Chapter 43
Stone, Dino, and Ed heard Bronsky’s conversation with Felicity as they sneaked toward the living room.
Drawing close, Stone chanced rising enough to peer ahead. Two men were standing near the stairs, one with his back to Stone and the other looking around.
The second guy turned far enough that Stone got a look at his face.
Stone blinked in disbelief. It was Andre Parker.
The man he’d first met as Samuel Jones on Trenton’s yacht.
The man who had killed Trenton, six members of the crew, and nearly Stone himself.
And now he was here, helping Bronsky.
The how and the why weren’t important at the moment.
Parker needed to be stopped.
Stone raised his gun just as Parker’s gaze landed on him. He pulled the trigger a beat after Parker dropped out of sight, his bullet barely missing the man.
Bronsky twisted toward the gunshot.
Stone adjusted his aim and squeezed off another round.
In the best of conditions, his accuracy with a handgun was mediocre. This was not even close to the best, and instead of hitting Bronsky in the chest, his bullet grazed the side of Bronsky’s arm.
The Russian shouted in pain and spun into a side table, knocking several books to the floor and taking himself out of Stone’s direct sight.
By the time Stone, Dino, and Ed rushed into the living room, Parker was out the front door with Bronsky only steps behind him.
Both Stone and Dino shot at the Russian, neither hitting their mark before Bronsky was gone.
On the floor at the base of the stairs was a third man. He wasn’t moving.
“Felicity?” Stone called.
“Here,” she responded. “Did you get them?”
“Winged Bronsky, but Parker got away clean.”
“Parker?” Dino said.
“Andre Parker. Bronsky must have hired him.”
“Are you responsible for the one on the floor?” Ed asked.
“Guilty,” Felicity said. “Is he…?”
Ed checked for a pulse. “Dead and lying in a puddle of blood.”
“Oh, Stone, sorry about that. MI6 will be happy to cover the cleaning charges.”
“It’s not the first pool of blood this house has seen. Are you all okay?”
“No injuries here. I would appreciate it if you could stop Mr. Bronsky before he gets away, though.”
“Why hasn’t Carly shot him from the attic?”
“She’s looking out the wrong side. I’ll have her move back.”
“We’ll do what we can do down here,” Ed said. “Tell her not to shoot us.”
“Will do.”
Stone, Dino, and Ed ran to the front door.
Just outside they found the CIA agent Ed had saved earlier, climbing to his feet.
“What happened?” Ed asked.
“One of them rammed into me. Sorry, I heard the gunshots and thought you might need help.”
“Did you see where they went?”
“Toward the garage, I think.”
Parker stepped through the garage door and was presented with two choices: stairs to the second floor or an unmarked door.
Up was a dead end, so he chose the door, hoping he might find a car to escape in.
His assumption that the entrance led to the actual garage was correct. There were two vehicles in front of him. The problem was that they both looked to be from at least the middle of the last century.
One was a Woodie station wagon, and the other a classic MG two-seater sports car. They seemed to be in good condition, though, so hopefully they worked.
The garage doors were barn-style and swung open to either side as opposed to up. Of the two vehicles, he thought the Woodie had the best shot at busting them open.
He rushed to it, figuring he’d have to hot-wire it, but was pleasantly surprised to find the key on the driver’s seat.
Finally, a bit of luck.
As he was about to climb in, the door he’d used to enter the garage opened again. He spun around, ready to shoot whoever it was. He was a second away from pulling the trigger when he realized it was his client. The man was grimacing and clutching his shoulder.
Parker fought the urge to jump into the car and leave him behind. Through gritted teeth, he said, “If you want out of here, get in.”
The client stumbled around to the passenger side and climbed in, while Parker got behind the wheel and turned the key.
In another sign his lucky was turning, the Woodie started right up.
Stone, Dino, and Ed were almost to the garage when Stone heard the familiar roar of the Woodie’s engine.
“They’re stealing the station wagon!” he yelled.
“What?” Dino asked.
“The station wagon! They’re stealing it!”
Instead of continuing to the side door, he swerved toward the front of the garage. Dino and Ed followed.
Just as he rounded the corner there was a loud crash followed by the large doors bursting open.
Stone had to reverse course to avoid being smacked by the door heading his way.
He circled around it and saw the station wagon racing away. Ed and Dino were at his side a second later. As all three of them raised their guns, Carly’s rifle cracked twice.
One of the taillights went out, but there was no visible sign of the second shot hitting the vehicle.
Stone and his friends opened fire next, but the station wagon continued on its way through the gate and out onto the road, unaffected by the attempts to stop it.
“They’re stuck on the island,” Ed shouted over the rain, then eyed the MG still in the garage. “Neither of them will be as familiar with the area as you and I. I say we track them down.”
“I’m in,” Stone said.
“We need a better weapon though. Maybe one of the rifles we took or, better yet, your Winchester. Does it still have a scope?”
“It does, but Carly has it in the attic. It’ll take a few minutes to get it.”
“Like I said, it’s an island,” Ed said. “A few minutes won’t hurt.”
“I’ll get it,” Dino said. “You get the car ready.”
He ran back to the house, and Stone and Ed to the MG.
After they’d climbed into their seats, Stone said, “It’s going to be wet.”
The MG didn’t have a roof.
“What’s a little more water?”
Dino soon returned with the Winchester and gave it to Ed. “Happy hunting.”
“That’s the plan,” Ed said.
Stone fired up the engine, then turned to Dino. “If you’re looking for something to do, you might want to round up the people Ed knocked out before they wake up.”
“You want me to pick up after you?”
“Technically, after Ed.”
Stone smiled, let up on the clutch, and the MG sprinted out of the garage.