“May I help you?” Marco asked.
Carter pushed Marco into the room and away from the door. Bart crossed the room while looking around then headed for the bathroom. He closed the bathroom door so the women wouldn’t hear their interaction. Detrick shut the main suite door behind him and stood in front of it.
“That was easier than I thought,” Carter announced with a moderately humored smile as he removed a pair of zip ties from his pants pocket.
“Who are you?” Marco demanded.
“I’m sorry,” Carter announced almost pleasantly while smiling. “I’m Carter.” He indicated the man by the closed bathroom door. “That’s Bart.” He then nodded to the man by the door while remaining cheerful. “And that’s Detrick. We work for Vincent Scartelli.”
Marco’s expression suddenly dropped. He vigorously shook his head. “I had nothing to do with his brother’s death,” he insisted.
“Well, that’s for you and Vincent to sort out,” Carter replied while maintaining his jovial demeanor and held up the zip ties. “We’re just the couriers.”
“I feel like I’m missing something,” Marco remarked and eyed the three men.
“You mean like the million-dollar bounty on your head?” Detrick asked while grinning.
“Dead or alive,” Bart teased.
Marco’s expression suddenly dropped as he shot looks at all three men. “You’re kidding, right?”
The three men chuckled.
“I think he finally figured out how much trouble he’s in,” Bart announced with a humored laugh.
“There’s an added bonus of another quarter-million if you’re brought in alive,” Carter informed him. “So we’ll do our best to go that route.”
“Don’t be confusing alive with unblemished,” Bart remarked, finding the comment amusing. “Something for you to keep in mind.”
The electronic door lock hummed behind Detrick, surprising him. Detrick turned while simultaneously reaching for his weapon. The door was suddenly thrown open, knocking the large man across the room. The casino owner and his two large guards charged into the room with steel batons in their hands. Carter and Bart attempted to aim their weapons, but the casino owner’s guards immediately charged for them. Swinging their steel batons, the guards knocked the guns from the mercenaries’ hands. The moment Carter and Bart lost their weapons, they came back swinging, punching the large casino security guards. Detrick was back on his feet and tackled the casino owner across the room and into the armoire containing the television. The runt of a man struck the television, smashing the screen, but he still managed to come back swinging. For a smaller man, he didn’t go down easily. Detrick punched him several times in the gut and then punched him in the face. Carter and Bart had their hands full with the two guards, blocking punches and landing some of their own.
While the casino owner and two guards fought the three mercenaries, Marco saw his opportunity and bolted from the room. He ran into the sixth floor corridor and saw Sims in the hallway several yards from him. Sims panicked and pulled his own baton. Marco didn’t think twice as he charged for Sims, tackling him to the floor. Both men roughly struck the floor with Marco landing on top. Marco punched Sims twice in the face and kneed him in the groin for good measure. He snatched the steel baton from Sims, who now clutched himself in agony. Loud thumping and crashes could be heard coming from the suite down the hall. Marco sprang to his feet, not waiting around to see who was winning, and ran for the stairs.
§
Bogart sat on the sofa within the safe house apartment beneath the dilapidated motel. He appeared bored while flipping through an old girly magazine. Jackie sat on the arm of the chair closest to the bedroom and watched Bogart as if waiting for him to say something. There was no doubt in her mind that he would soon comment. He finally shifted on the sofa, cast the girly magazine aside, and glanced at his sister.
“So now that Scorpio broke up with Rayner,” Bogart announced matter-of-factly, “do you think Zack will be upset if I ask her out?”
Jackie groaned and shook her head. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you that,” she muttered, then shot a glare at her brother. “Any thoughts you’re having about Scorpio, you can put right out of your head.”
“Hey, I’m a pretty decent catch, if I don’t mind saying so myself,” Bogart announced.
“Do you honestly think Zack wants you boinking his daughter?” Jackie asked in turn.
Bogart considered the question, opened his mouth to respond, and then thought better of it. “You’re right; he’d probably kill me for just looking at her.”
“Exactly,” she replied, knowing all too well how Zack would react. “Get it out of your head.”
“But she’s sexy and dangerous,” Bogart pouted while allowing his head to fall back against the sofa. “Now that I know she’s available, I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“Heads up,” Zack announced through Jackie’s ear transmitter. “I have eyes on Marco, and he’s coming in hot.”
Jackie touched her earpiece while perking up and responded in concern. “Anyone chasing him?”
“Not that I can see,” Zack replied from the other end. “I’ll keep watch for any additional company outside. You take him down quietly as we discussed, then be prepared for a fast exit.”
Jackie darted into the bedroom while motioning Bogart to the main entrance. Bogart leaped over the back of the sofa, moved alongside the door, and hid behind it. They’d get the slip on Marco once he was inside the safe house, taking him down without fear of collateral damage.
“Ah, hell,” Zack shouted in something resembling anger through their ear transmitters. “Outside, now!”
Jackie immediately reacted to Zack’s words. She ran from the bedroom toward Bogart and the door. Both ran up the concrete steps. Bogart threw open the basement door, and they bolted outside just in time to witness Nevada tackling Marco to the ground. The two landed roughly and rolled several times. Marco lost his steel baton when they hit the ground. He swung his fist without even looking and punched Nevada in the jaw, momentarily stunning her. Marco sprang to his feet, realizing he’d just hit a woman but then soon noticed Jackie and Bogart running for him. Zack then appeared from the woods where he had been hiding and ran for him as well. Marco panicked and ran back for the casino parking lot. Zack angrily motioned for Jackie to take care of Nevada. Jackie ran for Nevada, who was just now returning to her feet. Zack and Bogart continued their pursuit of Marco, who made it into the distant casino parking lot. When Nevada attempted to bolt past Jackie for the casino, Jackie stepped into her path, cutting her off.
“Marco is my bounty,” Nevada announced with a hiss in her tone.
“No, you let him get away,” Jackie shot back. “Zack and Bogart are going to take him down, and then he’ll be under our protection.”
“Get out of my way,” Nevada snarled while sizing up Jackie. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You can give it your best shot,” Jackie announced, refusing to let her pass.
Nevada threw a fast, hard punch for Jackie’s face. Jackie deflected the blow and the kick that immediately followed. She then swept Nevada’s legs out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground. Although somewhat stunned by the nearly effortless takedown, Nevada swiftly sprang to her feet and again faced Jackie, who wasn’t about to let her pass.
“You may be the better fighter,” Nevada snarled, “but I fight dirty.”
“I train with Zack,” Jackie scoffed, refusing to be intimidated. “I know every dirty move ever invented.”
Jackie and Nevada heard the faint sound of a car’s tires burning out within the casino parking lot. When the two women looked, they saw a black car speed down the road. Nevada cursed and bolted back to the front of the motel for her parked car. She jumped into her car and took off after Marco, despite having a good head start. Jackie cursed under her breath and ran for the woods, not waiting for Zack and Bogart to circle back. Once she reached the other side of
the woods, she ran into the clearing where her helicopter waited. Jackie jumped into the pilot’s seat and prepped the craft. As the helicopter started up, Zack and Bogart could be seen at the woods’ edge. Both men ran for the aircraft and jumped in the back just as she was ready to take-off. Their timing was nearly perfect.
“Go, go!” Zack cried out while shutting the side door with added vigor.
Jackie lifted off, flying the helicopter above the trees and over the casino in the direction the black car had headed. All three noticed the precession of vehicles racing away from the casino, all pursuing Marco.
“We’re not the only interested party,” Zack muttered and shook his head.
“The casino probably uses facial recognition,” Bogart informed them. “I wouldn’t doubt word got out about his location. That was probably why he was running when you spotted him.”
“You were right, Bogart,” Jackie remarked. “He must not have realized he was being hunted.”
“Probably been gambling at the casino the entire night,” Zack informed them while frowning. “How the hell did Nevada intercept?”
“You know that woman?” Bogart asked Zack with some surprise.
“She’s a bounty hunter,” Zack replied. “Former Marine and a black belt in karate.”
“She’s hot,” Bogart remarked, although he possibly meant to say it to himself.
“Well, you can get that thought out of your pants,” Zack informed him with little emotion. “If you look at her the wrong way, she’ll tear you apart. Nevada hates men.” He then considered the comment. “Actually, Nevada hates people in general.”
“So how did she find him?” Bogart then asked and appeared curious.
There was a moment of silence.
Jackie suddenly groaned and cursed under her breath. “The helicopter,” she muttered. “She saw my helicopter at the hotel in Maine when I picked up Zack. If she somehow knew we were looking for Marco, it would have been very easy for her to wait at the airport and keep tabs on my helicopter. She probably saw us disperse from there and knew we were going after Marco.”
“She couldn’t exactly follow us in the helicopter,” Bogart informed her.
Zack sneered and shook his head. “She slapped a tracker on the helicopter,” he snarled. “We’ll need to sweep the bird for bugs the next time we’re on the ground.”
Jackie nodded to the city below. “I see Nevada’s car,” she announced, then looked around. “I don’t see the black car Marco was driving.”
“I saw the plates. It’s the vehicle that’s actually registered to him,” Zack informed her and scanned the area with his binoculars.
“The same car everyone else is looking for,” Bogart remarked and shook his head. “That’s not going to end well for him.”
Zack zeroed in on something and pointed to the left. “On the other side of the city,” he announced. “There’s a black car driving erratically. I think that’s him.”
“Nevada’s going to be right on our ass the entire way,” Jackie announced, then cast a look at Zack in the back. “We’re going to lead her right to him.”
“We don’t have much choice,” Zack remarked while hovering over her shoulder. “Just stay on Marco’s car, but keep far enough away that the rest of the guys looking for him aren’t aware we’re looking for him as well.” He then looked at Bogart in the back with him. “Contact Kirk and Gil. Let them know we have confirmation and are in pursuit of the suspect. With all the company he’s attracted, we’re going to need all hands on deck.”
Chapter 20
Thirty minutes later, Jackie’s helicopter flew overhead far enough away and to the east of the vehicle that they would remain undetected by the fleeing mob boss’s son and stay off Nevada’s radar as well. The black car was now driving at a normal speed so as not to attract additional attention. Marco had managed to elude the precession of vehicles that had been attempting to follow him, which was nothing short of a miracle. With the other interested parties out of the picture, Marco would soon work on the next phase of his escape plan. An alternate hiding location. Within the helicopter, Zack continued to scan a stretch of isolated road far from the small city.
“Well, there’s Nevada,” Zack announced while practically looking behind them. “She’s heading far to the east of Marco but still following us. We’ll be out of her view soon, but she’ll still be able to track us.”
“Can we put enough distance between her and us so we can double back and intercept Marco before she reaches us?” Bogart asked.
“Not at this speed,” Jackie reported. “We don’t want to lose Marco.” She then hesitated and thought of something she hadn’t before. “Although--”
“What is it?” Zack asked while peering over Jackie’s shoulder as she looked at the helicopter’s navigation.
“Well, judging by the direction he’s going, it looks as if Marco is heading for the safe house on the lake,” Jackie remarked, then cast a quick look at Zack’s face directly over her shoulder. “If he stays on this road, he’s going to run right into Ross, Kirk, and Beck.”
“They can intervene,” Bogart announced.
“Might be best to let him reach the safe house,” Zack informed them. “It’s pretty much isolated, which means no collateral damage. It would be better if we let the guys ambush him there.”
Zack climbed up front with Jackie, having to step over the seat to accomplish it, and disrupted her flying due to the tight quarters. The helicopter teetered as a result. Jackie elbowed his hip several times.
“Don’t do that,” she cried out. “You’re going to make me crash!”
Zack ignored Jackie’s concerns, flopped into the co-pilot seat, and snatched the radio from its cradle. “Kirk, you copy?”
“I copy,” Kirk replied.
“Our friend is coming to you,” Zack announced into the radio. “If you double back, you can greet him at the ‘house’. We have our own friend to lose.”
“Copy that,” Kirk responded.
Zack replaced the handset and glanced at Jackie. “Time to lose Nevada. Get ahead of her tracker due east. Once we’re out of range, swing around and head for the lakeside safe house from the north. Nevada will have to take a lot of back roads to catch up to us. Hopefully, Kirk will have Marco by the time we reach them.”
“You’ve got it,” Jackie announced while grinning.
“Nevada’s going to be so pissed,” Zack remarked and seemed almost amused at the thought. He chuckled lowly. “She’s amazingly aggressive when she’s angry. She may even try to kill me.”
Jackie eyed him, finding his joy in that thought rather disturbing. She shook her head, conveying her disapproval. “You need a new hobby.”
“Maybe if you sparred with me more often in our relationship, I wouldn’t feel the need to sneak out and spar with other women,” Zack retorted matter-of-factly.
Jackie cast a glare at Zack, somewhat stunned by the comment. Although he didn’t look at her, she could see the tiny smirk of amusement on his face. Truth be told, Jackie actually enjoyed sparring with Zack, but she was aware that, in his warped mind, he considered it to be a bizarre form of foreplay. She knew how his mind worked. On the plus side, she always had that silver bullet in her arsenal if she ever needed to redirect Zack.
§
Ross, Beck, and Kirk approached the cabin by the lake from the woods in the opposite direction of where they had initially parked the first time so their jeep wouldn’t be spotted by someone heading down the driveway. All three paused just before the clearing and scouted out the area.
“We need to be careful,” Ross informed his men. “We don’t know if the local police will show up for the men we left tied in the cabin.”
“They should have been here by now,” Beck remarked. “I’m guessing they picked up the guys and left already.”
“Or they weren’t here yet,” Kirk announced with some concern. “We don’t need some country cop showing up while we’re staging our little ambush party.
”
“Be on the lookout for friendlies. I’m on point,” Ross announced. “Watch my six.”
Ross headed for the cabin while keeping low. He approached the back door, stood to the side, and waited for Beck and Kirk to join him. Beck remained alongside the cabin while Kirk took a lookout position by the back porch steps. Ross eyed the door and saw the doorjamb had been crudely fixed after their earlier visit. He tried the doorknob. It wasn’t locked. Ross looked back at his men and signaled to them. Both joined him on the porch, taking flanking positions on either side of the door. Ross pushed the door open then moved into the doorway while keeping low and aiming his weapon. The cabin was empty. Ross stepped inside and immediately aimed his gun behind the door. There was no one there either. The cabin's layout allowed him a perfect view of the entire interior except for the bedrooms and bathroom. There were several spots of blood on the floor where they had taken down the first two intruders. All three of the men they had tied were gone, indicating the police must have arrived and removed them already.
As Ross moved across the cabin, Beck followed. Kirk remained just inside the doorway and watched the area outside. Ross and Beck checked the bedroom and bathroom then lowered their weapons.
“All clear,” Ross announced.
Kirk shut the back door and moved to the side, remaining on lookout. “I guess the police were already here,” he remarked.
“Looks that way,” Ross agreed. “Let’s roll out the welcome mat for our friend.”
§
Marco’s black sedan pulled off the back road within the heavily wooded area, turned onto the long driveway leading up to the cabin, and parked in the area where Kirk had earlier parked his jeep. Marco got out of the car carefully hidden within the woods, looked around, and listened for any unusual sounds. The area was peaceful. When he was sure he wasn’t being followed, he rounded the car for the trunk and popped it with the electronic key. He grabbed his bug-out bag from the trunk, shut the lid, and hurried through the woods toward the cabin. He continued along the path in the woods for ten minutes with his bag slung over his shoulder. When he reached the clearing before the cabin, he took a moment to look around and again listen. When nothing moved, and he heard no sounds, he hurried across the clearing for the back door. He unlocked the door, unaware of the crudely fixed doorjamb that had been busted only an hour or so earlier.
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