to go. The Indians sat quietly nearby, the bikers further back. “Okay.” Chase started to rise and stopped halfway up. His attention riveted on some new arrivals. “What the hell?”
An Indian entered the clearing dragging with him a struggling but gagged redhead.
“What have you got there, Tallfeather?” Joe jumped up at the intrusion.
“Found her climbing out of the trunk of their Camaro.” Tallfeather pointed at Chase and Brian who looked at each other accusingly.