Outlaw Derek

by Kay Hooper

  Not real … and almost over.

  “There it is.” Derek raised the binoculars and focused on the unmarked van pulling out of Civatech’s shipping area. He watched it as the vehicle reached the main road and headed east, and Josh, watching him, saw him tense slightly. After a moment, Derek laid aside the binoculars and reached for the walkie-talkie that was beside him on the ground. “That’s ours.”

  “How can you tell?” Zach asked.

  Derek hesitated, then said, “I recognized the driver.” He pressed the send button on the walkie-talkie and spoke softly. “Alexi.”

  “Go,” a voice whispered back.

  “The second truck is yours. Good luck.”

  “Same to you. See you in the want ads.”

  Derek chuckled as he picked up the binoculars and rose to his feet, and as Josh and Zach rose also, the former asked a polite question.

  “Want ads?”

  “Where else would you expect to find two out-of-work spies?” Derek asked reasonably.

  Josh thought that over as they headed back into the woods to join the two women. “Alexi,” he murmured. “Could be a Russian name, I suppose. Possible. And on our side, too. Just making an educated guess based on the fact that he’s wearing a white hat at the moment, I’d say he’s going to be running his ad in U.S. papers.”

  “Good guess,” Derek said.

  Glancing aside at Zach, Josh said dryly, “This guy could give you a contest when it comes to clams.”

  Derek chuckled again. “You didn’t ask me anything.”

  “All right. Is the second out-of-work spy yourself?”

  “That depends on Shannon,” Derek said lightly. “If she gives me my walking papers, I may well join the Foreign Legion. If not, I think I’ll dust off my seat in the boardroom.”

  The other two men might have replied, but they didn’t get the chance. The clearing where the women and a helicopter waited came into view, and they were greeted by Raven’s pained voice.

  “They also serve who only stand and wait.…”

  “Well, why didn’t you warm up the bird?” Josh asked severely, taking her hand and leading her toward it. “That would have been useful.”

  “Because the last time I did,” she reminded him, “you nearly had a heart attack when I took off accidentally.”

  Josh shuddered at the memory. “True.”

  Derek reached out to take Shannon’s hand as they neared the helicopter, looking down at her intently. “All right?” he asked softly.

  She nodded. “Fine.” She really didn’t know how else to answer him.

  Derek squeezed her hand, but said nothing else as they climbed into the helicopter. Josh and Zach conferred via headsets in the front, Josh piloting while his friend navigated, and it took less than an hour for them to reach the spot where they planned to waylay the Civatech truck.

  It was a lonely stretch of road, little traveled, and conveniently full of potholes. Shannon watched in fascination as huge pieces of machinery were brought out of the woods where they’d been secreted this morning. Road signs were set up and various tools placed prominently. Hard hats and yellow vests transformed all five of them into workers.

  “Although,” Zach said, eyeing the women thoughtfully, “I’ve never seen anything like you two on a road gang.”

  “Chauvinist,” Raven accused absently, tucking her long black hair underneath her hard hat.

  “What if a state trooper comes by?” Shannon asked, coping with her own hair.

  “We have all the necessary papers,” Derek told her as he stood back to study their diversion. “That’s got it, I think. We should look busy, but not too busy. We don’t want anybody getting suspicious.” He checked his watch. “We’ve got maybe an hour before the truck gets here.”

  Zach started up the engine of an enormous asphalt rolling machine and, after a philosophical shrug and a “might as well” to the rest, began to work on the road. He obviously knew what he was doing.

  Shannon stood at one end of their “working” area with a sign advising motorists to either stop or slow down, depending on which way she turned the sign. Raven stood at the other end with an identical sign, while the men drove machinery and waved tools and moved busily between.

  Three cars were maneuvered through the partially blocked road before the Civatech truck arrived. And, in the end, it was ridiculously simple. Everyone was keeping an eye out for the truck, so when Shannon stopped it because Zach had the road totally blocked with his machine, Derek and Josh were already moving smoothly to either side of the van.

  Derek opened the driver’s door and pulled the somewhat large man out as if he weighed nothing, while Josh slid behind the wheel and immediately drove the van off the road, where it was hidden by the trees.

  “What the hell—” the driver blustered as his hands were being efficiently cuffed behind his back with regulation police handcuffs.

  “Ever heard of a hijacking?” Derek asked politely, herding the man toward the van.

  The driver went white. “There’s nothing in there. Just a bunch of electronic parts—nothing valuable.”

  “That’s all right.” Derek’s voice was soothing. “We don’t want much.”

  Incredibly, within ten minutes the busy clutter of a road crew was gone. Machinery, tools, and signs were returned to the shelter of the woods, along with hard hats and yellow vests. The protesting driver was ordered to sit on the ground by a tree, watched over by a smiling Raven holding a wicked handgun.

  “Shannon?” Zach was just inside the van, an opened wooden crate pulled to the doorway. “This it?”

  She accepted Derek’s hand as she climbed into the van, absently noting that the opened crate was the third Zach had tried. She looked into the crate, and recognized it instantly. “That’s it. But it’s—”

  “In three pieces,” Zach said with a grunt of satisfaction. “Much easier for me.”

  Derek helped Shannon back down from the van, holding her hand firmly once she was beside him on the ground. “How long will it take, Zach?”

  “Couple of hours. We want to make damned certain this thing could never be called a weapon—right?”

  “Right.”

  “Okay, then. Say two hours. Josh, hand me that tool bag, will you?”

  Derek led Shannon off to the side, until they were out of hearing of the others but still within sight.

  “They won’t know it’s been tampered with?” she asked, needing to say something.

  “No. Not, at least, until they put it together and try to make it work. They’ll know then.”

  “We could just throw the crate away somewhere once Cyrano’s harmless,” she said.

  Derek looked at her steadily. “Keep Moreton from delivering a worthless device to Yaltan, you mean?”

  “Is it really necessary—”

  “You tell me. We could get rid of the device, and Yaltan wouldn’t get his hands on Moreton. Then what? Leave Moreton free to sell the next dangerous toy?”

  “The police—”

  “Yes. The police. We don’t have evidence that would stand up in court. There could have been a mix-up in the shipping orders, just like there could have been a mix-up with the order to destroy Cyrano. Yaltan sure as hell wouldn’t testify, even if anyone would believe him. So we go to the police, and they have a device that doesn’t exist and an upright citizen screaming bloody murder. Maybe the military would step in, but Moreton’s probably got a cover story ready for them just in case. We’d be the ones in jail, Shannon.”

  She drew a deep breath. Choices. Hard choices. “How can you … do things like this?”

  He searched her delicate face intently, realizing that she wasn’t horrified, but bewildered. “Remember what Alexi said? Does the end justify the means—it always comes down to that. I can’t answer that question, honey. It’s a philosophical question: it can be argued in classrooms, and debated as a political platform, and tossed around on a Sunday afternoon because there’s nothing better to do.
But it can’t be answered in the abstract—only the concrete.”

  Touching her cheek gently, he said, “I don’t want this to happen again, do you understand? I want you safe. I want Yaltan mad as hell so he thinks twice before he accepts another shady deal. I want Moreton out of Civatech because one failure won’t make him give up, and I want him punished because this was more than treason. And I want a stake driven through the heart of that electronic monster over there, because it doesn’t belong in a sane world.”

  After a moment, he finished softly, “I do things like this because I can, Shannon. Because this solution makes sense to me. And because I can’t not do it.”

  She looked up at him for a long minute, and then slid her arms around his waist and listened to his heart beat beneath her cheek. It was the first time she had reached out spontaneously to him in the light of day, but she didn’t think about that. She just thought about strong men with old eyes and caring hearts who made tough choices.

  “I’m glad you can’t not do it,” she murmured finally.

  Derek hugged her, and then asked, “How’s the hip?”

  She looked up at him in surprise, and he chuckled softly. “You haven’t been limping.”

  It was true, she realized. With so much to think about, consciousness of her “flaw” had been totally absent. She hadn’t even been aware of it when confronted by Raven’s stylish beauty and easy confidence. “I—I guess I forgot.”

  He held her face in both of his big hands and smiled down at her. “You’re beautiful, Shannon.”

  She wanted to look away, but couldn’t escape the vibrant warmth of those sapphire-flecked dark eyes. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

  His smile faded a little. “For what? For the truth? Don’t thank me for that.”

  “Then how about for saving my life?” she asked unsteadily.

  He hesitated, then said roughly, “You would have saved yourself. You’re a survivor, honey. You may not punch life in the nose, but you keep getting up when you’re knocked down. In case you hadn’t realized, that takes a lot of guts.”

  She wondered if it did, but nodded in a vague acceptance. She glanced aside finally, suddenly very conscious of his hard body so near. So familiar, so needed. “What about him?” she asked, nodding toward their captive.

  “He’s going to escape,” Derek answered after a moment.

  She looked up at him, puzzled. “Escape? But, why? I don’t understand.”

  Derek seemed unusually indecisive for a moment, shaking his head slightly. “I’ll explain later, all right? Why don’t you wait here while I go set the stage?”

  Still puzzled, Shannon sat down and leaned back against a tree when he left her, watching him move across the clearing and speak briefly to Zach and Josh. After a few moments, Josh left them at the van and wandered over to his wife, who was still standing guard over their silent captive. He seemed to be teasing her, because both were smiling. Then he leaned over and kissed her cheek, and Shannon knew the driver didn’t see or hear Josh whisper something to Raven; her face never changed expression.

  Josh wandered back to the van, and the three men became engrossed in the task of defanging Cyrano. After a few minutes, Raven said something to the captive and then crossed the clearing to Shannon. “Hi.”

  “Is this where he escapes?” Shannon murmured, biting back a sudden and unexpected giggle.

  Raven looked solemn. “I expect so. He’s been trying very surreptitiously to work his arms down over his hips. If he managed that, and gets his hands in front of him, at least he can thumb a ride out of here. Minus Cyrano, of course.”

  Shannon resisted the urge to look over toward the man. “Um … why is he going to escape? Doesn’t that give him the chance to call Moreton and spill the beans?”

  Shrugging, Raven said, “It’s Derek’s plan, that’s all I know. But I have a sneaking suspicion that Derek expects the guy to do something else once he gets away.”

  “For instance?”

  “You’ll have to ask Derek. I told you about his tactical genius, remember? Ten to one he’s got this whole damned thing figured out point by point, by the numbers. Whether or not he’ll tell us, however, is another matter. Plays his cards very close to his chest, Derek does.”

  Josh appeared at his wife’s side and draped an arm across her shoulders. “You can get rid of the gat, Bonnie. The pigeon has flown the coop.”

  She gave him a pained look. “That’s terrible.”

  “What? That he’s gone?”

  “No. Your gangsterish language.”

  “Just adding a little color to an otherwise dull afternoon,” he defended himself stoutly.

  Raven looked down at Shannon. “When he’s like this, I can’t do a thing with him.”

  Shannon was laughing in spite of everything.

  Zach had been right on target when he estimated the time it would require to defang Cyrano. In just under two hours, the crate had been nailed shut again and the interior of the Civatech van restored to order.

  After saying to Josh, “Stay out of trouble till I get back in Richmond, all right?” Zach climbed into the van and drove it back out onto the highway, heading for Norfolk.

  “I hate to raise a tricky question,” Josh said to Derek as they moved toward the helicopter, “but how do you know our escaped driver won’t instantly call Moreton?”

  Derek gave him a bland look. “Terrible about the phone lines, isn’t it? Delicate things, susceptible to all kinds of tampering and damage.”

  “Talk about clout,” Josh said a little blankly.

  “Yes, but what about radio?” Raven asked interestedly. “Ship to shore? Or shore to ship?”

  Derek helped Shannon into the helicopter and then paused to light a cigarette. “I don’t think,” he murmured, “they’ll be able to fix their radio equipment until after they sail. The captain won’t like to sail without it, but they have the spare parts aboard, and he has to keep to his schedule. Civatech’s a little rabid about that.”

  There were no more questions until the helicopter was aloft, and then it was Shannon who leaned toward Derek and tried to make herself heard over the roar of the rotors.

  “A fast car—”

  Derek shook his head, and Shannon wasn’t sure of what he said in response. She thought he said, “He won’t go to Moreton,” but there was so much noise … In any case, Derek seemed positive it wouldn’t happen.

  The two couples split up at the small airport where the helicopter had been rented, with Raven and Josh heading for their hotel and Derek and Shannon going back to the house. Derek circled the block once, studying the house as they passed, and must have been reassured enough to pull the car into the garage with no further checks.

  It was early evening by then, and a somewhat strained silence fell between them as they shared the duties of preparing dinner. Shannon knew it was largely her fault; she was tense, a little nervous. For the first time, she felt as if it was nearly over. She was staring her future in the eye and didn’t know what it held for her.

  She needed Derek, and it frightened her. She’d never needed anyone before. Was she growing dependent, too dependent? Was that why she didn’t know how she really felt about him, because of that dependency? She listened to her instincts, and they told her nothing.

  Nothing at all.

  Derek had pushed as hard as he dared. He watched her that evening, and it hurt him to see her anxiety. He wanted to hold her, reassure her, love her. But Shannon had closed up, like a flower, and he couldn’t force her to open without risking untold damage.

  This was something she had to deal with herself, accept or not accept. He couldn’t prove his love, any more than she could create it inside herself if it didn’t already exist. He had done everything he could think of to banish that cracked mirror of hers; the rest was up to her.

  When she slipped away at last to take a shower and get ready for bed, he wasn’t surprised that she didn’t return. She would be in her own room, her
own bed, closing him out. He accepted that, even though it hurt, because he knew she was hurting too.

  He got ready for bed himself, and before midnight darkness and silence had seeped into the house. Derek lay awake, wondering what the morning would bring, some instinct telling him that she would come to him.

  And when she did come, in silence and need, he welcomed her with pleasure.

  And pain.

  NINE

  THERE WASN’T MUCH, after all, that she had to take with her. Not much that was hers. She took only what she wore, slacks and a sweater, running shoes. In the dark silence, she dressed, grateful for the exhaustion that kept Derek sleeping soundly. In some distant part of her she was surprised that her movements didn’t disturb him, as alert and wary as he was, but she knew he had gotten little rest these last days.

  She didn’t pause to look down at him, afraid that if she did, she’d never be able to leave. It was best, she told herself firmly, that she just leave. Leave right now, before he came to realize his feelings for her were based on the situation, the circumstances. Leave now, before he could begin to feel even more responsible for her.

  She slipped out of the house in silence, brushing angrily at hot tears on her cheeks. She walked steadily, instinctively clinging to shadows and gazing around warily. She had no money, but soon found an all-night convenience store where a somewhat tough-looking woman allowed her to use the phone. After that, there was nothing to do but wait.

  Shannon tried not to think. She tried not to feel. It was inevitable, of course, that she do both. During a single hectic, impossibly condensed week of her life, so much had happened that she knew nothing would ever be the same again. She looked at the world in a totally different way now, aware of dangers and deceptions.

  And she looked at herself differently, understanding at last that everyone bore scars, just as Derek had said, and that hers were no worse than anyone else’s. She felt ashamed that her own insecurities had occupied her mind so totally, when so many vital and dangerous decisions and choices were being made by strong and courageous people.

  People like Derek, and Alexi, and Gina. People like Raven and Josh Long, and Zach Steele.