by Dale Mayer
He turned to study the parking lot alongside the road where he’d left his ride with Merk. At the far end of the lot was an old beat-up half-ton truck. It almost looked to be one of the original Toyotas. Those suckers seemed to live well past the point in time when everyone else’s vehicles died. It also looked like shit, rusted and banged up; probably had to be hot-wired to run. But it obviously worked, as he watched it back up and head toward the highway.
He hadn’t seen anybody get in or out. And he’d have noticed. Frowning, he tried to remember the license plate. First two were letters, LG, but, other than that, he was lost. He hopped back in his truck and started the engine. Turning to Merk, he said, “You ever seen that truck before?”
Merk already had a notepad in his hand and the letters LG written down, adding the rest of the license plate as Levi watched. Merk shook his head. “No. Never. That’s not a rig you forget.”
Levi didn’t have reason to believe anything was wrong though. He drove his truck to the far end of the parking lot where the other vehicle had been. Unable to stop that instinctive prodding, he killed the engine, opened the truck door, and hopped out. Merk joined him. They slowly wandered, studying the trail as they went.
The parking lot was a good twenty yards from the river’s edge, a 30 percent slope heading down to the water. Any tracks were long gone. Levi noticed some bent grass, but couldn’t be sure it had come from the driver of that vehicle. With his gut still prodding them, the two searched the area to see who and what someone might’ve been here for. When they found nothing, Levi stood for a long moment and studied the water.
“I just love how after being in the military, doing what we did, now we look at everybody suspiciously.”
Merk laughed. “Hell, I was like this before.” He slapped Levi on the shoulder and said, “This suits me just fine.”
As they turned to the truck, Levi caught a flash on the far side of the river. Instinctively he shoved Merk to the ground and threw himself down beside him.
A hard spit ripped through the air. They flattened lower and rolled in opposite directions. Under the cover of the trees, Merk turned to stare at Levi. His expression was one of shock and anger.
Levi couldn’t believe it. Someone had just shot at them. What the hell? Who had done that and why?
“Son of a bitch,” Merk swore.
“Any idea what’s on that side of the river?” Levi whispered.
They crawled up the hill and sprinted for the truck. Safe now, they turned their attention to where the shot had come from.
A small jetty was out on the far bank of the river with a bridge farther up. Merk reached into the glove box and pulled out a pair of binoculars—the best money could buy.
Having been in the military with good equipment but always knowing the private sector had something a little bit better, Levi hadn’t skimped when equipping his company.
With the windows open, they could hear an engine backfire as it raced away on the far side.
“What do you want to bet that was our beat-up truck?”
Merk nodded. “I can’t see anything anymore. Let’s take a look.”
Levi turned on the engine and wasted no time heading to the turnoff taking them on the bridge and across the river. Once on the other side he took another right and followed along the river. They didn’t have to go far before the road widened a bit. This wasn’t an official parking lot, just one of those gravel shoulders. A few garbage cans dotted the area, but there were no facilities of any kind.
He pulled off to the side and exited the truck, looking for the shooter’s vantage point to study the angles of where they had been standing. Levi walked up and down the fifty feet of gravel and found what looked to be the best location for the shooter. Levi dropped his gaze to the ground and studied it. There were lots of tire tracks, but they were faint. It would be hard to discern which tread came from the latest vehicle. The weather had been dry and warm for the last few days. Not the best for picking up tire marks. A single shot had been fired, so not an assault rifle, likely an old hunting one. In which case there would be a shell casing. He stepped a little closer to the green edge and studied the rough grass.
Unless the shooter had picked it up.
“From here it would be an easy shot,” Merk said. “So a warning, you think?”
Levi nodded. “It’s possible. Or he could have lousy aim. Then again he could have been hunting. I see no evidence left behind.”
Back in the truck, he skipped the main road home. The chance of being followed was slim, but today had not exactly been an innocent type of day, so he took a convoluted route … just in case.
At the compound, Levi pulled inside the multiple-bay garage. Hitting the keypad on the side, he waited for the huge gates to close, locking them safely inside. Once he was sure the electronic eyes were up and live, he walked into the building.
“Maybe it’s time to find the money to get the towers fully functional,” Merk said and followed Levi to the kitchen.
“It definitely is. Bullard will be here in a couple days, so we’re waiting for him.”
“Not sure that’s a good idea any longer.” With that laconic comment Merk cocked his head and walked off toward his quarters.
The compound was large enough that each person was assigned an individual suite. Eventually that would change down the road when they fixed up the apartments, but for right now, the six of them were content with the status quo.
In the kitchen Levi put on coffee. If he could inject his veins with caffeine he would. It seemed his blood was permanently mixed with the dark brew. He waited, staring out into the late afternoon sun, wondering just what the hell had gone wrong.
*
Ice let the curtain drop from her window. She stepped back to study her office, but her mind was on the double gates closing. Levi had looked rattled. Something had obviously unsettled him.
Bullard had devised a brand-new electronic security system. The initial prototype was to be mounted here, and, after watching Levi secure those gates for the first time, she realized Bullard couldn’t come fast enough. She left her office and headed to the kitchen. Her wing was on the same floor as Levi’s. But she was around the corner and across from him. Levi had the largest room in the house, not that he cared.
But she did. She should be sharing it with him. The damn man was trying too hard to be noble. And she had no plans to let him continue on that path. Her nerves were strung tight as she waited for him to make a decision about them.
Maybe she should just move in. In fact she should have done that upon their arrival here.
Now in the kitchen, Ice poured herself a coffee and turned to study Levi’s back. She sat down at the long table meant to seat at least twenty people and said, “So what went wrong?”
He pivoted to study her carefully blank face. “I was just figuring that out.”
“Tell me.” Ice motioned toward the chair across from her.
She and Levi had been partners in many ways for a long time. They were good together. At least in most areas.
Ice waited for him to begin, not pushing.
Formulating the thoughts in his head first, Levi was extremely methodical. His ability to devise strategies was second to none. His unit had been sent on the most difficult of all missions when they were active SEALs. Most of their ops were so black nobody else understood just when, who, or what they were doing.
They would leave the country and come back, and nobody was ever the wiser. But she knew. Even then she’d been that close to Levi. She understood there was something almost otherworldly about his abilities. And Levi wasn’t the only one who had that particular skill. Working as a unit, he and the others were unmatched.
Until something horrible happened and they got themselves blown to shit.
She placed her hand gently across his. “Tell me,” she urged.
Squeezing her fingers, he gave a quick nod and explained what he’d seen. She frowned at the description of the clerk at the
hardware store. And the shiny and bright new camera system inside. The clerk stepping outside to see where they’d gone. When Levi got to the part where they were shot at, her frown shifted to a glare.
“Why the hell would anybody shoot at you?”
Levi shook his head. “No idea. We didn’t raise any alarms. Yes, the clerk came out on the stoop and made a phone call, but still he needed somebody close by in order for them to line up a shot like that. We hadn’t expected to go to the park—it was a casual spontaneous stop. We were there maybe ten, fifteen minutes, that’s all. As far as I know, no one should have thought we were suspicious.”
“That, in itself, is suspicious,” she snapped. “You’re new to the town, strangers driving this monster truck and asking questions. They should be suspicious. Hell, everybody should. That they weren’t is, in itself, suspicious.”
He nodded. “You’re probably right. The bottom line is, we didn’t see anybody acting in a way that stood out as odd or questionable—other than the store clerk.”
“Were you close enough to hear any of his conversation?”
“Nope. The clerk did a thorough visual search of the area though.”
“Tipping somebody off?”
He raised his gaze to study hers. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
“The shooter?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure that’s related.”
“How the hell could it not be?” She laughed. “Now you have a suspicious storekeeper who immediately calls somebody after you walk out the door. The store has very sophisticated video equipment, possibly audio, and who knows what kind of other software to track who you are. And then, not twenty minutes later, you’re shot at.” She shook her head. “What’s the chance Merk ticked off somebody when he talked to the locals?”
“Anything is possible.” Levi gave her a lopsided grin. “It is Merk.”
Pushing her chair back, Ice laughed as she stood up. “So true.” She walked to the refrigerator and pulled out some of the leftover pot roast, filling a plate and heating it in the microwave. Ice tilted her head to see Levi still hugging his coffee. “I’m glad Alfred is back.”
“I think we all are. None of us cook.”
The timer on the microwave rang, colliding with a pop from the front corner of the compound. Levi had already left to investigate. As they had a high-voltage line outside, she made a guess that the transformer had blown. But why? Carefully Ice lowered the hot plate to the counter and walked to the window.
Scanning the area, Ice found nothing out of the ordinary, but that didn’t mean somebody wasn’t skulking around outside. Part of the fence was electric but not all of it. Something they had to fix. Part of Bullard’s new setup.
The security lights flickered off.
Quickly she dialed Merk’s number.
“What?” he growled.
“Loud pop in front. No more yard lights. Levi’s out there alone.”
“I’m on it,” he said, alarm noted in his voice.
Evening darkness settled. And, with the cloud cover, gloominess filled the air.
With Levi’s tale of the recent odd events, the shadowy atmosphere outside added to the eerie effect. Sinister as hell.
Stone hadn’t fully healed, and Rhodes was recovering from the shoulder wound, but both needed to be aware of the potential critical situation. It wouldn’t matter how injured they were; in the event of an actual attack, they’d step up. Hell, there would be no keeping them down.
Quickly she texted both of them. A second odd shot split the air.
That did it. As she raced to the back door, her phone buzzed. She answered instantly. Rhodes said, “I’m heading toward you. Stay put.”
Outside the back door a large and long veranda wrapped around the side of the house and gave a hell of a view of the hills. Inside the compound proper were all the vehicles and equipment, like her helicopter.
As she watched, a shadow skulked toward one of the big Hummers parked outside. She pulled her handgun free of her shoulder holster and slipped out the back door. That was one of the easy things about fitting into this part of Texas—everybody was armed.
Outside the air was dry. Not a sound could be heard. Normally the night birds sang, and the crickets chirped. But right now the entire place was still. Waiting.
Ice didn’t like the feel of it one bit. Sticking close to the side of the building, she crept around to the front of the double garage and stilled. Keeping her eyes on the vehicle she’d seen the man slink toward, suddenly he crept around the front of the truck beside her.
Arms extended, she placed the gun to his head. “Don’t move.”
Chapter 5
The man’s arms went up slowly, letting her see he had no gun. Was he really not armed? She did a quick search and then pulled his feet out from under him so he dropped to his knees. “Lie down, arms on the ground in front of your head.”
Ice fished her phone from her pocket and sent a quick message to Levi. She reached down to the man’s pocket and pulled out what she thought was a wallet. Using her cell phone light, she studied the ID. Ice glared at the man. “What are you doing skulking around on private property?”
He jerked to the side, grabbed her leg, and pulled. Expecting it, she held strong, reaching down and hitting him hard in the side of his head with her gun.
He groaned softly and went still.
She stripped off the man’s belt and quickly tied up his arms and legs like a calf at the rodeo. He wouldn’t get a second chance at her or his escape. Moving quietly she edged up to the front of the Hummer and peered around the side. With one last look at the prone man, she snuck around to the far side and searched between the vehicles for more intruders. At this point she doubted he’d have come alone. Plus, she had received no answers from Levi and Merk. What trouble had they gotten into?
A scraping on the cement sounded behind her. She pivoted and kept low.
“George, where are you?” a man asked in a harsh and unfamiliar whisper.
She bared her teeth and waited. The sound of heavy shuffling came from around the front of the other vehicle. The second man had no idea his friend was down. Good. She’d take them both and haul the rest of her team here. She was the hired pilot, not the muscle. Ready to lunge forward, she froze when a gun pressed against her spine.
“Well, look what we have here.”
Shit. She’d been so focused on the man in front of her that she hadn’t heard the one creeping up behind her. How many of these assholes were there?
The man in front of her stepped around the truck. “Where is George?”
“Shut up,” the man behind her snapped. “We aren’t using names, remember?”
She spun, grabbed the long rifle from the man’s hands, and smashed the butt into his chin. At the same time she hooked his legs, dropping him to the ground instantly. Ice turned the rifle against his neck then held her handgun on the third man. In a deadly voice, she barked, “Don’t move. Raise your hands.” The man’s arms shot up. Good thing.
At the top of her voice she called out, “Levi?”
No answer.
“Merk, you out there?” she hollered.
Instantly the backdoor opened, and the sound of running footsteps came her way.
“Over here,” she yelled, keeping the rifle at the throat of the man on the ground and her handgun pointing at the man standing before her.
Merk appeared magically at her side, assessed the situation, and instantly reached down, punching the man on the ground hard in the jaw, knocking him out. One less invader she had to worry about. She slowly turned to face the third man. Merk walked over, checked him for a weapon, pulled a pair of cuffs from his back pocket, and hooked him up. He shoved the third guy to the ground beside the unconscious man.
“Around the side of the Hummer,” she said, “is another.”
With eyebrows raised, Merk retrieved the first man. Soon all three were lined up on the ground. Two still unconscious and the third now lying fa
ce down. She didn’t trust him either, but at least he was cuffed.
Turning, she asked Merk, “Where the hell is Levi?”
“I’m over here,” Levi said, his voice low and lethal.
She peered over the hood of the Hummer to see two men walking with their hands in the air and Levi behind them.
When the men appeared in full view, Merk walked over to the side of the building. Hands moving easily, he performed his magic on the control panel. Suddenly the outdoor lights clicked on. She studied the control panel and realized she really didn’t understand how a lot of the electronics here worked. But she’d have to learn, and fast.
Next she turned her attention to the two men standing in front of her. “Who the hell are you?” she asked. “What are you doing on our property?”
The first man had his palms open and up, as if to say, Hey, we’re innocent. Only the words out of his mouth surprised her. “It was supposed to be a lark,” he said. “They said you were looking for somebody to test how good your security was.” He snorted. “It’s pretty darn poor. We jumped the fence in no time.”
Levi exchanged a hard glance with Ice.
She snorted. “And yet we caught you.”
The second man jumped in. “Sure, but we could slash all the tires in this place or smash a few of those lights, and you’d never get them back on again. Y’all need to fix that.”
“We’re planning to,” Levi said. “But I highly doubt you guys just came here for a lark.”
“Well, that and a thousand bucks,” the first man sniggered. He motioned at the three men on the ground. “We were all to get two hundred apiece.”
“Who’s paying you?” Ice asked. She watched the two men exchange a silent glance before turning blank looks her way. Right. They needed a little persuasion. She looked at Merk. “Your turn.”
She hated this part, but there was no better way to get a man to talk.
“Have fun.” She holstered her handgun and walked away, clapping her hands over her ears. Instantly she could hear the men in the background protesting.