Whiskey & Roses (The Xander King Series Book 1)

by Bradley Wright

  Kyle didn’t answer.

  They’re both dead. I made it, but I’m too late. They’re both—

  Just as he got the rope untied and he was finishing that thought, a hand gripped tightly around his arm.

  Kyle!

  “Kyle! Hang on! I’m getting you guys out of here!” he choked out some more words. A cough came loudly from beside him and he knew Kyle was trying to speak. “It’s okay, you don’t have to talk. Just keep your head down!” Xander coughed wildly as he finished those words. His chest burned ravenously and his head was spinning as he ran his hands along Kyle's arms, which were bound by the rope that secured him to the wall beside Sam. Xander shook his head to try to clear the dizziness, and as he did his survival instincts kicked in. As he ran the escape scenarios, he knew he couldn’t carry them both at once. Sam showed no sign of life, so because she was clearly worse off he would carry her first. Unless, of course—he shuddered—she didn’t have a pulse. Before he could run another scenario, however, as he untied the last of Kyle's rope his left foot slid across an inconsistency in the middle of the concrete floor. He removed the rope from Kyle's arm, freeing him from the wall while simultaneously taking something metal between his toes. A flashing memory of being just outside Baghdad again ran through his mind. He remembered that the similar room they had come across there—the one he thought of earlier—had a trap door in the middle of the floor. An escape hatch. It hit him at that moment that that is exactly why he had yet to see Khatib.

  The son of a bitch disappeared through the bottom of the building.

  Xander turned and felt for the metal latch with his hands. He grabbed it, turned it counter clockwise, and pulled the concrete hatch up toward him. A rush of smokeless air puffed up through the hole and Xander took a deep breath and held it in as he turned back toward his dying friends. His hands found Kyle first, his ankle, and Xander pulled him over to the doorway that led under the compound. Xander went down the thin metal ladder first and took a deep breath as he pulled Kyle down on top of him. Much to Xander’s surprise there were lights down there. Through his watery, smoke-hampered eyes he could make out a lit walkway that resembled a small version of a subway. He laid Kyle's body gently to the ground. Kyle didn’t move, but Xander couldn’t work on him yet, not until he got Sam out of that room. He shot back up the ladder and the fresh air from the open doorway had made a clearing in the smoke inside the room. For the first time he saw Sam’s naked body slumped over in the corner. His stomach turned in anguish and he quickly scooped up her limp frame and carried her down the ladder. He laid her down beside Kyle and quickly placed his fingers to her neck.

  No pulse.

  He began to perform the air-giving portion of CPR. Xander almost jumped out of his skin as Kyle let out a loud cough beside him.

  “That’s it, Kyle! Cough! Cough till it burns!” Xander shouted. And Kyle continued to do so as Xander once again put his mouth to Sam’s and blew air into her lungs.

  Nothing.

  He put five more puffs of air in her mouth and raised back up to see Kyle was now sitting up, continuing to clear his lungs on his own.

  “I’m so sorry, Kyle. I was late. I missed my mark! I promised you I wouldn’t, and I did!”

  Xander shouted as tears formed in his eyes and sadness rushed through his body. He pumped on Sam’s chest, hand over hand, but it just wasn’t helping.

  “Come on, Sam!” he shouted. Then he looked back to Kyle. “This is my fault! Look at her!” he shouted. He lowered his mouth back down to hers and just before he made it there her entire body lurched and a room rattling cough rocketed out of her mouth from her smoke-smothered lungs.

  “Sam!” Xander shouted. “Haha! Sam! Kyle! She’s alive!” Sam rolled over and a string of gut-wrenching, lung-bursting coughs rolled out of her mouth that shook her entire body. Kyle continued to cough as he got up to his feet. He wobbled a little at first, then regained his balance. Xander stood up and Kyle threw his arms around him.

  Cough! “I knew you”—cough, cough—“would come for us,” Kyle managed. Sam continued to cough from her knees as Xander kissed Kyle on the forehead and bent down and put his arms around Sam.

  “I’m sorry, Sam. I’m so sorry. It’s gonna be okay. I’m going to get us out of here,” Xander said to her. However, with those words came the sobering reality that they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, now only a short time from when their plane was forced to leave the Lebanon landing strip.

  “I know you guys are tapped, but Kyle, can you walk? Cause if we want to get out of here tonight, we have got to find some transportation, now,” Xander insisted.

  “I-I can walk,” Kyle answered softly.

  “Okay, it looks like the tunnel leads out that way. Sam, I’m going to put you over my shoulder now, okay?”

  Sam couldn’t yet find words to answer him, but she managed to nod her head. Xander took her in his arms, but instead of over his shoulder he carried her out in front of him so she would be more comfortable.

  She dangled there, exhausted, but alive.

  Xander Gets a Grip

  They rounded the poured-concrete walkway, and in the distance, the yellow light of the bulbs that roped along the dirt wall came to an abrupt end. Only darkness lay beyond them. The only sounds in the small tunnel were those of Kyle's boots squeaking and Xander’s bare feet slapping against the concrete. Xander still held Sam as she rested in his arms. He looked beyond her body, down to his feet, and they were a bloody mess. His time in the brush had really done a number on them. He felt a sadness for Sam as he looked down at her naked body. She was such a beautiful woman, with a gorgeous figure, and he knew without actually knowing that they had for certain taken advantage of her in that room. He would have been able to smell the urine, but the scent of smoke that still hung so densely around all of their bodies made it impossible to detect anything else.

  “Not far now,” Xander whispered to her. “You’re gonna be okay, Sam.” She didn’t respond. Xander looked back over his shoulder at Kyle. He seemed to be walking just fine now. He nodded his head for Kyle to come close. “I’m not sure exactly what’s going to be waiting for us at the end of this tunnel. Wait here with Sam and I’ll run up ahead and check it out. We don’t have any weapons so we really have to be careful.”

  Kyle nodded. Xander handed Sam over to him and started toward the dark end of the tunnel. If one had a tendency toward claustrophobia, it would really be flaring up at this point. The ceiling was just above Xander’s head, and he could reach out on either side of him and touch the dirt wall. As with all phobias, however, it is mind over matter, so Xander of course didn’t have a problem. He was far more worried about running into an ambush as he walked out of this little escape route. He figured it at least led to some sort of quick way out—a boat, a car—something. If Khatib went through the trouble of building this thing, he for damn sure would leave something waiting at the end of it to carry his bitch ass away. As Xander drew closer to the darkness he heard what he thought was the sound of lapping water. Just steps away he saw what he thought was something shimmering in water.

  The moon.

  He tiptoed to the mouth of the tunnel, and sure enough it was water with the moonlight dancing around on top of it. What he saw next completely shocked him. They’d caught a break. Xander made sure no one was around to spoil the moment, and then he turned back toward Kyle and Sam in almost a dead sprint. He was so excited he didn’t even notice the shooting pains erupting up his legs from his cut and battered feet.

  Kyle saw Xander sprinting toward him and at first he began to back peddle as he couldn’t help but think the worst. He had no way of seeing the excitement on Xander’s face so he thought someone was chasing him back into the tunnel.

  “Jet Skis! There are two Jet Skis!” Xander shouted as he ran. He tried to hold the news until he made it back to them, but he just couldn’t stand it any longer. Kyle almost dropped Sam as he instantly started to sob. Xander finally reached them and came
to a stop in front of Kyle. He took him in his arms and with Sam snuggled in between them they shared a long, emotional embrace.

  “Get me the hell out of here,” Kyle whimpered.

  Xander squeezed the back of his neck, then backed away and smiled as he looked into Kyle's teary eyes.

  “Buddy, we’ve got a plane to catch!”

  Xander took Sam from Kyle's arms and they headed back toward the exit of the tunnel. The emotion once again triggered Kyle's cough and he proceeded to hack and spit most of the way there. They came to the end and, sure enough, to Kyle's delight sat two beautiful, jet-black Jet Skis.

  “Will they start?” Kyle asked.

  “For sure. Khatib had his choice of escape vehicles. Judging by the size of the empty spot over there in the dock, he is in a speedboat,” Xander pointed out.

  “So, if he’s heading in the same direction we’re going, won’t we catch him?” Kyle asked.

  “Well, yeah, but I don’t even care—”

  “Xander, if we come up on that motherfucker. You have to end him. There is no other scenario,” Kyle interrupted.

  “But I—”

  “But nothing,” Kyle stopped him again. “I’ll take Sam with me. Look in that bin and see if there is a weapon or something. And it sure would be nice if there was something in there to cover her up.”

  Xander nodded, handed Sam back to Kyle, and walked over to a large, steel, rectangular bin that had been left ajar, most likely by a hurried terrorist. He opened the lid and sure enough there were two black wet suits, a larger one and a smaller one. Xander pulled them out of the bin and held them up as he smiled.

  “Looks like they knew we were coming,” he joked.

  Kyle smiled and put Sam down on the small wooden dock that sat beside the water. Xander walked over and as Kyle put on his suit, Xander gently slid Sam into hers.

  “You think she’s gonna be all right?” Kyle asked.

  “She’ll be fine. She’s a tough little bitch.” Xander smiled. Sam opened her eyes for a moment, then shut them.

  “Xander, if you’d seen what they did to her in there.”

  “I know,” Xander answered. Kyle nodded.

  “Was there a weapon in there, or just the wet suits?”

  “No weapon,” Xander answered, zipping up Sam’s suit and lifting her back up into his arms. “Just an old rope harpoon gun.”

  Kyle looked at Xander with a grin.

  “What?” Xander asked.

  Kyle grinned. “Oh, like you haven’t killed people with less.”

  Xander immediately thought of the way he had just killed eight armed men with only a knife. And he’d only had to stab one of them.

  “True,” he smiled. “Let’s get out of here. If we don’t hurry, it will be all for naught anyway. Bob is leaving with or without us at 5:35. That gives us one hour. We can make it, but we’re gonna have to keep the throttle pinned.” He turned his attention to Sam. “Sam…Sam? I need you to wake up for me, okay?”

  Sam rustled a bit, then opened her eyes.

  “Are you going to be able to hold on to Kyle on the Jet Ski so we can get you out of here?”

  She paused before she answered. “Y-yes…yes, I’m fine. I can hold on.”

  “Thatta girl,” Xander once again scooped her up into his arms and kissed her on the forehead.

  Kyle went to the Jet Ski and pushed the start button. Like music to their ears, the engine sang as it idled in the water. Xander sat Sam on the back of the Jet Ski behind Kyle. She wrapped her arms around him herself.

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured Xander. Xander turned and grabbed the harpoon gun from the bin and jumped on his Jet Ski. Kyle gave him a wink as Xander fired it up and they both turned their Jet Skis around. Khatib had had a little waterway out to the ocean cut into the land. It was just wide enough for the Jet Skis to idle out of, side by side toward the light of the moon and the ever-turning tide of the sea. Once they made it to deeper water, Kyle and Xander pulled back the throttle and sped their way down the coastline toward what they hoped would be an awaiting jet.

  Forty-five minutes passed and Xander’s crotch had grown numb from the constant vibration of the Jet Ski. Luckily for them the water was calm so it wasn’t a terrible ride. Sam still held strong and Kyle seemed like he was doing just fine as well. There hadn’t been any sign of Khatib. He must have gone north. Xander checked his watch and it looked like they were going to have about five minutes to spare if they kept their current pace. Just as he started to reflect on what had happened to Sean he caught a glimpse of something silhouetting against the moonlit horizon out in the distance. At the moment it was still too far away to be sure what it could be. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kyle motioning for him, waving his arm and pointing out in front of him.

  Could it be?

  Xander motioned for Kyle to fall back behind him and Xander sped forward toward the shape bobbing up and down just ahead of them now. He felt a spike of adrenaline shoot through him as he noticed it was indeed a boat. He wondered just how much adrenaline he could possibly have left inside his body. Xander drew closer and was now only about a football field away. The moon was strong enough to now see that there was just one man on the boat and he was standing at the wheel. About fifty yards later he could see a towel flapping in the wind around the man’s head.

  Khatib.

  Xander reached down beside himself where he had laid the harpoon gun, took it in his hand, and looked over his shoulder at Kyle. Kyle held his fist high in the air. Xander in turn raised the harpoon and sped toward the boat in front of him. In his side-mirror he noticed the light on Kyle's Jet Ski. Since they had turned on automatically when they started the Jet Skis up, he supposed he’d just forgotten they were even there. So much for sneaking up on Khatib. Kyle kept a safe distance and just when Xander thought he might get to surprise Khatib, the boat in front of him swerved wildly to the right. Xander checked his watch. It was already twenty after five now, just fifteen minutes before Bob would be taking off in the G6. He couldn’t be sure of exactly how far out they were; he just knew he would see it when the beach on his left turned into trees. At any rate, he had to make this quick. His grip tightened around the harpoon gun and his hand pulled back the throttle. Instead of going straight for the back of the boat, Xander turned almost dead right and headed out toward the darkness. With no light switch in sight, he took the sharp end of the harpoon gun, leaned out over the handles, and smashed out the light. It was now apparent just how much of that light he was actually using. It was dark. Much more so even than the rest of the night had been because a string of clouds had covered up his flashlight moon.

  Even better.

  Xander turned his Jet Ski back in Khatib’s direction and pinned the throttle. The Jet Ski gurgled up some sea water then screamed as it rocketed forward. In front of him, through the spray of ocean water, he could see the light on the front of Khatib’s boat, then Kyle's Jet Ski trailing after it. He was closing fast. There was no way Khatib would see him. Xander brought the Jet Ski up to the exact speed along side Khatib’s boat, but just far enough away so he would be able to inch his way in, undetected. He used the light from the front of the boat to match his pace. Khatib would most definitely have a gun ready. Xander inched his way along the water, slowly moving left and in toward the boat. The Jet Ski slapped against the rolling ocean and groaned with power as it kept pace with the boat. There was only about ten feet between them now, but it was so dark that Khatib’s focus was pulled to the light of Kyle's Jet Ski in his rearview mirror. Xander continued to inch closer. The wake from Khatib’s boat put extra stress on his one arm that guided him in. His biceps burned as he held steady.

  Just five feet away now.

  If Khatib decided to swerve his way, Xander was finished. He was close enough now so that he could see Khatib’s every movement. Fear had Khatib constantly jerking his head from side mirror to side mirror. Water from the boat’s wake was spraying a heavy mist onto Xander as he ra
ised the harpoon gun with his left arm and wrapped his index finger around the trigger. At that very moment Khatib turned his head toward Xander and looked him dead in the eye. The emotion of coming face-to-face with his parents’ murderer made Xander pause, and when he did, Khatib had time to swerve the boat, hitting Xander’s Jet Ski. Xander went flying onto his back and the harpoon gun bounced out of his hand and fell to the floor of the Jet Ski, on the side closest to Khatib’s boat. Khatib was close enough to touch for a moment, but then he pulled the boat away and in the moonlight Xander could see him pick up a machine gun.

  “Xander!” Kyle screamed over the roar of the engines. “He’s got a gun!”

  Xander reached down for the harpoon gun, but just before he could touch it Khatib swerved again, almost completely toppling Xander’s Jet Ski over.

  Khatib screamed at Xander. “You think you can kill me? You die, motherfucker!”

  Xander again made an attempt for the harpoon and as he did he could see Khatib raise the gun.

  “Xander!” Kyle screamed.

  It was too late, Xander knew he couldn’t get to the harpoon gun. In a last-ditch effort he kicked the steering column and just as his Jet Ski swerved away from Khatib’s boat, he heard a gunshot. Xander winced and closed his eyes, bracing for the bullet, but the bullet never came. He squinted through his left eye to see if Khatib was readying to take another shot but instead he heard a crash and Khatib went slamming down to the floor of the boat. Kyle had run his Jet Ski into the back of the boat, giving Xander a chance.

  Khatib staggered to his feet at the same time Xander pulled himself back to a seated position on the Jet Ski. Kyle pulled his Jet Ski off to the left and around the other side of Khatib’s boat. Xander pulled the steering to the left and back toward Khatib’s boat as he raised the harpoon gun to shooting position. Khatib hadn’t had time to get his gun so he instead reached for the steering wheel. It was nearly impossible to get a clear shot with the harpoon over the Jet Ski shifting in the wake of the boat, but he had no choice. Khatib yanked the steering wheel in Xander’s direction and simultaneously Xander fired the harpoon. Just before the boat hit his Jet Ski, Xander felt the harpoon connect with something, but what it was he wouldn’t know because Khatib had turned the boat on him with such force that Xander went flying off the Jet Ski into the ocean. The Jet Ski stalled when Xander’s hand left the throttle and came to a stop as the other two water vehicles sped off into the darkness.