Alpha dogs, p.18
Alpha Dogs, page 18
part #6 of Witness Protection Series
She nodded and offered a tiny smile. “See you on the other side.”
Zack snorted a soft laugh. Jackie took off across the field and ran for the woods. Zack watched her disappear into the woods then glanced at his watch and leaned against the helicopter. Within the tall grass near the helicopter, Mandy opened her eyes, looked beneath the helicopter, and saw Zack’s legs where he relaxed. She slowly picked herself up while grabbing a discarded gun not far from her. Mandy slowly and silently maneuvered alongside the helicopter.
§
Jackie ran through the woods as fast as she could manage without tripping over rocks and exposed tree roots. Even though the run would be easy for her on most days, her shoulder was causing her enough pain to cause her to nearly fall. The pain was also draining her energy. She was starting to slow, but, thankfully, the freshwater pond wasn’t far. Jackie entered the empty clearing and looked around with surprise. She panted mostly from the pain her shoulder caused as her mind reeled about the missing passengers. She heard a twig snap. Jackie spun around with her gun aimed. She was low on ammo, so she had to make each shot count. Sid stepped into the clearing and relaxed.
“It’s okay,” he called out to the others. “It’s just Jackie. She’s back.”
The others came out of hiding from behind trees and the brush itself. Jackie was relieved everyone was okay.
“Where’s Zack?” Bill asked with concern for the odd man they’d come to know.
“He’s giving us a head start before radioing for help,” she announced while attempting to catch her breath. “We need to go. The transmission won’t be secure. The men responsible for all this could hear the distress call and come after us. We need to make it to that abandoned port and find someplace to hole up until help arrives.” She indicated the small path. “We need to hurry.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Zack remained relaxed while leaning against the side of the helicopter although he kept an eye on the surrounding area for any additional bad guys. He glanced at his watch. He’d given Jackie plenty of time to get the others far from the area. He then straightened and approached the open pilot’s side door. Unfortunately, it was only a little after six o’clock in the morning, which meant there would be few people listening to their ham radios at that hour. He had to hope the team was listening and that they were waiting for some sort of emergency call. Zack climbed onto the pilot’s seat, snatched the hand mic, and fiddled with the dial.
“Reaper calling Eagle One, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” Zack announced into the radio. “Do you copy? Over.” There was no response. Zack frowned and considered changing the channel to the emergency Coast Guard channel. He hesitated and tried again. “Eagle One, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot this is the Reaper, do you copy? Over.” He waited another moment then groaned with defeat. He reached for the dial to change the channel when static came over the radio.
“Reaper, this is Game Over, I copy,” came an oddly familiar man’s voice, although it certainly wasn’t one of the guys.
Zack was bewildered by the handle, although he knew the voice sounded familiar. “Game Over? Who the hell--?”
“Is that you, Zack?” came the familiar voice from the static-filled radio. “Zack, it’s Othello.”
Zack suddenly grinned and laughed. “Othello, you bastard,” he announced with some relief. “Am I glad you answered.”
“Yeah, well, you know I don’t have a life. What can I do for you, buddy?” Othello announced from the other end. “You sound a little stressed. Over.”
A gun was suddenly pressed against Zack’s temple. He didn’t move nor respond to Othello.
Without even turning his head to look back, Zack spoke. “Well, hello, Mandy,” Zack announced in a drone tone. “I didn’t realize you were still alive.”
“Very sloppy of you,” Mandy scoffed in a tone that conveyed the amount of pain she must have been experiencing. “Release the hand receiver and don’t make any sudden movements because I will shoot you, and I promise I won’t miss.”
Zack opened his hand and allowed the receiver to fall from it. Othello continued to speak from the radio.
“Reaper, are you there?” Othello announced over the static-filled radio. “Zack, do you copy?”
Despite her pain, Mandy managed a satisfied grin. “I’ll bet you’re wishing you’d taken me up on that offer now.”
“Which one?” he asked with little reaction. “That clumsy attempt at seduction?” Zack chuckled in his throat and smirked. “Every time a woman has offered herself to me, it’s always been followed with a gun to my head.” He then considered the comment. “Well, sometimes a knife to my nuts, but you get the idea.”
“Why am I not surprised?” she snarled.
“I have a confession,” he announced while casting a sideways look at her and showed no emotion. “I don’t like being forced to kill women. I guess I’m just old-fashioned that way.”
“You don’t have to worry,” she replied with little concern. “You won’t have the opportunity to kill me. Had I known you were such a skilled fighter, I would have killed you before that whole mess in the hangar.”
“Tried,” he announced boldly.
“What?”
“You would have tried to kill me,” he casually informed her. “It wouldn’t have ended well just as this won’t end well for you. Of course, if you put the gun down, I won’t have to kill you.”
She laughed at his excessively confident statement. “Does that line ever work?”
“Sadly, no.” He studied her with his sideways stare and raised a curious brow. “Do you intend to surrender or not? I’m a little pressed for time.”
“As tempting as your offer to accept my surrender is, I think I’ll take my chances killing you instead,” she casually replied.
Zack reluctantly sighed his disappointment and shook his head. “As you wish.”
Without warning, Zack snatched the gun from her hand with amazing reflexes, spun it around, and pulled the trigger before she even knew he’d taken the gun from her. Mandy gasped and looked at the blood spreading from the small bullet hole in her chest. She looked back at Zack with horror in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Zack informed her, “but I did give you a choice.”
Mandy sank to the helicopter floor in the back. Zack frowned then shook his head as he snatched the radio hand receiver.
“Othello, are you there?”
§
Gil, Kirk, Bogart, and Mac hurried down the institution stairs with Darth in the lead. Gil moved the dog aside at the closed fire door on level one and slowly pulled it open while Kirk aimed his weapon through the opening. When nothing moved within the lobby, they entered and scanned the dimly lit area. The front door opened, allowing the sunrise to spill into the lobby, brightening it for the first time. Monroe stepped into the doorway, saw his friends, and immediately motioned for them. As they hurried across the lobby, they saw an alligator meandering across the once elegant, tile floor. Darth growled at the creature, but Gil was quick to snatch his collar, keeping him from approaching the large reptile.
“Don’t pick fights you can’t win,” Gil remarked to his four-legged partner.
“I’m so ready to leave here,” Kirk muttered while keeping his weapon trained on the reptile still too far away to be of any real concern.
They reached Monroe at the front door and hurried onto the porch where they waited and assessed the situation before moving out. Despite the stormy night, the sun was coming up and would eventually give away to a beautiful day. Monroe indicated the vehicles still hidden within the tree line halfway down the driveway.
“We’ll commandeer one of their vehicles and radio for extraction,” Monroe informed them. “We move quickly and quietly. There’s no telling how many men are still inside the facility.”
“I’m guessing perhaps a ton of gator bait,” Bogart announced while grinning.
They were about to leave the porch when they heard the sound of a helicopter in the near distance. They had to know the aerial assault would be coming eventually.
“Ah, hell,” Kirk muttered while frowning. “That can’t be good.”
They dispersed and darted behind overgrown shrubs just off the main porch. As the helicopter came into view, Corbin and several armed men hurried onto the porch to greet their backup. The two men who had fallen from the second floor window limped toward the men on the porch.
“They must have gotten away,” the first injured man announced while clutching his bleeding leg. “We followed them out the second floor window.”
“Did you see which way they went?” Corbin demanded with little regards for his men’s injuries.
Both men shook their heads. “The firehose gave way,” he announced. “We were too busy falling.”
“Search the grounds,” Corbin shouted in anger. “They could still be close by. Guard the cars. I don’t want them making their getaway in one of my vehicles.”
The men nodded and were about to search the grounds while Corbin and another man hurried into the driveway and waved to the now hovering helicopter.
Corbin removed a hand radio and spoke into it. “They’re still on the loose,” he announced into the radio. “I need you to do a sweep of the area and find them.”
Despite his order, the helicopter began its descent to Corbin’s surprise. He frowned and watched the helicopter land then shut down. He approached the helicopter as the well-dressed passenger got out.
Corbin hesitated and stared at the man with some surprise. “Makar,” he announced. “I didn’t know you were coming out here.”
Makar was a tall, sturdy man with a moderately muscular build and an intimidating appearance. His light brown hair was kept in a short, buzz cut, and his face was clean-shaven. Although his clothing suggested wealth, it was obvious he wasn’t the type who needed armed guards surrounding him. He could almost certainly take care of himself.
“I’ve allowed you to screw things up enough for one day,” Makar announced then looked around. His gaze fell upon his man. “Why haven’t you found that girl?”
“It’s not that easy,” Corbin replied. “We thought she parachuted with our men from the plane, but they were decoys. We’ve been trying to catch the men helping her, but they’ve proven to be craftier than anticipated.”
“So you’ve been putting all our time and effort into capturing known associates to those who actually have her?” Makar announced with annoyance then turned angry. “You should be concentrating on locating the downed plane. We’d lost radio contact with our aerial team since the hurricane passed through.”
“We haven’t been able to locate the plane either,” Corbin replied with some concern. “It fell off radar, and no one has heard from it. Even the airline can’t find it. That’s why we’ve been concentrating our efforts on those who parachuted from the plane. They’re their friends. They know something, I’m positive of that.”
“You’re wasting my time,” Makar snarled then drew a deep breath and attempted to relax. “You’d better find that girl. Don’t disappoint me again.”
Nearly silent gunfire took out the armed man closest to Makar. Makar and Corbin spun around with their weapons in their hands. Corbin took a bullet to the leg and fell to the ground. Makar motioned to the pilot while jumping into the helicopter. The pilot attempted to restart the helicopter. A nearly silent shot struck the pilot in the head, causing him to slump over in the seat. Makar fired back in the direction of the building along with his remaining two men. Corbin fired back as well while all six hurried for cover behind the helicopter. Makar jumped out the opposite side and joined them. One of the men attempted to enter the back of the helicopter to reach the high-powered machine gun bolted to the floor.
“If he reaches that gun, we’re dead,” Monroe informed the team just loud enough for them to hear.
From their respective hiding positions, they all fired at the man attempting to reach the gun. He took several hits and fell from the back of the helicopter. The team’s hiding position wouldn’t offer them much cover now that their location was known. While flooding the remaining men with gunfire, the team slipped back inside the building, shutting and locking the solid door behind them.
“I counted six men still standing,” Gil informed them.
“They’re probably calling for reinforcements now,” Monroe added. “We don’t have long to take them out and get the hell out of here.”
Kirk looked around and saw the alligator exploring the lobby. “We need to get to higher ground or become alligator bait.”
“What we need is an alligator whisperer,” Mac announced and raised a clever brow.
All eyes immediately turned to Bogart.
Bogart made a face and groaned. “Didn’t I do my part already?” he whined.
“You need to lead them into alligator central,” Monroe informed him. “While you’re keeping them busy, the rest of us will slip out the second-floor window so Gil can prep the helicopter.”
“Bad plan,” Bogart insisted.
The front door vibrated. “That door won’t hold much longer,” Gil announced. “We need to figure something out and fast. What’s the plan?”
Bogart again groaned and threw his hands down in defeat. “Fine,” he scoffed. “I have a plan even if it does suck. Just don’t leave without me.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Several gunshots echoed as the lobby door was torn to shreds around the lock. The door was kicked inward, revealing Makar, his four men, and Corbin. With their weapons aimed, they scanned the unusually quiet lobby.
“They’re around here somewhere,” Corbin announced. “The back of the building is flooded, so they must have gone to higher ground.”
Several shots were fired at them. They immediately took cover then saw Bogart running through the water within the flooded hallway toward the back of the building.
“Don’t let him get away,” Makar cried out and indicated for the men to follow him.
“This is alligator heaven,” Corbin attempted to explain to his boss. “That man is dead already. We don’t need to follow him.”
“If he’s running into danger, he obviously has a way out,” Makar insisted then glared at his man while gritting his teeth. “We need to stop him.”
“We should be watching the vehicles,” Corbin attempted to convince him. “If they’re attempting to escape, that’s where they’ll go.”
“Backup will be here in twenty minutes,” Makar reminded him while relaying his irritation on having his authority questioned. “Have you lost your nerve, man? Certainly, we can hold them off for twenty minutes.” He then looked at the others. “After that man!”
Makar followed his four armed men down the flooded hallway after Bogart. Corbin looked at his crudely wrapped leg, which bled through the gauze, then frowned.
“Bullheaded son-of-a-bitch,” Corbin scoffed and reluctantly hurried after them with a pronounced limp.
§
On the second floor, Monroe, Kirk, Mac, and Gil maneuvered through the broken window and jumped the short distance to the partial roof. It was still a fantastic drop to the ground. Gil rigged television cable to Darth’s bulletproof vest then lowered him to the ground and released the cable. Darth watched from the ground as the four cautiously walked along the partial overhang toward the far side of the building. The dog trotted after them while watching intently with the television cable dragging behind him. They finally encountered an overgrown tree and managed to climb down it.
Once they reached the bottom, Gil untethered Darth. The team kept low to the ground while making their run for the unguarded helicopter. Gil pulled the dead pilot from the seat while Kirk jumped behind the machine gun. Kirk aimed the large weapon at the door and waited for the first man to poke his head out so he could blow it off.
“Will she fly?” Mac asked while crouched behind Gil in the pilot’s seat.
“We’re not taking off yet,” Gil informed her.
“What? Why not?” she demanded.
“We need to wait for Bogart,” Monroe reminded her. “Besides, we have the machine gun. We have plenty of time to make our escape.”
“So we’re just going to sit here and wait for Bogart and hope he doesn’t get eaten by an alligator?” Mac remarked with some surprise.
“Not exactly sit and wait,” Gil informed her then placed the radio headset on and fiddled with several channels. “This is Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Eagle One, anyone copy? Over.”
Monroe put on the extra headset as Gil fiddled with channels and continued with the message. He broadcasted for several minutes without a response. There was a distinctive crackle followed by a familiar voice.
“Eagle One,” came the familiar male voice. “You son-of-a-bitch! Where have you been?”
Gil seemed surprised and eyed Monroe seated alongside him. Their matching expressions said it all.
“Othello?” Gil practically gasped into the radio. “What are you doing on this channel? Over.”
“Apparently, I’m the official messenger boy these days,” Othello replied over the headset. “I have word from the psycho twins.”
“Jackie and Zack?” Gil asked while eyeing Monroe alongside him.
Mac and Kirk suddenly jerked and listened intently while staring at the men in front. Since the helicopter wasn’t yet running, they could hear the radio broadcast clearly.
“Are they okay?” Monroe suddenly chimed in through his own headset.
“As of ten minutes ago, they were fine,” Othello responded. “I have their coordinates, if you’re in the air and prepping a rescue.”
“We’ll be airborne in fifteen minutes,” Gil informed him. “What are their coordinates? Over.”
“You’d better damned well give me your coordinates,” came another familiar yet angry voice over the radio.
Darth appeared excited from where he sat alongside Mac and barked at the voice on the radio.
“You’re not leaving without me,” Holden demanded.
