Lone star standoff, p.2
Lone Star Standoff, page 2
When he had first become an Immortal, if she had simply let him be, he would have learned the rules eventually. It would have been difficult, but with all eternity ahead of him, he would have learned. Or he would have died trying. But because of her, Nathan’s world had become infinitely more complex. Probably forever.
“Been a long time,” he said as he took the seat next to her.
She kept her body faced out, her eyes on Moreno, and one finger running the rim of her wineglass. “Hardly. Not for us. Give it three centuries, and that’s a long time. Even a few decades could be called a long time, maybe. But it’s only been a handful of years. Not long at all.” She wore her hair in a mid-sized Afro which drew attention more to her and away from him.
“What do you want with Russo?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been trailing us from country to country, jumping ahead on each target, and killing them.”
“I thought those were accidents.”
“About as much an accident as you showing up here tonight. Has Larkin recovered so quickly from losing his island that he’s ready to start after Russo again?”
She did not respond for a moment, and Nathan chanced a quick peek at the kitchen doors. Waitresses continued to enter and exit, but no guards stood around trying to secure the situation. On his ear-comm, Nathan heard Altman laughing as she took bigger bets. Smart woman — trying to rip through her gambling money as fast as possible so that she would have an excuse to either pull Moreno with her or exit on her own.
“Nathan, I think there’s a problem,” Robin said in his ear. “I’m catching some odd little spikes in the air around the building. Could be nothing, but my hacker sense is tingling.”
Nathan took a big risk, reached over, and pushed aside Octavia’s hair. She snapped her head toward him as she slapped his hand aside, but he saw what he needed to — she had an ear-comm.
“Not alone,” he said. “Let me guess — Clockwork?”
She grinned. “I only ever bring the best with me.”
In his ear, Robin said, “ MXk11 is Clockwork. I should’ve known. I’ll try to counter him, block what he’s doing, but he’s already ahead of the game on me.”
Turning her attention back to Moreno, Octavia said, “You are still naïve and foolish. Ever since I brought you into all of this, you’ve never seemed to grasp how this is all played.”
“Seems pretty clear to me. You and the Larkin Group are guns for hire. Or anything else they want to spend money on to make you do. You think you’re playing at being a spy but really —”
“You should close your mouth and open your ears. Everything you’re saying only proves my point. You still refuse to view things within the expansive longevity of an Immortal. You still give so much weight on the present day. That will always be your downfall. You’re asking me if Larkin has recovered from you destroying his island, and you want me to take you seriously? The whole point of Larkin’s organization, or even Russo’s for that matter, is to withstand centuries, to provide Immortals with protection from those who want to cut us open and see what makes us tick. Whether the island is lost to a cowboy like you or a hurricane or a world war doesn’t matter. He’s always been prepared for it. He knows when to lay low and when to be bold.”
“Fine. He’s a regular boy scout. Are you saying that now he’s decided to be bold? Because I don’t see why you would be stopping my team from finding Russo unless your boss has bigger plans for the guy.”
She took an amused sip of her drink. “Congratulations. You almost sound intelligent.”
“You can be as cryptic and as insulting as you want, but it’s not going to change a thing. Moreno is ours. You’re too late this time.”
Setting her glass down, she shifted in her chair to face Nathan full on. “How sad for you that you still fail at the most basic level of these kinds of operations — always have a Plan B.”
“Oh crap,” Robin said. “Clockwork’s got control of —”
The lights went out. As emergency lights popped on, fire alarms rang loud.
CHAPTER THREE
The instant the lights went out, Octavia reached for her purse. Nathan knew she had a weapon in there — had to have one — and he also knew she intended to kill him. As an Immortal, she could sense that he currently had two souls which meant he had one to spare. He sensed the same for her.
He slammed his palm into her elbow, forcing her hand across her purse. She rammed the elbow back, catching Nathan in the chest. She then stomped on his foot with her heel and gained the few seconds needed to pull out her weapon — a Beretta 92. Always the classics.
In the seconds this exchange took place, Nathan heard in his ear-comm the frightened voice of Moreno. “W-What the hell is going on?”
“Keep down,” Altman said. “I’m here to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
Nathan barred his arm upward to stop Octavia from taking aim. As her arm jolted from the hit, her weapon discharged, plunking a hole into the ceiling. The panicked gamblers screamed at the gunshot and raced for the exits.
Altman said, “There are people here to kill you. They want your laptop.”
“What laptop?” Moreno said.
“Don’t play dumb. Your life doesn’t have that much time.”
Nathan managed to get a tight grip on Octavia’s wrist with one hand and the other locked around her throat. She used her free hand to sock him in the side. Probably broke one of his ribs — yet again.
“You’re working for a dangerous man,” Altman said. “And somebody gave you information about his whereabouts.”
Moreno said, “I swear, I swear, I don’t have the laptop.”
Even as Nathan struggled with Octavia, he heard the same thing Altman did. Altman said, “But you know what laptop I’m talking about. Where is it? If you don’t have it, who does?”
“Get me out of here. Get me safe, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Octavia went to punch Nathan again, but he brought his knee up to her groin. The hit weakened her enough that he wrenched her gun hand over and smacked it hard on the table.
Ignoring the pain, she raked his cheek with her nails. He dared to wink at the weak maneuver. Dumb. The rake had been nothing more than a distraction. She had used the movement to reposition her body so that she could pinwheel her legs around. Suddenly he found his neck vice-gripped between her thighs. Having the weight of a full-grown woman locked around the neck forced him down to the floor. If he didn’t tuck and roll, she would have an easy time snapping his bones to puncture his throat.
As the lights flicked back on, as Nathan rolled free and bent over gasping for air, he heard Robin. “I’m doing what I can to help you guys. Clockwork clearly had access to the casino system which means he had set up a signal somewhere. I’m piggybacking it, but he’ll figure that out quick. Now would be a good time to get the hell out of there and into the van.”
“I’ve got Moreno,” Altman said, the sounds of heavy breathing and running feet suggesting she was on the move.
Robin said, “Nathan? Where are you?”
Nathan pushed back onto his feet in time to see Octavia bang through the swinging doors toward the kitchen. He bolted across the room, slipped on loose poker chips dotting the floor, and managed to regain his footing. Kicking the swinging doors open, he saw Octavia had already reached the opposite side of the corridor. Dashing toward her, he narrowed his focus to see what direction she moved so he would know where to expect an attack when he entered the kitchen. However, he never noticed the barrel-chested guard burst from the restroom.
Fuming at what Nathan had done to him earlier, the guard tackled Nathan, breaking him into the wall. With meaty fists, he pistoned one blow after another — striking the chest, the gut, and the face.
Nathan tried to chop the man’s neck but failed to reach. The big guy was simply too big. Nathan’s arms weren’t that long.
Stuck on his back, straddled by this guard, Nathan could not reach behind to grab Maggie. Every second spent dealing with this lug gave Octavia infinite opportunities to find Altman and Moreno. He did not want to think about the outcome of that confrontation.
A crazy idea popped in Nathan’s head, and he did not hesitate. He reached up and grabbed a fistful of the man’s shirt. Yanking the guard close, Nathan planted a sloppy wet kiss on the man’s lips. The shock of being kissed when in the middle of a fistfight confounded the guard’s brain which caused him to not only hesitate but loosen his grip.
Nathan rolled out from under the guard, popped up to the knees, pulled out Maggie, and shot. “Stay down. I don’t want to kill you.”
The guard’s thigh sprouted a stream of blood. He had one hand behind on the wall, and all of his mind looked to be consumed with efforts to stand. Nathan could see the thigh would not be enough. He shot the man’s other leg. As loud pain-drenched screams filled the corridor, Nathan dashed off.
Crashing into the kitchen, he found the place empty. All the orchestrated mayhem of the cooks, all their sharp tongues and jovial attitudes had disappeared. Some probably stood on the street, waiting to find out if the fire department would show up. A few smarter ones recognized trouble and were most likely hoofing it blocks down the road. While the kitchen smelled wonderful, the lack of sound left it a ghostly calm. The harsh emergency lighting bounced off the chrome surfaces, sending a disorienting array of reflections in all directions.
“Altman, where are you?”
“Staircase is in the back corner of the kitchen,” she said, clearly still on the move.
He darted through an aisle and saw what looked like folding doors of a closet left slightly open. Sliding it aside, he found a steep, narrow staircase that curved as it went up.
When he reached the top, he entered Moreno’s office designed with elaborate and expensive taste. The desk — mahogany with gold trim — had four thick wooden legs which ended with animal feet. Elephant, Nathan thought. Heads of bears, lions, and wolves had been mounted on the walls. Instead of artwork, he had full animal skins hung like tapestries. Moreno himself sat behind the desk, his eyes jittering in terror. In the center of the room, Altman and Octavia stood on opposite sides of a circular, zebra skin rug. Altman had her Glock 17 pointing at Octavia’s chest.
“Looks like this might be a good time for us all to have a little chat,” Nathan said, stopping right out of Octavia’s reach. “To start with, why don’t you tell us —”
In his ear, Robin uttered a chain of swears. The lights flickered on and off. The fire alarm attempted to restart. “Clockwork’s booted me out. Where are you guys?”
Octavia launched forward. Altman fired her Glock, but in the confusion, the bullet went wild. Even if it had landed, Octavia wouldn’t mind — she could take a bullet. She could take a killing, if necessary.
Like a Bolshoi ballerina, Octavia moved with swift grace. She spun counterclockwise, grabbing hold of Altman’s weapon hand and catching Altman’s temple with an elbow strike. Often, that kind of hit forced the hands open and the weapon released. But Altman clenched tight.
Nathan soared forward into the fray. He wanted to use Maggie, but if he missed, or if Octavia turned to use Altman as a shield, he could kill his partner, or Moreno, for that matter. Too many mortals in the room.
Octavia kicked out, snagging Nathan in the hip as she continued to spin. Altman tried to readjust, but Octavia’s speed and experience overwhelmed her. In the time it took Nathan to return to the fight, Octavia had flipped around, nailed Altman in the chest, and put her in a headlock.
As Nathan tried to take advantage of Octavia being busy with Altman, he saw Moreno’s attention draw beyond the fight. The man’s mouth opened wide as he dropped beneath the desk. Damn.
Whipping out Maggie, Nathan whirled around and dropped to his knees. Two guards fumbled through the stairwell. Both men opened fire.
Nathan shot the front man in the chest — nice broad target. Over his shoulder, he heard Altman’s Glock blast away and the second guard took a bullet in the leg and one in the head. But Altman would not have killed the man when the leg shot put him out of commission. Which meant Octavia had full control of Altman’s weapon.
Before he could spin back, he knew what was coming. He never heard the bullet, but he felt the impact as Octavia’s Beretta took over — a burn in the back of his head, a sharp force thrusting his chin into his chest, and his body no longer following his commands.
He dropped to the floor, and his momentum turned him on his side. He watched as Octavia slammed her fist into Altman’s head before holstering her Beretta. Turning to Nathan, she said, “I’m not going to kill her. That’s the only consideration you get.”
She moved toward the desk and with one hand, flipped it aside. Moreno cowered in a squat. With Altman’s gun, Octavia shot Moreno twice to the back.
With precise motions, she removed the magazine from Altman’s weapon, emptied the chamber, and dropped it all on the floor. As she sauntered out, she glanced at Nathan. “Stop looking for the laptop. I’m tired of chasing you around.”
Nathan died.
It had been a while since he had suffered such an easy death. One bullet. No broken bones other than a rib. Minor bruising. Not bad.
Once his second soul had left through his eyes like a dark mist floating into the sky, he felt the burn of the slug working its way out the back of his skull. Even before the flattened piece of metal clinked on the floor, the crack in his head pulled together. Skin and hair would grow back in seconds along with his other small injuries. It hurt, but he had endured far worse healings in the past. He was mortal now and completely healthy.
When he stood, he found Altman looming over Moreno. “Is he still alive?” he asked.
Altman glanced at Nathan and hesitated. Though she knew he was an Immortal, she had yet to become comfortable with seeing him return from the dead. “Barely,” she muttered. She turned back to Moreno. “Come on. Don’t you want revenge? The people who killed you for this laptop aren’t done yet. Where do we find it?”
As Nathan came into view, Moreno’s eyes grew large. Whatever twists and turns of logic rumbled through his mind, he finally stretched out his hand and caressed Altman’s cheek. “America,” he whispered.
As he slumped back, Nathan pushed Altman aside. He leaned over Moreno and brought their heads close together. As Moreno’s soul left his body in a gray mist, Nathan opened his eyes wide and brought that soul into him. Normally, he would avoid such a young man for his second soul — too great a chance the soul would fight for control of the body — but Moreno had proven to be a great coward.
With his second soul in place and his Immortality returned, Nathan faced Altman. “Looks like we’re going back to the States.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Nathan hunkered down with his back against a crate strapped tight to the hull of the 747 cargo plane. Robin swore she could have arranged a better flight — even first-class, if they had wanted — but she feared Clockwork would notice that sort of manipulation. This was the best she could find that would get them across the ocean fast and under the radar of one of the best hackers she had ever come across. Feeling the crate’s cool wood against the back of his head, Nathan tried to let the steady rumble of the jet soothe him into sleep.
But Altman refused him that pleasure.
“We are failing,” she said as she paced down the narrow aisle between the crates.
Robin sat cross-legged on the floor a few feet away, her laptop propped on one knee as she typed with vigor. She had an earbud in her right ear and her left open to listen to the conversation. Nathan could hear the distinct thump of John Bonham breaking a levee. As she downed the last of a can of Mountain Dew, she said, “We’re dealing with very determined Immortals. You shouldn’t be surprised that we’re experiencing a lot of failure. But it only takes one success to get what we want.”
“My sister doesn’t have forever. Russo’s turned her mind to mush, and he’s out there laughing at us and our pathetic attempts to find him. We’re not getting any closer.”
Nathan said, “We know Octavia and Clockwork are involved now. That’s a step in the right direction.”
Altman stopped with her back to Nathan. Her body tensed as she made tight fists. “How? It only tells us that we’re going to have an even tougher time finding Russo.”
“I don’t know about that. Robin and I defeated Larkin.”
“You didn’t defeat him. He’s still out there.”
“We won a significant battle against him, sunk his entire island, and he’s every bit as bad as Russo. Plus, we know what country to go to. Octavia is a step behind us for a change.”
“I doubt that,” Robin said. “I mean I’m trying my best to make sure Clockwork can’t figure out where we are or where we’re going, but contrary to popular belief, I’m not infallible.”
“Is that why we’re heading to South America first? To hide our tracks?”
“Sure. But when we switch planes in Brazil, and when we get in a taxi or on a bus or however we plan to get to our next location, we’ll leave behind a trail. I’ll cover every inch of it that I can, but haven’t you learned by now that you can’t entirely erase somebody from the internet? It’s far too big. Clockwork is every bit as good as I am at this stuff. Eventually, he’ll find us.”
“You see?” Altman said, resuming her furious pacing. “By the time we figure out where we’re going, they’ll probably already be there.”
Nathan stood and stepped in front of Altman’s path. Though she glowered at him, he did his best to present a sympathetic expression. “No matter how bad this seems, no matter how bad it actually becomes, we’re not going to give up. You understand? We’ve become a team, and that means we’re in this together. It’s no longer just you fighting for your sister. We’re here, too.”
