Dark Defender (18 page)

He picked a handy tree and took care of business. After zipping his pants, he headed up a small rise to learn more about their surroundings.

As he neared the top of the hill, he crouched down. Maybe there was nothing on the other side but more miles of rolling terrain and trees, but there was no need to make a target of himself. Making his way from tree to tree, he reached the top of a rocking outcropping overlooking a small valley.

His caution paid off. He could just make out the road twisting through the woods below where it passed through a high, chain-link fence. He worked his way to the right, careful to keep the trees between him and anyone who might be watching from below. His new position gave him a better line of sight, and what he saw made his pulse race.

There was a gate manned by two armed guards in military uniforms. Son of a bitch! It was one thing to take out a loner; and if Trahern’s death would bring down the wrath of the military, he wanted nothing to do with it.

He barreled down the hillside. They needed to get the hell out of Dodge while they had the chance. The heat and humidity, combined with a solid dose of fear, had him panting for breath when he reached the car. He yanked open the door and clambered inside. Turning the key, he ground the starter and had to try a second time to get the engine started.

“We are so screwed! We’re getting out of here now; I’ll explain when we’re someplace safe.”

When Swan didn’t respond, Montgomery reached over to shake him awake. How could the stupid bastard sleep, with the car bouncing over the dirt road? His hand came away wet, and it took his brain a second too long to realize it was blood dripping from his fingers, then to see the knife sticking out of Swan’s ribs.

A sick certainty of his own imminent death washed over him just as the windshield shattered and pain exploded in his chest. His hands slipped free of the steering wheel, sending the car off the road to crash into the trees.

The engine sputtered and died, leaving the woods eerily silent except for the sound of his own labored breathing. A shadow passed over his eyes, but it wasn’t the Grim Reaper. Or, maybe in a way it was, since his former employer stood beside the car with a large gun in his hand.

Ritter pointed the gun at Montgomery’s left temple, smiling as he pulled the trigger.

“Devlin is coming in tonight.” Trahern dropped into a chair and propped his feet up on the other one.

Jarvis looked up from his desk with a frown. “Why the hell is he coming here?”

Trahern figured he was about to piss off Jarvis in a major way and liked the idea. “Because he wants to.”

Since he couldn’t take his mood out on Brenna, he’d decided to pick a fight with someone else; Jarvis was a handy target, one whose mood matched his own. The Regent had disappeared during the fight, and until they knew what he was up to, neither of them would rest easy.

“I need a better reason than that. Bane may rule the roost out there on the coast, but he’s not in charge here.” Jarvis pushed his chair away from his desk, as if sensing where the discussion was headed.

“Okay.” Trahern laced his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. “I was lonely and invited him to visit.”

“I’ve got enough trouble here without you deciding to have a party.” Jarvis’s eyes narrowed, his temper already starting to simmer. “Call him back and tell him not to come.”

“Sorry, no can do.” Trahern smiled nastily. “His plane left an hour ago.”

“Damn it, Trahern, I don’t need Bane’s interference! Go meet his plane and get back on it with him.” He stood and leaned across the desk. “You brought this mess here; you can just take it back to Seattle with you.”

Trahern’s phone call asking for help may have gotten the judge killed, but the blue stone in Jarvis’s pocket was proof that the problem
wasn’t
just in the Pacific Northwest.

They both knew it, and just that quickly, all the steam went out of Trahern’s need to fight. He slumped back in the chair and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should have talked to you about Devlin earlier, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. Once he gets an idea in his head, there’s no changing his mind. He has someone he wants to look at the stone.”

“One of your lab guys?”

“He didn’t say.” Trahern had a good idea exactly who would be stepping off the plane with Bane, but he wasn’t about to start that fight until he knew for sure.

Jarvis slowly sank back into his chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Days like these are enough to make me want to retire.”

As if any of them ever got to do that. The genes that made them Paladins were so rare, there were never enough of them to go around. In past centuries, the strongest of warriors always had their choice of women, ensuring that a fair number of Paladins were born each year. Modern birth control had changed that.

Which meant Jarvis would retire the same way Trahern would: at the wrong end of a needle.

“Where’s Brenna?”

“She’s resting. She says she has a headache.” Jarvis’s laugh was nasty. “Worn out your welcome in her bed already? I’d say that’s a record, even for you.”

Maybe they’d have that fight after all. “These past few days have been hard on her. First she lost her father, then everything else that’s followed. She must think she’s living in an
X Files
episode.”

“I suspect she’s strong enough to handle anything you throw at her.”

“Yeah, right,” he sighed.

“I mean it, Trahern. I’ll even admit to some jealousy. No woman has ever looked at me the way she looks at you.”

“That was before she saw me kill one of the Others.” He’d looked back to make sure she’d made it out safely just after he’d separated an Other’s head from his shoulders. “Knowing I kill for a living is one thing. Seeing it is another.”

Jarvis shrugged. “She’ll get over it.”

Well, if she didn’t, he’d been fine without her for years. He’d be fine again. And if he said that often enough, he might even manage to convince himself.

Before he could wallow in self-pity, Jarvis’s phone rang. His friend answered and listened for a few seconds with a seriously pissed off expression on his face.

When he slammed down the receiver, he said, “There’s a car parked in the woods down the road. One of the guards thought he caught sight of someone up on the hilltop just outside of the gate and sent a patrol.” Jarvis looked grim. “They’ve got the vehicle in sight now, but they’re holding off making an approach until we get there.”

He reached into his bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of guns. He shoved one in the back of his waistband and held the other out to Trahern. “Once in a while we get some teenagers looking for a quiet spot to make out, but they never drive this far back.”

Glad to have something to do, Trahern accepted the gun. It wouldn’t take two Paladins and a squad of guards to run off a couple of trespassers, but they’d make a handy target for his bad mood.

Outside, the sun was starting its slow slide behind the hills to the west. Jarvis had called back the guards, leaving one in position to notify them if anything changed. They kept to the road and were about to cut across country when Jarvis’s cell phone rang.

“Son of a bitch! We’ll be right there.” He took off at a ground-eating lope straight down the center of the road.

Trahern fell into step beside him. “What happened?”

“It looked like one guy was dozing in the car while his buddy was out exploring. Then all of a sudden, the snoopy one came tearing out of the woods, jumped in the car, and took off. The car only went about a hundred feet when someone shot out the windshield, causing the driver to lose control. There was one more gunshot after that.”

The guard waited for them just inside the tree line fifty yards down the road. He stepped out of the shadows to make sure they saw him, then faded back into the trees. Until they knew who was shooting, they wouldn’t make targets of themselves.

“The car is over there.” The guard pointed down the hill toward a stand of pines. “I’ve been watching since the car was hit, but I haven’t seen anyone moving, inside or out.”

Trahern had a bad feeling about the whole scene. “I’ll circle around wide and come at them from the right. Give me about four minutes to get into position before making your approach.”

Jarvis nodded. “I’ll take the left.” He glanced at the guard. “Hold this position until one of us tells you otherwise.”

Then they both moved out. Someone else was out in the woods; Trahern could almost smell the bastard. But whoever it was didn’t want to be seen. Was he hoping to use the car as a trap to lure Jarvis or Trahern into his sights? If he wasn’t familiar with Paladins, he’d think a bullet would bring them down. If he did know about Paladins, he’d be putting as much distance between him and the car as possible. Depending on how good a shot he was, he could still go for a head shot to take out Jarvis or Blake himself.

Say, someone like their missing Regent.

Trahern couldn’t wait to find out; it would feel good to have a tangible target. He slowed his pace, listening for any sounds of his quarry. The dense undergrowth in the woods made it difficult to look for any sign of the shooter. Finally, he found where leaves were disturbed. The trail turned back toward the road. He could see the light of the dying sun glinting off the hood of the car.

Trahern froze and listened. The woods were silent, except for the drone of cicadas and the occasional stirring of some small animal. Nothing that sounded like a man running in full panic, or even walking.

Either the shooter was long gone or he’d gone to ground somewhere close by. Trahern approached the car. Even if their quarry shot at him, Jarvis would have a good idea of where the bastard was.

The car was silent except for the hiss of steam from the ruptured radiator. Neither of the car’s passengers was moving. Maybe they’d been knocked unconscious by the impact, but his gut feeling was that they were dead. He crouched down and ran the last little distance, zigzagging between the trees.

The man in the passenger seat was angled toward the window, staring out of sightless eyes. The driver had the back of his head blown off—most likely the second shot the guard heard. Trahern felt, rather than heard, Jarvis moving up beside him.

“Are they dead?”

“Very.”

“Recognize them?” Jarvis peered over Trahern’s shoulder.

“Yeah. It’s the two cops who were investigating the judge’s death. The ones who shot me.” Trahern backed away from the car and studied the surrounding woods. They felt empty now.

Jarvis gave a low whistle. “Who wanted them dead?”

“I don’t think they stumbled onto this road by accident. It’s not on any maps, and it’s a hell of a long way out of their jurisdiction. I’d guess someone lured them out here, although I doubt the original plan was to kill them. At least not yet.”

“You sound like you have some idea of who pulled the trigger.” Jarvis looked past the car to study the woods around them.

“Well, we have a Regent missing and now we have two dead cops. Too much of a coincidence for my money.”

Jarvis’s dark eyes were worried. “Mine, too. I feel like a sitting duck standing here. Let’s call for cleanup and get our asses back inside the gate.”

“How long can we keep these deaths under wraps?” Trahern asked.

“Long enough. Why?”

“Because it’s time to go on the attack. I doubt those two were lily white, but they didn’t deserve to die, either. I want to buy us enough time to track down the bastard who was pulling their strings and take him out. He killed the judge, and he killed them. It’s payback time.”

As they returned to the compound, the only thing Trahern couldn’t figure out was why the man hadn’t just run after killing the cops. Surely his plan for escape was already in place. The only reason Blake could think of was that the judge’s data implicated more than the Regent. And whoever was next up on the food chain must be scary indeed, if Ritter was willing to risk his life to get the information. Good. That meant they had a good chance of rooting out the source of the corruption this time.

W
hen the click of the door opening woke her, Brenna kept her eyes closed. She’d fallen asleep trying to decide what to do, but still had no answers.

Her stomach churned at the memory of the Other’s head separating from his body and flying across the cavern, flinging blood in an arcing spray as it tumbled end over end. She had envisioned the Others as some kind of monsters from a horror movie; instead, they looked human.

Maybe she was naïve. She’d grown up watching one war after another on the nightly news. Was this really any different?

Blake would say so. So would Jarvis and the rest of the Paladins out there. They’d dedicated their lives to protecting the world from the Others, and maybe they were right. But that didn’t make it any easier to stomach. She’d give almost anything to be able to return to those days of innocence before she knew about Paladins and the battles they fought.

But she couldn’t make it go away; eventually she had to face Trahern. And it looked like that time was now.

The door swung closed. “You don’t need to creep around,” Brenna said. “I’m awake.”

She turned on the light beside the bed and was shocked to see not Blake, but the Regent who’d disappeared up the elevator. He stared at her with wild eyes and a nasty smile, a gun in his hands.

“What are you doing in here?” She yanked up the covers; his cold smile made her skin crawl.

“I’m here to take care of a loose end.” He spoke as if that were something people said to each other every day.

She fought the urge to hide under the blankets. “I’m not a loose end, buster. And you’d better get out of here before Trahern gets back. He’s the jealous type.”

Her captor actually laughed. “Like I’d want to touch you after you’ve been rutting with that animal.”

She sneered right back. “That ‘animal’ is more man than you’ll ever be.”

He lunged forward and backhanded her. The pain was almost blinding. She kicked out, aiming for his balls but missed, catching his thigh instead. Rolling off the bed, she ran for the door, but he was only a half step behind her.

Grabbing her by the hair, he jerked her back, sending her stumbling to the floor. “Don’t try to threaten me with the likes of Blake Trahern, slut. He might be harder to kill, but once he’s dead, he’s vulnerable.”

She met him glare for glare. “You’re not man enough to kill him, you murdering bastard. Cowards like you kill with bombs because you’re too afraid to face your victim. Blake won’t have that problem: he’ll enjoy gutting you like the pig that you are. And even if you do manage to take him out, there’s Jarvis and the others. You won’t walk out of this place alive.”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong. They all think I’ve already left. Right now they’re outside, trying to figure out how two St. Louis homicide detectives came to be dead right outside the gates. While they’re dealing with that little problem, you and I will collect whatever information your fool of a father left for you to find.”

“Don’t you dare call my father a fool! He was a good and honorable man.”

Ritter looked disgusted. “Call him whatever you like. If he’d kept his nose out of my business, he’d still be alive. Instead, he died in a million little pieces, all for nothing.”

The image he painted made her stomach roil, but she refused to show him any weakness. “At least he believed in something. That’s more than you can claim.”

“Not true, my dear. I believe in money, and living the good life.” He motioned toward the door with his gun. “Once I’m out of here, Ritter of the Regents will cease to exist.” He gave her a sardonic smile. “Of course, so will you. Cooperate, and I promise your death will be quick and painless.”

“Go to hell.” He might succeed in killing her, but she wasn’t going to make it easy for him.

“Stupid bitch.” He motioned toward the door with the barrel of the gun again. “Get dressed and let’s go—now! My patience is wearing thin.”

The gun left her little choice but to comply. She turned her back for some semblance of privacy, but could feel his eyes watching every move. Her skin crawled as she dressed slowly, trying to buy time for Trahern and Jarvis to get back. All the while, her mind churned with questions. The two lawmen had obviously been involved up to their necks in this lunatic’s plans, but they didn’t deserve to die for it. This madman was bent on murdering anyone who came between him and his goal.

Finally, she could delay no longer. Out in the corridor, all was quiet. Once the barrier stabilized, most of the Paladins had retired to their quarters to rest up from fighting.

“I assume your father left a computer disk of some kind.”

Ritter could ask all the questions he wanted to; that didn’t mean she had to answer. Her reward was a jab in the ribs with the barrel of his gun.

“I’d suggest you show a little more cooperation, Brenna. I can find the information on my own. It will just take longer.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Don’t underestimate my abilities. Before Jarvis shoved me back in the elevator, I saw you standing by that Paladin computer geek. He was back out in the cavern working on something when I made my way to your room. I’m sure with a little persuasion, he’d turn over the data to me.”

“Paladins aren’t corruptible.” At least, she didn’t think so.

“They
do
have an unfortunate streak of honor running right up their spine. However, I’m quite confident that he’ll turn over the files to prevent me from shooting you.”

And then this crazy man would shoot him, too. Maybe she could find a way to warn the unsuspecting Paladin of their coming. She deliberately stumbled, hoping the sound of her hitting the ground would carry far enough to catch Doe’s attention.

Ritter jerked her to her feet again. “Quit the theatrics, Brenna. He can’t hear you. He had headphones on.”

So much for her plan. All she’d accomplished were a couple of more bruises to match the one on her face where her captor had slapped her. They were almost at the end of the passage; the brighter light of the cavern was showing just ahead. How could she prevent Ritter from attacking anyone else?

By making a deal with the devil.

She came to an abrupt halt just short of the cavern. “Let me go get the disk.”

“Like hell.” He pushed her forward.

“You’ll stand a better chance of getting away if they never know you were here.”

“And if you run out in the cavern screaming for help, every Paladin within hearing distance will be fighting over the privilege to slit me from stem to stern with their damn swords.” A glint of fear flashed across his face.

“I won’t scream for help.”

“And why should I believe you?” He pushed her another few steps down the hallway.

“Because I don’t want anyone else to die.” Paladins might survive death, but not all of them would come back as the same men they’d been. “I promise you that I’ll get the disk and paperwork and come straight back here.”

He pushed past her to look out into the cavern. “You’re in luck. The computer geek is the only person in sight. You get one chance.”

Drawing a calming breath, and then another when the first one didn’t work, she straightened her shoulders. As she entered the cavern, she felt the heavy weight of Ritter’s gaze right in the middle of her back, as if daring her to betray him.

And she would, if circumstances would allow.

“Something is wrong.” Trahern came to an abrupt halt just inside the gate. “I understand why the detectives were killed, but the timing’s wrong.”

Jarvis gave him a puzzled look. “You’ve been out in the sun too long, Trahern. The bastard cut bait and ran. It’s that simple.”

“No, by killing them when he did, he drew us outside the facility. Not only did we find out who his accomplices were, but we know almost for damn certain that he’s the one behind the judge’s death.”

“And while we’re out here chasing shadows in the woods, he’s…” Jarvis looked toward the entrance to the cavern in alarm.

“Shit!” Trahern took off running, his friend at his heels.

If they took the elevator down to the cavern, they might as well hire a marching band to lead the charge into battle. The stairs were safer, even if that meant using up more precious time. There was no telling how long Ritter had been back inside, or what damage he’d already inflicted.

“If he’s hurt her—”

“He’ll die.” There was no special inflection in Jarvis’s voice; just a simple statement of fact.

“Tell the guards that we’re in complete lockdown. Nobody in, nobody out, unless you personally give the order. Shoot to kill if somebody argues.”

Jarvis nodded as he pulled out his cell phone and barked out the orders and codes to confirm the emergency status.

They reached a door leading to a staircase. Before opening it, Trahern asked, “Where will this come out?”

“Next to the elevators on the main floor.”

“Is there another way to go? One that will let us approach the cavern from an unexpected direction?”

Jarvis ran through the possibilities. “Yeah, there’s a service elevator behind the field quarters. Hardly anyone uses it, so I doubt Ritter knows it’s even there.” Jarvis led the charge down a labyrinth of hallways.

Trahern pounded after him. The best way to get to the bottom of the corruption in the Regent organization was to capture Ritter alive and wring the truth from him. But if sparing him meant endangering Brenna, the whole organization could go to hell and damn the consequences. Jarvis and the others had better stay out of his way when they cornered Ritter.

As Jarvis punched in the code to summon the elevator, Trahern checked his pistol, wishing he had a sword. Guns were dicey near the barrier; a stray shot could bring it down. It was going to be hard enough to get Brenna clear of danger; adding a charge of Others would be his worst nightmare come to life.

The soft
ping
of the elevator snapped him back to the present. The two of them counted the seconds as they plummeted into the limestone world below, neither inclined to talk. Battle lust was hard to control, and it was critical that he keep his temper and killing instincts under tight rein for Brenna’s sake.

“What’s the plan?”

Trahern shrugged. “Don’t really have one.”

Jarvis’s smile was wolfish. “I’ve always wanted to go charging in like Newman and Redford in
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
This might be my best chance.”

“Neither of us is good-looking enough.”

Jarvis laughed, as Blake had intended him to. It helped take the edge off their tension when the fight was upon them; blind rage only got people killed. This wasn’t a melee against the Others, but a delicate situation that could go horribly wrong if they weren’t careful.

Then Jarvis said, “You know, it would be better if we took Ritter alive.”

Trahern looked him square in the eyes. “But if he so much as breathes in Brenna’s direction, what say we kill him?”

Jarvis laughed again. “Now we have a plan.”

They quickly wound their way toward the main cavern, guns drawn and ready to fire. When they passed other Paladins, Jarvis brought them up to speed while Trahern continued on. The silence ahead bothered him considerably. Either they’d guessed wrong and the Regent wasn’t the one they were after, or he’d already come and gone. With Brenna, or leaving her dead body behind?

Trahern’s blood ran cold.

Jarvis rejoined him with a pair of swords in hand. Blake swung his through the air to get the feel of its balance. Not as good as his favorite broadsword back in Seattle, but it would do. The familiar feel of a good weapon in his hand further calmed his need for violence. As they grew closer to the barrier, he could sense the Others hovering close by, obviously hoping for another chance to invade. Their proximity had Trahern’s skin aching with the need to fight, to kill.

Jarvis held his own sword at the ready, his eyes dilated and wild.

They stopped to listen and heard a soft murmur of voices, one of them Brenna’s. Trahern inched forward. She was talking to the computer wiz, but something was definitely off. It was in her posture and the way she stood just a little too far away for normal conversation. Her voice was threaded with tension, as if she had a tenuous hold on her nerves.

Which told him the Regent was close by, near enough to make Brenna feel threatened. So why wasn’t she diving for cover and letting Doe protect her? The answer hit him like a kick in the stomach;
she
was doing the protecting.

Son of a bitch! Did she have no sense at all? Even if the Regent got off a lucky shot and killed the Paladin, he’d revive to fight another day. For her, dead was dead. Judging from where she stood, Ritter must be in the passageway to their room.

He eased back and told Jarvis, “He’s in the far corridor, and Brenna is square in the line of fire. Can you get someone to circle around that way? We don’t want the bastard to know he’s in a trap until Brenna and your buddy out there are safe.”

Jarvis nodded and retreated down the corridor to make the call without being overheard.

Blake kept a wary eye on the cavern, knowing things could change for the worse in a heartbeat. The Regent had to be aware that his time was almost up; any second now he was bound to run out of patience.