Night Tide
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Or! maybe! the! light! was! playing! tricks.! Keely’s! profile! again!
reminded! me! of! someone! I! knew,! but! I! couldn’t! dredge! it! up!
from! memory.! Wired! on! adrenaline,! caffeine! and! the! remains!
of!the!amphetamine6like!stimulant!in!my!last!dose!of!meds,!my!
muscles!were!taught,!nerves!tightly!wound.!But!my!insides!felt!
queasy! and! unsettled.! Sort! of! like! a! toasted! marshmallow—
crispy!on!the!outside,!gooey!on!the!inside.!!
!
When! I! glimpsed! a! structure! of! some! sort! through! the!
trees!I!stopped!and!motioned!to!Keely,!putting!a!finger!to!my!
lips.!She!nodded!and!joined!me!at!the!side!of!the!road.!
!
“No!sense!announcing!ourselves,”!I!murmured.!
!
We! walked! along! the! edge! of! the! road,! sheltered! from!
view.!More!peeks!of!the!structure!revealed!its!shape—a!large!
log!cabin.!Honest!Abe’s!boyhood!home!on!steroids.!Dark!blue!
water! sparkled! in! the! sunlight! behind! it.! To! the! right! of! the!
cabin,! in! a! cleared! sandy! area! fronting! a! small! beach,! stood! a!
boxy!building!almost!as!large!as!the!cabin.!A!lack!of!windows!
suggested!a!garage!or!storage!shed!of!some!sort,!big!enough!for!
several!cars,!maybe!a!boat.!An!old!utility!vehicle!sat!parked!in!
the!drive!between!the!two!buildings,!but!the!cabin!showed!no!
sign!of!life.!
!
Over!the!hum!in!my!ears!from!lack!of!sleep,!a!man6made!
sound!intruded.!The!growl!of!a!large!engine!in!low!gear!drifted!
down!from!somewhere!above!us.!The!road!in!front!of!the!cabin!
took! a! sharp! left! out! of! sight! up! the! hill! to! the! entrance! from!
the!main!road.! Someone*coming. !Keely!stopped!and!tipped!her!
head.! I! pointed! into! the! woods.! She! followed! as! I! stealthily!
picked! my! way! between! the! trees.! The! engine! grew! louder!
until! a! black! SUV! burst! into! the! clearing! with! a! roar! and!
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skidded!to!a!stop!in!a!cloud!of!dust.!The!doors!flew!open!and!all!
hell!broke!loose.!!
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!
!
Chapter&36&
!
!
Five! men! emerged! from! the! vehicle,! all! in! black,! all!
carrying! assault! rifles.! They! fanned! out! in! front! of! the! cabin,!
moving!with!purpose,!unaffected!by!the!heat.!Two!headed!for!
the! corners! of! the! building.! Two! went! straight! in! for! a! direct!
attack.! One! stood! guard! a! few! yards! from! the! SUV.! I! quietly!
bobbed!and!weaved!to!get!a!better!view!through!the!trees!as!
the!men!disappeared!and!reappeared.!
!
Motion!beyond!the!cabin!caught!my!attention,!and!I!darted!
to! the! next! tree! for! a! better! angle.! Two,! no,! three! people!
hurried! away! from! the! other! side! of! the! cabin! toward! the!
water,!a!man!roughly!shepherding!an!older!couple.!Hard!to!tell!
at! this! distance,! but! the! graying! heads! looked! like! Charlie’s!
parents.! But! even! after! twenty6plus! years,! I! could! have! easily!
picked!Wink!out!of!a!crowd.!The!cabin!blocked!them!from!view!
of! the! assault! team,! but! they’d! soon! be! visible! to! the! man!
circling!around!to!the!left.!!
!
Decision*time. !
!
I! knew! what! the! men! in! black! would! do.! They! were! a!
recurring! nightmare! that! bathed! me! in! sweat! and! glued! my!
tongue! to! the! roof! of! a! mouth! so! dry! it! put! the! Mojave! to!
shame.!On!the!other!hand!I!didn’t!know!how!Wink!would!react!
to! seeing! me! after! all! this! time.! My! guilt! had! festered! a! long!
time,!turning!it!fetid!and!rancid.!I’d!buried!it!deep,!but!now!it!
bubbled!up,!toxic!waste!leaking!from!an!old!rusty!steel!drum.!
On!top!of!it!all!were!confused!thoughts!about!Keely—concern,!
gratitude,!aversion,!attraction—compounding!my!distraction.!I!
wished!I!could!flip!a!switch!and!turn!it!all!off,!a!surge!protector!
that!would!shut!everything!down,!even!the!vampire!power!that!
lit!all!the!standby!indicators.!!
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!
“What!are!you!doing?”!Keely!screamed.!
!
My! subconscious! had! already! made! the! decision! for! me.!
Instinct!and!impulsivity!had!kicked!in!like!the!old!days!on!the!
basketball!court,!making!me!move!without!thinking.!I!crashed!
through!the!underbrush,!gun!already!in!hand,!oblivious!to!the!
branches! that! whipped! at! my! arms! and! face! and! tore! at! my!
clothing.!The!lookout!near!the!black!SUV!turned!at!the!sound!of!
Keely’s!voice!and!the!left!flanker!spotted!Wink!and!the!Joneses!
and!shouted!a!warning.!Wink!appeared!to!shove!Clayt!forward!
into!Connie!and!shouted,!“Run!”!He!whirled,!firing!a!blast!from!
a! shotgun.! The! flanker! returned! fire,! but! Wink! had! already!
bolted!for!the!trees!and!disappeared!from!sight.!The!lookout!let!
loose! a! burst! in! our! direction! that! ripped! into! tree! limbs!
around!me!with!the!hum!of!angry!bees,!showering!me!with!bits!
of!bark!and!leaves.!!
!
I!ducked!behind!the!trunk!of!a!large!fir,!poked!my!head!out!
and! got! a! fix! on! the! shooter,! then! pivoted! the! opposite!
direction!clear!of!the!tree.!I!raised!the!gun!with!both!hands!and!
fired!off!half!a!clip!through!a!gap!in!the!greenery,!lowering!the!
sights! a! smidge! after! each! recoil! before! pulling! the! trigger!
again.!The!man!clutched!at!his!arm!and!dove!behind!the!SUV.!
The!pair!advancing!on!the!front!door!spun!around!and!hit!the!
dirt,!blasting!away!indiscriminately!into!the!trees.!I!bent!down,!
and!bulled!my!way!five!yards!closer!through!the!underbrush,!
pausing!for!breath!behind!another!thick!tree!trunk.!!
!
The!gunfire!stopped!for!a!moment,!the!reverberations!still!
rattling!my!eardrums!like!a!church!bell!clapper.!I!slowly!stood,!
back!to!the!tree,!and!risked!a!glance!toward!the!cabin.!On!the!
far! side,! Clayt! stood! motionless,! bent! over! something! on! the!
ground.! Connie! was! nowhere! to! be! seen.! I! wondered! if! she’d!
been! hit.! Two! men! slowly! approached! him,! their! rifles! at! the!
ready.!A!shotgun!blast!from!the!woods!sent!one!diving!for!the!
ground! and! the! other! racing! toward! Clayt,! keeping! Clayt!
between!him!and!another!blast!from!Wink’s!gun.!
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!
Black!hats!poked!up!on!the!other!side!of!the!SUV,!bringing!
my! attention! back! to! more! immediate! matters,! like! survival.!
Two!pairs!of!sunglasses!searched!the!woods!for!a!sign!of!me.!
Like! I! wasn’t! a! big! enough! target! I! didn’t! stand! out.! I!
straightened,!took!a!bead!and!squeezed!off!the!rest!of!the!clip.!
Before! they! could! return! fire,! I! ran! for! cover,! ejected! the! clip!
and!fished!in!my!pocket!for!a!new!one.!Diving!behind!a!fallen!
log,!I!rammed!the!clip!home!and!reminded!myself!to!breathe.!
The! explosive! clatter! of! the
ir! weapons! reverberated! through!
the!woods.!More!debris!rained!down!on!my!head.!I!heard!the!
chatter!of!more!automatic!weapons!from!farther!away,!and!the!
answering!boom!of!the!shotgun.!
!
I!crawled!a!couple!of!yards!to!a!spot!behind!a!bushy!sumac!
before!they!could!pinpoint!my!position.!They!shouted!to!each!
other! now,! relaying! information! and! instructions! back! and!
forth,! only! some! of! which! I! could! make! out! over! the! din! of!
gunfire.!I!rolled!over!into!the!tall!grass!at!the!edge!of!the!road!
and!cautiously!raised!my!head.!I!had!a!clear!view!of!the!cabin!
and!SUV!parked!in!front,!but!still!no!shot!at!the!men!prone!in!
the!dirt!behind!the!vehicle.!!
!
The! two! commandos! behind! the! cabin! marched! Clayt!
toward! the! SUV.! One! of! them! had! slung! Connie! over! his!
shoulder! like! a! sack! of! cement.! Her! arms! dangled! limply,!
swinging!with!every!step.!She!was!either!dead!or!unconscious.!
A! third! marauder! joined! them,! covering! their! rear,! crabbing!
sideways! and! scanning! the! woods,! rifle! at! the! ready.! Wink’s!
gun!was!silent.!I!wondered!if!he!was!already!gone.!As!often!as!
he’d!played!practical!jokes,!he’d!always!known!when!to!cut!and!
run—except!that!once.!!
!
A!shout!drew!my!attention!back!to!the!SUV.!The!sight!of!an!
outstretched!arm!and!pointed!finger!sent!me!rolling!back!into!
the!woods.!Bullets!mowed!the!grass!and!chewed!up!the!ground!
where!I’d!lain!with!a!percussive!song!of!death.!Heart!pounding,!
I! scrambled! onto! all! fours! and! scuttled! deeper! into! the! trees,!
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feet! slipping! and! limbs! flailing! in! a! desperate! attempt! to! get!
away.! I! heard! the! snorting! of! a! pig! rooting! for! truffles,! and!
realized!the!sound!was!coming!from!me.!
!
Pulling!up!short!behind!a!tree,!chest!heaving,!I!stretched!a!
two6handed! grip! around! the! trunk,! closed! one! eye! and! fired!
until! the! slide! locked! open.! Dropping! low,! I! scrabbled! behind!
another!nearby!tree,!thumbed!the!magazine!catch!and!fished!in!
my!pocket!for!a!loaded!clip.!
!
Breathe! !
!
“They’re!in!”!someone!yelled.!
!
“Go!!Go!!Go!”!!
!
An! engine! came! to! life! with! a! roar.! I! stood! and! stepped!
around!the!tree!to!fire!again,!but!flinched!and!ducked!as!bits!of!
bark!exploded!in!front!of!my!face,!gunfire!deafening!me.! Shit!*
Shit!* Shit! ! I! dove! to! the! ground! and! pressed! my! face! into! the!
dirt,!wishing!I!had!some!of!Alice’s!“DRINK!ME”!potion.!Two!or!
three!guns!fired!at!once!now,!pinning!me!in!place.!A!swarm!of!
bullets!tore!into!the!brush!around!me,!filling!the!air!with!debris!
and!certain!death,!the!dizzying!cascade!of!objects!and!sounds!
swelling! my! brain! with! sensory! overload.! I! even! thought! I!
heard! the! boom! of! another! gun! join! the! cacophony.! Slower,!
spaced!shots.!Not!the!shotgun,!but!not!the!chatter!of!an!assault!
rifle!either.!
!
A! raw! bellow! of! frustration! ripped! from! my! throat.! I!
couldn’t! stop! them! now.! I! had! no! last6second! cut6through! or!
pick6and6roll!to!get!clear!for!a!winning!shot.!Nothing!left!in!the!
playbook.!Suddenly!the!firing!stopped.!I!lay!motionless,!afraid!
of!another!onslaught.!But!the!only!sound!over!the!ringing!in!my!
ears!came!from!the!SUV’s!straining!engine,!slowly!receding!as!
it!climbed!the!hill!into!the!woods.!I!slowly!got!to!my!feet!and!
looked!around.!
!
Keely.*
!
The!prefrontal!cortex!is!largely!responsible!for!keeping!us!
focused,! handling! short6term! memory! and! wrestling! with!
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abstract! problems.! It’s! also! in! charge! of! self6control.! The!
problem! with! this! chunk! of! brain! tissue! is! that! it’s! easily!
overloaded.! Focus! hard! on! one! thing,! add! a! couple! of!
distractions,!and!self6control!goes!out!the!window.!Concentrate!
on!exercising!restraint,!using!willpower!to!resist!an!extra!slice!
of!a!favorite!cake,!say,!and!tough!problems!are!more!difficult!to!
solve.!Since!the!ADD!I!struggled!with!meant!I!probably!had!less!
gray!matter!in!that!area!of!the!brain!than!the!average!human,!I!
tended! to! tune! out! more! external! stimuli! in! order! to! focus.!
Could!be!the!average!Joe!would!have!forgotten!Keely!under!the!
circumstances.!That!didn’t!make!me!feel!any!better!for!having!
done!it.!
!
“Keely?”!I!called.!“You!okay?”!
!
No!answer.!
!
I! swallowed! hard,! and! my! heart! hammered! my! ribs.! I!
pushed!through!some!brush!to!the!road!and!got!my!bearings,!
then! backtracked! to! where! we’d! been! when! the! assault! team!
had!pulled!into!the!front!yard.!No!sign!of!her.!!
!
“Keely?!Not!funny.!Where!the!hell!are!you?”!
!
I!turned!slowly,!straining!to!hear!some!signal—breathing,!
moaning,! something—to! let! me! know! she! was! alive.! A! ship’s!
horn! sounded! far! out! on! the! water.! A! nearby! raven! cawed,!
answered! a! moment! later! by! another! up! the! hill! somewhere.!
The!gentle!lapping!of!little!waves!licking!the!shoreline!drifted!
up! from! the! water’s! edge.! Something! rustled! faintly! in! the!
woods.!My!breath!caught!as!I!tried!to!determine!the!direction!
of! the! sound.! Across! the! road,! and! gone! now.! A! small! animal,!
maybe.!Squirrel!or!chipmunk.!
!
I! shoved! the! gun! in! my! waistband,! picked! up! a! big! stick!
and!frantically!beat!the!brush!aside,!wildly!turning!in!circles!in!
search! of! more! places! she! might! be! hidden.! My! arms! quickly!
tired! and! my! breath! came! in! ragged! gasps! as! I! thrashed!
aimlessly!through!the!woods.!
!
Get*a*grip*and*think! !
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!
I! stood! still! for! a! moment! and! listened! again,! letting! my!
breathing! return! to! normal.! I! closed! my! eyes,! thought! of! a!
mantra,!and!let!it!tumble!and!burble!through!my!head!to!help!
find!a! drishti.!Calmer!now,!I!went!back!to!the!spot!where!I’d!left!
her,!and!worked!my!way!out!in!concentric!circles,!covering!the!
ground!slowly,!fixating!on!every!movement!and!change!in!color!
in! the! brush.! Sweat! trickled! into! my! eyes! and! dripped! off! my!
nose,!and!salt!stung!the!myriad!cuts!and!scratches!on!my!arms!
and!face.!Thirty!feet!out,!cold,!hard!metal!pressed!against!the!
back!of!my!neck,!stopping!me!dead.!
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!
!
Chapter&37&
!
!
“Easy,! Legs.”! Wink’s! voice,! still! familiar! after! all! these!
years.!“Put!the!stick!down.!No!sudden!moves.”!
!
I!let!the!stick!drop,!raised!my!hands!and!slowly!turned!to!
face! him.! He! took! a! half6step! back,! lifting! the! barrel! of! the!
shotgun!until!it!seemed!I!could!almost!see!straight!down!to!the!
crimped!end!of!the!shell!in!the!breech,!waiting!to!be!fired.!
!
“Okay,”! he! said! quietly,! “now! ease! that! gun! out—two!
fingers,!that’s!it—and!toss!it!in!the!dirt!here.!Gently!”!
!
Still! lean! and! wiry,! he! was! bigger! than! I! remembered,!
broader! across! the! shoulders,! biceps! bulging! below! the! short!
sleeves!of!his!T6shirt.!His!face!was!lined,!but!youthful,!a!more!
grown6up!version!of!the!one!I’d!seen!last.!!
!
I!wet!my!lips.!“You!don’t!seem!surprised!to!see!me.”!
!
He! cocked! his! head,! brows! knitting.! “I! heard! you! were!
looking!for!me.”!
!
“Holden.”! I! saw! acknowledgement! in! his! eyes.! I! glanced!
down!at!the!shotgun.!“Is!that!necessary?”!
!
“Let’s! see,! here! you! are! in! the! middle! of! nowhere,! on! my!
property,!no!car.!Armed,!no!less.!I!haven’t!heard!word!one!from!
you!since!my!ass!got!sent!to!prison.!And!when!you!do!show!up,!
so! do! a! bunch! of! heavily! armed! assholes! intent! on! starting! a!
small!war.”!
!
“I! had! nothing! to! do! with! that.”! I! lowered! my! arms!
halfway.!
!
“You!brought!them!here.”!
!
“No,!I!didn’t.!I!swear!it.!Christ,!Wink,!I!tried!to!stop!them.!
What! the! hell! you! think! they! were! shooting! at! over! here?!
Raccoons?”!
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!
“Tell!me!why!I!shouldn’t!kill!you!where!you!stand.!You! led!
them!here.”!
!
I!shook!my!head!violently.!“No!way!!They!want!me!dead.!I!
don’t!want!them!near!me.!And!nobody!followed!me,!either.”!I!
thought!back!to!the!ferry!and!the!drive!from!Kingston.!No!black!
SUV!that!I!could!recall.!!
!
“A!blind!man!could!follow!you.!Hell,!I!was!on!your!tail!for!
hours!yesterday.”!
!
I!blinked!and!tried!to!wrap!my!mind!around!what!he!was!
saying.!“You!followed!me?!Why?”!
!
“Why! the! sudden! interest! in! a! reunion,! Legs?! For! twenty!
years!I!don’t!hear!jack,!and!all!of!a!sudden!you’re!looking!for!
me?”!
!
I!put!my!hands!out!palms!up.!“I!was!just!trying!to!help.”!