by Tanya Stowe
“There’s a sharp little tooth in there. It finally broke through.” She dropped back down on the couch. “Maybe now she’ll rest.”
Back in her arms, Keri latched on to the bottle with both hands and began to drink. Apparently, this bout with her first tooth was finally over. But it was the least of their problems.
Clamping on the fear tearing at her insides, Sassa shook her head. “We’ve tried and tried and still have no idea where Sam hid the formula.”
Jared moved to sit on the stone hearth across from her and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Let’s start from the beginning. Maybe we missed something earlier...some detail that will make sense now that we have hindsight.”
She shrugged. “All right. How far back should we go?”
“Start with the months before the conference. What do you remember?”
Keri settled deeper into her arms. Sassa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Sam was spending long hours at home. I picked up more and more of his daily duties at the lab. June was home, too. Sam told me she’d taken a sabbatical from all her volunteer duties. I just thought they were spending much-needed time together.”
“June knew he was working on the formula. I think she even might have been assisting him.”
“Do you think the Black Knights kidnapped her because they thought she could give it to them?”
“Even if she didn’t know the formula, they could still use her to get to Sam. Either way, it was a win/win move for them.”
Memories flitted through Sassa and realization filtered through her. “Sam put off answering the conference organizers for months and then...” She paused. “He answered them by phone. Not email. I think he was trying to keep the information from the Black Knights. He knew they had hacked our server.”
Jared nodded. “Yes, we advised him to keep off the internet as much as possible. But once he confirmed his appearance, the conference folks posted his name on all the public forums.”
“That gave the Black Knights months to plan their attack.”
Jared scooted to the edge of the hearth, so close their knees almost touched. “But Sam didn’t discover the exact formula for the pathogen until just before he left for the conference. He even talked about cancelling his appearance to keep at his research. But we needed everything to appear normal. We advised him that such a dramatic change in plans might alert the Black Knights. So he kept up appearances. Then the day before you left for China, he discovered the formula. He refused to use the internet to send it to us. We planned to make the exchange with the man assigned to watch over you, but then Sam refused to make contact.”
“The Black Knights told him they had June.”
Jared gave a nod of assent. “It was all downhill from there. You and Sam were already in China, a foreign country. We couldn’t pull you back without causing a stir. We didn’t know if the Black Knights knew about our involvement and we were trying not to alert them. Our efforts were so convoluted and no use at all.”
He sighed heavily. “Let’s go back to the day you left for China. Did Sam do anything unusual?”
“No. Everything was normal. He followed his usual routine that morning. I even picked him up early enough to stop by the cemetery before we left.”
“Wait...you took Sam to the cemetery the day you left?”
“Yes. He visited Christopher’s grave every day. Why?”
“Christopher Kruger’s headstone bothered me. Did something about it strike you as strange?”
“Only that it was big,” she said with a shrug. “Sam was usually so modest and low-key. That huge headstone wasn’t his usual style.”
“Nothing else?”
Sassa was silent for a moment before surprise filtered through. “The square stones. They’re just like the ones on Sam’s safe.”
Jared nodded. “That’s the first thing that struck me. You know how deliberate and meticulous Sam was. I can’t help feeling there is some significance in that single line of colored squares. Tell me what Sam did at the cemetery.”
“Nothing unusual. I stayed in the car to give him privacy. As far as I could see, he just bowed his head and prayed.”
“Did he touch the headstone?”
Sassa tried to visualize that morning in the cemetery and saw the scene clearly. Energy surged through her. “Sam leaned over, placed one hand on top of the gravestone and bowed his head. His raincoat fell open and draped over the side, concealing one hand. He could have touched the stones and I wouldn’t have seen it. No one would have seen it. But why would he be so secretive? It was just the two of us.”
“There were security cameras in the cemetery. They were having trouble with vandals. Sam knew that and knew he was probably being taped. He wanted to hide his actions.”
He paused. “He special-ordered that headstone, Sassa. He could have had a small safe built into it. The headstone is big enough to hold a container.”
Realization swept over her like a cold bath. “He wouldn’t have needed much space, just room for a thumb drive.”
Jared gently gripped her wrist. “And the numbers on the bracelet are the code to open the safe.” He twisted the bracelet, careful not to wake an already sleeping Keri.
Sassa stared at the numbers engraved on the plate. When she spoke, her words came out in a whisper. She was afraid to say them out loud. “You were right all along, Jared. It all fits perfectly. Sam was purposeful. He gave me the bracelet so we’d connect the numbers to the safe in his house and the gravestone.”
Jared rose and headed to the side table where he’d placed his phone. “We need to alert Kopack to see if he can get a copy of the cemetery’s security video. We can see exactly what Sam did that day.
He picked up the cell and made a frustrated sound. “I have a message from him. We must have missed it when Keri was fussing. They’ve traced one of the Black Knights’ vehicles to a location. Kopack and the DEA team are staging another raid.”
“What do you mean ‘another raid’? Where was the first one?”
He stared off into the distance.
“Jared, what’s going on? What are you not telling me?”
He turned and the look in his eyes frightened her.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Heiser’s dead, but they’re still using his tactic. Distract and attack. Like you said, Chekhov’s been one step ahead of us. By now he must know that we traced his vehicles to the building where the weapons were hidden. The raid was so big, it’s probably all over the news. Chekhov has to know we traced the other truck, too. He probably knows Kopack has a lead on his next location and is on his way.” He paused. It appeared his thoughts were churning.
“If Chekhov follows his usual pattern, he’ll leave them there, sacrifice his people and use them as decoys. Our forces will be spread out and divided. That will make your location vulnerable.”
Suddenly, he lunged toward her. “We have to get out of here. The Black Knights are coming for you.”
Sassa’s blood pounded through her temples. Jared ran across the room and picked up the radio.
“Lucero? Come in, Lucero. We’ve got to get Sassa out of here.”
The radio crackled. “I just got a report of activity on the—”
The radio went silent. All the lights in the house flashed then went dark. The only sound was the refrigerator cycling down as the power went off completely.
Flickering fire from the fireplace lit Jared’s features as he stared at her across the room. Sassa gripped Keri and stood.
“Jared...” Her whispered word died as muffled shots sliced the air.
* * *
Jared dared not look at Sassa. If he did, the fear he knew he’d see in her gaze would paralyze him. Right now, he needed to focus, to figure out their next move.
He’d seen the empty container for an EMP at the we
apons location. Chekhov had it in his possession and had used it to knock out all their electronics, including the radios and cell phones. Had the agents been able to get word to Kopack before the power loss? Was help on the way? Could they hold on until they arrived?
His mind went over the rooms in the house. Every one of them had large, old-fashioned windows. No room would be safe. Even the bathrooms had large, frosted windows. No place in the house would provide protection from flying bullets.
It was a house made for pleasure, not this kind of madness. Anger surged through him. Chekhov had brought this horror to a place meant for love and family. Jared had to find a safe place for Sassa and Keri...but it didn’t look like that was here.
“Do you have a backpack or a baby carrier for Keri?”
“Yes, a front carrier.”
“Do you have a flashlight?”
“In the kitchen drawer.”
She followed him into the kitchen, where he grabbed it out of the drawer, turned it on, took Keri from her arms and handed over the light. “Get the carrier, a jacket for yourself and a blanket for Keri.” She nodded, spun and ran into the dark, the flashlight’s white beam lighting her way through the pitch-dark hall.
By the glow of the fire, Jared took out the cartridge of bullets he’d hidden in the kitchen cabinet. He stuffed the solid cartridge into his pocket.
Sassa returned with her hands full. She set cotton balls and tiny earmuffs on the counter before turning Keri gently in his arms.
“Two days of wakefulness is making her sleep soundly. I’m hoping these will keep her that way.” She pulled the cotton balls apart and stuffed the tiny pieces into the baby’s ears then placed the muffs over her head. She leaned into Jared and slid the carrier over the baby’s feet and up her little body. Jared helped as much as he could. They both held their breath as Keri slipped down into the sturdy carrier with a bump. The movement didn’t wake the baby. With a sigh of relief, Sassa slipped a black sweatshirt over her head, lifted the carrier from his arms and belted the straps around her waist.
“We’re ready.”
A knock at the door facing the river made them both jump. Jared pulled out his gun and stepped between Sassa and the sliding glass of the portal. Agent Lucero’s sturdy frame filled the window. He gestured them forward. Jared hurried to slide it open. Sassa followed close behind.
Even by the dim firelight, Jared could see the mask of worry on the agent’s face. His breath came in short puffs from running. “They had some kind of EMP. Everything’s dead. The radios...the cars. I got a message out to Kopack before the firing started but...”
Another muffled shot, closer than the others, echoed off to their right. The tall shadows of the eucalyptus trees darkened the area to an impenetrable black blanket.
“They’re using silencers,” Lucero said without taking his gaze off the trees. “I can’t tell how many of the Black Knights are out there. The fog is muffling the sound and confusing the directions, but the gunshots are getting closer. It sounds like they’re mowing my men down like grass.”
“We can’t hold out here. No room is secure.”
The agent nodded. “I know. I scouted the house before you arrived.”
Sassa grabbed Jared’s arm. “We have a boat tied up down at the dock.”
Jared shook his head. “The EMP would take out its engine, too.”
“We can use the current. There’s a bridge about a mile down. We can float to the bridge then climb the bank to the road and flag down help.”
Lucero nodded. “Let’s go.”
Jared pulled Sassa along with him. They hurried outside and he led her down the grassy lawn. Cool mist swept over them and swirled around their feet. The fog muffled their footsteps but cold moisture pierced the mesh of Jared’s running shoes, sending shudders up his back.
How could the Black Knights even see to shoot their targets? They must be using some of Korgay’s high-tech equipment...and very successfully. They were getting closer and closer.
Sassa ran ahead. Her footsteps echoed on the wooden dock and reverberated through the mist like a megaphone. Jared cringed, wondering how far the sound carried.
The mist over the water cleared. At the end of the dock, the Nilssons’ small fishing boat bobbed up and down. Jared grabbed Sassa’s arm and helped her step in. Then he began to untie it from the dock.
“Get on board,” he whispered to Lucero.
At that moment, gunfire erupted at the back of the house.
Lucero shook his head. “I’ll slow them down here.”
He ran back up the dock as Jared stepped into the boat. Gunfire flashed in the fog, arcs of red fire in the gray mist. Jared pushed the skiff away from the dock, shoving them into the current. The little boat rocked and spun until the swift current picked them up.
They drifted down river. Mist shrouded the tall eucalyptus trees bordering the Nilsson property. They were surrounded by gray fog. They couldn’t see the house or any lights. Soon even the muffled sounds of gunfire stopped.
Sassa caught her breath as the last shot reverberated through the fog. Jared’s jaw tightened. They both waited for a long, long while, hoping for more, for any sign that Lucero and the other agents still fought.
But no sound came to reassure them.
After all the muffled gunfire, the night seemed unusually silent. There was no chirp of crickets or frogs, just the shush of the boat gliding through the water.
They reached an area of the river where the fog had cleared. Soon a car engine roared to life. After the deadly quiet, the rumble of the vehicle echoed toward them like the growl of a stalking cat.
Lights flashed in the distance and arced above the water. Suddenly, a car appeared on the dirt road that ran along the bank. Headlights flashed across the grape vineyard to the side. The vehicle moved along the road at a reckless speed, kicking up dust behind its red taillights.
“Get down!” Jared pushed Sassa to the floor of the boat. She clasped a hand to hold Keri’s head against her chest then slid to the bottom of the boat.
She gazed up at Jared, her eyes wide and fearful. “Is it following us?”
Jared watched the car bounce over ruts in the road and zip along at a pace not safe for a bumpy road at night. Trepidation filled him as the vehicle disappeared behind a stand of tall cottonwoods. The headlights passed their location on the river then made a sharp turn and disappeared. Jared held his breath, hoping...
The boat floated around a bend. The bridge appeared. On top of it, the car screeched to a stop, headlights flashing along the bridge then turning to shine over the side and down onto the flowing water just ahead of them. The door opened. A figure climbed out, ran to the side and leaned over. The headlights hit Chekhov’s white-blond hair as he searched the river below.
“Get up!” Jared reached for Sassa’s hand and pulled her to a sitting position. Again, she pressed Keri’s head against her chest to keep it from bobbing back and forth. She sat on the seat between them. Jared pulled oars out of the bottom of the boat and dropped them into the water.
Sassa twisted behind her to see the bridge and Chekhov’s waiting figure.
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
Jared didn’t pause to reassure her. He rowed, digging the oars into the dark water. He turned the small boat toward the edge of the river. Another fierce dig of the oars pushed them toward the bank. He rowed with all of his strength, aiming for a tree with branches dragging in the water. Those branches would provide some cover. Two more deep strokes with the oars and the boat skimmed beneath the branches.
“Grab hold!” His voice was low, intense.
Sassa pressed Keri’s head to her breast and grasped the branches with her free hand. The current tried to push them farther downriver, but Sassa clung to the branch with fierce strength. Jared dug the oars into the sandy bottom and pushed them close to shore. Once t
here, he jumped into the icy water. It was so cold it felt like daggers and came up to his knees. He pushed the boat’s prow onto the sandy shore.
“Let’s go.” He lifted Sassa and Keri out of the boat and set them on the bank. They charged up the steep embankment and reached the dirt road. Jared didn’t grab the flashlight jammed in Sassa’s sweatshirt pocket. He didn’t want to give Chekhov any indication of their location. They would make their way by the light of the moon.
But which way would they go?
He couldn’t see any lights. Surrounded by dark vineyards and beyond that the darker, taller trees of huge orchards, Jared didn’t know where they were or how they might find help.
He took a deep breath and tasted the dust that still flickered in the air from Chekhov’s car zooming past. It would only take him seconds to return. Jared’s mind stumbled over the thought.
“This way.” Sassa grabbed his hand and led him down the narrow path between the grapevines. They’d almost crossed the vineyard when a revving engine sounded behind them. Chekhov had turned the car around and headed back down the road. Straight for them.
“Duck down. He won’t see you above the vines.”
Jared did as Sassa commanded but it was tough to run and duck his tall figure at the same time. He could barely keep up with her petite form as she dashed through the dirt troughs of the vineyard.
They reached another dusty road they had to cross. They risked exposure in the open space, but it also gave Jared the opportunity to look behind. Chekhov’s parked car sat on the other side of the vineyard, its engine running and lights blazing. The door was open and there was no sign of Chekhov. He hadn’t even bothered to shut it down before he’d lunged into the vineyard after them.
They had to move faster. Jared dashed across the road and caught up with Sassa. “Do you know where you’re going?” His harsh whisper seemed too loud in the silence.
“These are my neighbor’s lands. My brother and I used to play here as kids. I know them well. We have to cross two fields to get to their house. We can call for help there.”