by Aimée Thurlo
“I guess we’ll know when we get there. Did you hear what Charles told the reporter?”
“How’d you know about that?”
“Tanner heard it on the radio. So did I. This van has good speakers.”
“I can’t get an officer there ahead of you, but I’m calling for backup. It’ll be just you and me for a while.”
“I like the odds. Marci isn’t armed, and I don’t think she’ll fight anyway. From what I can tell, she wants out, and will desert Tanner if she gets the chance. He’s been slapping her around.”
“Bastard. Their friend’s cabin is about five miles farther, supposedly up a dirt road. Be ready for a bumpy ride.”
“Okay. And give Tanner plenty of space. I’m going to make my move as soon as they begin exiting the van, so I want him to feel secure.”
“Okay.” There was a long silence. “See you soon.”
Lee slipped the phone back into his pocket. Diane had wanted to say more, her voice had gone real soft at the end. She hadn’t wanted emotions to distract him, but experience had taught him that emotions—fear, anger, and even love—could be a source of strength. Soon he’d be dealing with a full vampire, a creature stronger and faster than himself. He needed to let his love for Diane become a positive power within him.
The temperature had gone beyond cool to cold, and if they weren’t going fifty miles an hour or more, Lee could have seen his breath. It felt like they were in the mountains already.
The dam was just to his right as they turned north, and he realized how big the structure was. It wasn’t concrete, like the Hoover Dam, instead it was composed of rock, earth, and whatever else the engineers had packed together, but Navajo Dam never failed to impress him.
The road wound back and forth around curves as the route skirted hills in the canyon country, so Lee had to hang on tightly. They passed a recreation area, and beyond Lee could see a lighted marina extending out into the lake, surrounded by dozens of boats tied up alongside. The cabin they were headed for, if that was indeed their current destination, couldn’t be much farther ahead. He reached down to confirm that his short-range .45 was still there, along with a single backup clip. He had twelve rounds and his double-edged commando knife.
Tanner was carrying an assault rifle with an unknown amount of ammunition, and probably the pistol. Lee knew he was outgunned and at a physical disadvantage, so when he made his move it would have to be quick and deadly. Surprise would be his best weapon.
Lee focused on trying to hear what was going on inside the van. He hadn’t heard the male hostage during the entire trip. Was the man alive or dead, or did he just have the common sense not to ask questions when he didn’t really want to know the answers?
Lee heard the radio being switched to different stations, then, after a moment, it went silent. They were slowing down. “It’s just ahead,” Marci Walker said clearly. “On the left.”
Lee tried to look beyond the road to get an idea of the layout he’d have to confront. Piñon and juniper trees, with stands of ponderosa pines interspersed, covered the hilly area around this part of the lake. Chances were the cabin would be hidden from the highway. That had the dual advantage of hiding someone approaching as well, so Diane might be able to close in without being detected, at least to the turnoff.
The turn signal started blinking, and the van slowed, coming to a full stop in the road. Lee’s throat went dry and he reached down with his right hand for his pistol.
There was a big whoosh of air and a sudden leap in the noise level as a vehicle passed by in the other lane. Lee flinched, almost losing his grip on the ladder. They were waiting for a pickup to pass before turning. He cursed softly, disgusted with himself for being so jumpy.
Turning, they left the highway with a bump onto a gravel road. There was a rippling feel and a rumble below, and Lee’s feet almost slipped off the metal rung as they crossed a cattle guard. Then the ride got real dicey.
The road they were following went from gravel to wide ruts within just a few yards, and the van rolled slightly on the uneven ground like a rowboat sideways to a storm. At least the suspension was good on the Dodge, though the trip must be a lot more comfortable inside than out.
After a few more minutes of gentle to severe rocking and a random series of hops, the sound of the road changed to gravel again, and Lee looked down. They had to be very close to the cabin.
The van swung around in a one-eighty, and as they made the turn, Lee saw the building, a simple wood-framed house with what looked like redwood siding, a pitched roof, and a big stone fireplace at one end. The structure was small but cozy-looking, with the windows covered by iron bars to cut down on break-ins when the owners were away. But those wouldn’t stop a vampire.
No vehicles were in sight, and there weren’t any lights on in the cabin. Chances are it was a weekend residence, which meant the owners were extremely lucky tonight.
Lee grabbed his pistol and made sure the safety was off. Gathering power from the turquoise bear hunting fetish in his pants pocket, he eased to the ground as the van came to a stop, sliding a few inches in the gravel.
Crouching very low to avoid being seen in the side mirror, Lee moved around to the passenger door, on the side opposite the cabin, praying that the first person out wouldn’t be the hostage.
“Stay!” Tanner yelled. There was a thump, and someone screamed. It wasn’t a woman’s voice either.
Lee cursed silently. Maybe he was already too late to save the hostage, but he instantly recognized the vampire’s face as he opened the door and turned to step out of the van. Lee fired three times into Tanner’s chest before he realized the man was wearing a bulletproof vest.
“You!” Tanner groaned, grabbing his midsection. Then he kicked out, delivering a glancing blow to Lee’s forehead, knocking him to the gravel. Marci screamed, and Lee could see her scrambling to climb out the driver’s side. The vampire was fast, and the assault rifle rested against the dash within arm’s reach.
Lee fired again instinctively, taking out a chunk from Tanner’s throat and splattering blood everywhere, but the wound didn’t slow him down much. The assault weapon came up, and Lee rolled just as Tanner fired from the hip. One of the bullets nicked him in the side, the others spit into the gravel, showering him with rocks.
Lee kept rolling to the right, the front of the van blocking Tanner’s line of sight, then managed to crouch, pistol ready despite the sting of the bullet, which must have nicked a rib. The vampire had disappeared. Hearing running footsteps, Lee turned his head and saw Marci racing up the road toward the highway—alone.
There was a grunt from inside the van. Lee kept low and slipped around to the passenger side, hoping that Tanner had lost consciousness. But no such luck, despite all the blood on the scat and gravel where he’d exited the vehicle. In the backseat was the hostage, middle-aged, graying hair, and needing a shave. The man, who seemed in good physical shape, was half naked, tied to the backrest with his belt and jeans, with duct tape across his mouth. His eyes were wide-open, his blood-splattered face projecting shock as he stared at the knife jammed at least four inches into his thigh. He was alive, and would probably survive, but where was Tanner?
Lee spun around, pistol ready. The blood trail suggested the vampire had circled around the back of the van and was coming up behind him. Lee crept around, expecting an ambush, but nobody was in sight, and all the stealthy motion did was send a wave of pain down his body. Lee heard what sounded like splintering wood and looked toward the cabin, fifty feet away. A thick trail of blood led across the gravel toward the structure. Up on the porch, he saw a door closing. It was Tanner. Unless Lee acted quickly, the vampire would be healed up again and at full strength.
Lee wanted more firepower, so he ran around to the passenger side, out of view from the cabin, and took another look inside the van. The barrel of a pistol was sticking out from beneath the front passenger’s seat, and Lee picked it up. It was the Browning Hi-Power taken from the gun
shop, and had a full clip of 9 mm rounds. The Browning was an excellent weapon and nearly the same size and weight as his Beretta. It would do.
He stuck the Browning into his belt and turned to the wounded man, noting that the blade had apparently missed a major artery and the blood flow wasn’t going to be fatal immediately. “I’m a police officer, and more help will be here soon.”
Lee reached over and turned off the van’s dome light, took out the commando dagger from his boot, and cut the man free from the seat. Then he reached between the opening between the front seat backs and lowered the hostage to the floorboards, hoping Tanner was still too busy healing his wounds to take a potshot right now.
“Try not to move, and stay low. Can you breathe okay?”
The Anglo man shrugged.
“Removing the tape in a hurry might take part of your lip. You might want to work on that yourself if you feel up to it. I hate to leave, but I’ve got to go take care of the man who did this to you before he comes back.”
The man’s eyes widened, then he nodded.
“Good. Hang in there, buddy,” Lee said, then leaned across the passenger cushion and pulled the key from the ignition. If Tanner decided to leave, he’d have to walk or hot-wire the van.
Lee jogged to the right, deciding to circle the cabin and make sure Tanner hadn’t gone out a back door. Moving quickly, eyes on the windows, Lee took out the nearly spent .45 clip and inserted the second, full one into his little backup weapon, then put the pistol into his pocket. Taking the Browning in hand, he checked the safety lever to make sure it was down—ready to fire.
Just as he reached the right front corner, now beside the wall, he was illuminated by headlight beams. He stopped, not looking at the vehicle directly in order to preserve his night vision. “Tanner’s in the cabin, wounded. I’m checking for any other exits,” Lee yelled. “He has an assault rifle.”
The car swung left, placing the engine block between the driver and the cabin front, the headlights illuminating one side of the cabin as she parked a dozen feet from the van. “Marci’s safe now,” Diane yelled, climbing out. “Said Tanner is loony.”
“Ya think?”
“Why don’t I cover the front?”
“Good idea,” Lee yelled, now able to see the rear of the cabin. “Load AP rounds or take head shots. Tanner’s wearing a vest. The hostage is in the van. He’s wounded, but I think he’ll make it.”
“Thanks. I’ve already added the EMTs to our backup.”
Lee could see there was no back door to the cabin, and that the two windows were barred, like those in front. Tanner would have to make a lot of noise breaking out, and they’d be able to hear. Lee stood behind a pine tree, just in case Tanner had followed his movements, and looked for any openings that might provide an exit. Again, everything looked tight. Even the concrete foundation was sealed except for a crawl space blocked off by carefully stacked cinder blocks.
Then Lee came up with a strategy. He grabbed a big rock, actually more of a boulder weighing perhaps sixty pounds, then hurried around to the front, crouching low as he passed under a window. He stepped back a few feet from the door, then threw the boulder—like a basketball—into the middle of the thick wooden door. As if launched by a medieval catapult, the heavy stone crunched into the wood, caving in the center as it splintered two or three heavy planks.
Expecting a quick reaction, Lee dove toward the end of the building, barely making it to the corner as several bullets kicked up the ground at his heels. Diane fired her shotgun at the window Tanner was shooting from, shattering glass and driving him back.
Lee scrambled to his feet, sprinted around the cabin via the back too quickly for Tanner to track him, then emerged from the far end of the house. Moving as quickly as he could, he continued the near-circle, ending up on the passenger side of the van, out of sight.
Diane was less than twenty feet away, crouched low behind her own vehicle. Lee was glad to see she was wearing a bullet-resistant vest.
“Where is Marci?” he whispered.
“Hugging a tree farther up the road, courtesy of my handcuffs.” Her gaze never left the cabin, but her words were directed to him. “Just like to throw rocks, or was that last stunt part of a plan?”
“I think he’s only got the one clip, and I have his pistol. He can’t have more than a dozen rounds left now.” Lee took a quick peek into the van through the open passenger door and noted the injured man had managed to remove the tape from his mouth. “How you doing?”
“I’ve been better,” the former hostage managed. “When you gonna pull this thing out?” He pointed to the knife still jammed in his thigh. Blood was still seeping from the wound, but no worse than before.
“I’ll let the EMTs do that. The bleeding will kick up once the blade’s out, and they’ll have the skill to deal with it. But now I need your help. I’m going to have to get you out of there because I need to borrow your van.” Lee turned to Diane. “I’m bringing him over beside you. If you see Tanner, blast him.”
Lee tried to be gentle, but he had to move quickly, and the handle of the knife bumped the seat when he slid the man out onto the ground. There was a loud groan, and the man’s eyes closed.
Lee dragged the man by his shoulders over behind Diane, protected by her car. “I think he passed out. You think he needs a tourniquet to slow the bleeding?”
“Keep an eye out for Tanner. I’ll look him over.”
Only a few minutes had gone by since Diane had arrived, but a full vampire could be healed within fifteen minutes or less, depending on the severity of his injuries. If Lee was going to make his move, it had to be soon. “What you got in the trunk?”
Diane had just reached into her vehicle and brought out a first aid kit. “Two flash bangs, tear gas canisters, one smoke grenade, ammo. Anything special in mind?”
“The flash bangs should help. Keys?”
“Here. The stuff is in the black briefcase.” She looked up from the injured man and reached into her pocket, bringing out the keys. Lee grabbed them, then moved to the rear of the vehicle, all the time watching the cabin. Tanner wasn’t visible, but Lee knew he was probably just standing back, watching and waiting as his neck mended.
“How’s our patient?”
“He’s out to the world. Tanner’s our priority now.”
“We’re on the same page then.” Lee opened the trunk just enough to reach in for the briefcase, and saw a ballistic vest inside as well. Twenty seconds later, he was wearing the vest, and had two flash bang grenades in the pockets.
“What’s the plan?” Diane asked.
“I’m going to break into the cabin and put Tanner down.”
“Simple and direct. How you gonna do that and stay alive, Lee?”
“I’m taking an old travel companion with me.” Lee nodded toward the van.
“Okay. It could work. But expect me to come in right behind you. He’s going to be tough to deal with,” Diane replied.
“Just cover my ass. And remember his assault rifle will penetrate your vest.”
“And yours, Lee.”
“Here goes.” He passed behind her, and she reached out for his arm. He paused, gave her hand a squeeze, then hurried over to the van.
“Want covering fire?” she said, bringing the shotgun up and aiming it toward the cabin.
“Naw. Let’s make it a surprise.” Lee slid into the passenger’s side of the van, closed the door behind him, then maneuvered over to the driver’s side. He started the engine, put the vehicle in gear, then backed away slowly, as if leaving.
Lee glanced over at Diane. She had no idea exactly what he had in mind, but was self-disciplined enough to keep her eye on the cabin. Lee floored it now and, instead of heading straight for the front porch of the cabin, went to the right, parallel to the structure. When he reached the end he made a sharp left, cutting around the corner. Then he started honking the horn.
Hoping Tanner was confused about the chaos and uncertain about which si
de to cover, Lee continued to lean on the horn as he raced down the back wall, then turned left sharply again, nearly clipping the corner. As soon as he cleared the left front corner of the cabin, Lee cut the brakes, slid sideways across the gravel, kicking up dust, then accelerated toward the cabin at an angle, planning on ramming the nearly destroyed front door—driver’s side first.
By the time Tanner realized he needed to start shooting, Lee had ducked down to the floorboard on the passenger’s side. The van bounced right up the steps.
The jolt was terrific, tossing Lee around like a tennis ball in a clothes drier, but the momentum of the van carried him halfway into the building. Wood and chunks of plasterboard started falling from the wall and ceiling and the dust was terrible, but the bullets striking the driver’s side of the van and the vampire’s insane howl told Lee that Tanner was mobile now, though thankfully on the other side of the room—and the van.
Lee, on his belly, grabbed for the passenger’s door handle, but it jammed after opening only a few inches. Punching the panel of the door with the heel of his hand, he forced it open another two feet. As Tanner’s half-assed war cry vibrated in his ears, Lee felt a sharp thump across his shoulder and realized he’d been grazed by a bullet that the vest had managed to deflect.
Suddenly there was a blast from a new direction—Diane and her shotgun. Lee took the opportunity to dive out onto the floor and forward roll back to a crouching position. As Diane fired again, Lee drew the Browning and hugged the front corner of the van. When he looked around the side, pistol first, he saw Tanner stumbling back across the debris-covered floor, swatting at bloody wounds on his face as if he were under assault from wasps. His hands were empty and his screeches had become mere gasps and grunts.
Lee stood and fired, hitting Tanner under the arm where the vest didn’t cover. Tanner yelped, then fled toward a bedroom ten feet away. Lee fired again, this time trying for a head shot that sounded like a clean miss.