“The driver has dark hair and the passenger is blonde, with long hair.”
“That’s them all right,” Begley said. “Okay, this is it. We light them up the second they come into range. Don’t give them a chance to fire back.”
The vehicle came closer and jounced over the uneven road at a slow pace. As it drew near, the silhouette of two figures could be seen in the front seats, and yes, one had blonde hair.
“It looks like they’re slowing down,” Serge said. “Maybe they suspect something.”
Begley gave the order to fire and was the first to shoot. He and his men were armed with AR-15’s and carried two thirty-round magazines each. Five seconds after the first round had been fired, over a hundred had joined it.
The car had bounced in and out of a hole in the road just before Begley had fired, and the figures inside the car had slipped out of view. Begley wondered briefly if he and his guards had been spotted before the barrage began. It didn’t matter, not even the engine block would protect the car’s occupants from the amount of firepower being used.
As the car swerved toward a tree, dozens of rounds were fired through the passenger door, and blood spatter could be seen erupting from the flesh beyond it.
Once everyone had emptied their weapons and the spare magazines, over a thousand rounds had been fired. The car reminded Begley of the vehicle Bonnie and Clyde had been killed in. Begley moved toward the scene of slaughter while laughing.
“Nothing could survive that,” Serge said, as he walked beside Begley and freed a flashlight from his belt.
As his men huddled together behind him, Begley stared into the car. The body that had occupied the driver’s seat was almost unrecognizable as human due to the damage done to it by the bullets. Still, Begley could tell that beneath the blood it had dark hair. The other form in the vehicle was blonde, and it had likewise been destroyed by countless rounds. But… something was very wrong.
“Shine that light more on the passenger side, Serge,” Begley said.
Serge complied, then gasped. “What the hell?”
Lying inside the car, a car that was an old Plymouth Barracuda, was the body of Owen Fisher. Fisher’s blonde passenger had been the blow-up doll taken from his apartment. It had worn a blonde wig made of human hair, since it was a deluxe model.
“It was a trick!” Begley screamed. “It was a trick!”
He could have saved his breath. His words were drowned out by the sound of gunfire, and the dying screams of his men.
123
Kill The Living
PORTLAND, OREGON, JANUARY 2004
Cody and Romeo opened up on Jack Begley’s guards as the fools stood grouped together with their backs turned, near Owen Fisher’s bullet-riddled car.
More rounds struck the car as blood streaked it from the exit wounds of dying men. Two of the guards tried to fire back only to realize that their weapons were empty. They had used every round in their magazines to fire at Fisher’s car.
Cody had put a heavy stone on the vehicle’s gas pedal and sent it down the lane. The rock stayed in place for several seconds before it slipped off. Regardless of that, the vehicle’s momentum had been enough to keep it moving. Once Begley and his crew riveted their attention on the car, Cody and Romeo moved in while among the trees.
Cody started firing first, as planned. When he was out of rounds, Romeo kept shooting. Cody reloaded just as Romeo ran out and it was Romeo’s turn to reload. Two guards freed sidearms while another man removed a small pistol from an ankle holster. They never got the chance to use those weapons. Cody had shot the men with the sidearms, then Romeo had placed a bullet in the chest of the guard with the small pistol. He followed that up with a second round placed just below the man’s nose.
Although they had faced odds of seven-to-one, the battle was a lopsided slaughter. When Cody raised up a fist as a signal to cease firing, twelve Citadel guards lay on the ground dead or dying. As for Begley, he had crawled over the hood of the car while the men behind him took the brunt of the assault. Serge had followed his lead and limped along behind him through the woods. One of Cody’s rounds had hit Serge in the back of his right thigh.
Like the rest of the men, Begley and Serge had exhausted the ammunition in their rifles, although Serge had worn a Beretta strapped to his hip. He carried it as he slogged through the trees behind Begley. They navigated through terrain lit only by a quarter moon.
Begley came to an abrupt stop when they reached a clearing. He had expected to see the vans they had arrived in. Nothing was there. Serge hobbled past him while pointing south.
“We’re down this way, closer to the road.”
Begley tossed a panicked look over his shoulder before sprinting past Serge. When he saw the vans, he let out a cry of joy. After yanking open the driver’s side door on the lead van, Begley remembered that Serge had the key.
“Hurry!”
“I’m moving as fast as I can. The bastards shot me.”
“You’re hit?”
“My leg, and it’s bleeding bad.”
Begley stared at his friend and wondered how he hadn’t noticed the wound until it was pointed out to him. Then he realized that it was because of the fear that gripped him. He was more frightened than he could ever remember being before, not even in the army.
“Shit, Serge, I’m sorry. We’ll get you to the doctor as soon as we get back to the Citadel.”
“We’d better hurry,” Serge said, as he climbed up into the van with a grunt.
Begley took the key from Serge and started the engine. When they reached the road, they saw that the lane was empty.
“We’re good,” Begley said, “we’ll be back at the Citadel in no time.”
“Floor this thing, Jack. We can’t let them catch us. Christ almighty, they killed everybody. Twelve guys dead just like that. Ryker was right, those bastards are unreal.”
“The hell with Ryker and that bitch of his. This is their fault. They sent us into a trap.”
Serge groaned as he tore at his pants to check his wound. He’d been hit in the rear of the leg, and yet, there was a ragged wound on the front of his thigh.
“The slug went right through me. I’m lucky it didn’t hit an artery.”
“That’s still bleeding bad, buddy.”
Serge nodded, “Faster, Jack, drive faster.”
* * *
Not far away, Cody and Romeo were racing to catch up to Begley.
They knew for certain that Begley and Vivian were working together. The only way Begley could have known about the small house on Woodland Lane would be if Vivian told him about it.
Emma had given Vivian that address as a test. If Vivian had been uninvolved the white lie would have been meaningless. Because of her complicity with Begley that small untruth had become a mighty weapon.
Before attacking Jack Begley, Romeo had called Emma and woken her to give her the news. He told her that Vivian was not her friend and to call the police if she showed up. Were Vivian to appear once Romeo and Cody returned home, they would deal with her.
Emma had answered him while crying.
“She’s been pretending this whole time?”
“It looks that way, I’m sorry, baby.”
“Romeo, I still don’t want to see her get hurt, please?”
“I won’t hurt her unless she does something stupid, like try to hurt us herself.”
“If Vivian does that, then I don’t care what happens to her.”
* * *
Cody pointed out the windshield of his pickup truck.
“There’s a van up ahead that’s really motoring. That must be Begley.”
“Yeah, and it looks like he’s headed straight for the Citadel.”
“He’ll have to go through the gates with that vehicle. I can’t see him abandoning it to enter one of the secret tunnels. That would leave him on foot for a time and make him more vulnerable.”
“Bro, do you remember that trail we found when we were doing s
urveillance on the Citadel? It ended at a hill that looked out over the front gate.” Romeo reached behind the seats and grabbed a black case. It was long and had two combination locks on it. Inside was a rifle with a scope. “Head for that hill, Cody. We’ll make sure Begley never sees the inside of the Citadel again.”
124
Shelter From The Storm
OUTSIDE PORTLAND, OREGON, JANUARY 2004
In the van, Begley made a sound of joy as the headlights in his rear-view mirror took a right turn and disappeared from view.
“I was sure that was Zane and Slade in that pickup, but it turned off the road back there.”
While Begley had been watching the truck grow closer in his mirror, Serge had called the Citadel and told Irina to have the doctor standing by.
“I don’t know about you, Jack, but I’m done going after these men. They’re too damn dangerous to keep fucking with.”
“You’re right, but I’ll increase the reward and let bounty hunters and mercenaries have a go at them. Damn it though, I wanted to kill those bastards myself.”
“Be glad you’re still in one piece. I hurt like hell and I’m getting weak from the blood loss.”
Begley looked over and saw that Serge had attempted to use his belt as a tourniquet. Despite that, Serge continued to bleed.
“Hang in there, buddy; we’re almost at the gate.”
Begley left the road to cut across the large clearing where weeks earlier he had conspired with Vince Ryker to kill Cody and Romeo. After crossing the clearing, Begley entered the trees while traveling atop a narrow trail.
“Give the Citadel another call and tell them to open the first gate,” Begley said.
“There’s no need. As worried as Irina sounded about you, she’s probably got the guards ready to spring it open.”
Serge was right. As they emerged from the trees and neared the gate, they saw a glow erupt from that area. The gate was opening and light from the compound was streaming outward.
Begley heard the first shot an instant after the van shuddered. Three more rounds sounded off in rapid succession. One of them passed through the engine compartment and dug its way into the heel of Begley’s right shoe.
The impact made his foot slip off the gas pedal, but it didn’t matter, the four shots had disabled the vehicle. The van was moving forward only on the power of its momentum.
“They’re here!” Serge shouted. “I saw flashes up on the hill to our right.”
The van came to a stop about forty feet from the gate as one of the Citadel guards fired up at the spot where the muzzle flashes had appeared. The guard’s shots were right on target but hit nothing. Romeo, who was wielding the rifle, had moved to the left after firing.
Romeo’s next shot killed the guard, then he followed it up by targeting the van.
* * *
Begley was abandoning the van as the guard was being killed. Serge followed him out the driver’s side door, but he was moving stiffly due to his leg wound. Romeo fired a rifle round that passed through the van’s roof and struck Serge in his back, beneath the left shoulder. Serge tumbled from the van and lay face-up on the ground at Begley’s feet.
Begley was keeping low. When he stared over at his friend, he looked ill from seeing the blood leaking from yet another ragged exit wound.
Serge held out a hand toward Begley. “I’m hit again, Jack, but I can make it. Help me get to my feet.”
Begley made no move other than to cower behind the rear wheel well. When Romeo sent three more shots ripping through the van, Begley’s face turned white.
There were more guards at the gate. They fired up at the cliff with no effect. The sidearms they were using didn’t have the range. When one of the men sprinted over to the fallen guard to claim the rifle he’d dropped, Romeo sent a round through his head.
“We can’t stay here,” Serge said as he sat up. “We have to make a run for the gate.”
Begley looked at his friend’s bloody leg. “Can you run?”
“If you help me.”
Begley imagined the two of them trying to cross forty feet of open space with Serge hobbling along like a cripple. He was certain it would mean death for both of them.
More shots sounded off and the two remaining guards went down, and yet, the sound was different. When Begley peeked out around a corner of the vehicle, he saw Cody coming down the steep hill while carrying an AR-15.
“No!” Begley cried, as panic blossomed in his breast. Abandoning Serge to fend for himself, Begley ran for the gate while whimpering in fear.
He was fifteen feet from the opening when Cody hit him with three shots across his back. Begley went down in a forward sprawl before rolling over.
Cody had reached the van and found Serge. The Captain of the Citadel’s guards had fallen onto his back again and his weapon had slipped from his hand. Serge looked up at Cody, his pale face was awash with astonishment at Begley’s behavior.
“I can’t believe he abandoned me to die.”
Cody kicked the gun out of Serge’s reach and moved in to finish off Begley. He paused when he saw Irina rush from shelter and throw herself atop Begley, to shield him from harm.
“Don’t shoot Jack! No more! Please don’t kill him, Max.”
“Max” was the name Irina had known Cody by when he and Romeo had infiltrated the Citadel as guests. Cody looked into Irina’s pleading eyes and hesitated. Lying beneath her, Begley appeared to be near death. blood leaked from his open mouth and was spreading out beneath him.
Three more guards emerged, each bore a scoped rifle. Cody fired a hurried shot in their direction before racing back toward the van. Romeo covered his retreat by shooting into the guards while taking their fire.
A fourth guard rushed out from the gate and went in pursuit of Cody while brandishing a shotgun. When he reached the van, the guard used it for cover as he cautiously bent low and peeked around the vehicle. The man’s eyes went wide when he found that Cody had grabbed Serge and was using him as a shield. Cody recognized him as the tall guard named O’Keefe, whose rib he had broken during a fight.
As O’Keefe froze at the sight of his boss in the line of fire, Cody sent off a series of shots from the AR-15. The van stopped most of them, however one slug found its mark and buried itself into the tall guard’s hip. O’Keefe let out a scream, fell backwards, then began crawling back toward the gate.
Cody let him go, then watched as another guard came to O’Keefe’s aid and helped him to his feet. As that was happening, two other guards were carrying Begley inside. Once everyone was out of the line of fire, the gate slammed shut.
Cody released the abandoned Serge and watched him collapse to the ground, to lie at his feet.
When Romeo answered his call, Cody began breathing again.
“I was getting worried when you stopped firing.”
“I’ve only got one round left; I was saving it to help you retreat.”
“Thanks, but I’ll need you to come get me. I’ve got a prisoner.”
“That guy Serge? Why keep him alive?”
“We need to find out if this was all Begley and Vivian or whether it was something else.”
Serge spoke up then. His voice was so weak it was nearly a whisper.
“Vivian has a partner. Keep me alive… let me live… and I’ll give you his name.”
Cody stared down at Serge. He couldn’t torture the man. In his weakened condition, and with the amount of blood he’d lost, Serge would likely die before he could talk. Cody spoke into the phone.
“Come get us, Romeo. I don’t think this is over yet.”
125
Mr. M.D
SAN FRANCISCO, JANUARY 2004
Cody was impressed. A year earlier Roy Hutchins had given the boys a number to call in case they were ever injured. Hutchins told them they would receive excellent care without having to enter a hospital, which would lead to the police becoming involved.
Spenser had used such an underground doctor when Cody
had been gravely wounded and the man had saved his life. Serge was just as fortunate, because he was being treated by a thoracic surgeon named Dr. Smith.
Cody was certain that Smith wasn’t the man’s real name, but whomever he was, he was skilled and had people helping him. After calling the number he’d been given, Cody was instructed to meet an ambulance in the parking lot of a factory that was no longer in operation.
Smith wasn’t on that ambulance, but another doctor, an Indian woman named Dr. Patel checked Serge’s wounds. Romeo had already treated Serge and stopped the bleeding, but the man needed surgery.
Serge had passed out on the trip to the factory, but Dr. Patel said he was strong enough to travel by ambulance and would receive care on the way.
“On the way to where?” Romeo asked.
“San Francisco, we have a facility there with a surgeon.”
“Can one of us ride with him?” Cody asked. “That’s a long trip and he might regain consciousness.”
“It is allowed,” Dr. Patel said in her accented English.
“What would you do if he wasn’t strong enough to travel by ambulance?” Romeo asked.
“He would have been airlifted; we have a helicopter.”
“Cool,” Romeo said. “And this dude better know something big; this is costing us a small fortune.”
Dr. Patel smiled. “Yes, we are not inexpensive.”
* * *
The long drive was uneventful. Cody rode with Serge inside the ambulance while Romeo followed in the pickup truck. They stopped once for gas at a station that had a store that sold food, and everyone grabbed something for the road.
Young Guns Box Set Page 55