Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Insanity.
No other way to describe the scene. The way Buck Landry eyed Zain, breath wheezing through his chest, skin sickly white. Buck kept chewing on his thumbnail as his gaze darted between the three of them, always drifting back to the far wall.
Zain had never seen anything like it. Photos. Dates. Maps. Red yarn connecting the images like some grotesque spiderweb. Scribbled notes marked out a timeline of events, the kind of obsession he’d expect from a much darker motivation.
Buck shuffled closer to Greer, keeping half his focus on Zain. “I swear, this isn’t what it looks like.”
Greer moved in closer, tapping on one of the images of Saylor. “Really? Because it looks like you’ve been busy.” She arched a brow. “You know stalking’s illegal, right?”
“I wasn’t stalking her.” Buck glanced at Saylor. “I wasn’t. ”
“So, these are for what?” Greer waved at the board. “A Boy Scout badge?”
“I took them for him. For them. For the exposé. But everything’s changed.” Buck peeled back a piece of foil, shifting his weight on his feet as he scanned the gravel road. “You have to help me before they come back.”
“Calm down…”
“They already tried to kill people.”
Greer glanced over at Saylor, then back to Buck. “Four minutes, Bucky.”
“We don’t have four minutes. You need to put me in protective custody or something. They’re nuts.”
Greer hooked Buck’s arm when he tried to dart past her toward the door. “We’re gonna make time. Now start talking. Who’s they?”
Buck yanked his arm free, eyes overly white.
Body twitching like he’d been hit with a taser.
He reached for one of the photos and yanked it off the wall.
“This guy said he was investigating that drug ring Sheriff Thompson was running. That he suspected Saylor and the other newcomers had taken over the operation. All he wanted were photos. A timeline of her daily routine. Everything was fine but then, bullets started flying, and her place blew up. People were tailing me and going through my stuff on my boat.”
Greer took the photo. “Bucky, this is the photo of the back of a man’s head.”
“He shot a missile into Saylor’s apartment. That’s all I could get with everything on fire.” Buck jumped when a gust of wind scraped a few branches across the RV’s roof. “What are you waiting for? It’s only a matter of time before they come back.”
“I already told you to calm down.”
“He doesn’t know I kept copies. If he finds out…”
Greer snagged his arm. “Buck, I need you to focus. What’s the guy’s name? The one who hired you and fired the missile.”
Buck’s left eye twitched as he shrugged. “I’m not good with names, and he only said it once.” He tapped the photo, again. “But that’s him.”
Greer glanced at Saylor, then over to Zain, a slash of red along her cheeks, eyes narrowed. She focused on Buck, then tilted her head, looking past him to the other wall. “What’s behind you under that curtain?”
Buck backed away and crossed his arms. “That’s something else. It’s not about Saylor.”
Zain nodded when Greer motioned to him, easing back the curtain. More photos covered an oversized cork board, along with storm charts, GPS coordinates and shipping routes. “Holy shit.”
Buck lunged forward, covering most of the images as he placed his back to the wall and stretched out his arms. “I told you, this isn’t Saylor’s stuff.”
Zain pointed at the images. “Who’s stuff is it?”
“It’s a government coverup, jackass. They’re doing experiments out there, and I’ll be the one to bring them down.”
Zain scanned the images, yanking one off the wall. He closed in on Buck, holding it out. “Where did you take this one?”
Buck flinched. “A few miles out on my way back from fishing. It was pulling stuff out of the water. Odd bits.” Buck looked at Greer as he cupped one hand beside his mouth.
“I think it’s an alien spacecraft that crashed in the ocean.
I wanted to take more pictures, but there were guys onboard with guns, and a couple boats circling around it.
That’s all I could get with my telephoto lens. ”
Zain looked at Saylor, then handed it to Greer. “That’s the Nexus .” He moved back to the board. “Buck? Are these charts showing the routes the Nexus took?”
Buck nodded, relaxing a bit. “It’s been doing a grid search out there. But only when the weather’s really bad, and there’s less traffic, which is why I know they’re not pulling regular stuff off the ocean floor.”
Saylor moved in beside him, studying the photos when she inhaled. She drew her fingers along the charts, shaking her head until she reached a grainy image pinned next to more photos of the Nexus . She froze, hand just touching the edge, eyes wide.
Her breathing kicked up, all the color drained from her face as she pulled the image free. “It’s him.”
Zain stepped up beside her. “Who?”
“Watson. This is Keith Watson.”
Zain squinted. “Are you sure? That’s a really bad photo. I can barely make out any details.”
She glared at him, slashes of red creeping up into her cheeks. “I did an entire TACLET tour with the asshole before he pinned me to a damn wall and tried to rape me, so yeah, I’m pretty fucking sure it’s him.”
Zain held up his hands. “Sweetheart. I didn’t mean it like that. If you say it’s Watson, it’s him. ”
She turned to Buck. “Is this the guy who hired you to spy on me?”
Buck frowned. “He’s not on your board. He’s part of the coverup.”
“But it could be him, right? They could overlap.”
Buck leaned in, then banged the heel of his hand on his forehead. “I… I don’t know. He’s not on your board!”
Greer held up her hand. “Okay. Let’s all take a breath. We’ll need to bring everything down to the station so we can sort through it. See if there’s anything we can use to track these guys.”
Buck tensed, his gaze flying between them.
“I can’t go to the station. You need to take me someplace safe.
They said they wouldn’t need me after this week.
That the investigation was done. But they’re lying liars.
They’re coming for me like they did for Saylor.
I know it. They were waiting for me last night.
I had to sneak back to my boat — take it out until the sun came up and I knew they’d be gone. ”
Greer crowded him against the wall. “Who was waiting?”
“Men. Dressed all in black with guns. There were a couple vehicles sitting down the road.” He shook his head. “No one comes out here. No one.”
Greer glanced at the covered windows, her hand moving to rest on her weapon.
“On second thought, we’ll bring the entire RV.
Buck, I need you to trust me and hang tight.
Zain’ll ride with you. But I swear, if you so much as shift lanes in an attempt to ditch me, he’ll knock you on your ass. Understood? ”
The color drained from Buck’s face as he eyed Zain. “This wasn’t part of the deal.”
He bolted, knocked over a garbage can, then scrambled to the door.
It creaked, rocking the entire RV as he tossed it open and darted out, heading for the woods.
Zain raced after him, vaulting over the bin and flying down the steps before zeroing in on him.
He took off, hitting the ground when a shot cut through the relative quiet.
Buck screamed and grabbed his leg as he rolled around on the dirt. “I told you they were after me. Do something!”
The noise scattered a flock of birds from a nearby tree, the sheer number dimming the limited light filtering through the clouds, as the lingering report echoed in the distance. Greer’s voice sounded above the noise, calling out their location — asking for backup.
Zain cursed and pushed to his feet. “Cover me.”
He rushed forward, Saylor and Greer firing toward the areas most likely hiding the sniper as Zain hooked his arms under Buck’s shoulders and dragged the man back behind the RV, more shots ricocheting off the bumper and dirt — one hitting the front panel a second after he’d cleared it.
He braced Buck against the side, used his knife to slice through the seam of Buck’s jeans.
Buck stared at the blood oozing from the hole in his thigh. “They shot me.”
Zain nodded, accepted the first aid kit Saylor handed him from the top of the RV stairs.
“Guess you weren’t exaggerating. Though, the next time Greer tells you to trust her and hang tight, don’t freaking run.
” He poured on some clotting powder, then tied a few layers of bandages in place.
“That should hold for now, assuming we can get you to the hospital.”
Buck fisted Zain’s shirt and tugged him in close. “They shot me.”
“Already established that, Buck.” Zain gave Buck’s arm a pat as he eased the man’s hand free. He glanced at Greer as she scoured the forest. “He’s definitely in shock. Pain hasn’t even touched him, yet, but it will. We need to leave in case there’s more… Shit.”
Tires.
Crunching along the gravel road. Not quite at the driveway but close. Another few seconds, and they’d be rounding the corner — blocking out any chance at spinning the vehicles around and making a break for it.
Greer obviously thought the same thing as she threw open the door. “RV. Now.”
Zain heaved Buck to his feet, ignoring the man’s protests as he carried him up the steps before planting his backside on a thread-bare chair just inside the door. “Keep your ass glued to that seat or so help me God, I’ll toss you out.”
Saylor ripped off some of the foil as Zain slipped behind the wheel. “We’ve got two… no three trucks barreling down the road, and they don’t look like they’re stopping.”
Zain waved his hands at Buck. “Keys or am I just hotwiring this piece of shit?”
Buck grunted. “Ashtray.”
Zain rolled his eyes as he snagged the keys.
“How old is this thing?” He tried the engine, cursed when it just clicked, then tried again, hitting the gas when it sputtered to life.
Tires skidded on the gravel behind them, a few rocks pinging off the chassis.
“Everyone hold on, and stay clear of the windows.”