The Buried

by Brett Battles

  Quinn had woken the night clerk at two a.m. to get a room. Theirs was at the very end of the back portion of the L, farthest from the road. By the time six a.m. rolled around, he and Nate were both up, showered, and dressed.

  Nate made a quick trip to pick them up some coffee, then, while they waited for Orlando’s call, they silently went over their gear, cleaning weapons and making sure everything was ready if needed.

  “It’s seven,” Nate said a little while later.

  Somewhere nearby Orbits was telling The Wolf where the meeting was to take place. At most, Quinn figured it would be another ten or fifteen minutes before Orlando could pin down The Wolf’s destination.

  At fourteen minutes after seven, someone knocked on their door.

  “Get rid of them,” Quinn told Nate.

  His partner walked over to the door, opened it a few inches, and turned back to Quinn. “We, um, have a visitor.”

  As Nate swung the door the rest of the way open, Quinn pulled his gun from his shoulder holster.

  “Not exactly the greeting I was expecting,” Orlando said.

  “What in God’s name are you doing here?” Quinn asked.

  She stepped inside so Nate could close the door again. “What do you think I’m doing here? You and boy wonder need help.”

  “I never said that.”

  “You never not said that.”

  He frowned. “I actually did.”

  “Must be the hormones. I don’t recall that.”

  “You could have just sent Daeng.”

  “I brought him with me. He’s in our room.”

  “Your room?”

  “We landed a couple hours ago, tracked your phone here, and figured we’d get a room to freshen up. He and Ananke should be here in a minute.”

  “You’re unbelievable.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”

  “But I’m taking it that way. Now, would you mind?” she asked, pointing at his hand.

  He slipped his gun back into its holster, walked over, and pulled her into his arms. He couldn’t lie to himself. It did feel good to have her here.

  When they separated, Orlando said, “So, do you want to know where The Wolf is headed or not?

  __________

  THE CAR STAFFORD and Parnell had stolen was a gray Honda Accord. Though it wasn’t that much larger than the C-Max, it was considerably more generic and had less chance of being ID’d as stolen by a local.

  Orbits told his men to take their gear out to the car and wait while he prepped the girl for the exchange. As soon as they were gone, he made a big show of filling a syringe with a sedative.

  “Before I give this to you,” he said to the woman, “we have one last matter to discuss. I found the door.”

  No reaction.

  “You know,” he said, “the door those numbers under your tongue lead to. We’re actually only a few miles from it.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I went and took a look at it last night. It was buried under some dirt so it took a little work to clean it off. You know what I found when I did?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “That door of yours is locked. It needs an eight-number combination to open it.”

  Her eyes flared.

  “See, here’s the deal,” he said. “Your secret’s not so secret anymore. Whatever’s down there, either I’m going to get it, or The Wolf is. That’s what my dad would have called a foregone conclusion. Not a damn thing you can do about it. The only thing you have control over is which of us it’s going to be.

  “You’re lucky with me. I found the numbers without having to work you over any. That’s not going to be true with The Wolf. Whatever she tries to do to you, I can guarantee it will not be pleasant. My proposal is this. I know you have the combination. You give that to me, and I’ll make sure The Wolf never gets ahold of you. The offer’s time sensitive, though. In about…”—he checked his watch—“one hour, I’m supposed to hand you over. At that point, there’ll be nothing I can do. For you, anyway. For me, I guess I’ll just have to use a little explosive. That should bust the door in.”

  She laughed. “Go ahead and try. It’s six inches thick. You set off a charge and you’re liable to damage the automated supports that lift it. Then you’ll never get it open.”

  “Then you should just give me the combo so I don’t wreck anything.”

  “Never going to happen.”

  He stared at her for a moment before returning the syringe to its hard plastic container. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll take a ride first and give you some time to reconsider. I think you’ll come around to seeing that I’m your best option.”

  “Don’t count on it.”

  __________

  “THERE,” ORLANDO SAID. She handed Quinn the binoculars and pointed.

  He adjusted the focus, bringing the tiny shape of a private jet into view. “You’re sure?”

  “You have to ask?”

  The plane landed at Topeka Regional Airport four minutes later, at 8:21 a.m. Bypassing the public terminal, it taxied over to one of the buildings to the north. Quinn and Orlando relocated to the edge of the public lot to get a direct view of the now stopped aircraft. After a few moments, the door opened and the steps were lowered. Four men exited first, and then two women.

  “The last one matches Helen’s description of The Wolf,” Orlando said. “See, I do know what I’m doing.”

  It was the other woman who caught Quinn’s attention.

  “The blonde,” he said. “She’s the motorcycle rider who shot all the men at the helicopter.”

  “Well, then, I guess the gang’s all here.”

  Quinn took his comm mic off mute. “Nate?”

  “Go for Nate.”

  Nate, Daeng, and Ananke were near the private vehicle entrance, in the car he and Quinn had driven from Illinois.

  “We’ve got visual confirmation on The Wolf,” Quinn said. “Stand by.”

  “Copy.”

  A woman hurried out of the building and jogged over to The Wolf’s party. A short conversation ensued before she led them over to two waiting SUVs. She handed them what Quinn assumed were keys and headed back to the building.

  The Wolf and her team conferred for a moment before three of the men climbed into one of the vehicles, and the fourth man and the two women got into the other.

  “They’re in the two dark blue Explorers,” Quinn told Nate. “Leaving now.”

  “Copy. We’re on it.”

  __________

  NATE WAITED UNTIL the gate started to open before he pulled forward, his car a foot over the center line. Pretending he was arguing with Ananke, who sat up front with him, he slammed on the brakes when he “noticed” he was blocking the Explorer. Holding up a hand in apology, he reversed his car into his own lane, but left it hanging over just enough so that the SUV had to pass slowly.

  As the second SUV did the same, Daeng crept out from where he’d been hiding behind the wall the gate shut against, and slipped a magnetic-backed tracking chip under the vehicle’s license plate.

  “All set,” he said as the Explorer rushed off to catch its partner.

  __________

  TIME WAS RUNNING out. With only twenty minutes until the meeting, Orbits needed to get the combo out of the girl now, or give up any dreams of finding out what was under that door.

  Ahead, a copse of trees separated two farms. He pointed it out to Stafford. “Stop there for a minute.”

  When they were at the side of the road, he opened his door and grabbed the girl by the arm.

  “Come with me.”

  __________

  DANI STUMBLED AS her captor pushed her deeper into the grove of trees, her bare feet feeling every twig and pebble.

  “Careful,” he grunted.

  Once they could no longer see the car, he stopped and pushed her against a tree.

  “All right, here it is. You know what I want. You tell
me now, and I’ll untie your wrists and let you go.”

  He was a good actor. His face was very I’m-doing-you-a-favor-against-my-better-judgment. But she knew he would give her to her father’s old partner no matter what.

  “In thirty seconds that option is off the table.”

  “You’ll let me go,” she said, playing along.

  “That’s the deal.”

  She made a show of thinking it over. “All right, I’ll tell you.”

  “Now we’re talking.” He pulled out his phone and poised his thumb over his keypad. “Let’s have it.”

  “Zero-nine-seven-six-four-three-one-zero.”

  He stopped entering it halfway through. “Give it to me again.”

  “Nine-eight-six-five-three-two-zero-nine.”

  He glared at her, his face reddening in anger.

  “Again?” she asked. Though she did know the number, she was never going to give it to this asshole. “Eight-seven-five-four-two-one-nine-eight.”

  He slapped her hard.

  “Looks like The Wolf will be the one to get it out of you,” he said. “I wish you luck.”

  From his pocket, he removed the hard plastic case she’d seen him put the syringe into earlier.

  As he pulled the needle out, she braced herself against the tree. When he turned to her, she kicked out, her bare foot whacking into his hand and sending the syringe flying.

  __________

  ORBITS YELLED IN surprise. “You bitch!” he said, shoving her to the ground. “Don’t move.”

  He didn’t see where the syringe had landed and had to hunt around, stepping carefully. When he finally spotted it, he could see the plunger had twisted and allowed the drug to leak out. Cursing loudly, he picked it up and hurled it at a tree near the girl.

  That sealed it, then. His claim on whatever was below the door in the meadow was null and void. He couldn’t even risk a quick visit after the handoff. Maybe the girl wouldn’t immediately tell The Wolf that Orbits knew where it was, but he had to assume she would.

  He yanked her up by the arm. “So this is the way you want it, huh?” he said. “I could have been your friend. A little cooperation and you would have been free by now.” A lie, but that wasn’t important. “Walk.” He pushed her in front of him. “It’s time to meet your new owner.”

  CHAPTER 37

  “YOU CALLED IT,” Orlando said.

  She’d been guiding Quinn through Topeka based on the tracking information she was receiving from The Wolf’s vehicle, but he’d known all along they’d end up heading north out of town on Highway 4.

  He flicked on his comm mic. “Nate, status check.”

  “No change,” Nate replied.

  While Quinn and Orlando were on the road a minute in front of the SUVs, their friends were following a minute behind.

  A few silent miles passed, with Quinn dividing his gaze between the road ahead and his mirrors. Approximately four and a half miles past the point where the 4 separated from US 24, he looked into the rearview mirror and shot a glance at Orlando.

  “Did they speed up?” he asked.

  She looked at her phone. “No. Why?”

  “I’ve got an SUV that looks very much like one of the Explorers coming up fast.”

  Orlando angled herself to use the side mirror. “I see it.”

  Quinn glanced at the rearview mirror. The SUV he’d spotted was now a hundred yards behind them, still closing.

  “That’s got to be the lead vehicle,” Orlando said.

  Quinn informed the others.

  Just as he finished, Orlando said, “Here they come.”

  The Explorer was close enough now for them to confirm that the men in front were two of those they’d seen getting out of the plane. For a couple seconds the vehicle looked as though it would ram into them, but when it was less than two car lengths back, it pulled into the next lane and shot past.

  “What’s their other one doing?” Quinn asked.

  Checking the tracking app again, Orlando said, “Still hanging back.”

  “Scout mission,” he said, thinking the lead SUV must have been sent to scope out the exchange location.

  “Makes sense to me.”

  Forty-five seconds later, he spotted the Explorer again, this time pulled to the side of the road, its occupants climbing out. Quinn continued on without slowing. Though there was nothing but a few trees and bushes where the others had stopped, another three hundred yards down on the west side of the road was a sprawling service station called Karl’s K-4. Three cars were at the pumps and several others were parked next to the main building. One of the doors to the large garage at the back of the property was open, revealing a truck inside with its hood up. Just to the south was a busy café. At least a dozen cars sat in its lot, and most of the tables visible through the windows were full.

  There were basically two types of hostage exchange. The first involved two parties unworried that the other would try to take advantage of the situation. These were often held in quiet, out-of-the-way spots: a dark bar, a remote cabin, a deserted building. In the second kind, at least one of the parties would have serious doubts about the other’s true intent, and insist the meeting occur at a location where civilians could get hurt if things turned ugly—the assumption being that neither group would risk that.

  Someplace like Karl’s K-4.

  Less than a quarter mile past the station, Quinn turned onto a dirt road, pulled a U, and parked on the shoulder in front of the stop sign.

  “The other Explorer’s getting close to where their friends stopped,” Orlando said, and then studied her screen for a moment. “They’re stopping, too.”

  Quinn tapped his comm. “Nate, pull over.”

  “Copy.”

  Quinn checked his watch. It was eleven minutes until nine a.m. If Karl’s K-4 wasn’t the handoff location, then The Wolf and her people were going to be late.

  “Nate, do you think you can close in some without being seen?” Quinn asked.

  “Definitely.”

  “Do it.”

  “Copy.”

  Quinn looked at Orlando as he grabbed his door handle. “Keep me posted on any movements.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “Where do you think?”

  When he walked around the car a moment later, she glared at him through her closed window.

  “Roll it down,” he said. The glass remained where it was. “You want to hike to the gas station with me? If you can keep up, be my guest.”

  After a couple seconds, the window descended.

  “I promise, after the baby, you can come with me every time.”

  He leaned through the window and kissed her.

  “Try not to get shot,” she said.

  “My number one rule.”

  He’d apparently forgotten to turn off his mic, because Nate said, “See, I told you. You’ve got like a hundred number-one rules.”

  __________

  ORLANDO WATCHED QUINN run south along the shoulder of the highway. When she was sure he wouldn’t turn around, she gave in to the pain of yet another false contraction. It was the second one she’d had that morning.

  After it passed, she exited the car and moved around to the driver’s seat.

  “How about we have a nice, relaxing day,” she said, rubbing her belly. “Mommy’s got a little work to do.”

  __________

  ORBITS WAS CERTAIN The Wolf would have a manpower advantage, so he had to even the odds somehow. That meant stationing Parnell among the trees at the southwest corner of the lot where he could keep an eye on the road. Stafford and the girl were in the car, a mile north on the highway, waiting to be called in. Orbits was sitting at a window table in the café.

  He checked his watch—8:56. Almost.

  “Freshen up that coffee?” his waitress asked.

  “Yes, please.”

  As she poured, she said, “Your omelet should be up in just a few minutes.”

  “Thank you.
” He had known when he ordered that there would be no time to eat. It was simply the rental price of the table.

  As she walked away, he looked back out the window.

  “Come on, come on, come on,” he whispered. “Let’s get this over with.”

  __________

  NATE STOPPED THE car the moment he caught sight of the two Explorers. Using his binoculars, he watched three of The Wolf’s men cross the road and disappear into the field on the other side.

  He radioed it in to Quinn.

  “Can you follow unseen?” Quinn asked.

  Nate studied the terrain. Running parallel to the highway on the other side was a brush-filled gully with trees lining the opposite bank.

  “Shouldn’t be a problem,” Nate said.

  “Do it.”

  Nate and Daeng retrieved their backpacks from the trunk.

  As Nate was donning his, Ananke said, “Be a dear,” and held out her weapon.

  He slipped her SIG into his pack.

  “Thanks, sweetie.” She eyed both men as they finished getting ready. “Maybe after all of this is done, the three of us could go out and celebrate. We could have a lot of fun.”

  Putting on his most innocent voice, Nate said, “Great idea! We should include Quinn and Orlando.”

  She frowned. “Party killer.”

  __________

  THE WOLF SAT patiently in the backseat of the Explorer, Bianca beside her.

  It would have been nice if Ricky Orbits had chosen a more cosmopolitan location. She much preferred cityscapes to open countryside like this. She figured he’d chosen it because he was familiar with the area, but no matter how well he knew it, it wasn’t going to do him any good. She would have Danielle Hayes soon, and despite what Orbits might think, it would cost The Wolf nothing.

  “Yeah, I’m here,” her driver said into his ear-mounted radio. “Okay…got it.” He twisted around and looked at The Wolf. “Point team reports visual confirmation of Orbits inside the café next door to the meeting point. There’s also someone hiding in some trees nearby they presume is with him. The rest of the area appears clear.”