by L. T. Ryan
He took a deep breath, held it a moment and then exhaled loudly, letting his lips flapped as his puffed out cheeks decompressed. “I can’t say much more than I have. Not here.”
“Who are you with?” I said.
Delaney flashed a crooked smile as he held out his arms and shrugged.
“You’re not CIA, not the way you referred to the program being sponsored. Definitely not FBI. We wouldn’t be talking to you if you were.”
Delaney chuckled and shook his head vigorously.
I continued. “NSA?”
He continued shaking his head. “No, Jack. Not CIA, FBI, or NSA. Look, who I’m with isn’t important. The information I have is what’s important.”
“Then let’s have it.”
“Not here, Jack. I guarantee you they are out there, watching us right now. They’ve probably been watching every move you’ve made since leaving Camp Lejeune.”
I fought the urge to look around. It appeared Bear was doing the same. I saw him cast his stare toward the ground.
“Give me an idea of what it is then,” I said.
“I’m not quite sure what it is. Well, I wasn’t sure. I think I know now. What I can tell you is there is some shady stuff going on, guys. Very shady. I have some documents for you.” He paused. “I didn’t know what I was looking at until today. Not till your call. You mentioned Abbot and everything came to me. I uncovered this stuff not too long ago. But it didn’t make sense. Got it?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t got it.”
“It’s going to make sense tonight.” He took a few steps backward. “Wait for my call. Tonight, Jack. I’ll bring the documents you need.”
I watched him go down the stairs, then cut diagonally across the mall and disappear out of sight.
“Ready to go?” Bear asked.
“Nah,” I said. “Let’s wait a few. Find a good tourist group to assimilate into.”
Bear laughed loudly. “I’m six-six, you’re six-two. We don’t assimilate anywhere we go, Jack.”
Chapter 9
Delaney called shortly after six p.m. He told us to meet him at nine that night at a park in McLean, Virginia. At eight o’clock we went to the garage, got in the Audi, and left downtown DC. Took I-495 heading west and got off on the Georgetown Pike. Grabbed a bite to eat at a fast food joint then headed west. The entrance to Scotts Run Nature Preserve was less than a mile from the interstate. I parked the car in the deserted parking lot, choosing a spot close to the access road that led in and out of the park. I rolled my window down and cut the engine.
We sat in silence for ten minutes, looking and listening. The empty parking lot indicated all visitors had left before we arrived. The sound of an occasional car passed from the Georgetown Pike behind us. We were hidden from view. That worried me. We would be out of sight if this was a setup or if we had been followed.
“I don’t like this, Jack,” Bear said, right on cue.
I leaned forward and nodded. Checked the side mirrors. “I’m about fifty-fifty on it.”
Bear pulled out a cell phone and flipped it open.
“Keep that covered.” I pointed at bright square of light the small screen emanated.
A twig snapped from behind the car. Both of us froze. My eyes darted to the rear-view mirror, looking for the perpetrator. I saw nothing but darkness and the faint outline of trees and bushes. I placed my hand on the door handle and slowly cracked the door. I stepped out of the car, my body hunched over. I clutched my Beretta in my hand and walked to the back of the vehicle. Behind me, a light on a utility pole turned on with an electrical buzzing sound and faint orange light flooded the area. I stood five feet from the potential assailant. Our eyes met and locked. He sat down, scratched behind his ear with his rear paw and then took off into the woods between the parking lot and the Georgetown Pike.
Bear had stepped out of the car just before the dog took off. He laughed and shook his head.
“Damn, if we ain’t on edge.”
On edge didn’t begin to describe how I felt at that moment. Considering everything we had been through and adding in the lack of sleep, I found myself surprised that I hadn’t taken poor Fido out. That would have been bad. I don’t think I would have ever been able to forgive myself if I shot a dog.
I returned to the car and placed my hand on the ignition. The orange light from above lit up the inside of the car.
“Don’t like sitting out here under these lights.”
Before I could start the car, my cell phone rang and I answered without looking at the display.
“Where you at, Delaney?” I scanned the small strip of grass at the edge of the parking lot that separated asphalt and trees.
“About one hundred yards in.” He spoke quickly and in a hushed tone.
“From where?”
“Go to the northwest corner of the parking lot and walk straight north.”
I covered the phone and looked at Bear. “He wants us to walk in there, blind.”
Bear shook his head.
“No deal, Delaney,” I said. “The parking lot is lit up. We’ll be sitting ducks crossing it. You come out here.”
His heavy breaths filled the ear piece of my phone.
“You there?” I said.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll meet you at the edge of the lot. Drive over.”
“Delaney,” I said and then paused an extra second. “If this is a setup, so help me, I’ll end you first.”
I flipped the phone shut and started the Audi and drove as close to the shadows in the middle of the lot as I could. Parked in a spot where two circles of orange light couldn’t quite reach. I cut the engine and sat motionless for a minute.
After a pause, Bear whispered, “You see anything?”
I shook my head. Picked up my phone and dialed the last number that called me.
“I see you,” Delaney said.
“I don’t see you,” I said.
I heard rustling mixed in with his heavy breathing. “OK, I’m,” he paused to take a deep breath, “right in front of you.”
I strained to see past the orange glow that hovered over the strip of grass in front of the woods. The effect left the space between the trees darker than the night sky. I looked at Bear and nodded.
“We’re coming over.”
I hung up the phone, stuffed it in my pocket and slowly opened the car door. “High alert, Bear.” I turned my head as I said it and saw that Bear already had his gun drawn and held out in front of him, ready to go. We scanned the area as we walked. My pulse quickened with every step. The woods were so close, yet so far away, and there was plenty of time for a trained sniper to take both of us out.
“Here,” Delaney called.
I caught sight of his pale hand waving in between two pine trees. I gave him a quick “cut it” signal and changed course to his direction. A moment later we slipped behind the tree line. I nodded at Delaney and kept walking.
“Where are you going?”
“Further in,” I said.
I walked without light and without knowing where I was going. It didn’t matter. We just needed to be out of sight of the parking lot should someone pull up and aim a floodlight in our direction.
Delaney followed behind, complaining. “Stop. C’mon, Noble, this is far enough.”
I ignored him and kept walking with Bear beside me keeping pace.
“No, no, no,” Delaney said.
I looked over my shoulder and saw him leaning against a tree.
“I know where this is going,” he said. “I keep following you and I’m a dead man. Right?”
I stormed up to him. “Turn around.”
He didn’t.
I grabbed him by his jacket and forced him around. “You see that,” I stretched one arm past his face, toward the parking lot, “see those orange lights?”
“Uh, yeah, I see them.”
“OK,” I said. “Now imagine a car pulls up. Shines some powerful lights into the woods. If we can see those l
ights, then they will sure as hell be able to see us.”
“What about night vision, Jack?”
“We blend.”
His head bobbed up and down, slow and steady. I assumed that meant he understood and I began walking again.
“Just a bit further,” I said. “Now, come on.”
We walked in silence for a few more minutes, changed direction and came to a clearing in the woods. The moon provided enough light for us to see each other clearly. I checked over my shoulder to make sure the lights of the parking lot were out of sight.
“What do you have for us, Delaney?” I said. “What did you bring us out here for?” I leaned in close enough that he could see the look on my face, even in the dark. “It better be damn good, too,” I added.
He reached into his coat pocket.
I drew my Beretta and pointed it at his head.
“Relax,” he said pulling his arms out slowly, a key dangling from a carbineer clip held tight between his thumb and forefinger.
“What’s this?” I said.
“A key to a locker.”
“What’s in the locker?”
“The documents you need.”
“Documents I need for what?”
“That will be answered when you see the documents.”
“Don’t screw with me, Delaney.”
“I’m not, Noble. Everything you need to clear your name and take down who’s behind this is in that locker. I couldn’t risk bringing it out here. Bringing it anywhere with me. I had them bring it—”
“Wait, them who?”
“Don’t worry about that. What’s important is the location of the locker.”
For some reason he waited until I asked the obvious question. “OK, Delaney, where’s this locker at?”
“It’s at the—”
A single shot ripped through the air and slammed into Delaney’s head with a thud. A cloud of blood rose above him. His eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground, limp and lifeless.
Two more shots rang out. One hit the tree behind me, just above my head. Splintered wood and bark rained down and fell to the ground with a sound like playing cards being shuffled.
Another shot was fired, this time hitting Bear in the shoulder. The bullet hit with a thud and turned the big man sideways. He staggered a few feet then fell to the ground.
“Bear,” I said, dropping to the ground. I crawled toward him. “You OK?”
He groaned and clutched at his right shoulder. He cursed out loud then said, “They got me.”
“Keep pressure on it.” I took cover behind a tree. I saw the explosion created by the last bullet and had a bead on the attacker’s position. “I’ll be right back.”
I aimed my gun in the direction of the shooter and started firing until I had emptied the clip and replaced it. The sound of the shots echoed in my head. I fought against it and listened. I heard a voice calling out, getting further away. A different voice called back. There were at least two of them, and if I had to place a wager, I’d say they had night vision goggles on.
I followed in the direction of the voices, making sure to use every tree I passed as cover. I heard a voice and fired in that direction. They were running now, not caring if I heard and tracked them. They ran to the west. The parking lot was south. They hadn’t come in after us. They had been here the whole time. Were we double crossed?
I followed as fast as my legs would carry me. The moonlight penetrated through spring buds just enough for me to navigate past obstacles. A car’s engine roared to life. The faint glow of red tail lights became visible through the thinning trees. The car jerked forward and sped off. I fired three rounds, managing to shatter the rear window.
My lungs burned with each cold breath I took. I placed my shaking hands on my knees and bent over, catching my breath. I turned and started back through the woods. The path wasn’t clear but I knew I hadn’t run more than a half-mile, if that. I kept a quick and steady pace and five minutes in I started calling for Bear.
“Jack,” Bear’s voice rumbled in the distance.
I turned toward the sound and picked up my pace. “Keep yelling,” I shouted into the cool breeze. Bear yelling was a risk, but if I didn’t find him soon he might bleed out. I still had no idea about the severity of the gunshot wound.
Two minutes later I found the clearing. Delaney’s lifeless body lay twisted on the ground. His legs sideways and sort of stacked one on top of the other. His torso belly down. His face turned to the side, the moon reflecting off his dull and lifeless eyes.
Bear had managed to move to a tree and leaned back against it. Best place to be. He could adjust and take cover from a gunshot at any angle.
“You all right?” I asked.
He breathed heavily and clutched at his wounded shoulder.
“Yeah, I’ll live.”
“Can you walk?”
He grimaced as he pushed back into the tree and dragged his large legs under him. They pushed his body up. “Let’s go.”
“I could have helped.” I started toward the parking lot. “I want to take a look at that when we get to the car.”
“I’ll be all right.”
“Like hell,” I said. “I’m not going to have you bleed out in Abbot’s car.”
The walk back to the parking lot took longer than the walk out to the clearing. Bear moved in spurts, stopping to catch his breath every so often. Fifteen minutes after we set out, we came to the edge of the tree line. Orange street lights lit up the lot. I took cover behind a tree and scanned the lot. Could they have circled back and hid out, waiting for us? There would be only one way to find out. The car was a good hundred feet away. We hid behind the dark veil of the woods.
“I’m going to jump in and start the car,” I said, “then back up and pull up parallel.”
Bear nodded. Said nothing.
“I’ll pop open the back door,” I continued. “As soon as you see that, duck and run. Dive into the back seat. I’m going to tear out of here like a bat outta hell. OK?”
He nodded again.
“Here goes,” I said. “Wish me luck.”
I unlocked the doors and started the car with the remote then paused. I watched the trees across the lot for any movement, but didn’t see anyone or anything. I ran to the car, opened the door and got in. I watched the mirrors for a minute. The area remained still. I threw the car in reverse, backed out and pulled up parallel to the trees then leaned back between the driver and passenger seat and opened the rear passenger door.
Bear emerged from the woods, huddled as low the ground as he could, his left arm still clutching his right shoulder. He dove head first, crashing onto the seat and pulling his legs in.
“Go, Jack.”
I put the Audi in gear and sped off, making a U-turn in the lot and speeding toward the road leading out to Georgetown Pike. Half way down the road I saw them.
They parked along the side of the access road. They stood outside the car, using its heft to shield them. They drew their weapons and aimed at the Audi.
“Brace yourself,” I said.
I hit the gas and swerved to the side, sideswiping their car with the passenger side of the Audi. If luck was on my side, the driver’s side door would be damaged and they’d be unable to open it. Luck might just have been on my side. The men dove away from the car and the road moments before the crash.
Bear grunted from the backseat. I raised my hand and pounded on the roof, letting out a yell.
I reached the end of the road and turned left onto Georgetown Pike without stopping. I gunned the Audi, hitting close to one hundred miles per hour. The three quarters of a mile to I-495 went by in twenty seconds. Before taking the on ramp onto the highway, I checked my rear-view mirror and didn’t see any headlights approaching from behind. Either they hadn’t made it to the end of the road yet, or they turned the wrong way, or they were chasing me without their headlights on. My gut told me they were chasing without headlights.
I raced down I-495
doing close to one-twenty. The Audi rode as smooth as it did when it cruised at eighty. I took the second exit and pulled into a residential neighborhood and turned on a couple of random streets until I found a cul-de-sac with two empty lots and two houses under construction. I swung the car around and backed up, leaving the car facing toward the road.
“Christ, Jack. Think I have a concussion now.”
I laughed as I leaned across the front seat and fished through the glove compartment box for a flashlight. I stepped out and turned the flashlight on and coerced Bear into moving his hand away from his shoulder. The wound was deep, but clean.
“Doesn’t look like it got any further than the muscle. Rotate your arm?”
Bear grimaced as he lifted his right arm and twisted it. “Yeah, nothing’s broke.”
“We need to get that taken care of. Tonight.”
“We can’t go to the hospital, Jack. Feds’ll be on us in a heartbeat.”
“Yeah, I know.” I looked up at the clear sky. The lights from D.C. drowned out the sky to the northeast, but above us, the moon shone bright and strong and beyond its white ring of light, stars dotted the sky. The cool night air washed over my face, stinging the cuts and scrapes I received while running blindly through the woods. “I need to clean these up, too.” I ran a hand across my face.
“What are we going to do then?”
I hesitated. “I know a place.”
“Where?”
“I think,” I paused a beat, “I think that it’s best you don’t know until we’re close.”
Chapter 10
I drove without stopping for close to three hours. The clock on the dashboard said the time was after twelve in the morning. We crossed into the city limits of Charlottesville, Virginia. Shopping centers with empty parking lots lined the main road through town. Cars huddled around late night restaurants and bars. Neon signs announced their presence.
I pulled into a twenty-four hour gas station and stopped the car next to an outward facing pump. I placed the gas nozzle into the Audi’s fuel tank and clicked the handle to auto pump. I walked inside the convenience store, grabbed a four pack of water bottles out of the fridge and filled a 20 ounce cup with fresh coffee. Hunger pains attacked my stomach, so I milled about a few minutes looking for something to eat, ultimately finding nothing. I stepped up to the counter where a freckle-faced teenager with red hair and a name tag that read “Stan” waited behind the register. He asked me how I was doing without bothering to look at me.