Dark Deceptions (36 page)

“I should have killed you when I first found you here.” Kim Sun sat in an ornate wing chair, a glass of cognac on the table
beside him. Across from him, ensconced in a leather chair, Annie recognized the man who’d attacked her in her room, Kim’s
son—Chin-Mae.

“Why didn’t you then?” she asked as two of the guards took up position in the doorway, the third keeping his gun on Drake.

“I have other plans. A slow, lingering death. Nothing is too good for the woman who killed my son.”

“I almost got two of them,” she said, anger getting the better of her.

“But you didn’t,” Chin-Mae said, his jaw tightening as he closed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “In fact, if I remember
it correctly, it was you who almost lost your life.”

“Yeah, but close doesn’t count,” Drake said.

“Enough.” Kim raised a hand. “You are here. And so we have won.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Your son grows up alone. And you will pay for my son’s death with your life. I find that a fitting ending.”

“Better that the kid was dead,” Chin-Mae said, eyes narrowed as he looked at his father. “You should have killed him when
you had the chance.”

“I did what was necessary,” Kim Sun said, his attention still centered on Annie. “I just hadn’t anticipated her making it
so difficult.”

“He’s just a child,” Annie said, anger strengthening her resolve. There had to be a way. She just had to find it. And to do
that, she had to keep Kim talking. “And you were going to blow him away.”

“The bomb was not my idea.” Kim frowned over at his son. “And he was well cared for. I told him you would come to get him.
And I was right. Anyway, what’s done is done. The child lives. And I, unlike you, Ms. Gallagher, have no innocent blood on
my hands.”

“Jin was far from innocent,” she said, praying that it was the truth. “Did you know he was in Lebanon to train with the insurgents?
That he was working against everything diplomacy stands for?”

“He was a child. And like most children he played with fire.”

“You knew?” She fought against her surprise.

“Not at the time. No. I truly believed my son was kidnapped. But later, when I began to uncover what really happened, the
truth of his youthful idealism came out.”

“Idealism? His actions were treasonous. Against my country and yours.”

“We have no allegiance to your country,” Chin-Mae said, his voice colored with contempt. “Nor to the imperialistic regime
that resulted from your invasion of my country.”

“Looks like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. You and Jin are both traitors.” Drake coughed beside her and from the
corner of her eye she saw him tip his head toward the far wall. It was covered with two large tapestries, and unless she missed
her guess, they were moving. First the left. Then the right. Then the left again. The movement was so slight she would have
thought she’d imagined it, except for the fact that for a moment, she’d also seen the flash of a face.

Nash.

The cavalry had arrived.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Chin-Mae was saying, his face red with anger. “Our cause is a just one.”

“Perhaps.” Kim nodded. “But that doesn’t mean that I approve of using violence to obtain one’s goals.”

“What do you call kidnapping my son? Yanking him out of bed in the middle of the night? Threatening to kill him if I didn’t
comply?” Annie protested, taking a step backward toward Drake as she forced herself to stay focused on Kim. She needed to
keep his attention away from the tapestry.

As far as she could tell Kim wasn’t armed. That left the three guards, each of whom had rifles, and Chin-Mae, who, although
not brandishing a weapon, was still a bit of a wild card. The odds weren’t perfect, but they also weren’t as bad as they could
be.

“I call it necessary,” Kim was saying, “but we have talked enough. The time for action is at hand.”

“No shit,” Annie said as she swung backward with her elbow, catching Drake’s guard in the gut. Taking the opening, Drake grabbed
the rifle as Nash and Avery burst from behind the tapestry, guns blazing.

Two more guards ran into the room, and all hell broke loose as bullets went flying. Annie scrambled across the floor, intent
on reaching Kim, who was trying to make it to the far door and the safety of the hallway beyond.

“Annie,” Nash yelled as she moved past him. “Catch.” He lobbed a handgun and she jumped in the air to catch it, then hit the
floor again, running now, as Kim came within inches of his goal. “Move and you’re dead,” she said, leveling the gun at his
head. The room had grown quiet, and she grabbed his arm, moving him in front of her as she turned to face the room.

More guards had arrived, but Drake and Avery were holding them back. Nash was bending over one of the dead guards, blood dripping
from his hand.

“You okay?” she called.

“Fine,” he said, wincing as he used his teeth to tie the dead man’s handkerchief around his forearm. “It’s just a scratch.
Where’s Chin-Mae?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head, her gaze sweeping the room. “I don’t see him.”

“My son has escaped,” Kim said, his tone gloating.

“Yeah, well, can’t say the same for you,” she said as she moved Kim farther into the room, her gun still at his temple. “Tell
them to drop their guns and fall back or I’ll drop you right here where you stand. And you of all people should know that
I mean what I say.”

Kim stood ramrod straight, his muscles bunched in protest. But he nodded and the soldiers complied, Avery and Drake picking
up their discarded weapons as Nash kept his gun trained on the guards.

“Lock them in the anteroom,” Avery ordered, Nash moving to carry out his instructions. “And if anyone tries anything, your
boss is dead.”

“They don’t work for me,” Kim said, shaking his head.

“Then I guess you’d better hope they’re loyal.” Drake shrugged, moving to take over with Kim. “And in the meantime, I’d say
you’ve got a lot to answer for.”

“In many religions an eye for an eye is not considered a crime.”

“Yeah, well, we believe in the separation of church and state,” Avery said as they moved out into the far hallway.

“I assume you’ve got an escape route in mind?” Annie asked as Nash rejoined them, and they moved backward, guns trained on
the anteroom and hallway.

“Got it covered,” he said with a smile.

“And your arm? It’s really all right?”

“I’m fine. I swear. How about you? All in one piece?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just ready to get the hell out of here.”

“Your wish is my command,” Avery said as they moved into a room filled with furniture covered with drop cloths. In the far
wall an arch-shaped hole gaped black against the flocked wallpaper. “Our door to freedom.”

“So how we going to handle this?” Nash asked, his gun trained on the door behind them.

“You and Annie take Kim. Hannah can walk you back through the tunnels. Drake and I will fix things here so that no one can
follow us. We’ll be right behind you. I’ve got com-links for both of you,” Avery said, pulling the haul bag out from behind
a sheet-swathed bureau.

Annie caught the earpiece Avery lobbed at her and fixed it into place. “Hannah, you there?”

“Glad to have you back in the fold, Annie,” Hannah said.

“What, you’re not happy to hear from me?” Drake asked, adjusting his earpiece, as he stepped through the opening.

“You know I love you, big guy, but there’s no time to tell you how much. You guys need to get a move on. Looks like the forces
are gathering. Emmett’s on his way with reinforcements, but they’re not in place yet.”

“No worries, Hannah. We’re outta here,” Avery assured her. “Nash, you next,” he nodded at the opening, “with Kim. And then
Annie.”

Nash prodded Kim with the barrel of his gun, the older man bending to step through the arch to Drake, waiting on the other
side. Annie followed Nash through, blinking in the dim light.

“Okay,” Avery said, pulling a timer and wiring from the bag, “you two head on out with Kim. Drake and I are going to leave
a little gift for anyone who follows. We’ll be right behind you.”

Annie moved out behind Nash, keeping her gun at the ready. The tunnel was carved straight from the rock, water dripping along
the sides and from the ceiling. It smelled of mildew and limestone. “How far does it go?” she asked.

“The whole island is riddled with tunnels,” Hannah said, her voice crackling in Annie’s ear. “You’re in one of the main branches.
It leads down to the bottom of the island and the main gate. Although I doubt there was a gate when the tunnels were built.”

“There are miles of them,” Kim said, unaware of Hannah’s input. “But Zechar told me they are dangerous.”

“I’ll second that.” Nash nodded. “We had to get past a couple of cave-ins just to get this far. The light ends about two-thirds
of the way down. From there on, I’ll warn you it’s dark and pretty dismal. But I’ve got a flashlight.”

“Sounds comforting. Anyway, I’m not afraid of the dark.”

“Maybe you should be,” Kim said, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

“Listen, Kim,” Nash growled, tightening his hold on the little man, “if anyone should be afraid, it’s you. You almost killed
my son.”

“Your son?” The old man nodded. “That explains much. Would that I had shown you the same loss that you showed me.”

Annie clenched her fists, anger rising as she thought about her son. If things has gone as Kim had planned, he’d be dead.
She shook her head, clearing her mind, focusing her energy instead on staying alert. If they didn’t make it out of here, there
was no chance at all of bringing Chin-Mae to justice. And at least in the meantime, they had his father.

The three of them walked in silence for the next twenty yards or so, passing a crumbling passageway off to the left and then
another angling off to the right. Annie tightened her grip on her gun, intuition sounding a warning. Behind her, rocks shifted
as somebody moved along the passage. She spun around as Nash stepped forward, holding Kim in front of him as a shield.

“Whoever’s out there,” Nash called, “I’ve got Kim Sun and I’ll kill him if you don’t show yourself.”

A guard stepped into the light, followed by Chin-Mae, both of them holding weapons.

“Drop your guns,” Annie said. “Or your father is dead.”

“So be it,” Chin-Mae said. “My father is a weak man. An embarrassment to our cause.” And then before she had time to realize
his intent, he fired his gun, the bullet ripping into his father, who gasped and then slumped forward.

Annie tried to move as a second flash came from Chin-Mae’s gun, but before she could react, Nash shoved Kim Sun’s body in
front of her. Annie heard the bullet tear into Kim’s dead flesh, while above her, Chin-Mae was aiming again, this time for
Nash, who was shooting at the guard.

“No,” she screamed, buoyed by adrenaline and anger as she popped up from behind Kim and fired.

Chin-Mae’s eyes widened as he looked down at the bloom of blood spouting on his chest. He tried to lift the gun, but it fell
from lifeless fingers as the man dropped to his knees. “Our secrets die with us,” he gasped as he fell forward onto his father.

“God willing,” she said, stumbling to her feet, swinging her gun around on the guard. The man was dead, eyes open as he stared
upward into the dim wash of light. Exhaling, Annie lowered her gun.

“Nash?” she called, her voice shaking as she spun around. He groaned, slumped against the far wall. She covered the distance
in seconds, dropping down beside him. “Are you hurt?” Blood covered the front of his shirt, seeping onto the ground beneath
him. “Oh, God,” she whispered, ripping off her jacket to make a bandage. Something. Anything to stop the blood. “Can you hear
me? Baby, can you hear me?”

His eyes were closed, but he moaned again and she pressed harder against the wound. “Don’t you dare leave me,” she whispered.
“Damn it, Nash, not now. Not after everything we’ve been through. I need you. I love you.”

“You guys all right?” Drake called as he and Avery ran into the tunnel. “We heard gunfire.”

“It’s Nash,” Annie said, her voice strangled with her tears. “He’s hurt. Bad, I think. Chin-Mae shot him. I tried to stop
him.” She stared up at Avery, tears filling her eyes. “But I was too late.”

“It’s going to be all right, Annie,” Avery said, dropping down beside her. “His pulse is still strong.”

“But there’s so much blood.”

“You know as well as I do that some of the most superficial wounds are bleeders,” Avery said, reaching up to take the pressure
bandage Drake was offering.

“But this isn’t one of those,” she whispered.

“No.” He shook his head, replacing her makeshift bandage. “It’s not. Hannah? You there?”

“Yeah, I’m hearing every word. What can I do?”

“You need to get Emmett. We need evac now. What’s their ETA?”

“He’s here. At the mouth of the tunnel. I’ll apprise him of the situation. All the hostiles have been apprehended.”

“All right then.” Avery nodded at Drake. “Let’s get Nash out of here.”

Annie ran beside them, holding Drake’s flashlight, sending up desperate prayers.
Not now. Not now. Please, God, not now.

It seemed forever, but she knew it was only minutes, and they had him out of the tunnel, Emmett there, surrounded by men from
the main island. Men here to help. Drake and Avery laid him on a stretcher, and together they all ran to the waiting helicopter,
Annie still fervently praying for a miracle.

And then they were there, the big chopper’s blades swooping through the air as it waited, the undergrowth bending to the ground
in its wake. Ducking down, she stayed with the stretcher and Nash. And then waited while they pulled him on board, a medic
ready with an IV.

“I’m coming with you,” she said, already halfway on board. She settled in beside him and reached for his hand. “I’m here,
Nash. I’m right here.”

His eyes slowly opened, the corners of his mouth lifting in a half smile. “Never thought you’d be anywhere else.” His hand
tightened on hers, and she looked across at the medic.