Second Best: A Niki Finley Novel (A Niki Finley Thriller Book 2)

by J. D. Dudycha

  “Ah, I wouldn’t.” He cocked the hammer of his Beretta.

  Niki stopped again, now raising her hands slightly to put him at ease for the moment. She needed to bide her time. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you, Payne?”

  He cocked his head, confused.

  “The man behind me, what is he, some poor villager you decided to have some fun with?”

  “Actually, that’s Jabar.”

  Niki whipped around for a better look. He was unrecognizable. Not even his own family could have picked him out of a lineup. When she turned back around, she wore a look of disgust—not at what Payne had done to Jabar, but because she didn’t have a chance to do it herself.

  “Why?” Niki needed to know what Jabar had done to deserve his fate.

  “Because he failed me. He allowed you entry into my camp, but it seems here you are again. Maybe I was premature in blaming him.”

  Now was the time for honesty. “It wasn’t me your guard saw that night.”

  “Excuse me? Bullshit. What game are you playing?”

  “I was never in your camp, not that one at least.”

  “Then what? Who are you?”

  “I’m just a student, Professor Lord’s student, and we’re here on a humanitarian mission.”

  “No student could know what you know. Could do what you did. You’re a damn spy, some spook the government trained. Sent here to kill me.”

  She grinned. “You’re right about one thing. I was sent here. But my mission wasn’t to kill you, only to gain intelligence on you and Professor Lord.”

  “Lord? He’s nothing.” Payne puffed out his chest to show Niki who he was. As if she didn’t already know. “Just some man I bullied into doing my dirty work in the US.”

  “I know that now, but we didn’t until recently. We needed to know your involvement with each other. He ran diamonds for you, didn’t he?”

  “On an occasion, yes.” Again, Payne’s brashness shone through. He didn’t care what Niki found out; he was likely to kill her in the next few moments anyway.

  I knew it. “How often?”

  “Once.”

  “Why not more?”

  “Because I didn’t trust him. Or the doctor, or any of the villagers I had burned to ash.”

  “Ah, the villagers.” Niki nodded, and made a movement toward him.

  “I said don’t move. I will pull this trigger and put a bullet between your eyes if you take one more step,” Payne warned.

  But Niki didn’t care what he said because the cavalry was coming. In fact, she knew they were just outside. They had been able to hear only one side of the conversation, but it was enough for Winter to double back.

  “Drop your weapon, asshole.” Winter entered the tent with his rifle raised. Fox followed with her own, and they spread out inside the tent.

  Niki looked at each of them and grinned, then turned her attention back to Payne. “You were saying?”

  He raised his hands and dropped to his knees. Winter walked over to him, lifted the pistol from his hand, and threw his knee into his back, dropping him to the sandy floor. He reached back, grabbed a pair of zip ties from his rucksack, and slid them around Payne’s wrists, pulling them tight. Winter jolted him upright. Niki was now standing face-to-face with Payne, studying him, peering into his cold eyes. He clenched his jaw but didn’t say a word.

  “Cut him loose,” Niki told Winter.

  “What? You know we can’t. The director will want him alive.”

  “I don’t care what the director wants. I said cut him loose.” She stepped closer to Winter.

  Winter shook his head.

  “I didn’t ask for you to come in here and rescue me again.”

  “But we heard you talking over the comms. You were stalling for time,” Winter said.

  “I was stalling, waiting to make my move. This bastard doesn’t deserve to live. And I’ll be damned if I’m willing to just hand him over to the director to decide his fate. For all we know, Payne could barter for his life. Seek asylum in the states for secrets of another organization, one our government will trade dearly for. No. His judgment day is today. And I’m the reaper. If you don’t like it, step outside. I won’t be long.”

  “And what about this one?” Fox said from the other side of the room.

  Niki spoke over her shoulder. “His fate has been decided by his master here. He won’t last another day.”

  “He looks a little worse for the wear. Shattered nose, most likely a broken jaw, he can hardly breathe. Should I put him out of his misery?” Fox lifted her rifle to his chest.

  “Stand down. He deserves to wallow in that pain. He’s the man who set the fire in the village,” Niki said.

  Both Winter and Fox strained to see Jabar.

  “Now, like I said, cut him loose.”

  “Niki, I . . . I can’t.”

  “Step aside, Mitch.”

  “I won’t let you do this.” He stood his ground, grasping Payne by the arm.

  “Do what?” Niki lifted her Glock and pointed it at the middle of Winter’s chest.

  “Niki, what the hell?” Fox said.

  “I think it’s best you two wait outside. That way you’ll have complete deniability with the director.”

  Winter dropped his grasp and moved away from Payne. Niki lowered her gun and holstered it. Fox followed Winter out of the tent. Niki circled Payne where he stood, still in handcuffs. She looked him up and down, sizing up her prey. She wanted him to wallow in anguish, to live in his own state of fear, something he was unaccustomed to. The son of a bitch deserved every bit of what was coming to him.

  Lifting her knife from the sheath, she swiped upward in one swift action, cutting the tie in the middle that gripped both wrists together. Once Payne’s hands were separated, he brought them to the front of his body, opened his locked fists, and stuck out his wrapped wrists forward. “Well? You gonna cut these off too, at least give me a fighting chance?”

  Niki came close and grabbed his right wrist, squeezing on the pressure point. His hand went limp. He couldn’t have closed it into a fist if he wanted to. “You have no chance.” Niki sliced through the tie, then moved to the opposite hand and did the same to release his wrists completely from the hold. She laid her knife down on the table in front of Payne and backed away into the middle of the tent.

  “What’s this, some test?”

  “No test. By all means, pick it up. Rush me. Cut me open. Watch me bleed. I know it’s what your demented mind wants.”

  He did as instructed. After grabbing the handle, he rushed her. Expecting his move, Niki stepped to the side and avoided his clumsy advance. He stopped his momentum and turned around to face her.

  She shook her head. “Typical.”

  He thrusted again with the knife. Niki sidestepped the thrust and simultaneously brought her fist down, striking his forearm. He dropped the knife to the floor. It was at her feet. Payne hesitated and looked up at her. Would she pick it up?

  Instead she kicked it away, then stood in front of him. He threw a wild haymaker, and Niki employed a quick elbow block. His actions were slow and predictable. He threw another overhand haymaker, and again Niki blocked it. She didn’t throw any offensive moves. Her tactic was to wear him down, put him on the brink of exhaustion, before making her move. He lifted his leg and led with his heel. Niki caught his foot before it reached her midsection and held it tight. With Payne this vulnerable, Niki could’ve made any number of counterattacks, but instead she just threw his foot away.

  Payne breathed heavily, doubled over.

  “You’re pathetic. You’re not a worthy adversary, you’re just some scab, some tiny dog yipping his way around the yard. Talking a big game, instilling fear in anyone weaker than you, but I assure you, in every situation with me you are the weaker man.”

  “Why not just kill me then? Get it over with.”

  “Death isn’t good enough. I want you to suffer.”

  Her own words spun in her min
d. Would his death solve anything? No matter what I do to him, it won’t bring the villagers back. It won’t bring Vali back. Maybe Winter was right, maybe it’s best if he goes in front of the director. But she held so much hate for him, for what he stood for. He was a bully in every sense of the word, and Niki hated bullies.

  Then more clarity hit as she remembered words that Maddox, her former handler who turned against ZULU, told her as they fought each other in Cannes. Words his father wrote to him when joining the service. “You can live by the code.” Niki didn’t know what he meant by it then, but now the code, the sense of honor, began to make sense. This wasn’t about taking Payne’s life, because God knows he deserved death ten times over; this was about letting him live, because no matter how you looked at it, if she did kill him there, it’d be murder, and she was no murderer.

  “Turn around,” she said.

  But he didn’t, of course he didn’t; he wasn’t going down without a fight. This time he swung with a right cross. Niki ducked under the punch and countered with a shot of her own to his jaw. The shot took him by surprise, and he stumbled. Niki pounced on top of him once he reached the ground and pounded away on his face. The first shot ripped his head back hard on the ground. When he opened his eyes, he saw Niki’s elbow coming to meet his left eye. He was woozy now, seeing double. One more was all it took before Niki sent him to sleep.

  Once he was knocked unconscious, Niki rolled him over and zip-tied his hands back together.

  “Winter, I need you and Fox in here.”

  They sprung inside the tent. Niki hovered over Payne’s body as they came close. Shining a flashlight onto Payne’s back, Winter said, “What happened?”

  “You were right. This was wrong. He doesn’t deserve to die so easily. Death would be too good for him. He needs to rot somewhere.”

  “And you think that’s what the director will do, make him rot?” Fox said. She preferred the blood Niki sought.

  Winter scowled at her, then looked down at Niki.

  “It’s not our call, but I’ll make damn sure the director knows exactly what this man is capable of.”

  “So what now?” Winter said.

  “Now we find a way out of here. Did you get Lord to safety?”

  “He’s still in the cell, but safe. This place is still crawling with guards, though. And it won’t be long before they figure out what we’ve done,” Winter said.

  As soon as he finished his sentence, an alarm echoed in the night.

  37

  NIKI HELD HER BREATH. The alarm sucked the life from her. How close were Payne’s men? Were they closing in?

  “We have to move,” Winter said, looking at Niki. Her vacant expression led him to believe he had to take charge. “Fox, check the doorway.”

  Fox ran to the entrance and peeked outside. Not one guard was around, not yet at least.

  Niki shook her panic away and kneeled to the floor and wrapped her arms underneath Payne’s back. “Help me with him.” Niki looked up at Winter. He didn’t move and her eyes widened. “What are you doing? Get your ass down here and help me.”

  “Niki, there’s no time. We have to leave him.”

  “Bullshit.” She shot up in a start. “I’m not leaving him here.” She glared at Winter.

  “Uh, guys, we’ve got company.” Fox moved back into the tent.

  “How many?” Winter asked.

  “At least a dozen. They’re all running this way.” Fox awaited an order.

  Winter turned back to Niki. “With him, we die. Without him, we escape. Which is it?” He figured his question was rhetorical, but he and Niki still didn’t see eye to eye.

  “I told you, I’m not leaving him.”

  “Niki, get serious, you’re not going to give your life, our lives, for this piece of shit. Now let’s go.” Winter moved toward the back of the tent, knowing their only path to safety was out the back side. He reached for his belt line and grabbed his knife; he stuck it into the canvas and tore a hole.

  Niki stayed next to Payne, staring toward the opening of the tent. She heard the shuffle and cackling noises of the guards in the distance as they drew closer.

  Fox moved toward Winter, who held open the flap he had cut. “Now, Niki. We need to move!” But just as he spoke, headlights lit up the area behind the tent where they were supposed to exit.

  “Shit! What now?” Winter said, tapping Fox on the shoulder. She was halfway out the cut hole and the closest to the approaching vehicle. She put the stock of her rifle against her shoulder, expected oncoming bullets, but no shots were fired. Instead the vehicle came to halt.

  “Please don’t shoot,” the driver said. It was a woman’s voice.

  “What a minute.” Niki swerved around the obstacles in the tent and moved toward the opening. She ducked underneath and saw the woman she had saved earlier.

  You’ve got to be kidding me. “How?” she asked.

  “You said y-you . . . ,” the woman started, “you were going to find the professor and Payne.” The woman lowered her head, as if ashamed. She was so used to being told everything she did was wrong, she figured she had disappointed Niki as well. Niki reached for her chin to lift it back up. “I th-thought you might need this.”

  A smile grew on Niki’s face, so wide her cheeks hurt.

  “Winter, grab Payne and get him to the Jeep.”

  Niki spun back around and followed Winter back inside. As she passed Fox, Niki said, “Cover her ass,” referring to the young woman. Fox nodded and walked over to her.

  “Hurry up, Mitch.”

  Niki knew it was unwise to help lift Payne from the floor. They couldn’t be caught off guard if any of the guards attempted to breach the tent. Fox warned there would be at least a dozen men making their way to the tent. Niki kept her rifle aimed at the entrance but used her ears as well. If these guards were smart, they wouldn’t make an attempt through the front door.

  Winter tossed Payne’s limp body over his shoulder and walked toward Niki. Once he ducked beneath the opening in the rear of the tent, Niki turned and followed him. The barrel of her rifle never stayed in one spot as she scanned from left to right, ahead and behind, for any sign of the enemy.

  A sudden shot came from behind, rifling by Niki’s leg, narrowly missing her as they ran, but the bullet caught the right headlight of the Jeep and shattered it upon contact. Niki spun around and fired, a burst of three shots. She missed, and the guard she’d shot at ducked behind the tent. Then she shot again, this time aiming for the side of the tent where she suspected he’d gone. The bullets sliced through the canvas, and the man fell dead out in the open.

  “Bust your ass, Mitch.”

  Fox threw open the back door of the Jeep so Winter could dump Payne inside, but Niki remained in front of the Jeep, covering them in case anyone else attempted an attack.

  Winter slammed the door shut and yelled to Niki, “Let’s go!”

  When Niki spun around, something caught her eye. It was Professor Lord. He was still sitting in the cell, precisely where she had left him. When they locked eyes, his held remorse and fear. Without thinking, she ran to him.

  “Niki, there’s no time!” Winter warned from the passenger side. “We need to go, now!”

  But Niki wasn’t about to leave him behind. When she reached him, she said, “I’m going to lift you up. I need you to walk.”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “You’re going to need to be brave and try, because if you don’t, we’re all going to be dead in less than sixty seconds.”

  As Niki bent down, Lord threw his arm over her neck, and she lifted him from his seated position. He hobbled on one leg, favoring his left, Niki noticed.

  “I think it’s broken.”

  “Which one?” Niki figured a little humor in the moment might distract him from the pain.

  He chuckled and shuffled along. Niki looked up and waved Fox forward, asking her to drive to them, but in the distance, beyond the Jeep, another guard appeared. The smi
le faded from Niki’s face. The guard wasn’t shielding himself behind the tent, or any other obstacle; he was out in the open and holding a rocket launcher.

  “RPG!” Niki screamed into the night, just as the fire from the rocket was set ablaze.

  The grenade struck the back of the Jeep and sent it sky high in a fiery blaze. Niki and Lord were thrown into the jungle due to the force of the explosion. After landing on her back, Niki looked up to see the Jeep fall down to earth. Flames poured from the windshield and every other window throughout the vehicle. She scavenged the area for any sign of life, but there was no movement. Anywhere. No sign of Fox. No sign of the woman. No sign of Payne. And no sign of Winter. The bodies had vanished. Vaporized.

  Niki’s mouth fell agape. At a loss, she was frozen. That is, until Lord shook her arm. She turned to him. His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t hear a sound. She blinked slowly, then twisted to view the horrifying scene. Her eyes bulged. Was this real? How could it be? She’d lost them. Her team, her friends. And there was not a damn thing she could do about it.

  Finally, Lord’s voice broke through. “Niki, we need to move.” Lord suggested they get further into the jungle.

  Niki glanced back to see the thick foliage. Lord was right, they needed to move, to get out of danger, and this was the fastest way to freedom. Lord continued slowly, and with the amount of coverage the trees would provide, it would be their only chance of survival.

  Niki reared Lord up. Once again, he threw his arm around her neck for stability. She dragged him along, walking deeper into the bush. Thick palmetto plants lay ahead, and once they reached them, it would be as if they disappeared out of thin air. They reached the plants, and Niki stalled, spinning around one last time. Through the trees she could still see the orange flames flickering, burning the vehicle to the ground.

  “Are you alright?” Lord looked back too.

  Niki faced him. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. “No. I’m not alright. And I never will be, not after this.” She turned again, and they disappeared into the sea of green.

  Epilogue