CHAPTER 12
Weaving in and out of the onlookers, Sid sprinted for her car. Clearing the massive gathering of crazed people clamoring to get closer to the gunshots, she made a bead for the Hellcat.
The young woman from earlier was standing on Sid’s hood, whooping it up with her arm. She wasn’t alone, either. A small horde of miscreants surrounded the car. They saw Sid coming and showed some tough looks on their faces.
“Get away from my car!” Sid yelled.
The woman on the hood waggled her finger. “You got to take us for a ride first. You promised. But we’ll make it easy on you. Just give us the keys, and we’ll do it for you.” She opened up her palm. “Hand them over, and we won’t hurt—”
Sid whipped out her Glock, took aim, and fired. Pop!
“Eek!” The woman screamed, clutching her ear. “I felt that. Shit! I felt that.”
The horde scattered. The woman jumped off the hood, started to run, stumbled, and fell. She looked up at Sid. “You’re crazy, lady thing. Crazy.” Still clutching her ear, she scrambled up and fled.
Sid got inside her car and fired up the engine.
Cyrus hopped in the passenger side and shut himself inside with Sid. His chest was heaving.
“What are you doing?” Sid said, putting the car into gear. “The FBI doesn’t have jurisdiction over my car.”
Panting, he pulled out his badge and said, “I’m commandeering your car.” Puff-puff. “Geez, I forgot how fast you were.” He fanned his hand forward. “Go. Just go!” Cyrus mopped his forehead with a grimy and stained white handkerchief.
She stomped on the gas. The Hellcat surged forward, scattering miscreants like a flock of seagulls. She hit the main road, the pseudo-racetrack, and drove the opposite direction of where Smoke was headed. Between her teeth, Sid seethed at Cyrus, “Did you know this was a death race?”
Cyrus shook his head. “No.” He buckled up and pulled out his phone. “I’m calling in backup.”
“So you’re going after the Buffalo Assassins? Why? Are they on the list?”
“You know I’m not saying.” He checked his key pad and started dialing.
She smacked his phone out of his hand. “Don’t call it in. You’ll blow your own cover.”
“Like you haven’t? You’re chasing them.”
“I am,” she said. “But not you. Just let me handle this.” Doing eighty, the tires screeched around on the blacktop.
Ahead, Smoke the Grey Racer was side by side with the Black Hulk.
Sid saw a series of bright muzzle blasts. She locked up the brakes and formed a roadblock on the main drag. “Roll down your window!”
Cyrus was searching for his phone. “What? Why?” He glanced out the window. “Shit, you’re going to get us pulverized, Sid! Move! Move!”
“They won’t hit us.” I hope. She pulled out her pistol. “Just shoot at the truck!”
She and Cyrus both started blasting away. The Camaro juked around the front end of the Hellcat. The truck swerved around behind her trunk.
“See?” Sid said, punching the gas and speeding after them.
Cyrus was on his phone again. “The steer is out of the stable! The steer is out of the stable!”
“Really?” she said, letting out a hearty laugh.
He sounded embarrassed when he said, “I didn’t make it up.”
Ahead, the F250 and the Camaro raced. Suddenly, the truck veered left and plowed over a handful of onlookers who were standing too close to the makeshift racetrack.
“No!” Cyrus cried. “Geez! That was intentional!”
Sid’s heart sank. A pit in her stomach formed. “That’s what monsters do. Haven’t you met any before?”
“Damn, Sid. No. Not like these two freaks.” He got back on his phone. “We have casualties. Send an ambulance.” He glanced at the carnage and shock-filled wailing as they zoomed by. “Make it two.”
The black truck veered off the track, off the road, bouncing over the berms toward the main highway.
“I think they’re on to you,” Sid said to Cyrus.
“Onto me? You’re the one chasing them.”
“You commandeered my car. Do you want me to stop and let you out?”
“No,” he said. “Go. Just go!” He shook in his seat as if he could make the Hellcat speed up from there.
Sid followed the two racers to the highway, laughing the whole time and not being at all careful to avoid the bumps.
She just about lost it when she heard Cyrus gulp down some barf.
Smoke the Grey Racer’s Camaro sped along, weaving through the traffic signs and lights after the Black Hulk, which picked up speed now that it was on the highway.
Sid swung her car left and right, fishtailing, spinning her tires before they bit into the road. Up the entrance ramp she went, right after Smoke.
“Rebecca,” Cyrus said into his phone. “Are you okay?” There was a pause. “Good, good. Tell Smoke to follow. Don’t engage. Let’s just see where these bastards go. Be careful.” He disconnected.
Sid eyed him. “‘Be careful’?”
“What? It’s a dangerous situation.”
“I think being careful is implied in the FBI academy,” she said. They were doing about ninety, weaving in and out of traffic and passing one car after the other. “So, she’s my replacement on the Black Slate?”
“I can’t answer that,” he said, texting.
“I can only imagine you had a hand in picking her. Isn’t she a little green? What kind of field experience does a data analyst have, anyway?”
He ran his forearm over his brow. “She’s a good actress. Discreet and deceptive.”
“Oh, a cute young female version of you. That’s nice.”
“Smoke seems to like her,” he said. “They’ve gotten a lot done in the past six weeks.”
She squeezed the wheel. He better not have been out for six weeks. “Well, I’m sure she finds him better company than you.”
“Funny, I could say the same about you.” He tipped his head up. “What did he say to me? She gives him a much longer leash. Something like that.”
Sid ground her teeth. It doesn’t bother me. What do I care if he spends time with another woman? Dammit! It bothers me! Six weeks with Prissy Pants! Cyrus better be lying! Change the subject. “So tell me. What do you want with the Buffalo Brothers?”
“No. Not going to say. But I’d be curious to know what you know about them.”
Fine. I’ll play.
“They’re the Drake’s cleanup crew. And the rumor around town is that they can’t be killed.”
“Interesting,” Cyrus said. “I bet a pair of men like that have a lot of good stories to tell.”
“Huh.” I’ll be. They want to capture these guys. Interrogate them. Why am I surprised? She glanced in the rearview mirror. Cop cars with flashing lights had filed in behind them. “We have company already.”
“Yep,” Cyrus said, sounding sure of himself and no longer about to puke. “And just a few miles up the road, a blockade will be set up. We have these jokers on manslaughter now.” She could hear him smiling, imagine him showing his tiny little teeth. “Busted.”
Cruising at high speed, Sid saw flashing cop lights up ahead.
The black truck screeched to a halt. In seconds, it was hemmed in by a fleet of cop cars, and so was Smoke and Rebecca’s ride. The trapped truck did a circle of donuts, smoking up the area.
“What are those freaks doing?” Cyrus said, getting out of the car.
Eyeing the scene, Sid waved the drifting smoke from her face. The black truck’s windows were rolled up. She couldn’t make out the men inside. She tilted her head. Above and flying toward them was a black helicopter.
Whuppa! Whuppa! Whuppa! Whuppa! Whuppa!
A police officer was shouting through a bullhorn. He could barely be heard over the chopper that now hovered over the truck. Someone dropped a ladder out of the chopper. Suddenly the doors to the truck burst open. The big men hopped into
the bed of the black truck and grabbed onto the ladder.
“No!” Cyrus screamed. “Halt! Halt!”
The helicopter soared away. The Buffalo Brothers gave them all a middle-finger salute and vanished into the night.
Pounding his fists against his thighs and stomping his foot, Cyrus screamed, “Dammit!”
An FBI cruiser pulled up. A small team emerged and approached Cyrus.
“I want a forensics team all over that truck. Now!”
A second later the truck exploded.
Boom!
CHAPTER 13
Watching the flaming truck burn to the ground, Sid heard Cyrus say to her, “This is your fault!”
“My fault?” she argued. “You’re the one watching a pair of mass murderers run around on the loose. I bet you could have apprehended them weeks ago, but you wanted to follow some ridiculous protocol.”
“You know what, Sid?”
“What?”
“You’re a joke. You can’t even see your error in all this.” He lifted up his phone like he was going to smash it into the ground. He held back. “Damn. Everything was fine until you showed up.”
Two more people approached. Smoke was still in his racing suit. Beside him, Rebecca Lang lumbered along, holding her shoulder. Her face was wrought with pain.
Cyrus rushed over to her. “Are you all right? What happened?”
“I got shot,” she said, sucking her teeth. “Sort of.”
Cyrus rolled up her sleeve. She was wearing a dark mesh shirt Sid recognized. “Is that a Sweet Heart suit?”
“Part of one,” Smoke said, taking off his helmet. His dark, wavy hair hung below his ears. His chiseled face was shaven, giving him a touch of a boyish look. “She wouldn’t wear the whole thing. She said she wanted to sell it.”
“I sold it, all right,” Rebecca said, glancing at Sidney. “And I could have gotten more money if you hadn’t ruined it. Ow!”
“Sorry,” Cyrus said, inspecting her shoulder. “That’s going to leave a beauty mark, but you aren’t bleeding. Still, you better get that x-rayed. There might be a hairline fracture in there. Come on.” He turned toward Smoke. “Don’t either of you go anywhere. As a matter of fact…” His head swiveled around. “Lee! Lee! Keep an eye on these two.”
A slender-faced man, tall and broad shouldered, sauntered over. He wore a dark navy suit, tinted glasses, and an earpiece. He clasped his hands in front of him and said, “Will do, sir.”
Sid didn’t know the man. She turned her back and faced Smoke. He had a funny look on his face. “What?” she said.
“I was wondering if you wanted to hug me.”
Yes. “Not going to happen.” Looking into his dark eyes, she found something she hadn’t admitted to herself she’d been looking for. “Where have you been staying?”
“Can’t say.” He set the helmet down and started to unzip his racing suit. “Man, this thing’s hot. It’s nothing like the Sweet Heart suit.”
“You don’t have one, and she does?”
“Your ex-fiancé took it,” he said.
“You didn’t need to say that,” she said, “but at least I know that still bothers you.”
“That makes you happy?”
Yes! “Maybe.”
“Huh. Well, it’s good to see you, too. So, how did you stumble upon this?”
“Aw, crap. Guppy.” She pulled out her phone and noticed a text.
It read, “Don’t worry about me. On my way back. G.”
“So,” Smoke said, leaning back against her car, “I guess you’ve figured out I’ve been out of prison six weeks. And maybe you’re mad that you haven’t heard from me?”
Furious. “You could have let me know.” Taking a place near him against her car, she shrugged. “Besides, Megan’s asked about you.”
“How is she?”
“Fine.”
“You have to understand, Sid. I’m keeping things pretty close to the vest. If things go well, I can get out. Early.” He glanced around. “Not that I trust them, but that’s what they offered. And don’t be bent at me because I haven’t checked in. You’re the one who left the Agency. Why’d you do that? I thought we had a good thing going.”
She stiffened. There was a deeper meaning in his tone. He sounded hurt. “I had to. For Megan.”
“When they came for me, it was like the first time we met. Remember? Except it was Rebecca, not you.” His eyes found the little blonde, who was sitting in the back of a nearby ambulance. “She’s a clever little bird. She asked an awful lot of questions about you in my interview. That said, for the record, I was disappointed.”
“In what?”
“That it was her and not you. I knew something was wrong. I didn’t want to take the job, but the offer, time plus money… I had to.”
Sid leaned toward him. “You almost make it sound like they forced your hand. I don’t take you for the kind of man who does things he doesn’t want to do.”
“She made it clear that if I didn’t do what they wanted, things would get a little tougher on me. Besides, I thought I’d take the risk and hopefully bump into you. And here we are. Quite the coincidence, isn’t it?” He eyed the star-filled sky. “Such a pretty nightfall.”
She backhanded him in the shoulder. “You did that, didn’t you.”
Smoke feigned a look of surprise. “Did what?”
“You put that paper on my car, didn’t you!”
“What sort of paper are you talking about? Notebook? Typing? News?”
“Nightfall DC!” She pushed him sideways along her car.
Chuckling a little, he let her. “Oh, never heard of it.” Giving her an all-too-knowing smile, he said, “You look like you want to hug me now.”
Heart pounding, she reached over and squeezed his hand tight.
His warmth raced through her.
Throat tightening, she quickly released his hand and his warmth. “No.”
Cyrus approached with a handful of men. “I hope you two enjoyed your little reunion, but now it’s over. I’ve got orders. Mr. Smoke, you’re going back. This investigation’s over.” Several of the armed men closed in. “Don’t try anything.”
Smoke raised his arms over his head. “No problem, Cyrus.”
“It’s Agent Tweel to you.”
“Cyrus, what is your problem?” Sid said, watching the men cuff Smoke’s hands behind his back. “He’s put his neck out for you, and you treat him this way?”
“You should have minded your own business, Sid.” Cyrus had a familiar mean look in his eyes that scared Sid a tiny bit.
“What?” she cried. Numb from head to toe, she watched everything move in slow motion.
Smoke was led away in cuffs. His eyes caught hers one last time before he was shoved into a black SUV.
Cyrus got in Sid’s face, pointing at her with anger. “And you interfered with an FBI investigation and have at least a dozen other charges, too. And I’m not even sorry to do this. Agent Lee, cuff her.”
CHAPTER 14
Sidney sat on a cold grey metal chair bolted to the wall of a small solitary holding cell. The walls were stark white. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered. The room was stuffy and warm. She stared at the heavy metal door. There was a square portal at the top. The last time a head had gone by had to have been an hour ago. Maybe longer. Using her T-shirt sleeve, she wiped the sweat from her lip.
Morning glory! What have I done?
Elbows on her knees, she sank her face into the palms of her hands. It was real. She was arrested. Spread out and searched and thrown into the slammer. Her nails dug deep into her hair. Her arms flexed. She had to have been in there a long time. Three hours, she guessed. She was good with time. But inside this little room, things had gotten weird. The isolation threw her off. Worry beset her. She stomped her foot.
“How stupid of me!”
Megan. That was her concern. Her niece should be safe with Sam and Guppy, but no doubt the little woman-to-be would worry. Sid’s heart a
ched. She felt trapped. Helpless. More than a little scared now. She shifted in her chair. Got up and stretched her legs. Rose up on her tiptoes and peered through the portal. There was only the opposing wall of the corridor. She couldn’t see much at all from left to right. She hit the door with her fist. The blow made almost no sound at all.
Keep it together. Don’t act like a criminal.
Cyrus was right. She had interfered. If she’d kept her head down and lived the normal life, she’d be back home right now. Not waiting.
She sighed. The processing of paperwork took hours.
It might even run until tomorrow.
She’d been on the other side of that heavy metal door many times before. Taking her time. Getting the paperwork ready. Not giving the person in the cell a single thought. Guilty or not, no one ever rushed for them. No one heard their pleas. Their screams. No one asked about their responsibilities, their families. They just left them. Let them rot until the system sorted it out.
She sat back down on the bare-bones cot, pulled her legs up to her chest, and leaned back against the wall. All she heard was her own breathing. Her heart pumping in her chest. She swore her brain spun around in her head, running through every scenario and detail.
I’m a fool.
She had jumped into the action feet first, feeling justified. She had wanted to find Jake Miller’s killers. She had opened up a can of worms. It had gotten her cop juices flowing. She had abandoned her responsibilities because of it. All because she wanted to go out and play.
Now Megan would pay for it.
What if they stick it to me? What if they don’t want me out?
What if the Drake was calling the shots all along and this was what they wanted? What if they stuck her in an orange jumper, released her into the general prison population, and let a bunch of burly cons with shivs come to kill her?
Don’t think like that, Sid.
Her stomach groaned. Above, the vent rattled as the air conditioner came on. It was icy cold. Chill bumps rose on her arms. Although she felt refreshed for a moment, it wasn’t long before her sweat-slicked body chilled. She started to shiver. She rubbed her crossed arms up and down. She moved away from the vent, but it didn’t do her any good. She couldn’t go far.
The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files: Special Edition Fantasy Bundle, Books 1 thru 5 (Smoke Special Edition) Page 46