“Benny,” she said. “Binoculars!”
He must have heard the urgency in her voice (she was pretty sure she might have screamed) and quickly shoved the glasses into her extended hand. Lara held them up and focused on the clouds, but the object was gone. Or was it?
“What is it?” Benny asked. “Did you see something?”
“Give me a second.”
She tried to picture where the object had been when she last saw it, then attempted to track its trajectory from left to right—
There!
“Oh, dammit,” she whispered.
“What is it?” Benny said behind her. “What do you see, Lara?”
It wasn’t actually black, she realized now that she was able to focus on it for more than a few seconds—maybe more of a grayer color, possibly even white, against the dark sky backdrop.
“Lara?” Benny said. “What is it? What do you see?”
She kept moving along the deck in order to keep it in view, and when she saw what it was in the process of doing, her heart might have stopped beating entirely.
It was a plane, and it was turning back toward them…
27
Keo
Keo was used to having guns pointed at him. Two guns, three guns. Four? Why not. It could be fifty, for all he cared, because all it took was one guy and one shot to do the job.
Of course, Mercer’s men didn’t see it that way, and there were already two of them in the hallway when he began marching their leader from his quarters to the Comm Room on the other side of the main building. Just his luck the men would turn the corner as soon as he stepped out of the room with Mercer.
It took a lot of effort to make sure the men never got behind him, and each time one of them drifted too far back, Keo had to stop and pull Mercer against him, with his back against the wall, and order them back in front of him. He thought about using the M4 he still had slung, but while the firepower was a major plus, the weapon’s length made it untenable for quick close-quarter action. Even so, he was tempted to lob a grenade round or two to wake the whole place up, maybe give Erin a heads up that the shit had, indeed, hit the fan.
Two guns became four when they rounded the second corner, because the first two had radioed for reinforcements. Keo recalled the two new arrivals (Two more makes four, unless my math is off) as being the same two from the front doors when he first entered the facility with Erin. Four later became five when they took the final turn, because there was another man standing outside the Comm Room.
There would probably have been more if the island wasn’t already pressed for bodies and if Mercer hadn’t ordered the rest to stay at their positions.
“Send them away,” Keo said as they approached the Comm Room.
“No,” Mercer said.
“You do remember that I have a gun pointed at your head, right?”
“And the answer’s still no.”
“You’re pushing your luck, pal.”
“So are you.”
So what else is new, Keo thought as he backed his way to the door, reached over and found the lever, then pushed it down. With Mercer between him and the soldiers as a shield, he bent slightly at the knees and turned his head and peeked into the room, noticing a lone figure sitting on the far side, oblivious to what was happening outside in the hallway.
Keo tightened his grip around Mercer’s arm and backtracked into the Comm Room, then moved quickly over to the wall where he once again put Mercer between him and the soldiers as they rushed inside after him. It took a while, but the woman sitting in front of the row of communications gear finally sensed that someone else—a lot of someone elses—were in the room with her and turned around. Keo saw why she was so clueless when she did—she was wearing a headset with thick earpieces.
The woman shot up from her chair and stared wide-eyed at Keo and Mercer, then (hands shaking) removed her headset and said, “Sir, what’s going on?”
“It’s fine, Jane,” Mercer said in that impossibly calm voice of his. “Please sit back down.”
But Jane remained a statue, seemingly incapable of moving.
“It’s all right,” Mercer said, and nodded.
His calmness had an effect on Jane and she finally sat back down, then oddly rested her hands in her lap like she was back in school. Unlike Mercer and the men pointing their weapons at Keo, her uniform collar was white.
The room wasn’t particularly large, and with all the electronics equipment hugging the back wall, it didn’t leave a lot of space for Keo and Mercer and all five soldiers to breathe. It was suddenly so quiet that Keo thought he could hear all eight heartbeats beating at the same time, but that might have just been his and Mercer’s. Or his, anyway, because he swore Mercer was as relaxed as any man could be with a gun jammed up his chin.
Guy’s got the emotions of a robot.
“Send them out,” Keo said.
He kept his head hidden behind Mercer’s, leaning out only far enough to see just in case one of the soldiers decided to risk a shot from close-range.
“We already went over this,” Mercer said. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Look around you, pal. You really think six people with guns drawn in a room this small is a good idea? All it takes is one Nervous Nelly and we’re all dead.”
Mercer didn’t take long to think about it, and maybe the sight of his men fidgeting nervously in front of him sealed the deal. “Not all of them,” he said.
“Three,” Keo said.
“Two.”
“Deal.”
Mercer nodded at two of the men—the first two that had intercepted them on the way over here. “You and you. Wait outside.”
The men pulled up their rifles and backed away without a word before slipping outside the open door. They weren’t even trying to hide their relief as they left.
“Sir,” Jane said, her voice trembling slightly. “What’s happening?”
“Everything’s fine, Jane,” Mercer said. “Has Cole radioed in yet?”
“Ten minutes ago, sir.”
“Contact him for me, please.”
“Yes, sir,” Jane said and swiveled around in her chair, though she glanced back at Keo and Mercer one more time before getting to work. “Cole, this is Black Tide Island. Please come in. Cole, this is Black Tide Island. Please come in.”
“Relax,” Keo said to the three men in front of him.
The three didn’t respond. At least, not verbally. One of them shuffled his feet (Olsen was scribbled across his name tag) and another (Travis) wrinkled his nose like he had an annoying itch he couldn’t get to. The third man, the biggest of the bunch, didn’t move a muscle, and dark brown eyes remained laser focused on Keo. Jasper was stenciled across one side of his chest.
“Tell your men to relax, Mercer,” Keo said.
“Relax, men,” Mercer said. “Everything is under control.”
Jane turned around and slipped off her headset again. “Sir, I have Cole on the radio.”
“Put him on the speakers,” Keo said.
Jane looked to Mercer for approval, and he nodded. She hit a switch and Keo heard a deep male voice coming through the walls around him: “Waiting for further instructions, Black Tide.”
“The microphone, Jane,” Mercer said, holding out his hand.
Jane picked up the mic and walked the short distance over.
“She can go, too,” Keo said.
“Agreed,” Mercer said, and nodded at Jane.
Like the other two, Jane didn’t argue and hurried past them and out the door, moving as fast as her feet would carry her.
Everyone’s getting out alive except me. Just my luck.
“Just the five of us, boys,” Keo said, forcing his best devil-may-care smile at the three soldiers standing across from him. “You guys fans of the show Full House?”
No response.
“Guess not,” Keo said.
Mercer had pressed the transmit button on the microphone and was saying into it, �
��Cole, this is Mercer. Come in.”
“Yes sir, I read you loud and clear,” the pilot answered. “Didn’t think you’d still be awake, sir.”
“Neither did I.”
“This isn’t a fucking date,” Keo said. “Get to the fucking point.”
“What’s your situation, Cole?” Mercer said into the microphone.
“Spotted that white whale I was looking for,” Cole said.
White whale? Keo thought, then, Right. The Trident. Clever, jackass.
“Can’t tell how many people are onboard,” the pilot continued, his voice coming loud and clear through the speakers along the walls. “It’s currently heading southwest.”
“Southwest?” Mercer said.
“Looks like it might be angling back toward the Texas shore.”
“Interesting,” Mercer said, but he hadn’t keyed the mic when he said that last part, so Keo assumed it was meant for him. “Why are they heading back to Texas?”
Good question, Keo thought, but he said, “Tell him to back off and return to the island.”
“I can’t do that.”
Keo jammed the gun harder against Mercer’s chin, and the man grunted. Travis and Olsen reflexively took a single step forward, fingers tightening around their weapons’ triggers. Jasper, on the other hand, remained where he was.
Mercer held up a hand. “It’s all right, men. Back up.”
Travis and Olsen obeyed instantly, stepping back until they were standing side-by-side with Jasper again. The big man had never taken his eyes off Keo, and his rifle hadn’t wavered even an inch.
Keo turned his focus back on Mercer, but not before slipping just a little bit farther behind his human shield. “Tell the pilot to back off now.”
“And I told you, I can’t do that,” Mercer said. “You know how this has to work, Keo. Your life for the Trident. There is no other way this can end. I told you there was going to be a price to pay.”
“What guarantees do I have that you’ll keep your word?”
“You have just that. My word.”
“I don’t trust the word of a madman.”
“Says the man who snuck onto an island with the sole purpose of murdering someone he’s never met.”
“You don’t have to have met someone to know they need killing.”
“You’ve done it before, I take it.”
“More times than you can count, pal.”
“I don’t know, Keo; I can count pretty high.”
“Sir?” Cole said through the speakers. “What are your orders?”
“Good question,” Mercer said. “What are my orders, Keo? Or let’s put it this way: If Cole doesn’t get any response from me in the next few minutes, will he follow through with my initial orders or completely disregard them and return home? Before you answer, keep in mind that he doesn’t know who is onboard the Trident at this moment. As far as he’s concerned, it’s an enemy boat, and I’ve already given him authority to shoot it out of the water.”
Keo listened to Mercer’s heartbeat—not hard to do with the man pressed up tightly against him, their bodies touching back to front—and waited to hear the slight increase. Except there was none. It was perfectly flatlined. If Mercer was even a little bit anxious or scared, Keo couldn’t detect it, which was a hell of a feat because he was almost certain he could hear one of the soldiers in front of him actually hyperventilating.
“Sir,” Cole said through the speakers, sounding slightly concerned by the lack of response, “do I proceed with the initial orders?”
“The man is getting anxious, Keo,” Mercer said. “What should I tell him?”
“Tell him to turn back,” Keo said.
“Give me one good reason why I should.”
Lara, Keo thought as he let the gun swivel against his trigger finger until the muzzle was pointed away from Mercer. He released his grip on the older man and Mercer stepped forward, then calmly turned around and took the Sig Sauer before removing the M4 slung over Keo’s back.
The soldiers in the room with them relaxed and lowered their weapons slightly, but not entirely.
“The pilot,” Keo said. “Turn him around.”
Mercer put Keo’s handgun into his front waistband and handed the carbine over to Jasper, then keyed the microphone. “Cole, turn around and come back to the island.”
“Sir?” Cole said, confused.
“Mission’s over. Come home.”
“Roger that, sir.”
“So I was right,” Mercer said, this time to Keo. “You’re part of the Trident’s crew.”
“Would you have let him do it?” Keo asked.
Mercer didn’t answer him right away. Instead, he walked over to the row of communications gear and put the microphone back down in its reserved slot, then calmly swiped at a small film of dust on one of the screens.
Finally, he looked back at Keo and said, “It’s hard to make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”
“Collateral damage,” Keo said.
“Collateral damage,” Mercer nodded.
“And now?”
“And now, nothing. If Riley wants to take his people and leave, then good riddance. I need men and women who are dedicated to the cause. Bringing them back would just infect the others.”
“You’re going to let them go. Just like that.”
“I’ll keep my word. I’m not going to pursue them. But if they should cross my path again, then that goes beyond the perimeters of our agreement, do you agree?”
Keo nodded. “I do.”
“Good.” Mercer looked over at his soldiers. “It’s been a long night, and we’re all tired. Take Keo to the beach and shoot him in the head and give him to the ocean.” He focused on Jasper when he added, “I want it to be fast and painless.”
“Yes, sir,” Jasper nodded back.
Olsen and Travis grabbed Keo from behind while Jasper drew his sidearm and held it at his side.
“A bullet to the head, huh?” Keo said to Mercer.
“You surrendered your mission to save your friends,” Mercer said. “I respect a man with that kind of conviction.”
“That makes one of us.”
Mercer ignored the insult and nodded at his men then turned around, effectively dismissing all four of them.
“You can’t win,” Keo said. “You’ll just end up killing a lot of people, but you’ll never be able to win. Not this way.”
“We’ll see,” Mercer said without bothering to turn around.
Olsen and Travis tightened their hold around Keo’s arms, and one of them (maybe Olsen) grunted, “Come on, man, make it easy. It’s over.”
“Who’s fighting?” Keo said, and relaxed his arms against their grips.
He caught the two of them exchanging a surprised, then suspicious glance when he didn’t fight back. He could have told them he had no intentions of resisting, that he had already decided there was no point. It wasn’t like he had any places to escape to even if he could get out of the Comm Room in one piece. There were two more waiting outside (and the unarmed woman), and as soon as someone fired a shot, the entire island would be on high alert. Not just the ones already awake, but everyone.
Besides, Mercer had, against all odds (because Keo was ninety percent sure the man was lying through his teeth) kept his word and let the Trident go. And if he was to be believed, he would continue doing so unless some bad stroke of luck had Lara and the others crossing his path again.
In many ways (maybe in all the ways that mattered), the night hadn’t ended so badly after all. Sure, he’d come here to kill Mercer and avenge Jordan and failed at both, but he had ended up saving Lara and the others onboard the Trident instead. They were his friends. He’d spent a lot of time with them, long enough to know that he liked them. So, in terms of accomplishments, he had to admit he was definitely coming out ahead.
He must have been smiling as they led him to the door, because Olsen, to his right, said, “You look pleased with yourself.”
&nbs
p; “Going for a swim, boys. I’ve always loved the water,” Keo said, and smiled even wider.
“Guy’s crazy,” Travis said from his left.
“Keep him moving,” Jasper said, his footsteps heavy behind them—
Bang! Bang!
Gunshots. Two of them, coming one after another, and less than a second apart.
Then someone screamed. A woman. Followed by footsteps fading fast.
Keo couldn’t see how Jasper reacted behind him, but he saw Olsen releasing his arm as the man scrambled for his rifle while Travis was less decisive and continued clinging to Keo. Even as Keo tried to figure out what was happening, the words Drop! Drop! Drop! flashed across his mind.
He did exactly that, letting both legs turn to jelly and dropping like a sinking rock. In the process, he dragged Travis down with him. His knees had just slammed into the floor, sending stabs of pain through him, when a familiar figure appeared in the open doorway in front of him.
Erin.
She had a gun in one hand, and if she saw him she didn’t give any indication of it. Instead, she fired again, the gunshot a thunderous boom! in the small communications room. She had fired high, which meant she wasn’t aiming at him, so it was either Olsen to his right or Jasper somewhere behind him. Keo hoped it was Jasper because he had a feeling the big man was going to be the hardest one to take down.
Two shots responded from behind him and from such close proximity that they might as well be nukes going off, and Keo wondered if he might not have gone deaf as a result. In front of him, Erin seemed to take a staggering step back before collapsing, having made it only a couple of steps into the room, while her gun fell out of her numbed right hand and clattered to the floor.
But it wasn’t Erin’s falling gun or Erin herself that Keo found himself staring at. No, it was the instantly recognizable oblong-shaped green object rolling out of her left palm when the back of her hand slapped the floor and the fingers unfurled and—
Uh oh, Keo thought as he spun at the waist while a pair of hands tried desperately to keep his left arm in place. Travis, unwilling to let go despite everything happening around them. But Travis wasn’t fast or strong enough, and Keo twisted free and turned around and looked up at—
The Purge of Babylon Series Box Set, Vol. 3 | Books 7-9 Page 72