Anna rolled her eyes and held her tongue.
“When do we leave?” I asked.
“No time like the present.” Blondie limped to the side, away from the door. “You’ll be escorted to Domingo’s main hub of operations. From there, you get in, retrieve the package, handle Domingo and any of his men, then get out. Simple as that.
“Weapons?” Anna asked, placing her hands on the sides of her narrow hips.
“Afraid not. You’ll have to improvise. I don’t imagine either of you will have a problem doing so.” Blondie held out his arm toward the open doorway, then nodded at Stocky. “After you.”
Stocky turned and left the room. The guards inside took positions behind Anna and me. They pressed the barrels of their sidearms into the small of our backs, then grabbed our shoulders.
“Happy hunting,” Blondie said. His men ushered us out of the cold, dark room at gunpoint.
Bastard.
We funneled out into the hallway, then slipped past the edge of the door. The rapping of footfalls echoed through the silent, hollow corridor.
Stocky took point, walking with two men ahead of him. The larger brutes flanked us and remained close.
I caught sight of Stocky’s piece holstered on his hip. Anna glanced up at me, then looked to the sidearm. I shook my head, staying the reckless notion.
We passed through a stone archway and up a small flight of stairs. The darkness ceased and gave way to the dull-gray hue of the outside world.
A black Cadillac Escalade sat parked in the drive. The large carport overhead shielded us from the falling ash. The big, expensive SUV idled smoothly and free of any grumbles or faults.
Stocky pointed at the back seat, then moved around the rear of the vehicle to the other side. A hand grabbed my shoulder from behind, stopping me. The large brute pushed past me and opened the door. He stepped to the side, then nodded toward the opening.
I climbed inside the SUV and slid across the cold surface of the rich-leather bench seat, stopping next to the goon already seated. Anna climbed in after me and sat down.
The door slammed closed.
I glanced at the burly looking man next to me. His thick, bushy goatee grew wild with wiry strands of red and black hairs. The bags under his eyes sagged with lack of sleep. Still, he looked alert.
His hands rested in his lap, holding the Sig Sauer P320 in his gloved hand. The barrel trained at my side, finger next to the trigger guard.
The two men in the rear seat behind us shifted. The leather stretched. I glanced over my shoulder at them. Both were dressed in all black-tactical garb and wearing dual filter masks. The shadows cast within the SUV and thick plastic of the masks hid their faces. The black tops of their rifles sat visible just above the back of the seat between their legs.
Stocky settled into the front passenger seat and closed his door. The driver shifted into drive and the doors locked, sealing us inside.
The Escalade whipped around the brick driveway, up the slight incline, and out onto the desolate street. Anna kept her elbows pressed to her sides, the palms of her hands resting on the tops of her thighs. She stared out the window at the ash that fell across the city.
Stocky turned in his seat. He looked at me, then over to Anna. “All right. We’re going to park a block or so away from Domingo’s place. You two will exit the vehicle and make contact. Get the package, wrap up the loose ends, then get your asses back to us pronto. If for any reason things go sideways, we’ll provide cover fire. If you try to deviate from this course, run, or anything else, we’ll kill you on site, then the woman and her kid. Are we clear?”
“Yeah. We’re clear,” I replied.
Anna nodded.
“Good.” Stocky faced forward in his seat, then pointed out the windshield.
The driver flew past a slower moving sedan puttering down the street. He whipped around the vehicle, surged ahead, then pulled in front of the smaller light-blue car. We turned down the next street and continued on through the city.
The tips of my fingers rapped against my knees. My mind drifted to my wife, Janet, and our son, Peter, hoping they’d made it to the cabin and were safe. The goon sitting next to me glanced at my hands, then up to me, giving me a wary stare.
We hooked the corner onto Center St., drove a bit further, then pulled down an alleyway. The driver maneuvered past the few parked cars and trash cans that sat in our way. We crept toward the road ahead, then stopped shy of the blind corner. He shifted into park, then killed the engine.
The rear of the Escalade popped open. The two men sitting in the back turned and exited the vehicle. They closed the door, then took positions near the back driver’s side door.
“Remember. No tricks or funny business. We’ll be watching,” Stocky said, facing forward.
The door cracked open next to Anna. Cold wind rushed the cab. Anna flipped her hood up and over her head. She climbed out of the vehicle. I moved across the seat and got out.
Stocky turned with a scowl, pointing at his eyes, then mine.
I slammed the door, severing his malignant gaze. My reflection in the dark-tinted window looked grim from the bruises and cuts that covered my face. I pulled the hood of my coat over my head, then faced Anna.
The two battle ready men pointed at the street, then shoved their tactical rifles into our backs. They herded us like cattle toward the street.
Anna stopped, turned, then bowed her chest at the larger, armed men. I grabbed her arm and kept her moving.
“Save that for later,” I said, glancing down at her. “We need to focus on how we’re going to approach this Domingo character and not get killed in the process.”
“You let me worry about him.” Anna wrenched her arm from my hand. She kept her attention focused at the end of the alley. “His place is a few blocks up and on the right. He owns the entire building and usually has men on the roof. Not sure he will right now with this mess, though.”
The two escorts slowed and backed off as we approached the corner of the brick building, we walked alongside. Their rifles pressed to their chests, hands fixed near the trigger.
Anna skirted past the corner and out onto the sidewalk without breaking her stride. I followed behind, pausing for a moment to scan over the street in both directions for any threats—a habit I couldn’t break. She didn’t seem as concerned as me and continued on down the walkway.
I shoved my hands into the pockets of the coat and tilted my head forward to block the falling ash. Her stride widened with each second that ticked by. She peered over her shoulder in the direction of the alley, then faced forward.
“You know, we could probably slip away. Find a ride and get the hell out of Salt Lake before they could track us down,” Anna said. “At the end of the day, this isn’t our problem, and I doubt they’d invest the resources to come after us. They have bigger issues at the moment with Domingo and his crew.”
“And screw over Cindy and her son?” I shot back. “We might be their only chance to get out of this. I can’t just cut them loose and bail.”
“They’re going to kill us either way. You do know that, right? Regardless if we manage to get their shit back and kill Domingo, they’ll put a bullet in both our heads without much thought. I don’t give a shit what that blond prick says.”
I nodded in agreement. A crazy, outlandish notion spawned in my head and wouldn’t leave me be. The more I thought about it, the more it took shape and offered a possible way out of our situation.
“So, you’ve got a pretty good relationship with this Domingo character, right?” I asked.
Anna shrugged. “Like I said earlier, it’s not great. We had a falling out on a job I did that went sideways. He’s probably not going to be happy to see me. Why?”
“Well, we don’t have much of a choice. What if we struck a deal with him? Some sort of arrangement that would benefit us both,” I answered, removing my hand from the warmth of the coat’s pocket and waving it around.
“A deal?” Anna
glanced up at me, confused. “What sort of deal? We’re kind of short on any sort of leverage or anything else for that matter. Not sure trying to bargain with the devil without having anything of value is wise. Just dropping in here unannounced is going to be hard to spin, all things considered.”
My hand worked in front of me, fingers moving as I laid out my thought process to Anna. “But we do. McCone and his operation. That’s what we’re offering.”
“Yes, because we certainly have that on lockdown and are able to offer up his territory and business on a silver platter.” Her snide remark and condescending tone grew more cynical the closer we got. She grabbed the edge of the hood and pulled it forward to shield her from the cold and ash. “Our only two options here are cut and run, my choice, or continue on and risk dying whether we succeed or not.”
“Just listen,” I said, ignoring her less than helpful rebuttal. “Domingo hates the McCones and has been trying to find a way to rub them out, right?”
Anna nodded, then pointed at the large brick building on the far side of the road. “His place is right up there. Get to the point fast.”
“We tell Domingo to give us the data, take it back to McCone, and tell them it’s taken care of. Then, Domingo and his crew can show up and hit McCone hard and with everything he has since they’ll think he’s dead. They shouldn’t suspect anything other than that since we’ll have the data and they think we’re in a no-win situation. They’re too full of themselves to think otherwise.”
Anna shook her head. “I think the plane crash, getting tossed around on that yacht, and everything else you’ve been through has messed up your head, Lawson. This is a dangerous game you’re wanting to play.”
“This is our best shot at everyone getting out of this alive,” I replied. “Besides, these aren’t the worst individuals I’ve ever had to deal with. Case in point, the hit men who are hunting me down and well, you.”
“And you think you can convince Domingo to go along with this?” Anna asked, skeptically. “He doesn’t know you at all and will be pissed at me for showing up out of the blue.”
I nudged Anna’s elbow with mine. “That’s why you’re going to sell him on the idea.”
“I’m really not liking you right now.”
“I know.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CORY
Anna stopped at the curb, then peered over to the sprawling building across the street that took up a large chunk of real estate. She skimmed over it, then looked to the roof top.
“He doesn’t have any of his men out patrolling that I can see.” Anna pointed at the front entrance. It had no windows of any kind located on the first or second floor. The others sat dark and void of any lights shining or flickering behind the glass. “I say we make our way around the corner of the building. At the far end, he has a roll-up door and another entrance that I’ve used a number of times.”
“Sounds good to me,” I replied, nodding.
“Hopefully, he won’t shoot us in the face just for showing up.” Anna stepped off the curb and walked across the street.
I followed after her. “Yeah, I’d prefer him not to do that as well.”
We crossed the street and stepped up onto the curb in front of the cream-colored building. Anna bypassed the dark-tinted glass door and continued down the walkway.
“It’s been a bit since I’ve spoken to him. Maybe a year or more,” Anna replied, walking around the corner of the building. “He’s always reached out to me when he’s needed some help on a job. I’ve never just shown up on his doorstep like this, so stay alert. We may not get the chance to pitch him your brilliant scheme considering we’re not on good terms at the moment. This could turn ugly quick.”
“I have confidence in your ability to defuse the situation. After all, you seem more than capable of manipulating people when needed,” I said, eyeing the far end of Domingo’s building.
Anna looked at the dome-shaped security cameras mounted to the exterior. I peered over my shoulder, searching for the threats stalking us from behind.
“All right. Here we go.” Anna cut in front of me, heading for the gunmetal-steel door next to the large roll-up door. I flanked her, keeping a foot or so behind. I scanned over the nearby streets, buildings, and walkways as she pounded her fist against the exterior of the exit.
Anna glanced up at the camera over the doorway, then waited a moment.
“You’re sure he’d have someone close by that could hear that?” I asked, watching for the door to open.
“I don’t know.”
“Is there another way inside we could try?”
Anna hammered the door a bit harder, stepped back, then looked at me. “I know of a few other ways inside, but again, I’d rather not sneak in if we don’t have to. That’ll be a red flag for sure, and it won’t matter what we say because he’ll more than likely kill us.”
A few seconds passed without any response at the door. I grew leery of just standing on the sidewalk, scanning the area around us. I peered down the sidewalk again for McCone’s goons, but didn’t spot their black-tactical garb shuffling in the falling ash. “We need to do something here. Where’s—”
A metal plate inside the door slid back. Blackness loomed beyond the opening. Anna moved away from the door and stood at my side. My muscles tensed, ready for whatever waited for us on the other side.
“We’re here to speak with Domingo,” Anna said, at the dark void.
“Get lost. Now,” the deep, gruff voice said.
Anna stepped closer to the door.
I caught a sliver of a barrel materializing from the gap, pointing at her head. I reached for her arm.
“Tell him Anna is here to speak with him.” Anna pulled the hood of her coat back and moved her arm away from my hand. “I’m not leaving until I speak with him.”
The barrel of the gun retreated into the depths of the building. The steel plate slammed shut.
“Shit. What does that mean?” I asked, shifting my weight between my legs.
“Just hold on.”
The lock to the door clicked, then the door opened. Anna maintained her position near the entrance to the building.
Two armed men emerged from the darkness of the building with masks covering their faces and AKs shouldered. One flanked Anna, training the barrel of the assault rifle at her head while the other closed on me.
“At least they haven’t shot us yet. I consider that a win,” I said, looking at the smaller, heavyset man standing next to me.
“I’m a business associate of Domingo’s,” Anna said, looking at the armed guard near her.
He grabbed a handful of her coat and forced her inside. She didn’t resist.
The barrel of the AK poked my side. The armed guard flanking me shoved my shoulder, pushing me through the doorway.
The overcast sky and falling ash gave way to darkness. Anna stood in the murk with multiple black-clad figures before her. Their flashlights trained at her, then me.
The beams hit our faces, blinding us. I squinted, lifted my hand, then looked away.
The door slammed shut. The shadowy figures lowered the lights toward the floor, but kept their weapons deadlocked on us.
I studied the three men, watching their every move. They stood at the ready with rifles trained at our chests.
The two masked men who brought us inside flanked both Anna and myself. They patted us down, checking for any weapons.
“We’re not armed,” Anna said to the guard running his hand down the length of her leg.
Footfalls echoed through the space, closing in from behind the line of armed guards. My mind worked, formulating some sort of counter offensive if things went sideways. Going for their weapons would be risky, but I felt confident that between us, we could manage without perishing if push came to shove.
“I’m here to speak with Domingo,” Anna said, raising her voice. “Tell him—”
The guard standing near Anna rammed the buttstock of his AK into th
e side of her skull, shutting her up. She stumbled toward me, palming the side of her face, then shook her head. I reached for her arm.
The heavyset guard grabbed a handful of my coat and jerked me back. I turned and punched him in the face. My knuckles hit the dense plastic of his mask, sending him back on his heels. He shook off the blow and trained his AK at my forehead.
“Lawson, stand down, now,” Anna said.
“Stand down?” I asked, perplexed.
“Just do it. It’s fine,” she replied, standing up straight.
I hesitated for a moment, keeping my hands balled into fists and up in front of me. I didn’t like her being assaulted, but she knew these people and must have had some sort of plan.
I backed off the heavyset guard, then stood at ease. He kicked the back of my leg, sending me to the floor. My hands hit the concrete. The muzzle pressed against the back of my skull. I took a knee and raised my hands.
“So, what now?” I asked, staring up at the line of men ready to fire on us.
A taller, shadowy figure moved behind the wall of men, then skirted past them. He clapped his hands, looking at Anna, then over to me. His black jacket was unzipped. I caught a brief glimpse of the heater nestled in the waistband of his slacks.
The tops of his hands had tattoos that vanished under the sleeve of the coat he had on. He stopped, then stood between us with his hands resting on his hips.
“Antonio,” Anna said, giving the smug looking man a single nod.
“Well, if it isn’t Lady Death herself. I didn’t know you were in town.” His hand moved to the grip of his piece.
“Yeah. Not staying long. Just passing through is all,” Anna replied.
Antonio rubbed his nose with his other hand, then pointed at her. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think we’d see you again after that last job you messed up. Boss man made it pretty clear that we were no longer doing business with you.”
Brink of Extinction | Book 2 | Stay Alive Page 20