Slash and burn jh-3

by Matt Hilton

  'They wouldn't be after her if they'd already killed her,' I said. But that was assuming they were there for Imogen and not some other reason. I didn't say so to Kate, choosing instead to allow her a little relief. I would think worst-case scenario until I knew otherwise.

  'Why doesn't she get in contact with me then?' The tone of her voice said that the question was rhetorical. Kate was astute enough to come up with her own answer. 'She's too afraid. Whoever these men are, she's afraid that they'll hurt me if I'm involved.'

  'But now you're involved she can come out of hiding? The problem is, she doesn't know that you're here. She's going to keep her head down.'

  'We'll just have to find her, then.'

  Kate took out another clip for the Glock and slid it in place.

  'Looks like you've a proper little arsenal in there,' I said.

  Kate's dark eyes dropped and she gnawed on her bottom lip again.

  'You came prepared for trouble. What's really going on, Kate?'

  'All I know is Imogen's missing and there are men who want to kill her.'

  I shook my head. 'Kate. I'm not being judgemental. I only want to know the truth.'

  'I already told you. Imogen called me four days ago. She said that she needed help but then the line went dead. I've been unable to get her to answer the phone since. It goes directly to her voicemail.'

  'But you didn't go to the police,' I pointed out. 'You came looking for me, instead. Why didn't you contact the police, Kate?'

  'They wouldn't have done anything,' she said. 'At most, some bored officer would've taken a drive up here. He'd have seen that the house was secure and Imogen's car was gone. He'd guess that she'd gone away for a few days and that would've been that. Case closed. I know how these things work, Joe.'

  'That's assuming quite a lot.'

  'It's unofficial cop protocol. Do only what you have to and let the rest go to hell.'

  'Where'd you get your low impression of law enforcement from?'

  Her answer took me by surprise. 'I am a police officer, Joe.'

  Chapter 5

  The Grand Taurino made short shrift of the rutted road, eating up the miles between Little Fork and Great Wells Forest Park. Larry Bolan had driven this road on a number of occasions lately. He knew every twist and turn, every offshoot from the trail. He knew where the best places were to ambush anyone making their way down from the national park.

  He chose a spot under a rock overhang. Here the road squeezed between two gargantuan boulders then swung round a long curve before meeting the layover where he'd parked the truck. He drew his Magnum and held it against one meaty thigh. Beside him Trent was shouting into the CB handset.

  'Do you have to be so loud all the time?' Larry asked his twin.

  'I do when I'm talking to these damn rednecks we're stuck with,' Trent yelled, banging the handset down in its cradle. 'The two pussies Huffman stationed at the house got themselves killed as well as Tom-Boy and Richie. That's four down and not a goddamn clue who the hell was shooting at them.'

  'It wasn't the Ballard bitch, then?'

  'Nope. Some other bitch. Guy with her shot Tom and Richie, but the woman was also armed. The boys on the pick-up had to take cover when she opened up on them.'

  'So where are the assholes now?'

  'Following the couple this way.'

  'Get back on the radio,' Larry said. 'Tell them not to get too close. We'll deal with this.'

  Trent grinned as he picked up the handset. 'Do we get to keep the woman alive for a little while, Larry?'

  'Don't see why not. It's Imogen Ballard that Huffman wants. Can't see why we can't have a little fun with any other bitch that throws herself into our laps.'

  Larry buzzed down the window. Leaning out, he could hear the sounds of engines on the trail above. The acoustics of the canyon made it difficult to identify how close the approaching vehicles were, but he guessed that any minute now the fun would start. As he stepped out of the truck the chassis rose by a few inches. He lifted the Magnum and stalked forwards. Behind him he heard his little brother get out the truck and follow. Trent racked a shotgun – nothing smaller than the shotgun felt worthy in his huge hands.

  'We'll take them as they come through the pass,' Larry said. 'The guy's driving, right?'

  'Right.'

  'So make sure you shoot for him. The bitch ain't gonna be much good to us with a face full of lead.'

  'Ain't her face I'm interested in.'

  Larry glanced at his brother. Rape he could go along with – it wasn't as if he hadn't tasted a little unwilling flesh in his time – but Trent's suggestion wasn't something that sat well with him. Of course, his little brother probably wasn't suggesting that they rape a woman with her actual face shot off, but then again, who knew? There was something decidedly unhealthy going on in that mind of Trent's, and it was more than just the crazy gleam of his wall-eye that told Larry so; the ear that Trent had cut off William Devaney and now kept on his key chain had a little to do with it too.

  Larry thumbed back the hammer on his Magnum. Momentarily he considered putting a bullet through his brother's brainpan. A mercy killing. His brother was getting to be a problem that maybe even Robert Huffman's money couldn't save them from.

  He turned back towards the two boulders encroaching on the road. Let Trent have his crazy thoughts, he decided. They didn't harm anyone who wasn't in need of harming. Plus, that ear thing? Well, William Devaney didn't need it any more. There wasn't much to listen to in his unmarked grave up in the wilderness beyond Great Wells waterfall.

  The sounds of approaching engines made a steady rumble now. Larry could even hear the catcalls of the stupid rednecks pushing the strangers towards the trap. Shots were fired. He gritted his teeth. 'Those motherfuckers better not get them first.'

  'Only thing those assholes are capable of is getting themselves shot,' Trent said as he stomped across to the other side of the trail. 'In fact, after this, I think we're gonna have to smack a few heads, just to straighten them out a bit. What do you say, big bro?'

  'Sounds good to me.'

  'That's the only problem with shooting people if you ask me. Way too fast. I'd prefer to smash this asshole first.'

  'I hear you, Trent, but we can't be takin' any chances. Whoever this dude is, he knows how to shoot. We have to take him out… first possible opportunity.'

  'Heads up, then, bro,' Trent said as he lifted his shotgun. 'Sounds like he's almost here.'

  Larry heard the vehicle coming. He thought that the timbre of the engine changed, as though slowing, but that could have been to do with the way the sound reverberated off the two boulders forming the pass. He saw headlights on the rock on the right, and now the engine of the approaching 4?4 definitely did sound like the foot had been taken off the throttle. Made sense, he thought, as the guy approached the narrow pass. It was why he'd chosen the spot for the ambush, allowing them to shoot the driver when he had to slow down to negotiate the narrow road and the tight curve that followed.

  He lifted the gun in anticipation. Took a step forwards.

  There it was. The blocky shape of a Ford Explorer, exiting the gap between the boulders. The headlights were flicked to full beam and Larry had to scrunch his eyes against the glare, but it didn't hinder him none. He knew exactly where the driver would be. He fired his handgun and it bucked in his hand. Purposely he aimed through the driver's side, allowing the gun to dip in line with the top of the steering wheel; just where a ducking man's head would be.

  Across from him, Trent opened up with the shotgun. He fired one load into the driver's side, then followed it immediately by sending his second load into a front tyre.

  The Ford dipped as the tyre exploded, then it swerved, but continued moving. The cant of the road sent the swerving 4?4 past Larry. As it did so he fired another shot into the cab. If it hit the woman, so what? She was going to die anyway, and if that meant he wouldn't be getting his rocks off tonight, then so be it. There was plenty pussy back in town f
or the taking. Trent could have the bitch all to himself!

  Larry steadied his Magnum for a third shot, but it was unnecessary. The Ford slewed off the trail and into a ditch and then slammed into the trunk of a tree with such force that the top of the tree swayed like it was in the middle of a hurricane. Pine needles rattled down all around Larry and he had to brush some out of his spiky hair. He looked for Trent, and his brother was already crabbing across the trail with his shotgun held to his shoulder.

  'You get the woman, Trent. I'm gonna make sure the asshole's dead,' Larry said.

  'Watch how you go, big bro,' Trent said, a show of concern that Larry found touching. And to think he'd considered shooting his brother only moments before! He winked at Trent, flashed him a grin.

  Then he moved to the driver's door and leaned in through the open window. When he glanced up, Trent's quizzical face was framed in the opposite window.

  They stared at each other across the empty seats.

  'Where the fuck did they go, Larry?'

  Chapter 6

  Kate's revelation rocked me more than the collision with the SUV up the trail had.

  She was a cop?

  And she'd come looking for me to help find her sister?

  Surely she understood that I didn't work from any law and order rule book. In fact I'm notorious for working outside the boundaries of the law – it's why I've survived the things I have. It's why some people have labelled me a vigilante, and others have even seen me as a hit man. In my opinion I'm neither, but what good is that when weighed against the opinions of thousands?

  'You should've told me that you're a cop.'

  'If I had, would you have still helped me?'

  I gripped the steering wheel, setting my jaw.

  'Would you have refused me, Joe?'

  Not really sure what I was mad about, I snapped angry eyes on her and grunted, 'Of course I'd have helped. Just…'

  'Just in a different way?'

  Snorting, I down-geared, traversing a particularly steep drop of the hill.

  Kate said, 'Would you have been so quick to shoot those men if you knew a cop was beside you?'

  'Like I said, they were too close to miss.'

  It was Kate's turn to snort. 'What do you think I'm going to do, Joe? Arrest you?'

  'It just makes my job more difficult, that's all.'

  'How? We both want the same thing, don't we? We both want to find Imogen.'

  Sending the Explorer round a bend in the trail, I looked across at her. She looked mad, too. But her anger seemed to be directed not at me but inwards, like she was berating herself for letting her identity slip.

  'There are things that I have to do, Kate, things that don't fit the sensibilities of most people. Sometimes I have to kill, yes, but I've never killed anyone who wasn't trying to kill me or wasn't hurting someone else. If that doesn't sit too well with you, I'll take you back to Little Fork and you can get a flight back home. We'll call it quits.'

  'I don't want to call it quits,' Kate said, her voice rising in pitch.

  'Don't you get it, Kate? How the hell do you expect me to get the job done when there's a cop looking over my shoulder?'

  'What difference does it make who I am? We're in this together, aren't we?'

  'You don't understand. I'm prepared to kill. If I pause for one second to worry about the repercussions, then that could be it. It'll be us who die, and I'm not willing to let that happen.'

  'Joe,' Kate said. She seemed a little steadier as she leaned across and placed cool fingers on my forearm. 'Don't you see? I'm not being judgemental either. I came looking for you because of the man you are. I didn't want a by-the-book lawman as a partner. I came looking for you because I knew you'd do what needed doing without question.' She showed me the Glock. 'Do you think this is standard NYPD issue? I went through murder to get special dispensation to carry a concealed weapon, but it was worth it. I brought this expecting trouble, Joe. I'm not going to pull a hissy fit if you have to shoot someone who's trying to kill us.'

  'OK, then.' Turning my attention back to the road, I flicked on the high beam. 'I'm pleased we've cleared up that little misunderstanding. Now, if you don't mind, open the door and get the fuck out the car.'

  She blinked in astonishment as I unclipped her seat belt.

  'Now, Kate,' I snapped. 'I don't have time to argue.'

  I slowed the Explorer down, leaned across and pushed open her door. She looked at me in confusion, wondering what the hell was going on. Then I gave her a shove and she slid out on to the road.

  Next second I went out of the driver's door.

  I'd been travelling slowly enough that neither of us picked up anything more than a few scrapes, but not so slowly that the Explorer would grind to a halt between the two massive boulders partially blocking the trail.

  I'd recalled the man on the road above shouting into a mobile phone. On the twisting ride down the mountainside, I'd wondered why they hadn't done more to catch us. Even the shots seemed more show than substance. Then I saw the two boulders. How the road narrowed so we'd have to take it easy going through.

  Good place for an ambush.

  Kate was sitting on the dirt trail with a dazed expression on her face. Then her eyes met mine, and lightning jumped between us. She was still holding her Glock and for a split second I thought she was going to shoot me.

  'You OK?' I asked, moving over to her.

  'What the hell was that all about? You could've killed me.'

  'We were going too slowly to kill you. Anyway, I warned you my methods were unorthodox.'

  'Are you insane?'

  For an answer I merely pointed between the two rocks.

  The sounds of gunfire shattered the night.

  Kate jerked in time with each bark of a handgun, each crash of a shotgun. When the sound of our vehicle smashing into something immovable reached our ears, she was already scrambling up.

  'The bastards were waiting for us,' I said. 'If we'd driven through there we'd be dead meat. Under the circumstances I think a sore ass is a fair trade.'

  Kate accepted my hand as I led her off the trail and into the woods.

  'We have to keep moving. Put as much distance between us and these guys as possible,' I said, taking her down an embankment and through a gap in the foliage. On our left was the rear side of one of the huge boulders. An ancient trail led between the boulder and a cliff face. The trail forked, and I pushed Kate towards the fork leading up and over the cliff with my hand in the small of her back.

  Behind us came the sounds of the pick-up truck and SUVs slowing as they approached the pass. Voices were raised, men shouting to those waiting on the other side. Then came excited catcalls as the men tumbled from the vehicles in order to take up the chase. I could feel a smile painting its way on to my features. If I'd had the luxury of a mirror, I'd have recognised the grim rictus-smile I adopted when men needed hurting. There was a heat in my chest too; the bubble of anticipation building. The thing that made me feel alive.

  Had I been alone, I'd have relished this challenge. I'd have grasped the opportunity to take on these men and I'd have finished them one by one or all together – it didn't matter. However, I wasn't alone. And Kate's safety was my priority.

  Looking at her moving through the trees in front of me, I noticed again her athletic grace. She had exchanged the summer top and shorts of our first meeting for a beige linen jacket over a cream blouse and figure-hugging denims and boots. If anything she looked even better. Back at Imogen's house – not to mention when blasting through the roadblock – she'd shown her worth as a capable ally. However, I come from an old school where women are to be cherished and protected. It didn't matter that she was a trained police officer and could shoot better than most; I made myself a silent promise that I wouldn't allow this woman to come to harm. If that meant keeping our heads down and running away from these punks, well, so be it.

  A rifle cracked behind us.

  Kate came to a halt, turning ba
ck towards me with her Glock raised.

  'Keep moving. They're just shooting blind. They don't know where we are.'

  'Where are we going?' Kate asked, setting off at a jog beside me.

  'Away from here.'

  'Running away isn't helping us find my sister.'

  'No, but it's keeping us alive. We can pick up the search later.'

  'We could try and take one of them alive, make him tell us where she is.'

  'Pointless,' I said. 'They don't know where she is. That's why they were waiting at the house. They want to find her as much as we do.'

  'But they could tell us why they're looking for her.'

  'We'll let Imogen tell us when we find her. Now, keep going along the top of the cliff. When we get to the far side, I want you to wait by that tree.'

  The clifftop made a natural arch, about seventy feet at its highest point, before dipping down to the road a couple of hundred yards further on. Trees and bushes grew along the crest and there was one particularly large tree that hung precariously over the drop. Its roots had broken free of the cliff face and made a sort of natural cage among the rocks. The shadows beneath the roots were a good place to hide Kate for the short time I'd be gone.

  'What are you going to do?'

  'We've no transport, Kate. Unless you fancy walking all the way back to Little Fork, I'm going to have to get us some wheels. Now it's been some time since I did any wilderness survival training. Still, I remember enough to know that those clouds mean there's a blizzard on the way.' I indicated my own thin jacket and jeans. 'Dressed like this, I don't think we'd survive the night.'

  'It won't take us all night to walk ten miles.'

  'Not if we took the road, it wouldn't. But these guys are going to be hunting us all the way. We'd have to stick to the woods. Overland, it's more like twenty miles to town, and we don't know what other surprises the terrain might throw up. There could be rivers to cross. We get wet in a blizzard… forget about it.'

  Her lips pinched together. She looked so much like her brother Jake that for a few seconds I was transported back a dozen years. He was a contrary son of a bitch, was Jake Piers. 'No arguments, Officer Piers,' I told her.