Hunted by the Past, page 29
“Hold.” Kayden’s soft order came across the line.
Silence settled over the garage.
I pulled my gun out of my inner pants holster, flicked off the safety, and then settled the weight in my palms. A quick double click in my ear indicated Ricochet was now in position.
Nothing moved around the sedan.
I worked my way closer. The lot wasn’t full, but there were enough cars in place to provide cover. It didn’t take me long to get an angle with a view of the sedan’s back door. Unfortunately, gaining a sight line to the other side that was close to the fire exit would mean risking exposure. I held my position and tapped three times on my earpiece, letting the team know I was in place.
One by one, the rest of the team checked in with soft, reassuring clicks. Rabbit remained above, monitoring the electronic signals, just in case any surprise packages popped up.
My mind was quiet and clear. My pulse remained as steady as did my grip on my gun. It was strange to realize I actually missed this, the action, the adrenaline rush, and even being part of a team.
Bishop’s “Head’s up” hit moments before the sound of metal scraping concrete echoed through the garage. The fire exit door opened and, backlit by the afternoon sun, there was no way to make out the approaching figure. I tried not to ruin my eyesight and focused on the sedan, tracking the new player from the corner of my eye.
The back door on the driver’s side, closest to the exit, opened and Reeve Ellery moved out of the shadows, taking time to scan the garage.
I worked on my mental shielding with Wolf, when he finally announced me passable, I wanted to kill him. Right now, I was grateful for his drill-sergeant mentality. Still, I didn’t risk looking directly at Ellery. Sometimes targets could tell when they were being watched. I huddled behind the SUV, watching the action at the sedan and praying my mental shields held. No way did I want to be the reason Ellery got spooked.
I could feel his gaze skate over my hiding spot, once, then twice. Finally, the dull thump of a car door closing came. The breath I didn’t realize I was holding escaped. A quick check ensured Ellery was in the car with Hobbes. For the plan to work, we needed Ellery and Hobbes to do the trade before moving in. Long, tense minutes ticked by. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve wired the sedan.
The sound of a female voice yanked my attention around. A well-dressed woman stepped out into the garage, a phone plastered to her ear. Her voice was overly loud in the quiet and then came the beep of a car alarm on the other side of me. I moved further into the space between the cars and watched her walk by at a smart clip. She stopped at the Mercedes-whatever-class sitting across from the SUV. It took her three and half minutes to stow her crap and get her ass in gear. The entire time, curses strolled through my head. Each minute that passed gave Ellery a chance to leave. Finally, her taillights slipped out the entrance.
Another minute passed. Then another. Finally, the sedan’s back door opened, and Ellery stepped out. He bent down, one arm resting on the edge of the open door to say something to the person inside.
“Go.” Kayden’s soft command came over the wire.
I rose to my feet, gun up, and closed in on the sedan. “Reeve Ellery,” I called out, my voice cold and lethal, keeping his attention on me.
His body stiffened, then he carefully straightened. He faced me over the sedan’s roof, his smile just as creepy in real life as it was walking through the memories in the condo. “Hello, Cyn. I’ve been expecting you.”
“Hands where I can see them.”
That creepy-ass smile just widened. “Nope, don’t think so.” His gaze slid to my right and spotted Jinx. “Look, you brought friends.” He dismissed her. “Where’s the rest? Gunderson? Shaw? We have some unfinished business to address.”
I ignored him and called out, “Step out of the car, Hobbes.”
The back door on the passenger side opened, and an older man stepped out, then moved to the front of the sedan. “What is the meaning of this?”
Ellery took advantage of the momentary distraction and dropped behind the car door. Gunfire sounded, deafening in the garage’s confines. My ears rang. Hobbes crumpled to the ground. The sedan’s front windshield spider webbed.
“The door,” I yelled, hoping someone would cover the fire exit as it was Ellery’s only escape route.
I dashed to Hobbes, knelt down, and rifled his pockets with one hand. Smooth, hard plastic met my touch. I snagged the flash drive, slipped it into my pocket, and then checked his pulse. “Hobbes’ is down, no pulse.”
“Got your six,” Kayden’s muffled voice came through the ringing of my ears.
I worked my way around the sedan, expecting Ellery to pop back up at any minute. Both back doors hung open. Something by the exit door caught my attention at the same time as Jinx’s “Cyn!” sounded. Ellery stood next to the fire door, his face twisted into a vicious mask as he kicked against the unyielding metal.
I raised my gun, only to lower it. Alive, we needed him alive. Dammit. The earlier gunshots would bring the locals barreling in at any minute.
As I came around the sedan’s hood, Ellery turned. Suddenly, the driver’s front door swung open on its own, slamming toward me.
I dropped my gun and managed to get my hands up just in time to block it from plowing into my stomach and thighs. Another shot echoed and bits of concrete rained down on Ellery.
“Don’t shoot!”
I couldn’t tell who yelled that one, as I my own problems to deal with. Like the stream of fire barreling toward me. I twisted aside and dropped, barely dodging the lethal flame. Enough of this shit. I rolled over the concrete and reached out for my gun. Only it skittered out of reach.
“You want it? Crawl for it, bitch,” Ellery snarled.
I shoved into crouch and freed the blade tucked along my ankle. “Don’t need it that bad, asshole.”
This time when I threw, my aim hit true. Ellery toppled over with a howl, my knife sticking out of his thigh.
“You bitch!” He wrapped his hands around his leg as he lay on his side. Fury twisted his face, revealing the monster under his skin. Another lash of flame appeared, but his aim sucked.
“Temper, temper.” Hidden behind the sedan, I bent over to pick up my gun. I clicked off the safety as I straightened. Then, as I walked toward him, I raised the barrel and sighted between Ellery’s hate-filled eyes. Someone was yelling in my ear, but I there were more important things to worry about.
Ellery lifted a bloody hand, probably to reach for one of his stolen abilities. I kicked out, my boot connecting with his hand. Hard. Then I stomped on the knife still stuck in his thigh, sending the blade deeper. His hoarse scream drowned out the noise in my ear. I sank to a squat and pressed the Sig’s barrel into the skin of his forehead. “You should’ve killed me the first damn time, Ellery.”
“Why?” he spat out. “It was much more fun taking you apart piece by piece. You remember how prettily you begged in that alley? I do.” He licked his lips. “Must be a family trait, your sister did it too.”
Ice-fucking-cold-fury froze everything into crystalline clarity. I rose, gun steady in my hand, and looked down at the twisted piece of shit at my feet. I could feel my mouth stretching into an ugly smile.
I pulled the trigger.
Chapter 26
“Cyn! What the hell are you doing?” Kayden ran toward me, his voice harsh and panicked.
Still caught in that horrific blizzard of fury, I turned, gun raised, and felt a one-two punch that knocked me on my ass back behind the sedan. For a moment, I lay there, trying to suck air in without success.
Kayden skidded to his knees next to me. “Ah, hell! Bishop, Wolf, get your asses over here.” He tugged my T-shirt up. “Goddammit, I said not to shoot!”
I couldn’t hear the reply because the lack of oxygen was starting to have some serious repercussions.
Kayden’s gaze met mine and he gave a slight shake of his head. Then the tightness banding my ribs lessened. He put a hand over my mouth, muting my gasp.
Bishop and Wolf dropped down beside us. Bishop spared a glance at Ellery, then turned and gave both Kayden and Wolf a quick nod. Meanwhile, Wolf helped Kayden undo the straps holding my Kevlar vest in place.
“Jinx,” Kayden barked. “Hold the perimeter. Rabbit, get me an ambulance, stat.”
“Shaw, she’s flat lining.” Bishop’s strained voice was at odds with the amused glint in his eye.
Kayden cursed a blue streak, but his hands were gentle as he massaged my diaphragm so it would stop seizing. I moved my head and got him to release my mouth. Careful to keep my breathing soft, I handed my gun to Bishop, who swapped it with an identical one, except these bullets weren’t tranquilizers. With a little help, I tucked it in the small of my back. Wolf was smearing a russet red over my T-shirt that left a gory abstract behind. The three men hovered around me, keeping up the charade. Each one added a little realistic color to their clothes and hands.
Finally, Kayden’s leaden voice said, “Call it.”
“Sixteen twenty-five.” Bishop’s response was equally somber.
Kayden squeezed my hand, then rose to his feet, running what appeared to be a blood stained hand through his hair as he stared around wildly. “Fuck it all. What the hell happened?”
Behind him, Bishop stood and placed a big hand on Kayden’s shoulder. “You saw her, Shaw. She shot Ellery at point-blank range. She was going to shoot you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe that.”
Wolf gave me a wink. He arranged his face in somber lines before joining the other two. “She broke, Shaw. Sorry, man.”
Kayden shrugged off Bishop’s hand and snarled at Wolf, then dropped back down beside me.
Above us, Bishop said, “Give him a minute, Wolf.”
“We need to call in to Delacourt,” Wolf’s low tone carried.
“I’ll do it,” Bishop offered, moving to the front of the sedan.
As he reported my death, I closed my eyes and listened as he filled Delacourt in on the mission details. Finally he said, “No sir, we haven’t searched the car, Hobbes, or Ellery yet. I’m sure the drive’s here somewhere.” A pause. “Yes, sir.” Another pause. “Yes, sir, we’ll call for two more buses and have them taken to the hospital and held for transport.”
Damn, the men on this team deserved Academy Awards.
The faint sound of sirens drifted to us. Within minutes an ambulance pulled up. Kayden stayed at my side. I kept my eyes closed as chaos ensued.
“Sir, you’ll need to let us take care of her.” Rabbit’s voice sounded strange without his drawl.
Wolf dragged Kayden away as Rabbit made quick work of checking my vitals and confirming my TOD. His electronic instruments sang the same monotone theme. No pulse, no heart rate, not one damn beep. The electronics bowed to Rabbit’s will, reading only what he wanted them too. Nifty damn talent.
Then came the hard part. Not freaking out when they zipped me into a body bag.
A metallic hiss sounded as the zip began to close. “Hold up.” That was Jinx. “Maybe I should go with her.”
Her hand slipped inside the bag and curled over my wrist, a burst of tingling warmth drifted over my chest, then settled like a heavy sweater. I sent a fervent plea that Jinx’s illusional ability would hold, otherwise, this would all be for nothing when they unzipped the damn bag.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t allow that.”
Jinx’s hand disappeared and the bag was zipped closed. It was surreal being surrounded by the heavy black material. The hospital was a five-minute ride away, but it took everything I had not to hyperventilate.
As soon as the ambulance doors shut and the siren picked up its eerie wail, Rabbit unzipped the bag over my face. Blinking, I sucked in the cooler air. Above me, Rabbit held a latex covered finger to his lips. A warning to stay quiet. I let my eyes close and kept my breathing shallow, shocked the improbable plan might have actually worked. He tapped my shoulder, and I lifted my lids. He raised an eyebrow in question.
I carefully pulled out the flash drive tucked in my front pocket as he pulled the zipper farther down. We swapped the drives. Just because I was okay playing bait for Bosch didn’t mean it was worth risking the actual information. Hopefully, Bosch would have no idea what the actual drive looked like. Once the exchange was complete, Rabbit mouthed, “Sorry,” and re-zipped the bag closed.
The ambulance made a sharp turn as it headed into the emergency bay at the hospital. Moments later the ambulance doors opened again. Then I was on a hard surface, wheels rattling across rough concrete, only smoothing out once it hit the interior. Around me, I could hear Rabbit explaining this was one of three incoming DB’s. There was some wrangling about the immediate delivery to the morgue for holding, but eventually Rabbit got his way.
A few more rattling minutes passed before I was lifted and laid on a very hard surface. A chill crept over my back. Once more the zipper came down, stopping at the top of my shoulders. Then Rabbit left me alone in a cold, silent room.
Barely lifting my lids, I confirmed I was really alone before I pulled my gun from my back and held it under my hip. No way did I want to face Bosch without some sort of weapon. I checked my mental shields, the way Wolf had shown me, ensuring they were still holding strong. This time, when I found Kayden’s subtle glow, it didn’t freak me out. Instead, it steadied me. Contrary to appearances, I wasn’t alone. Not really.
Then came the hardest part of being bait—waiting.
Five minutes ticked by.
Then ten.
Just as the fifteen minute mark came around, a soft click in my still functioning communication unit ignited the soft hum of anticipation. I slowed my breathing just as I did when I sighted down a scope, and sank into that lethal quiet. The soft swish of the door opening sent a curl of cold air drifting over me. My hand wrapped over the familiar contours of my gun. The nearby air displaced as someone came to stand at my side. I held my breath as the zipper inched downward. When it parted enough to reveal my chest, a soft, excited hiss sounded.
Yep, no way in hell that belonged to a morgue attendant.
The zipper continued its sibilant descent. The heavy material stayed over my arms, but stopped just above my knees.
Good enough.
A hand slid over my waist, going for my left pocket. The same one I deliberately slipped the drive into when I was at the garage. I struck out, grabbing the thumb and bending it backward with a brutal jerk. At the same time, I yanked Bosch across my waist, pulling him off balance. His hoarse yell echoed weirdly.
No one expected a dead body to come to life.
I kept ahold of his thumb, and rolled off the far side of the table, dragging him, me, and the bag to the floor. It hurt like a bitch when I hit, but I landed so my shoulder and hip took the brunt of the impact. I let Bosch go as I continued my roll out of the bag and away from the metal table now leaning drunkenly on its side. I came up to my knees and brought the Sig up in a two-handed grip.
Bosch kicked free of the table, sending it screeching across the floor.
“Don’t.” My warning froze him in mid push-up position.
His body might have stopped, but he had other weapons at his disposal. I flinched as a searing pain smashed against my mind. The distraction gave him the time to push off the floor and slammed into me. We wrestled for control of the gun. He wrapped both hands around mine as he scrambled for control. The entire time, he never let up on the psychic attack.
I was unprepared for a dual level fight. I tried to maintain my mental blocks, but it was difficult when I couldn’t evade Bosch’s punches. Where the hell was everyone? If something didn’t give soon, I wouldn’t make it until backup arrived.
Cracks appeared in my mental walls, veined with dark intent and insidious persistence. I twisted my hips and rocked Bosch off balance enough for him to lose his grip on one of my hands. I didn’t hesitate and sent a short, brutal punch into his kidney. The pressure on my mind stepped back, even as he switched to a two-handed grip to wrench my wrist. Under the brutal pressure, the fragile bones my wrist broke with an audible snap. A searing white swept over my vision and I lost my gun. I forced the pain back and found Bosch leaning over me with a vicious grin.
I slammed my head into his face, nailing his nose with my forehead. It didn’t help the pain in my head, but it sure as hell got him off of me.
He reared back, his hands releasing my injured wrist to cup the mashed, bloody pulp of his nose.
Freed from his weight, I used my heels to get out from under him, then curled both legs and jammed them as hard as I could against his chest. The force of my kick sent him flying back into a tall, metal cabinet where his head left a satisfying dent in the surface.
The pressure in my head was still there, just not as debilitating as before. I sent a mental SOS to Kayden in the brief lull gained by knocking Bosch back. Then I scrambled for my gun in an awkward crawl. As my fingers closed over the matte grip, Bosch’s enraged roar filled the room.
I swung around on my knees only to fall back on my ass as I brought my gun up with my left hand as my right was useless. I pulled the trigger, knowing my aim was off. Still, the bullet slammed into his stomach and stopped his forward momentum.
For a moment he stood above me, his hand going to his stomach, as red spilled around his fingers. “You bitch.”
“You’re the second man to call me a bitch today.” My left hand shook, but I steadied it. “I didn’t like it the first time, still not liking it now.”
Bosch reached out to the nearby counter, using it to help him slide down until he was sitting with his back to the cabinets. He watched me, an unsettling smile curving over his lips. “You think this is finished?”
The pain in my head increased, bringing a tide of soft whispers that seeped through the cracks left vulnerable by the shattering pain of broken bones. I tried to rebuild the walls Wolf had shown me. “Get out of my head.”
The whispers grew into a roar, then a mind-shredding shriek, tearing through every block I had. The gun in my hand began to waver. The pressure in my head ramped up, until the urge to claw my own skull open became a viable option. In front of me Bosch began to laugh. “Stupid, weak bitch. You can’t win. I broke you.”
