Josh swerves again as a bullet hits the side of the car. The impact is loud and high-pitched, and my ears are ringing slightly, despite the speed. I quickly slide back down my seat, covering the side of my head with my cast. “For fuck’s sake!”
Another two rounds punch into the side of us but thankfully don’t penetrate the bodywork. I can tell from the time between shots that whoever’s shooting at us is using a bolt-action, mid-range rifle. I really want to put the roof up, for extra protection, but slowing down enough to do it will cause more harm than good. Staying fast will make us harder to hit, which is far more important.
We just passed a car rental place on our left. There are houses up ahead, and a sign that says Welcome to Lebec. Please drive safely.
Josh glances at me. “Adrian, it would appear we’re leading the chopper straight toward the good folks of Lebec, California.”
I sigh. “Yeah, I noticed. Just keep going. How big can this place be, right?”
He slows a little, to navigate around a car in front of us, but quickly hits the gas again once we’re past it. The needle’s pushing eighty.
I glance at the back seat, then at Josh. “I don’t suppose you have any weapons in this thing, do you? I was hoping to see a black bag of goodies behind us, but…”
He gestures behind him with his thumb. “I actually have a couple of things that belong to you in the trunk.”
I arch an eyebrow. “You’ve got my Berettas? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, they were among your possessions that were taken when Schultz hauled your ass off to be executed. I asked if I could hang onto them, y’know, for posterity.”
“And you keep them in your car?”
He smiles briefly. “In a hidden compartment, along with your holster and a few magazines.”
“Sonofabitch… I wondered what happened to my babies. Thanks, man.”
I look over at the chopper. It’s banked farther away from us, but is staying level. Whoever had the rifle has stopped taking potshots at us, too, which is nice of them. The tree line is getting a little denser now, so we’ll be harder to see.
I reckon we’ve covered a mile or so, easily. We just passed a church, and the landscape is opening up, expanding ahead, separating us from the interstate. Thankfully, we’re still protected by the trees. There’s a hill on the opposite side of us that’s partially blocking the sunset. The streetlights are sparse, but Josh wisely keeps the headlights off.
“Now what?” he asks.
“I’m thinking, I’m thinking…”
I stare ahead, my vision blurring slightly as I retreat into my mind, searching for a plan. Assuming that is Pierce, we don’t stand a chance against him like this. He’s a vicious sonofabitch. He’ll waste us, and anyone who happens to be near us, in a heartbeat. The only way we get out of this alive is to force him out of that chopper. But how do I—
I re-focus and see a sign ahead stating there’s a power plant up ahead.
Perfect!
The road veers right, and it comes into view on our left a moment later. It’s surrounded by a chain-link fence, with a padlocked entrance at the end of a low ramp.
I point to it. “Josh, in there.”
He nods. “I see it.”
The road splits up ahead, carrying straight on, and splitting left. The entrance to the plant is diagonal between the two, at our ten o’clock.
He eases off the gas slightly as we approach the turning and grips the wheel with both hands as he aims the car at the fence. I grab the top edge of the windshield, bracing myself against my seat.
We plow through the gate with a loud, metallic crash, and slide to a stop on the gravel. We both jump out and rush around to the trunk. Josh opens it, and lifts the false floor up, revealing a compartment housing my custom Berettas. I take one out, holding it lovingly in my hand for a moment. These bad boys have gotten me out of more shit than I can remember.
Let’s hope they can do it again.
I hold it out for Josh. “Here. I can’t use both, and you’re the only other person I trust to use this. Be nice to it.”
He takes it, works the slide, and flicks the safety off. “It’s an honor, thanks.”
I take the other, and he closes the trunk. I look around. The power plant isn’t huge, but I guess it doesn’t need to be if it only services Lebec. The compound is almost square, with the main building roughly central. It’s a long, low structure, with cooling towers at either end. There are also four generators, one in each corner. Floodlights shine down, making every inch of the plant visible, but that doesn’t matter. It was still a stroke of luck finding this place. It’s perfect because of how many powerlines are running overhead. The chopper can’t come close without the risk of hitting one. Plus, I doubt even Pierce would be reckless enough to destroy it. While he wouldn’t care for the loss of lives, blowing up a large part of a small town, right next to a busy stretch of road, and blacking out a noticeable chunk of California in the process wouldn’t be easy to cover up, even for The Order.
I point to the main building. “Come on, we’ll get into position over there.”
Josh looks at me as we set off walking. “You sure this is a good idea?”
I shake my head. “No, but it’s the only one we’ve got. The way I see it, they either land and storm us on foot, or they cut their losses and leave. Whichever way it plays out, it’ll be better than trying to out-run those Miniguns in your sports car all night.”
“Fair point.”
We make it to the building and press ourselves against the wall. I look over at the busted gate and the road beyond. The chopper is some distance away, circling impatiently, like a predator stalking its prey. After a moment, it banks left, and disappears along the road that leads away from Lebec.
“You think they’re giving up?” asks Josh.
I scratch my forehead with the barrel of my gun. “No, I think they’re looking for somewhere to land.”
“Great.”
“Come on, let’s head around the other side and wait. We still have the advantage.”
We move past the door at the end of the building. Stuck to it is a sign with a big yellow triangle on it, outlined in black, and the image of a lightning bolt in the middle. It says Warning—Danger of death.
You better believe it.
8
20:19 PDT
I’m kneeling around the corner of the main building, watching the entrance intently, gripping the gun in my hand a little tighter than I usually would. I’m confident in my abilities, despite my stronger hand being out of action—it’s not that. I’m just… I’m finding it hard to suppress everything I’m feeling right now. I’ve always prided myself on being able to keep emotion out of what I do. You stay focused on the task at hand and simply walk away when it’s done without looking back.
But that was before all this. That was when life was simpler. It was darker back then, don’t get me wrong. I was darker. I was… troubled, I guess. But looking back on it now, my job was so much easier. The last few months of my life have turned everything I ever worked for upside down and opened my eyes to a whole new world of emotional pain that I just can’t shut out anymore. I don’t feel I can maintain the clinical approach I once had to things. I just have an urge, a desire to rip apart everything and everyone that’s hurt me. Starting with—
Pierce.
He’s just walked through the damaged gate, accompanied by four men, armed with automatic rifles. He doesn’t appear to have a weapon, which just makes me hate the arrogant, over-confident dickbag even more—thinking he doesn’t need a gun because he has some kind of power over me. Looking at him now, all I can think of is seeing Yaz murdered in front of me, and hearing Kaitlyn scream as the blood of her young neighbor sprays over her.
I want to kill him. Not as an assassin. Not as a professional. I want to wrap my hands around his neck and choke the fucking life out of him. A bullet’s too good for him. He deserves to suffer for what he’s done. I want to see his e
yes bulge in their sockets. I want to hear him gasping for breath. I want to see the moment he realizes he’s dying and there’s nothing he can do about it.
I’m fighting to keep myself in check. I need to remember what we’re up against. The only way I’ll get to Horizon is by thinking like him. I need to be smart, plan ten moves ahead, and keep the big picture in the forefront of my mind at all times. I glance over at Josh, who’s standing behind the generator across from me, out of sight. We exchange a small nod.
Showtime.
I step out, holding my gun by my side, my finger resting gently on the trigger. Pierce’s men slow to a stop, while he carries on alone toward me. The only sound is our footsteps, crunching on the gravel, loud in the palpable silence. We stop a few feet from each other, and he looks around before resting his gaze on me, smiling. “You really haven’t learned anything from your time in The Order, have you?”
I shrug. “Oh, I dunno. I’ve learned you’re a terrible shot, even with a helicopter.”
“See, I’ve been telling Horizon since the day he saved your ass that it was a mistake to bring you in,” he replies, ignoring me. “But he didn’t listen to me. He insisted he knew best, that he had a grand plan, and that you played a big part in it. But he’s finally seen sense. Finally decided to cut his losses. Which is where I come in. You’re going to die today, Adrian. I hope you understand that?”
I smile. “You keep telling yourself that, douche-monkey.”
“It’s your call, Adrian. Do you want a bullet? Or…” He reaches in his pocket and takes out the detonator for the tracking device. “…is it off with your head?”
“Pierce, if I had a shit, I still wouldn’t give it, alright? Do whatever you want.”
He paces idly back and forth in front of me. “I’m curious though. What made you think you’d managed to mask the signal from your tracking device this time? Don’t get me wrong, it was a much better attempt than that kid made for you, but surely you must’ve known we would still find you?”
I grip the gun tighter in my hand, feeling the color drain from my knuckles. I bite my tongue, swallowing back the instinctive reaction. I’m not giving him the satisfaction.
He smiles. “He died because of you, y’know that, right? You kept pushing, kept asking questions, kept looking for a way out. You never grasped the fact that once you’re in The Order, that’s it—they own your ass. Lily understood it. And… wow, I mean, what an ass to own there, am I right?”
He laughs, staring straight into my eyes. He’s trying to get under my skin, push my buttons, and I’m not going to let him.
Bastard.
I step forward, closing the gap between us. “And look where it got her. Nobody owns me. Nobody can control me. Think what you want. Say what you want. You need to understand something, Pierce. I’m gonna tear it all down. The Order, Horizon, everything. It’s all gonna come crashing down around you, and when the dust settles, and you’re surrounded by the rubble of what used to be your life, the only thing you’ll see is me, standing over you, pointing a gun at your face. Then you’ll know why Horizon chose me. He saw past my authority issues. Past the moral compass. Past all the bullshit and bravado. He saw the real me. He understood I’m more than just a man. I’m a goddamn tsunami—and it’ll be my story people tell for years to come. No one will care about The Order, and how they operated from the shadows like ghosts. They will only know the legend of how Adrian Hell burned them to the ground… how he could take anyone out… how nothing could stop him… and how his quest for vengeance and justice brought the world to its knees—starting with you.”
I raise my arm and aim the gun at his head.
He laughs again, and holds the detonator up in his hand, waving it side-to-side. “Nice speech. But it was wasted breath. You’re like a dog refusing to be trained.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, don’t you start with the goddamn metaphors…”
“Any last words, Adrian?”
“You mean besides fuck and you?”
He shrugs. “Have it your way. You brought this on yourself. It’s a real waste of talent, no denying it, but it needs to be done. Maybe I’ll pay that therapist of yours a visit when I’m finished here, break the news to her that her favorite patient is dead.”
He smiles, waves, and ceremoniously pushes the button.
…
…
…
Nothing.
Obviously.
I wave back at him with my cast, adjust my aim slightly, and squeeze the trigger twice. The two shots echo around the otherwise silent power plant, followed a moment later by two more. Pierce spins around in time to see all four of his men drop to the ground with a dull thud, staining the gravel with their blood. A thin, crimson mist slowly evaporates above them.
He turns back to face me, his eyes wide. “How did you…?”
I smile. “How did I… what? Keep my head on my shoulders after you pressed your little button? Or manage to kill four men when you only saw me fire two bullets?”
I take another step toward him and see his gaze shift to my right. A moment later, Josh appears beside me, holding the other Beretta low and loose. I gesture to him with my head without taking my eyes off Pierce. “He’s a pretty good shot, isn’t he? Four headshots between us in a matter of seconds, without any coordination. You gotta admit, we’re pretty awesome, right?”
Pierce takes a step back, his eyes wide, his gaze darting around with uncertainty. “You’re both dead.”
I snap my gun to him and fire, hitting him in his left kneecap. The detonator goes flying away to the side as he drops, clutching his leg. He lets out a guttural scream, partially muffled through gritted teeth. The kneecap is one of the most painful places you can be shot. It’s made worse because it’s not lethal, so you know there’s no reprieve coming from the agony you feel, just the knowledge that you won’t ever walk properly again.
I pace slowly toward him. He raises his head slightly to look at me. “H-how are you still alive?”
I crouch beside him, and rest my arms on my knees, letting the gun hang loosely over him. “This is Josh. You might recognize him. He runs GlobaTech. He’s also my best friend, and Horizon made a drastic error in judgment when he sent me to kill him. See, it turns out, he’s a lot smarter than you. That little tracking device bomb thing you stuck in me? He disabled it and removed it.”
“Th-that’s impossible!”
I smile. “I did say you didn’t control me.” I look up at Josh. “Didn’t I say that?”
He nods. “You said it. I heard you.”
I look back at Pierce. “See, your problem is you never listen. You just live in your own little bubble, thinking that, because you’re in The Order, the rules somehow don’t apply to you.”
“But we… we were tracking you…”
Josh crouches next to him, across from me, holding a small device between his thumb and index finger for Pierce to see. “This is a tracking device of ours. I configured it to the same frequency as yours, and piggybacked your signal, so you could still see us without knowing you couldn’t blow Adrian’s head off. Pretty simple, really.”
Pierce spits on the ground beside him, breathing heavily. “You’re both finished. Once Horizon finds out, he’ll—”
I shake my head. “Nah, we’ll be long gone by the time word of this reaches him, don’t worry about that.”
He rolls side to side, clasping his hands over the hole in his leg.
I nudge him with the barrel of the gun. “I tell you what. You help us, and I’ll make that pain stop.”
He starts laughing, but it degrades into a cough. “Screw you, Adrian.”
I look at Josh. “What do you think? Is it worth trying to get anything out of him?”
He shrugs. “I dunno, man. He seems pretty adamant. Maybe just leave him lying here in agony? We’ll get everything we need from Grant Sterling anyway.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I was watching Pierce for any reaction when we said S
terling’s name. I saw a flicker of… something. He’s expertly trained, and he hid it well, but I saw it—that oh, shit look when you find out someone knows something you didn’t think they knew.
I pat him hard on his injured knee. “What’s the matter, Pierce? D’you not like the idea of being left here to suffer?”
He doesn’t say anything.
Josh stands. “Come on, Adrian. You’re wasting your time. This guy’s been drinking from the Kool-Aid too long.”
I watch him pace away before standing slowly. I go to follow him.
“W-wait.”
I smile to myself before looking back down at Pierce. “What?”
He’s gasping for breath. I bet it’s hard fighting to stay conscious in so much pain.
“How… how do you know that name?”
“Who? Sterling? Oh, that was easy. I just asked the right questions. You know how inquisitive I can be.”
He closes his eyes briefly and then lifts his head to look at me. “It’s no use. Whatever you… think you know, whatever you’re planning, it’s… futile. The Order is bigger than you can imagine. There’s no… stopping them.”
Josh moves back over to us and stops beside me. He looks down at Pierce. “Them? What happened to us?”
I chuckle. “I think someone’s starting to realize they’ve backed the wrong horse.”
Pierce shakes his head. “I’m just accepting the fact I… I won’t be here to see you two fail. You don’t stand a… chance, and if you think otherwise, you’re even more… stupid than you look.”
“Uh-huh. So, what’s the big deal about Sterling, anyway? You didn’t seem happy that we knew the name.”
He relaxes his head on the ground for a moment, staring wide-eyed at the evening sky.
Josh nudges him with his shoe. “Hey, don’t clam up on us now, you were doing so well.”
Pierce lifts his head to stare at Josh. “Just kill me, get it over with.”
Thicker Than Blood Page 5