“Fuck!”
“Yeah.”
“Monkey is climbing up the ladder now. I’ll be switching scopes as soon as he hands it to me.”
“Turtle and I will head toward the water tower. Monkey?”
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Go to the chopper and tell the pilot to fly in here.”
“Copy,” Monkey said.
“You and Turtle keep your flashers hot, Boss,” Boomer said. “I’m going to put ragged holes into anyone who’s not the two of you.”
“I copy that,” Boss said, and touched his mic to turn it off.
Turtle had an arm around him and was helping him to hobble along. He spotted something lying in the grass and pointed at it. “What’s that?”
Turtle leaned over and picked the object up. It was the infrared goggles Tanner had been using. Their black casing had taken a round and both lenses were shattered. Boss noticed that the head and chin straps were still fastened.
“You must have shot those off of Tanner’s head, and maybe put one in his brain too.”
Turtle looked around warily, but the smoke was still preventing him from seeing more than a few feet. “Let’s get out of this smoke.”
It occurred to Boss that he wasn’t certain of what direction they were going. “Are you sure we’re headed toward the water tower, Turtle?”
Turtle stopped walking. When Boss turned his head to look at him, he saw the tip of the knife that was sticking out of his throat. Turtle’s body collapsed a moment later and dragged Boss down with him. He had barely hit the ground when he felt his earbud being yanked away, followed by his sidearm. Then he watched as Tanner removed Turtle’s gun belt and strapped it on. The IR flashers were on that belt.
As for Turtle, true to his nature, he would die slowly. The wound to his throat had also severed his spine. He lay on his back with a stunned expression on his face.
Boss finally got a look at Tanner’s eyes. They were as advertised, and he wondered what it was about them that made him look so damn menacing. There were red welts on Tanner’s forehead and chin caused by the goggles being forced off him by Turtle’s round. Tanner reached down and yanked Boss to his feet. It was only then that Boss saw that more of Turtle’s bullets had made contact. The shirt Tanner wore had two round holes on the left side of his chest. Only Tanner was wearing a vest too.
“Let’s go.”
Boss glared at him. “Where?”
“To that water tower. We’re expected.”
Boss looked down and realized what Tanner was up to. Boomer would be viewing the world through the infrared scope. The two of them would look like a pair of glowing blobs, and with Turtle’s belt flashing, Tanner would appear to be a friendly until he cleared the smoke and could shoot at the water tower.
Boss shook his head. “No sir. No way! I won’t help you kill my friend.”
Tanner raised Boss’s gun and brought it down along the side of his head. “I don’t need your help.”
Boss grunted and collapsed again. Tanner used zip ties to bind his wrists and ankles. He winced from the pain Turtle’s two rounds had left him with. He also had one hell of a sore neck. The bullet that ripped the goggles off had wrenched his head around with unnatural speed. One of the slugs that hit him in the chest had come close to missing the armor plating. If it had, his degree of pain would be at a whole other level. If he stilled lived.
Tanner keyed his hands-free mic by saying the word, “Connect,” When he heard a click, he spoke to Henry. “Are you back at the car yet?”
Henry’s voice filled his ear, and it was obvious that he was running. “There are two guys chasing us, and man is one of them fast.”
Tanner left Boss and took off running toward the direction Henry had taken earlier. He was past the cottage and had just missed running into the side of it because of the smoke he had let loose. The smoke dissipated as he entered the trees. Tanner heard Henry speak to Weber.
“You and your daughter keep running hard. We have to make it across this clearing and into those trees.”
“Henry! What’s going on?”
“They’re gaining on us.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re heading southeast and away from the car. I didn’t want to lead them right to Crash.”
Tanner ran as hard as he could, knowing that he had a lot of distance to make up. He left the trees and entered a clearing. Far ahead he saw two figures running. One was faster than the other and nearly across the wide clearing. Entering the trees on the other side were three figures he took to be Henry, Weber, and Amelie.
Henry spoke while running. His pounding feet made his voice uneven, but Tanner noted that there was no trace of fear in his tone.
“I’ve got an idea that might work. I won’t be able to talk for a minute while I try it.”
“Crash?”
“Yes, Tanner?”
“Use your drone to keep an eye on Henry. If you see anyone headed your way, just get in the car and drive out of here.”
“I can’t leave you two without a ride.”
“You can and you will. Henry and I can handle ourselves.”
“The drone is in the air, but I still have to locate him among the trees.”
“Henry?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Okay, but I have to be quiet now.”
“Stay safe, boy. I’m coming.”
Tanner was sprinting across the clearing. His pace faltered when he heard the sound of gunfire being exchanged, then he kept going.
When Crash’s whispered words of, “Oh no,” came through the earpiece, Tanner dreaded to know what he was seeing through the camera on his drone.
“What’s happened, Crash? Do you see Henry?”
“Tanner… I think Henry is dead.”
14
Worthy
Henry had been pushing Weber and Amelie to move faster when he’d looked over his shoulder and saw the two men rushing toward them across the open fields that lay between two patches of forest. It was Gearhead and Rabbit. Rabbit was far out in front of his partner and eating up the ground at a terrific pace.
“Head to the left,” Henry told Weber. Judging by the speed of the men chasing them, they’d never make it to the car in time to drive away. As part of their due diligence, he and Tanner had set up traps that would have worked to injure the men chasing him. Henry couldn’t put them to use. If they continued in that direction, his companions might set them off inadvertently and there was no time to stop and explain the danger to them.
The old man, Weber, was wheezing but his long legs made up for his lack of fitness. Amelie, although young and vibrant, was barely keeping pace with her father. Henry glanced over his shoulder again and cursed when he saw that the men had gained more ground, especially the fast one. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the outline of a third man was visible off in the distance and was coming on strong. If he’d been on his own, Henry might have outrun Rabbit or made it back to the car with enough time to drive away. He wasn’t alone, and he had promised Tanner that he would protect Weber and Amelie.
The thought occurred to Henry that the new man he’d seen in the distance might be Tanner, but he couldn’t count on that. He had to prepare himself to face off against three men, and all of them armed.
He needed to do something, and he couldn’t risk getting Weber or Amelie injured. Ahead, at the edge of the clearing, he saw the mouth of a trail that led off into the forest. Henry headed for it with the hope of losing his pursuers among the trees. It seemed unlikely as the trees were spaced wide apart from each other and offered little in the way of concealment.
Earlier, when Tanner’s voice had come through the earbud, it gave Henry hope that he was nearby. But then Tanner asked him where he was, and Henry knew he was on his own. He told himself that it would be all right, that he could handle himself. All he needed was a plan.
The trail made a sharp left behind a short hill. Before round
ing the curve, Henry looked back once again. The second man following them seemed to be slowing down, but not the first man, he’d catch up to them soon. Henry knew the only reason the man wasn’t firing on them was that they wanted to take Weber alive so they could question him. They couldn’t risk killing their only lead to find the robbers.
Rounding the curve behind the hill, Henry saw a small clearing ahead where there was an old shack missing its front door and leaning precariously. It looked as if the next strong wind would blow it down. Beyond the shack the trail curved around another hill. A plan formed in Henry’s mind in an instant. It would either work or seal his fate.
That was when he ended his conversation with Tanner and told Weber and Amelie to continue on without him.
His mentor’s last words to him were to stay safe, and to assure him that he was coming to his aid. Rabbit would catch up to him in a matter of seconds. It was up to Henry to survive on his own.
He slowed as he reached the old shack and ran toward it instead of staying on the trail with Weber and Amelie. He ran behind the dilapidated structure an instant before Rabbit rounded the last bend.
Rabbit’s legs were moving like pistons as he strove to catch up to his quarry. He smiled as he came around a curve on the trail and saw that Weber and Amelie were beginning to slow as they ran out of steam.
But where is the guy in the hoodie?
Rabbit was passing the shack when Henry darted out from his place of hiding and tackled him to the ground. The impact was jarring, and Rabbit felt a sharp pain in his lower back as he landed atop the rifle that was hanging by its strap.
He ignored the pain and reached for the gun on his hip with one hand while his other arm was busy shielding his head from the blows Henry was raining down on him with the rock he was holding. The gun slid free of its holster, but Rabbit never got the chance to fire it. Henry had smashed the rock against the side of his head and put his lights out.
Gearhead wouldn’t win any races, but he was in excellent condition. He knew that he could certainly outlast an old man, a kid, and a girl. And of course, Rabbit had to show off and speed ahead of him to get to them first.
He’d heard the conversation between Boss and Boomer and knew that Biker was dead. It didn’t seem possible. He’d known Biker since Parris Island. The man was more of a brother to him than the ones who shared his flesh and blood. It also sounded like Turtle might have killed Tanner. If the bastard was still alive, Boomer would get him, and if Boomer didn’t kill the hit man then Gearhead swore to himself that he would do it.
Gearhead rounded a curve along the trail and saw a shack up ahead. Rabbit had caught up to the kid in the blue hoodie and was tussling with him on the ground. Rabbit was lying on his side with the kid on top of him, and there was something in the boy’s hand.
Is that a gun?
Rabbit was holding a weapon, but the kid had hold of his hand and was preventing him from aiming the barrel at him.
Gearhead had gotten closer, and yeah, the kid had a gun and he was pointing it at Rabbit. Gearhead slid to a stop, swung his rifle around, and took careful aim. Three rounds perforated the hoodie. One of them struck the hood itself and turned the blue cloth to red. Gearhead released a sigh of relief as the body tumbled to the dirt. The form lying sideways turned over and fired at him. An instant before the slug that ended his life found its way into his brain, Gearhead realized that he’d been horribly mistaken. It hadn’t been Rabbit who was lying on the ground. It was the boy. And that must mean…
Gearhead died knowing that he had just killed his friend.
After knocking out Rabbit with the rock, Henry leapt up and peeled off his hoodie. He then removed the black, long-sleeved T-shirt that Rabbit was wearing and put it on. The shirt was clammy with Rabbit’s sweat, but Henry didn’t notice, he was busy staring at the bend in the road. Gearhead had been slower, but he wasn’t that far behind and would arrive at any second. And after him would be the third man he’d seen. Fearing that he didn’t have enough time to wriggle Rabbit into his hoodie, Henry put the hood over the man’s head and let the garment drape across his back. If he set the scene right, Gearhead wouldn’t notice the discrepancy and would only see that his friend was in trouble and fighting for his life. The plan had worked. Gearhead and Rabbit were dead, but a third man was on the way. Henry lay on the ground with a gun in his hand and waited to ambush while playing dead.
When Crash’s drone looked down on the scene seconds later, he saw what appeared to be three dead men. The huge bloody stain covering the back of Henry’s hood made tears appear in the older man’s eyes.
Crash’s description of the site of the gun battle caused Tanner’s breath to catch in his throat. He came around the bend in the trail and took in the bodies, but his mind didn’t want to accept what he was seeing, and he held out hope that Henry might still be alive. He was moving toward Henry to check his condition when he registered that the hoodie was only draped across the body. Despite the angst and dread he was feeling his expertise had not abandoned him. He been trained by Spenser Hawke to observe and not merely see… and something was not quite right.
“Tanner.”
Tanner heard someone call his name then saw the head on one of the “bodies” lift its face from the ground. It was Henry.
Crash’s voice filled Tanner’s ear. He was still looking down on them by using the camera on his drone. “Look out! One of those guys is alive.”
“It’s okay, Crash. It’s Henry.”
“Henry?” There was a buzzing sound as the drone was brought lower to get a better look. Crash laughed when he saw Henry wave to the drone. “Oh, thank God.”
“See if you can track down Weber and his daughter, Crash. I doubt they have the stamina to have gone much farther.”
“You got it, Tanner. And Henry, don’t scare an old man like that.”
As Tanner walked toward Henry, he took in the scene and understood what had happened. Henry had used guile to outwit the men pursuing him. He had kept his wits about him and defeated men who no doubt had ten times his experience.
Henry walked up to him while peeling off Rabbit’s clammy shirt. Beneath it he wore a plain white T-shirt.
“What about the others?” Henry asked.
“Two are dead with three more remaining. One of those is injured and out of the fight. Tell me what happened here.”
Henry did so, and it was as Tanner had intuited from viewing the scene. With pride showing in his eyes, Tanner placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder and said one word.
“Outstanding.”
Henry beamed at the praise.
The smoke had cleared to reveal the dead bodies of Biker and Turtle, along with the bound form of Boss. Without his earpiece he couldn’t communicate, nor could he answer his phone with his hands behind his back. Rabbit and Gearhead weren’t responding either.
Monkey had been talking to the helicopter pilot when he heard from Boomer and learned what was happening. Monkey got the pilot to agree to land near the cottage so that he could grab up Boss and get out of there. Boomer would stay on the water tower and keep watch for Tanner while Monkey rescued their commander. They didn’t doubt that Boss had been left there as part of a trap, but Tanner didn’t know Boomer. The instant he showed himself, Boomer would put him down. And besides, they weren’t about to abandon Boss or leave until they knew what had happened to Rabbit and Gearhead.
Monkey leapt from the chopper before the skids had touched the ground and rushed over to Boss.
“Where’s Tanner?”
“He was communicating with someone and took off running.”
“And now Rabbit and Gearhead aren’t answering their coms.”
“Shit.”
Monkey had the zip ties cut in seconds and handed Boss his sidearm. They were moving toward the helicopter with Boss still limping and needing support.
“Let me have your earpiece, Monk.”
Monkey handed over the earbud and Boss activated it. “Boomer?”
“Here.”
“Tanner may be listening, switch to the backup frequency.”
“Roger.”
Boss switched the frequency on his earpiece as well. Boomer made contact seconds later and Boss responded.
“Do you see anything, Boomer?”
“Negative.”
“Keep watch. We’re coming to you now.”
“Copy that.”
Monkey helped Boss onto the helicopter and climbed in. The pilot lifted off and headed to the water tower, where they landed without incident. Monkey jumped from the helicopter and kept watch for trouble while Boomer made his way back down the ladder on the tower. He leapt the final eight feet and joined Boss in the helicopter, then was followed by Monkey.
Boss put on a pair of headphones and spoke to the pilot. “Fly east. We need to find two of our men.”
As the helicopter began to rise, the pilot told Boss that he was getting close to his departure time and that if he wanted him to stay longer, he would need more money. Boss resisted the urge to shoot the man and agreed to pay.
Someone saved him the bullet. A rifle round pierced the chopper’s windshield and struck the pilot in the chest. The helicopter was sixty-two feet in the air when the wounded pilot released the collective. The metal bird lost altitude instantly. Before it hit the ground, the pilot made a desperate grab for the collective, but in his wounded state he only managed to push the control downward. The helicopter hit the ground with great force, it did so hard enough to break off the tail rotor and send the body of the craft flipping over twice. The pilot was ejected during one of those flips.
The first thing Boss became aware of when he regained his senses was smoke and knew there was a fire burning somewhere in the wreckage. Looking around, he saw Monkey. The man’s head was sitting at an angle that it was never designed to attain.
To Serve And Protect (A Tanner Novel Book 39) Page 11