Run and Hide

by Alan McDermott

  “Woulda, coulda, shoulda. How could we know the ESO would kill a bunch of kids just to get my picture all over the news?”

  Eva had to admit that the ESO had won this round. The staged attack would so incense the American people that everyone would be looking for her. And it wouldn’t stop there. Colback and Farooq would no doubt be named as accomplices soon, making it important that they all disappear as soon as possible.

  Sonny had rented an RV the previous day, and Eva had intended for the Brits to handle the recon alone, but now she had no option but to join them.

  She tossed her phone into the back seat and Farooq caught it. “Message Sonny,” she said. “See if there’s news from the Calico Club.”

  Before Farooq could open WhatsApp, the phone vibrated to signal an incoming message.

  “Speak of the devil. Sonny has some more pictures for us. He says he’s on his way to the RV now. He just paused at a truck stop to get something to eat.”

  “Tell him we’ll see him at the RV,” Eva said. “See what he sent us.”

  Farooq downloaded the images and thumbed through them. The last one was of Sonny’s notes, indicating the times the subjects arrived and left.

  “Both the Langtons are here,” he told Eva. “I also recognize Alexander Mumford. The others I don’t know. I’ll have to search for them. It looks like we’ve got the main players though.”

  “Then Len can pull back. Find a quiet spot on the map and tell them to meet us there with the RV. Make sure it’s a place we can ditch this car.”

  Farooq searched on his phone, and after a few minutes he found a suitable area for the rendezvous. He told Eva where to drive, then sent the coordinates and instructions to Sonny and Len.

  Half an hour later, Eva pulled off the freeway outside Manassas, Virginia, and turned onto a residential road. The houses were set back from the street, behind sturdy gates. The dwellings were widely spread along the verge of the lush woodland that surrounded the subdivision.

  “There should be a fire road coming up on the right,” Farooq told her.

  Eva spotted it moments later and turned off. The car was immediately shrouded in twilight as the sun fought a losing battle to penetrate the canopy. Eva drove on until the trees thinned out and she entered an open area that was a hundred feet in diameter.

  Parked off to one side were the RV and Len’s rental car. Both men emerged from the woods with automatic rifles in their hands when Eva got out of the throwaway Ford.

  “You’re not a very popular lady right now,” Sonny said.

  Eva noticed the absence of his usual smile.

  “I’m sure there’s no need to tell you I wasn’t involved.”

  “We didn’t think you were,” Smart said. “The ESO trying to smoke you out?”

  “That’s about the size of it. With my face all over the news, it’ll be difficult to go anywhere.”

  “They also had Rees’s sister on TV, asking him to hand himself in. Farooq’s too.”

  Exactly what she’d feared, although worse—the use of the men’s siblings being a particularly naked threat by the ESO.

  “So, they’re desperate enough to kill kids in order to get to you,” said Sonny.

  “They are, and they’re going to pay for it. Farooq identified another likely member of the ESO, and we’re going to pay him a visit tonight.”

  “What security does he have in place?” Smart asked.

  “I don’t know, and we haven’t got the luxury of scoping his place out for a couple of days. If they’re willing to wipe out a bunch of kids to force our hand, who knows what they’ll do next.”

  “Agreed,” Sonny said. “Now they’ve implicated Rees and Farooq, it’s going to be difficult for any of you to move in public.”

  “Another reason we need to move quickly and finish this.”

  Eva led them into the RV and saw that Sonny had stocked it with enough food and drinks to last at least a week.

  “Farooq, find out where Alexander Mumford lives, then work on ID’ing the others. The rest of you—weapons check, then get some sleep.”

  CHAPTER 42

  The weather couldn’t have been more accommodating. After more than three weeks of glorious sunshine, the thunderstorm was welcomed by both farmers and trained assassins alike.

  The pounding rain helped drown out the sound of Eva’s approach to the house, an expensive and expansive replica of a Mexican hacienda. It was all terracotta tiles and archways, and she could see the two guards taking cover from the storm. They were patrolling the first floor, letting the second-floor balcony protect them from the downpour. Eva had been watching them for a couple of hours, and their drill remained constant: one covering the east side and the rear of the building, the other watching the front and west. It took each of them two minutes to cover their half of the house, then another two to walk back and meet up on the corner. She noticed that they never spoke, only acknowledged that the other was still alive and doing his job before the patrolling started once more.

  Eva had no idea when the shifts would change, but guessed it would be at the top of the hour. She decided to strike at 2:20 a.m. That would give them fifteen minutes to make their way through the trees that surrounded Alexander Mumford’s villa and get to the back of the house, where she would make her entry. She’d scouted it out already and identified a way in through the door at the rear: it was the perfect place to launch the attack.

  She was a hundred yards from the house, ten yards inside the tree line, so Eva wasn’t worried about being seen by the guards. If there were any motion sensors or CCTV cameras in the woods, they would have known about it by now.

  She had the rest of the team in place with three minutes to spare, only Farooq sitting this one out.

  The guard reached the corner of the house and met his companion, then turned and slowly retraced his steps, his eyes always on the trees. Eva waited until he turned the corner then broke cover and ran across the manicured lawn. It took twenty seconds to reach the back wall, and she leaned against it for a few seconds as she brought her breathing under control.

  The guard would reach the corner again in around a minute. Eva crouched as she crept past a window, then straightened as she reached the end of the wall. She heard the approaching footsteps just as the guard’s shadow came into view, and tightened her grip on the rubber-handled knife. Her pulse raced as adrenaline surged through her body, every sinew poised to strike.

  The guard appeared, but not where Eva expected him to be. He was half a yard farther away than she’d anticipated, and she had to adjust her feet as she lunged at him. The knife was inches from the man’s throat when he twisted sideways, bringing his rifle up in the same movement. Eva missed his neck by millimeters, but followed through with her elbow and felt the satisfying crunch of cartilage as the guard’s nose imploded. He staggered backward and tried to bring his weapon up again, but Eva was too quick for him. The top of her boot connected with his groin and, as he doubled over, she reversed the knife and plunged it into the base of his skull.

  Spinal cord severed, the man went limp and collapsed to the ground, his rifle clattering onto the tiles. Eva pulled the knife free and ran as silently as she could to the far corner of the house to intercept the other guard. She’d lost precious seconds in the skirmish, and it was about to prove costly.

  Eva was still five yards from the corner when the other guard appeared. His rifle rose to his shoulder in an instant and the sharp crack of a round reached her ears. The fact she heard it meant she was still alive, which was more than could be said for the guard. His head jerked sideways as a bullet slammed into his temple, and he dropped like a sack of rocks.

  Much as Eva was relieved to still be breathing, the noise was a disaster. Police or other reinforcements would soon be on their way, so her plan to interrogate Alexander Mumford was blown.

  She could still make a statement though.

  The rear doors flew open and two men rushed out, weapons searching for targets. Eva
took one out with a pair of rounds to the head, while Colback’s rifle claimed its second victim of the night.

  Sonny and Len ran from the trees, rifles slung and silenced pistols in hand, but Eva didn’t wait for them. She ducked inside the house and found herself in a reception room. An open door in the opposite wall led out to the hallway, which was bathed in artificial light. Hurried footsteps approached, and Eva waited until the figure was framed in the doorway before putting a couple of rounds into the silhouette’s head.

  Sonny and Smart joined her in the room. Eva stepped over the dead body and the other two followed her into the hall. No more guards in sight, but Eva didn’t want any sneaking up from behind. She motioned for Sonny and Len to clear the first-floor rooms while she stood guard. Normally she would have gone in herself, but Sonny had been a close-quarters battle instructor in his SAS days, making him better qualified for the job.

  Sonny stood to one side of the first door while Smart took the other. He turned the knob and pushed it open a few millimeters, then waited for gunfire. When none came, he stepped back and kicked the door wide open, then spun 180 degrees and put his back to the wall again.

  The last movement saved his life, as two automatic rifles opened up. Bullets flew out of the room and across the hallway, destroying a giant mirror and shattering a priceless vase.

  Sonny used hand signals to tell Smart what he had in mind. After getting a nod in acknowledgment, Sonny started to count while his friend unslung his rifle and held it above his head.

  On three, Smart started spraying the room blindly with lead. As he did, Sonny crouched and darted inside, taking cover behind a high-backed chair. When Smart’s magazine ran dry, two figures popped up from behind a desk and let loose at the doorway. Sonny crept around the side of the chair and hit the first just above the eye. By the time the second one had a chance to identify the new threat, it was too late. A double-tap sent a puff of red mist into the air and he collapsed next to his colleague.

  “Clear!” Sonny shouted, and exited the space to repeat the process with the next room.

  They encountered no more bodyguards on the first floor, so Eva led them up the marble staircase, which branched off to the left and the right at the top. She was choosing which way to go when the decision was made for her. A burst of automatic fire from the left missed her head by inches, and the shooter disappeared around a corner.

  Eva gave chase. She reached the same corner and dived to the floor before looking around it. The guard had to adjust his aim, and she pulled her head back just as bullets tore chunks out of the plaster. He’d fired from the second doorway on the right: likely the room where Alexander Mumford was hiding.

  Eva hand-signaled Sonny and Smart to her side and motioned for them to cover her, letting them know where the shooter was. Smart already had a fresh magazine in place as he got into position. Eva tapped him on the shoulder, and he stuck the barrel of the rifle around the corner and began laying down covering fire. As he did so, Eva crouched and rushed to the first doorway, halfway to the guard’s position. She threw herself to the floor and brought her pistol up. As Smart stopped firing, Mumford’s man took his turn. He only showed Eva a couple of inches of his profile, but from five yards away, it was all she needed.

  Eva was up and running before the guard hit the floor. She paused as she reached the bedroom, then put her head around the open doorway. It was only there for a fraction of a second, but that was enough to take in the scene.

  Alexander Mumford was kneeling down behind his enormous bed, wearing silk pajamas and pointing a pistol at the door. He hadn’t had time to get a shot off because she’d been too quick. If she planned to incapacitate him, she’d have to expose herself for longer.

  A better idea came to her.

  Eva pulled Sonny close and whispered in his ear. “Get me the biggest flashlight you can find.”

  While he went to fulfill her request, Eva kept Mumford occupied.

  “I guess you know who I am,” she said loudly.

  “You’re a dead woman, that’s who you are. This place will be surrounded in a couple of minutes. You fucked with the wrong people, Driscoll!”

  Mumford fired twice at the wall next to the door frame, more for show than in expectation of hitting anyone on the other side. Eva didn’t flinch, knowing that no one with Mumford’s money would live in a house built with drywall.

  “I know you’re part of the ESO,” she replied. “I want the names of the other members. Henry and Edward Langton are two. Who are the others?”

  Mumford replied with an expletive-laden diatribe as Sonny returned with a large Maglite, which Eva gave to Smart, sending Sonny back downstairs with further instructions.

  “If you give yourself up, you might save your friends’ sisters,” Mumford said.

  “No thanks, I have—what the hell?”

  The house was suddenly enveloped in darkness.

  “Too late,” Mumford called out. “The cavalry’s here—”

  Smart flicked on the flashlight and Mumford put his hand up to shield his eyes from the dazzling glare. At the same time, Eva stepped into the doorway, got a bead on Mumford, and shot him in the shoulder. His pistol slipped from his grasp, and Eva ran into the room as the lights came back on. She kicked Mumford in the chest, knocking him onto his back. She landed a heavy knee on his torso and the other on his good arm, then jabbed her thumb into his bloody puncture wound. Mumford howled in pain, and she waited a few seconds before relieving the pressure.

  “I want the names,” she said. “I was planning to gently tease them out of you but there isn’t time for that.” She drew a knife from the scabbard in her boot and held it up so Mumford could see its six-inch serrated edge. “I’ll give you five seconds to start talking. It’ll save you a lot of pain. I already know about the Langtons and you. I’m guessing Joel Harmer, right?”

  Those were the only people Farooq had been able to identify from the surveillance photographs, but Eva figured there had to be others involved.

  “Fuck you.” Mumford spat at her, missing her face but hitting her jacket.

  “Okay, we’ll play it your way.”

  Eva adjusted her position and sliced through Mumford’s pajama pants. She gripped one of his testicles in her left hand, then began to squeeze.

  He screamed, an animal sound that told her she had his attention.

  “Talk.” She eased the pressure but placed the razor-sharp edge of the blade against his scrotum.

  Mumford squeezed his eyes shut, then shook his head. “It’s pointless,” he said. “You kill me, they’ll have my replacement by lunchtime.”

  “Wrong. When I’m finished with you, no one’s gonna want to take your place.”

  She sliced upward, then dropped a bloody mass on Mumford’s chest. “You’ve got one left. Tell me the names.”

  Mumford was too busy screaming to hear. With limited time, she’d been forced to take the extreme route, and it had backfired. Mumford was now a blubbering wreck and it was long past time to clear out.

  “Last chance to talk,” she said, but when Mumford didn’t acknowledge her, she decided the time had come to make a point.

  Eva turned to the doorway. Sonny had come back from turning off the breakers for those ten crucial seconds.

  “Get to the rendezvous point,” she told Sonny and Smart. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Both men nodded and disappeared, and Eva turned back to Mumford.

  “How does it feel to reap what you sow, huh?” She knelt and put her lips to the wounded man’s ear. “The only reason I’m here is because you created me. You needed someone to do your dirty work, so you trained people like me to do things you wouldn’t dare try yourself. While you and your friends sat in your clubhouse, I was out killing anyone who threatened your balance sheet. I thought I was doing something noble, protecting my country and keeping America safe, but it was never like that. I was murdering the innocent. I took the lives of over thirty people, and I lived with it becau
se I thought it was for the good of the country. Now I have to spend the rest of my life knowing I was just a hired killer, and their blood will be on my hands forever.”

  Mumford gurgled and spluttered but Eva was far from finished.

  “And how could you kill all those children just to get to me? What kind of monster does that? Sure, target me, but . . .” Her voice cracked, and she had to pause. As she gathered herself, she saw that Mumford was losing a lot of blood, his end near.

  “I wish I had another twelve hours with you, but that’s not going to happen, so I’ll make it brief. You killed my brother because you wanted to be one of the most powerful men on the planet, but that’s not how people are going to remember you. All they’ll see is the sad old man who choked to death on his own cock.”

  Eva castrated him with one slice of the knife, then pinched his jaw to force his mouth open and stuffed his manhood inside. She put her hand over his mouth to prevent him spitting the bloody flesh out and held his nostrils closed.

  Mumford bucked with all his strength, but Eva had anticipated it and held firm. She stared into his bulging eyes as his face grew crimson and his thrashing more frantic.

  His face was blue by the time he stopped moving. Eva kept her hands in place for another minute in case he was feigning death, then wiped her hands on his pajamas and stood. She used her phone to take a few photographs, then jogged out of the house to meet up with the others.

  CHAPTER 43

  Eva lay in her bunk and stared up at the ceiling of the RV. She’d woken a few minutes earlier, but the dream she’d been having was still with her.

  It had been about Carl Huff.

  Eva hadn’t dreamed about him in years, although she had thought about him from time to time. She wanted to think that the dream was a response to seeing him in the recent photographs, but wasn’t convinced. She certainly wasn’t one to put much stock in her nocturnal imaginings. Dreams weren’t portents any more than black cats or broken mirrors were harbingers of misfortune.