Alex looked past Essex. Aaron, stricken and close to tears. It was too obvious their attacker had pinpointed that deep torment. Whatever treachery Essex had referred to wasn’t in Aaron’s true nature. Regardless of what any facial expression might tell her or what he might have to do, Aaron’s eyes always held truth for her. They pleaded for her belief in him now. She let the hurt flow out of her. They would get through all that later. Right now her strength was what mattered. For them both.
She returned her attention to Essex. “Wow. Well, that’s intelligent. Stand there and tell me you’re a professional liar, then expect me to believe you? And what a sad story. Yeah. Not sorry. Not buying it. I know better. Besides, if I believed everything some idiot tried to tell me about others, I wouldn’t know some of the best people in my life. And just going by what you said about me? Epic fail on your part ’cause you obviously don’t have a clue about who I am at all.”
Aaron yanked himself out of his visceral reaction. The one facet he’d avoided or kept vague. Would she still find him trustworthy if she knew those lurid particulars? How could he prove to her an undying loyalty, one of the very things he respected most, if he had committed acts so completely opposite that quality? No matter if it was on orders and not by choice. It still mattered to him. He’d done it. He would have to address that aspect now.
Dammit. The one thing Essex just had to pull up to get to him. And it worked. He clamped down on any further emotional response. No more satisfaction for their aggressor to continue probing. He also paid close attention to Alex’s subtle reactions to their antagonist’s words. To his relief, she seemed unaffected now, or if not, she hid it well.
And she genuinely impressed him. She kept it together and held her own in conversing with the intimidating and scheming Essex. Her quick pickup on that man’s rhetorical subterfuge in her time on this rooftop showed. That observation helped provide her the steady calm that he’d hoped for her in the outside event she wound up in this extreme a circumstance. And her look to him following Essex’s last remark? More reassuring instead of questioning. Many would give consideration to Essex’s version of the truth. Or at least falter. She had not. That brought him a confidence boost he hadn’t envisioned he would need.
Attention back on Alex, Essex scrutinized her for the smallest evidence his words were causing her doubt. The doubt he needed for distraction. Any small fracture in her will. Unable to discover such, he sniffed with disdain.
“Hmm. So sad. And such a waste. You really have been well deceived in all this. I would like to have thought you were smarter than that.” He shrugged. “Oh well. Your choice then. And your loss. I do apologize for my diatribe here since we’ve met. I can see that my deleterious comments have tainted your perception of me. But I’m the only one who can ever tell you the truth. The real truth. I know deep down that you know that.”
Alex just shook her head and shrugged back at him. “Seriously. Just stop. I really don’t care.”
Essex threw back his head and howled. “You can never have what you think you want! He’ll never stay away from it. The violence. The control. It’s a necessity! We can’t leave it. I love it! He loves it! He’s just like me! They made us killers. You think you can have that little house in the burbs with the white picket fence? With this one? Think again.”
“Whoever said that’s what I want?”
“Damn unshakable little…” Essex switched up tactics again and shot her a demonic grin. “You’re not gonna shoot me,” he scoffed. “You can’t do it! You’re not made for this. You don’t have it in you.” He took a step toward her.
Alex remained a rock, weapon trained on him, sure and steady. “Dude, I can hit a two-foot target at seventy-five yards. Damn sure I can hit an asshole at thirty feet.”
Her calm delivery and snide comment gave the man pause, and the smile drained from his face. His cool demeanor cracked. “Go ahead then,” he challenged. “Go ahead! Shoot me! I drop this, and I take him with me.” Turning and taking a step toward Aaron, he tossed over his radio. “Call your man down!”
Aaron glared at Essex. He then let his gaze flick across their surroundings.
How to get Alex off this rooftop and out of danger? At least calling in Les would buy some extra time. Think, man! What the hell have we trained for? They would all be in the same space now. What if? With a resigned sigh, Aaron bent down, wincing at the pressure that simple action put on his side.
He picked up the radio and keyed it as he straightened to standing. “Bring it in, man.”
Several strained minutes passed. Essex hummed a tune as he flourished the hand holding the explosive in front of him.
Les appeared at the doorway and scanned the rooftop. Close quarters were never his preference for confrontation, but Aaron knew Les would make it work. Essex with that grenade; sadly familiar. Alex locked on her target. Aaron saw his own haggard weariness reflected in Les’s eyes the closer his friend got to him.
Les walked at a guarded pace over to stand with him. “Bloody hell, man,” he muttered to his cohort. “What’re you thinkin’ now?”
Aaron shook his head. What would present that he could work with? With a live grenade in play, it would have to be efficient. And fast.
Essex turned an evil, contented smile toward Alex. “Now you’re stuck,” he purred. “No way out of this one. I guess in the end, I wind up with two gifts today. One I’ve desired for some time. And this new one that I’ve just discovered?” Essex gave her a ravenous once-over as he let his words sink in. “I do believe with the correct persuasion, you could be a capable asset to my, uh… habitation? Yes. Definitely. You’ll be very, very well cared for.” He gave her an offhand foul chuckle and returned his attention to Aaron and Les.
“I guess I should say thank you,” he said to Aaron. “A girlfriend wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Very nice choice, my friend. Very nice.” He chuckled again, knitting raised eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess it still isn’t working out so well for you though. As I said, I always win.”
Eyes locked on Essex, Aaron retained his focus. Just ignore his words…
Les looked at his friend, over to Alex, ending back on Essex. “She’ll kill you,” Les stated. “You take us out, you’re a dead man anyway.”
Essex laughed. “I highly doubt that. She’s no killer. Come on! Look at her! When it comes down to it? She won’t.”
“Well, all I can say is don’t piss her off. She bloody shot me.”
Essex offered Les a quizzical eye. “Really? Well, you look fairly alive to me. At least for the time being.”
Aaron arched his back and flexed abdominal muscles, employing the most subtle motion possible, testing the wound to his side. Pain rocked him, but he judged the injury stable enough for physical action. If he had any decent luck. With the big man’s attention now on Les, Aaron took his eyes off Essex and met Alex’s. The edge on her side wasn’t far from her position, only a few yards behind, and he shifted his eyes there to indicate direction. Giving her his slow nod again, he shifted his own footing backward.
“Aww, you’re scared. Rightfully so,” Essex said as Aaron’s movement caught his eye. “I guess I should expect that from a coward who’s used to running. Don’t worry. This is almost over. I must say, it has been enjoyable. Much more so than I would’ve expected. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.” He gave a slight bow, smiled, and took several steps back from the two of them.
Alex saw Essex’s arm flex back to toss, saw Aaron grab the back of Les’s coat and pull him backward. How do we get out of this? Had she read the correct intention in Aaron’s look? The cool steel of the trigger tickled at her finger. It wasn’t exactly a plan, but it should work and at least get them out of harm’s way. Alex adjusted her aim and fired.
Her shots impacted and sent both men off the rooftop, over the side. They disappeared into swirling smoke.
Essex’s arm and the hand that secured the explosive halted midswing. Rapid blinking as his mi
nd came to grips with the images he’d witnessed, and his jaw rose and fell several times before emitting coherent words.
“Wha… what the…? Why the hell would you…?” He stared over at her like an unruly child who’d just had a favorite toy taken away. “No, no, no, no, no!” he screamed.
He turned and ran to the edge. Smoke drifting around the corner was too thick now to see, and it drove him back, choking. He coughed and gagged as he stumbled away. Her sudden concern that he might still go ahead and toss the grenade after them ended as he scowled at her. Of course he wouldn’t. He couldn’t watch, wouldn’t be able to observe his cruel handiwork.
“You bitch! You bitch! How could you! You can’t rob me of this!” All but spitting his words now, he stomped across the rooftop toward her. “You can’t take that away from me! It’s my right! Mine!”
Oh crap! Assuming Essex also wore body armor under his fatigues, she went for the head shot.
Alex rapid-fired twice. With almost superhuman reaction timing, Essex twisted away and his head jerked as at least one of her bullets impacted the side of his skull. A strange, unintelligible howling escaped, pulling back his lips as he staggered backward. Unstable now in his footing, he teetered in place.
Yes!
The grenade slipped from his fingers as he groped for the wounded scalp above his left ear. A deep graze peeled flesh from bone. He fumbled, pushing hanging skin and hair back into place, all the while screaming out disjointed obscenities at her. Blood coated his hands. But had her shot penetrated?
As the grenade rolled past his reach, he shrieked and dropped to his knees, grappling at the gun belt he’d relinquished earlier before the fight. His hand closed on the grip and he yanked the pistol from its leather.
Shit! Should’ve triple tapped. Why the hell didn’t I? Dammit…
With a grenade that could go off at any second, there was no time for a decent re-aim and additional shot. That explosive should take care of him anyway. Alex turned and sprinted across the roof, ignoring what might happen behind her. Rounds peppered at her heels. She tossed her pistol over as she dove for the edge, grabbed the rain gutter, and rolled off. Just before she dropped and lost Essex from her line of sight, he kicked the grenade away. No!
Detonation. Debris rained down on her as she hit the ground and rolled. On her feet. Don’t think. Move. She grabbed her pistol. Sharp aches in her feet and one shin from the jolt of landing, she ignored them and swatted at falling embers as she ran. Around the corner, past the burning crates. A bonfire to distract, it had now ignited the side of the building beneath the block exterior.
Flames sprouted from crackling eaves. She skidded to a stop. Broiling heat against her face threatened to drive her back, but she stayed. Where were they? A tightness formed in her chest. Had something else happened? They should have landed about here, but there was no one. Aaron’s jacket. She snatched it from the ground and took several steps back, her eyes flicking in a frantic search. Guys, where the hell are you? Her attention lowered to boot prints. Several crimson impressions marred disturbed snow…
Alex yelped as her shirt constricted about her neck and shoulders and she found herself being yanked backward.
The rooftop was not high, but both Aaron and Les were grateful for the snowdrift that helped break their fall. They rolled out, gaining their feet as gunshots echoed from above. An ear-shattering explosion rocked the building.
“No…” Aaron halted in his tracks and looked up.
Embers and bits of cement and smoking wood fell all around them.
“It doesn’t mean…” Les touched his friend’s shoulder.
Running footfalls sounded from beyond the building’s edge. Les grasped a still-dazed Aaron, shoved him behind some barrels next to the adjacent building, and jumped in behind. They crouched and hid from view of the figure that sprinted around the corner.
The familiar female form ran up and stopped short. A slight limp to her gait. Her jaw set as her overbright but alert gaze made a hasty sweep of the area. She bent to the ground. Aaron put a hand to his mouth, lowered his head, and rubbed at his eyes as he let out a shuddering sigh. He stepped out and grabbed her, pulling her down with them.
Readied for self-defense, Alex relaxed at once at the sight of the two men before her. Oh, thank God! You guys… A whimper escaped her. They were alive and here. She seized Aaron in a hug and reached out to take Les’s hand. Both gave her a quick squeeze.
Secure in his arms, Alex ran a tentative hand down Aaron’s side. “Are you okay?” she whispered. Her fingers met with the damp fabric of his shirt.
“It’s not as bad as it looked,” he breathed into her ear. “Really. I’m okay.”
She sat back and attempted a positive countenance. His reassuring answer rode the voice of a man in dire need of release. The unrelenting physical exertion was pushing him to breaking, not to mention what looked to her like severe injuries.
Alex swallowed against the growing lump in her throat. “That didn’t look okay.”
Inner ends of eyebrows rose toward the center of a furrowed forehead, a slight upturn of one corner of his mouth; his now-familiar look of apologetic concern at her care for his well-being. He took her chin in his hand and caressed it with his thumb.
She lowered her eyes and pressed her lips tight in her teeth to prevent the bottom one quivering. He could take a lot, and he might be fibbing to keep her from worry, but she had to believe what he told her. Meeting his gaze again, she nodded her acceptance.
“Let me see that.” Les shook his head as he yanked open a cargo pocket and took out a med pack. “Bloody hell, man. All I ever do is patch you up.”
Aaron eyed Les but did as he was told and peeled up his shirt. Blood seeped from the two-inch gash, a sticky grim mess all around. He caught Alex biting back tears as she backed up to allow Les room.
“Gotta give you somethin’ to do,” Aaron grunted to his friend. He winced and held in most of a groan as Les cleaned the area and applied antiseptic. Clenched jaw. A quick eyebrow raise to console Alex. Clotter and a wide bandage followed.
“There. That oughta keep your arse held together a bit longer.” Les shoved the med pack back in its pocket. “Not many left. Don’t know about Essex. Think we can take ’em and not have to blow this place?”
“Maybe.” Aaron completed a mental count as he lowered his shirt. “Probably only two or three plus him if he made it. Might as well.”
“Pretty sure he made it.” Alex cleared her throat and swiped a hand across her cheeks. “Right before I went off the roof, I saw him kick the grenade. I didn’t… I didn’t triple tap. I hit him in the head; he went down at first. I thought… I should’ve…”
“You got off that roof.” Aaron brushed his fingertips along her jawbone. “That’s what’s important.”
Alex nodded and wiped at her eyes.
“Okay? Well, he may be injured, but that doesn’t mean much with him,” Aaron said as he took stock of his weapons and remaining rounds. He began reloading.
Les did the same and looked over at Aaron. “You got her loaded hot again, don’t you?”
Aaron looked at Les, then Alex. “Yeah. Better takedown power if she needed it.”
Alex scrutinized them. “You were farther away this time.”
Aaron winked.
Les rubbed at his own chest. “Yeah, body armor to the rescue. Let’s go.”
They emerged from the cover of the barrels. More vehicle noise from the front of the complex. A fourth truck rumbled in. Armed men spilled out as it screeched to a stop behind the others. Late to the party but more trouble all the same. Les shook his head. “Never mind—it’s no good. Let’s get back to the boys.”
Snow whipped past. They slunk around a cinder block corner. As her adrenaline began to subside a bit, the biting wind made Alex shiver.
“Here.” Aaron took his recovered coat from her hand and laid it across her shoulders.
“But—?”
“I don’t need it.
We’ve got gear stowed, remember?”
Alex nodded as she slid her arms into the jacket. Aaron grabbed her hand, and they moved to rejoin Les. The three stayed low and hugged the side of the building.
“He saw you shoot me, shoot us, but he’ll have to make sure. Should buy us a few—”
The bullet impacted the block wall mere inches in front of Aaron, spraying him with debris and making them all duck.
“Shit!” A stray thug had discovered them. And they were way too exposed.
“Move!” Les shouted as Aaron began return fire.
“Shitty shot,” Aaron muttered under his breath, thankful for the man’s poor aim.
Les squeezed off a few rounds just as they made the corner. Under fire, their assailant ducked back into an open door of the adjacent structure.
“You guys go. I’ve got this,” Aaron said, and before either could protest, he took off at a dead run. He disappeared through the door to pursue their attacker.
“Aaron! Dammit!” Alex yelled as Les grabbed her hand, pulling her around the corner and toward their destination.
Aaron chased the shooter down the corridor, each in turn trading shots and ducking into doorways for concealment and cover. The long hall turned several times, and the man would soon clear an upcoming exit… too close to the others for comfort. The penalty for failure now would be the continued danger to Alex and Les.
Right before the final bend in the long, darkened hallway, the assailant dodged over a threshold just as Aaron rounded the previous corner. Aaron sprinted and dropped, twisting into a slide. Several rounds pocked the wall above and behind him, their sprays of ashy explosions showering grit.
Skidding low past the opening, he double tapped and slammed hard, feet first, into the corner wall. Pain in his side flared. A distinct thud sounded from inside the room. Won’t be a threat now. He jumped up, pressing his back into the corner. A peek under his shirt hem revealed a soaked bandage and fresh trickle from the stressed knife wound. Fuck it. Time to move. He ran to the end and exit, back to his destination, and with any luck Alex and Les.
Off the Deep End Page 28