Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
The light had faded into a dusky gray as Buck sprinted along the old two-track, shadowing Tierney as she followed whatever route she’d mapped out in her head.
He didn’t know how she’d memorized the entire area from nothing more than a few glances at the screen, but he trusted she knew exactly where she was going.
That she’d weighed the time versus the risk and plotted out the best solution that would adhere to the time restrictions without putting them in the crosshairs.
He scanned the tree line, that voice in his head warning him that he could lose her if he wasn’t vigilant. A stray shot, a tripwire — one momentary slip on his part, and Tierney could pay the ultimate price.
Not on his watch.
He’d promised her he wouldn’t let Pike hurt her, and he’d take that promise to the grave. Give his last breath if that’s what it took.
Tierney veered right, took a branching, overgrown switchback across the ravine, then back, the dense tree stands slowly giving way to more exposed rock, the surface dotted with moss.
The fog thickened, the air cooling by several degrees as they descended into the basin, the hint of birdsong and crickets replaced by the deafening roar of a mountain river somewhere up ahead.
Buck checked his watch — twenty-one minutes left, and if he’d judged the distance correctly, they were only halfway there.
Tierney glanced back at him, either sensing his unrest or just checking in, before picking up the pace, pounding through the mud and the gravel as brush tugged at their pants, the patchwork of vines trying to catch their boots.
Her measured breathing matched his, each exhale creating a visible mist around her face.
The makeshift road narrowed, funneling between two massive, granite outcrops before turning left, disappearing into the fog. Tierney slowed, head on a swivel, her Sig sweeping the track.
The hairs on his neck prickled, something about the way the forest went quiet, how one side of the road opened to the river raging up ahead, scratched at the part of him that saw the world differently — that reduced most situations to obscure patterns which manifested before he fully processed them.
He closed the gap between them, still wrestling with the voices screaming in his head, when a faint snap launched him into action.
He took two lunging steps, wrapped Tierney in his arms, then took them both to the ground, rolling behind some larger rocks just as the bark behind them exploded, the crack of the rifle sounding a heartbeat later.
Buck levered up, laid down a line of suppressed fire across the ridge a few hundred yards out on the other side of the river, then helped Tierney to her feet.
They slid down the muddy incline, diving behind a massive fallen cedar halfway down the embankment just as another round punched into the log, spraying bark and moss into the air.
Tierney returned a couple trigger pulls, shaking her head as more shots chewed across the shoreline. “That was a second shooter.”
Buck nodded, stealing a quick peek before a bullet snapped off one of the dead branches next to his shoulder. “Two nesting in that thicket on the south end of the ridge. And I bet my ass they’ve been there since we started.”
“Which means, our targets might not be wandering like the other two.”
“Shit. That bridge.”
She rolled, crawled over to the end of the log, scanning the bank beneath them. Her breath hissed out, her muscles tensing as her fist white knuckled around a stubby branch. “That son of a bitch.”
Buck shifted, joined her at the far end. “How bad?”
She motioned down the ravine. “Somewhere between royally and epically.”
Buck inched out, keeping the angle tight enough the snipers couldn’t get off a kill shot.
Thirty meters beneath them, water crashed over boulders in a stunning display of white foam and swirling eddies as it churned beneath the rusted remnants of the old logging bridge.
But it wasn’t the broken ties that drew his attention.
Their next two victims had been strapped to the massive support beams rising out of the surface, the water surging up to their chests, the occasional rogue wave rolling over their heads.
He grabbed his rifle, placed the scope against his eye. “Their collars look different. Thicker, with at least two LEDs.”
“I’m not worried about you disarming them. It’s the fact you’ll be half-submerged in freezing water, getting pelted with sniper fire while you’re doing it.”
“I’m not seeing any other option.” Buck checked his watch.
“We’re down to ten minutes. And you said it yourself.
Pike doesn’t play by the rules. With how he’s manipulating the game — having his clients use the hostages as bait — I don’t want to risk moving them until I know they’re not wired.
In case he’s rigged those collars to blow another way. ”
Tierney bit at her bottom lip, staring at the bridge, then back to him. “Tell me what you need.”
“That’s my girl.”
Her lips quirked, and he made a mental note to say it again.
He slung his rifle over his back, grabbed the two smoke grenades he’d clipped on his vest, then met her gaze. “I need you to buy me forty seconds to get into the water. Keep them pinned down while I’m disarming the charges.” He leaned closer. “But more than anything, I need you to not get shot.”
Tierney laughed. “No promises on that last one. But you’ll get however long you need, just… Don’t die.”
“I won’t if you won’t.”
She snorted, readied her rifle, then nodded.
Buck cracked the two canisters, then tossed them in opposite directions.
Smoke billowed out the ends, the thick gray vapor swirling with the heavy fog, reducing the visibility to zero.
Tierney popped up, lit the far ridge line on fire with a steady stream of brass as he scrambled to his feet, half-running, half-sliding his way down the rest of the embankment.
A few speculative rounds whizzed past, glancing off rocks and kicking up mud before he waded into the icy water, the current trying to drag him downstream. He turned into it, pushing off boulders, dodging branches and logs tumbling along the surface as he inched his way toward the beams.
More gunfire echoed behind him, the answering shots punching fear in his gut. If he got her killed trying to protect his ass…
He shoved the thought aside. Tierney could more than handle herself. He’d put his faith in her — trust her to have his back without sacrificing everything.
The water raged around him, every stroke, every push off the bottom, barely moving him forward as he battled his way to the remaining structure. Long metal struts stabbed at the gray sky, half the wood splintered and rotted.
Buck wedged himself against the support beam as he stopped next to the first victim, using his legs to keep from getting washed away. The young man coughed and gagged, eyes overly white, lips already tinged blue. He mumbled something Buck couldn’t make out, eyelids drooping slightly.
Buck rubbed his knuckles along the kid’s sternum, got his eyes focused on him. “Easy. I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to see if you’re wired before I get this collar off, okay?”
The guy nodded, looked as if he’d drifted off as Buck ran his hands along the kid’s back before ducking beneath the surface, searching for hidden wires.
He popped up, cursing when a round hit the metal strut inches from his ear, sparks flying across his face.
Tierney returned fire, the pop muffled by the roar of the river.
A deep chill settled in his chest, his hands shaking from the cold as he pulled his multitool — started dismantling the collar. He stopped with the panel still attached, tracing an outlying wire around to the other side of the unit.
Pressure switch.
He bit back another curse, fingers so numb he nearly dropped the tool in the water. He switched gears, worked on bypassing that switch before finally opening the small hatch, picking through the spiderweb of wires.
More bullets cracked his way, striking the surface, exploding in pops of silver water as he worked on the device, finally slipping it free. It dropped, tumbling along the current before disappearing beneath the white water.
Dread settled in his gut, but he could worry about the collar later. Instead, he fisted the kid’s hoodie, tucked him behind an iron piling before tripping his way through the water to the next guy. Slightly older, but still insanely young. Maybe twenty-five.
The guy thrashed against the restraints, rocking the beam until Buck thought it might simply crack.
He shouldered up to the guy, looked him in the eyes. “Easy. I’ll get you free, but I need you to hold still or I might cut the wrong wire. Which would be extremely bad.”
The kid stilled, eyes like saucers, his breath misting around his head. Buck checked for other charges, then went to work, his brain already fogging over from the extreme cold. Time slowed, his vision fraying at the side when footsteps pounded one of the few ties still strung across the girders.
He glanced up, one hand dropping to his holster when Tierney ghosted into view, mud smeared along her jaw, a cut dripping blood down one cheek.
She laid down more cover fire, the casings clicking off the wood before hitting the water, a curl of smoke rising up off the surface. “Two minutes. Get the lead out, Buck.”
He blinked, stared at the wires for a few moments before his brain caught up to him. He sorted through the various colors, working his way back to the timer before isolating the black line — snipping it in half.
The lights flickered once then died, the unit releasing a moment later. He let it fall, his fingers too numb to catch it. The smoke thinned, more rounds sparking off the bridge, each one closer than the last.
Buck grabbed the man by the hood, pushed him toward the first guy. “Move!”
They scrambled under the bridge, fighting the current as they trudged toward the bank, water dragging them backward every other step. Tierney raced along the broken bridge, drawing the snipers’ focus, tripping onto one knee when she caught a round in the vest.
She rolled, rising with her carbine barking out rounds, chewing through the magazine before switching to another. She kept firing, slowly backpedaling until she reached the edge of the water, physically hauling one of the men out as Buck shoved the other guy from behind.
Half the bank sloughed off, nearly taking them back into the river, as they crawled up the side, the mud beneath Buck’s boot exploding from another round. He returned a spray of brass, buying them enough time to trip through the ferns, take cover behind a massive tree trunk.
Tierney dropped in beside him, chest heaving, that mushroomed slug glaring up at him. She waved off his hand, grabbed the two men, then urged them forward.
They staggered through the underbrush, picking up a bit of speed as they found a trail, took off running until they crested a small rise, descended into a secondary gully. Tierney continued for another couple minutes before stopping at a natural lean-to made of downed branches and shrubs.
She motioned the men inside, before rummaging through her kit — handing over a couple survival blankets and a spare jacket. “Any of you firearm trained?”
The first kid nodded, teeth chattering, hands shaking. “Cadet.”
“Well, cadet, today, you’re a full-fledged soldier.
” She pulled her Beretta from her ankle holster.
“This is for emergencies only. You don’t shoot unless one of those assholes finds you, understand?
” She handed him the weapon, went through the safety a few times until he looked reasonably comfortable with it.
“Remember what I said. And for god’s sake, don’t shoot us or our teammates when we come back to get you. ”
The kid frowned. “How will we know the difference.”
“Easy. We won’t try to kill you.” She backed up as Buck handed the other guy his spare jacket. “Now, stay here. Don’t talk, don’t move, don’t even breathe loudly. We’ve got two more people to help, then, we’ll get you both out of here.”
They cleared away their tracks, stacked a few branches around the entrance, then moved off a hundred yards, waiting for Pike’s call.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, the wind gathering a bit of strength as clouds built overhead. A few scattered drops trickled through the branches, the thick air promising more.
Buck shook his head, helping her out of her wet hoodie before sliding a dry one over her head, then putting on his only spare. It wasn’t much, but it might buy them a bit more time before their hypothermia became a critical liability.
He moved in front of her, taking the bite of the wind on his back. “How’re the ribs?”
She pursed her lips. “I’ll live.”
“I can’t believe you jumped onto that old bridge. I swear I thought it was going to collapse.”
She looked up at him, the blue in her eyes glowing against the eerie fog. “You were fading from the damn cold. I needed you to focus.” She poked him in the chest. “You promised you wouldn’t die.”
“Doing my best, sweetheart, though, we’re hemorrhaging kit fast. Do you have anything left for the rifle?”
“I’m down to just my Sig.”
“Take mine.”
She stopped him from lifting the strap off his shoulder. “You keep it. I’ll grab one off the next asshole we face.”
“Tier…”
“I mean it. Besides, you’re probably a better shot.”
“I doubt it.”
“Still…” She stiffened when the cell rang, the sudden noise cutting through the forest like a knife.
Her hands shook as she slipped it out of the pouch on her vest, handing it to Buck when he waved his fingers at her.
He let it ring a couple times, finally flipping it open. “Yeah.”
Pike chuckled. “Aw, the protective lover. I wondered when you’d want to chat. Though, can I just say, you’re an artist with those wires, mate. Beautiful work.” He tsked. “Shame Tierney burned through all that ammo covering you, though.”
Buck swallowed the fury bubbling down the back of his throat. “Where are the last two?”
“I see why she’s so taken with you. You’re a man of action. I respect that. And it just so happens, I’ve saved the best for last. They aren’t near the perimeter. I put them in the rust yard.”
Buck glanced at Tierney as she mouthed the words, logging camp, which they both knew was a strategic nightmare. Multiple concealed outbuildings. Endless IED opportunities. Exactly where he knew they’d eventually end up.
“Fine. Let’s get on with it, then.”
“Coordinates incoming. There’s just one catch.”
Buck clenched his jaw. “There always is.”
“My clients aren’t hunting your targets anymore. They’re hunting you, so, head’s up. The timer’s set for twenty-five minutes. Don’t drown in the mud.”
He ended the call. The hollow sound echoed in Buck’s chest.
He shoved the cell in his pocket.
Twenty-five minutes.
At least four assholes still on the board.
And now, he and Tierney were the prime targets.