Night Tide (34 page)

thin! red! streaks! crisscrossed! a! forearm! raked! by! thorns.! She!

hadn’t!uttered!a!peep.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

224&

!

Exhaustion! pounded! me! as! relentlessly! as! winter! surf!

breaking!on!the!Nā!Pali!Coast!of!Kauai.!Shadows!flitted!past!the!

corners!of!my!vision,!but!when!I!turned!my!head!they!vanished!

in! the! bright! sun.! Hallucinations,! brought! on! by! lack! of! sleep.!

Or! maybe! the! light! was! playing! tricks.! Keely’s! profile! again!

reminded! me! of! someone! I! knew,! but! I! couldn’t! dredge! it! up!

from! memory.! Wired! on! adrenaline,! caffeine! and! the! remains!

of!the!amphetamine6like!stimulant!in!my!last!dose!of!meds,!my!

muscles!were!taught,!nerves!tightly!wound.!But!my!insides!felt!

queasy! and! unsettled.! Sort! of! like! a! toasted! marshmallow—

crispy!on!the!outside,!gooey!on!the!inside.!!

!

When! I! glimpsed! a! structure! of! some! sort! through! the!

trees!I!stopped!and!motioned!to!Keely,!putting!a!finger!to!my!

lips.!She!nodded!and!joined!me!at!the!side!of!the!road.!

!

“No!sense!announcing!ourselves,”!I!murmured.!

!

We! walked! along! the! edge! of! the! road,! sheltered! from!

view.!More!peeks!of!the!structure!revealed!its!shape—a!large!

log!cabin.!Honest!Abe’s!boyhood!home!on!steroids.!Dark!blue!

water! sparkled! in! the! sunlight! behind! it.! To! the! right! of! the!

cabin,! in! a! cleared! sandy! area! fronting! a! small! beach,! stood! a!

boxy!building!almost!as!large!as!the!cabin.!A!lack!of!windows!

suggested!a!garage!or!storage!shed!of!some!sort,!big!enough!for!

several!cars,!maybe!a!boat.!An!old!utility!vehicle!sat!parked!in!

the!drive!between!the!two!buildings,!but!the!cabin!showed!no!

sign!of!life.!

!

Over!the!hum!in!my!ears!from!lack!of!sleep,!a!man6made!

sound!intruded.!The!growl!of!a!large!engine!in!low!gear!drifted!

down!from!somewhere!above!us.!The!road!in!front!of!the!cabin!

took! a! sharp! left! out! of! sight! up! the! hill! to! the! entrance! from!

the!main!road.!
Someone*coming.
!Keely!stopped!and!tipped!her!

head.! I! pointed! into! the! woods.! She! followed! as! I! stealthily!

picked! my! way! between! the! trees.! The! engine! grew! louder!

until! a! black! SUV! burst! into! the! clearing! with! a! roar! and!

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skidded!to!a!stop!in!a!cloud!of!dust.!The!doors!flew!open!and!all!

hell!broke!loose.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

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!

!

Chapter&36&

!

!

Five! men! emerged! from! the! vehicle,! all! in! black,! all!

carrying! assault! rifles.! They! fanned! out! in! front! of! the! cabin,!

moving!with!purpose,!unaffected!by!the!heat.!Two!headed!for!

the! corners! of! the! building.! Two! went! straight! in! for! a! direct!

attack.! One! stood! guard! a! few! yards! from! the! SUV.! I! quietly!

bobbed!and!weaved!to!get!a!better!view!through!the!trees!as!

the!men!disappeared!and!reappeared.!

!

Motion!beyond!the!cabin!caught!my!attention,!and!I!darted!

to! the! next! tree! for! a! better! angle.! Two,! no,! three! people!

hurried! away! from! the! other! side! of! the! cabin! toward! the!

water,!a!man!roughly!shepherding!an!older!couple.!Hard!to!tell!

at! this! distance,! but! the! graying! heads! looked! like! Charlie’s!

parents.! But! even! after! twenty6plus! years,! I! could! have! easily!

picked!Wink!out!of!a!crowd.!The!cabin!blocked!them!from!view!

of! the! assault! team,! but! they’d! soon! be! visible! to! the! man!

circling!around!to!the!left.!!

!

Decision*time.
!

!

I! knew! what! the! men! in! black! would! do.! They! were! a!

recurring! nightmare! that! bathed! me! in! sweat! and! glued! my!

tongue! to! the! roof! of! a! mouth! so! dry! it! put! the! Mojave! to!

shame.!On!the!other!hand!I!didn’t!know!how!Wink!would!react!

to! seeing! me! after! all! this! time.! My! guilt! had! festered! a! long!

time,!turning!it!fetid!and!rancid.!I’d!buried!it!deep,!but!now!it!

bubbled!up,!toxic!waste!leaking!from!an!old!rusty!steel!drum.!

On!top!of!it!all!were!confused!thoughts!about!Keely—concern,!

gratitude,!aversion,!attraction—compounding!my!distraction.!I!

wished!I!could!flip!a!switch!and!turn!it!all!off,!a!surge!protector!

that!would!shut!everything!down,!even!the!vampire!power!that!

lit!all!the!standby!indicators.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

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!

“What!are!you!doing?”!Keely!screamed.!

!

My! subconscious! had! already! made! the! decision! for! me.!

Instinct!and!impulsivity!had!kicked!in!like!the!old!days!on!the!

basketball!court,!making!me!move!without!thinking.!I!crashed!

through!the!underbrush,!gun!already!in!hand,!oblivious!to!the!

branches! that! whipped! at! my! arms! and! face! and! tore! at! my!

clothing.!The!lookout!near!the!black!SUV!turned!at!the!sound!of!

Keely’s!voice!and!the!left!flanker!spotted!Wink!and!the!Joneses!

and!shouted!a!warning.!Wink!appeared!to!shove!Clayt!forward!

into!Connie!and!shouted,!“Run!”!He!whirled,!firing!a!blast!from!

a! shotgun.! The! flanker! returned! fire,! but! Wink! had! already!

bolted!for!the!trees!and!disappeared!from!sight.!The!lookout!let!

loose! a! burst! in! our! direction! that! ripped! into! tree! limbs!

around!me!with!the!hum!of!angry!bees,!showering!me!with!bits!

of!bark!and!leaves.!!

!

I!ducked!behind!the!trunk!of!a!large!fir,!poked!my!head!out!

and! got! a! fix! on! the! shooter,! then! pivoted! the! opposite!

direction!clear!of!the!tree.!I!raised!the!gun!with!both!hands!and!

fired!off!half!a!clip!through!a!gap!in!the!greenery,!lowering!the!

sights! a! smidge! after! each! recoil! before! pulling! the! trigger!

again.!The!man!clutched!at!his!arm!and!dove!behind!the!SUV.!

The!pair!advancing!on!the!front!door!spun!around!and!hit!the!

dirt,!blasting!away!indiscriminately!into!the!trees.!I!bent!down,!

and!bulled!my!way!five!yards!closer!through!the!underbrush,!

pausing!for!breath!behind!another!thick!tree!trunk.!!

!

The!gunfire!stopped!for!a!moment,!the!reverberations!still!

rattling!my!eardrums!like!a!church!bell!clapper.!I!slowly!stood,!

back!to!the!tree,!and!risked!a!glance!toward!the!cabin.!On!the!

far! side,! Clayt! stood! motionless,! bent! over! something! on! the!

ground.! Connie! was! nowhere! to! be! seen.! I! wondered! if! she’d!

been! hit.! Two! men! slowly! approached! him,! their! rifles! at! the!

ready.!A!shotgun!blast!from!the!woods!sent!one!diving!for!the!

ground! and! the! other! racing! toward! Clayt,! keeping! Clayt!

between!him!and!another!blast!from!Wink’s!gun.!

Night&Tide
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!

Black!hats!poked!up!on!the!other!side!of!the!SUV,!bringing!

my! attention! back! to! more! immediate! matters,! like! survival.!

Two!pairs!of!sunglasses!searched!the!woods!for!a!sign!of!me.!

Like! I! wasn’t! a! big! enough! target! I! didn’t! stand! out.! I!

straightened,!took!a!bead!and!squeezed!off!the!rest!of!the!clip.!

Before! they! could! return! fire,! I! ran! for! cover,! ejected! the! clip!

and!fished!in!my!pocket!for!a!new!one.!Diving!behind!a!fallen!

log,!I!rammed!the!clip!home!and!reminded!myself!to!breathe.!

The! explosive! clatter! of! their! weapons! reverberated! through!

the!woods.!More!debris!rained!down!on!my!head.!I!heard!the!

chatter!of!more!automatic!weapons!from!farther!away,!and!the!

answering!boom!of!the!shotgun.!

!

I!crawled!a!couple!of!yards!to!a!spot!behind!a!bushy!sumac!

before!they!could!pinpoint!my!position.!They!shouted!to!each!

other! now,! relaying! information! and! instructions! back! and!

forth,! only! some! of! which! I! could! make! out! over! the! din! of!

gunfire.!I!rolled!over!into!the!tall!grass!at!the!edge!of!the!road!

and!cautiously!raised!my!head.!I!had!a!clear!view!of!the!cabin!

and!SUV!parked!in!front,!but!still!no!shot!at!the!men!prone!in!

the!dirt!behind!the!vehicle.!!

!

The! two! commandos! behind! the! cabin! marched! Clayt!

toward! the! SUV.! One! of! them! had! slung! Connie! over! his!

shoulder! like! a! sack! of! cement.! Her! arms! dangled! limply,!

swinging!with!every!step.!She!was!either!dead!or!unconscious.!

A! third! marauder! joined! them,! covering! their! rear,! crabbing!

sideways! and! scanning! the! woods,! rifle! at! the! ready.! Wink’s!

gun!was!silent.!I!wondered!if!he!was!already!gone.!As!often!as!

he’d!played!practical!jokes,!he’d!always!known!when!to!cut!and!

run—except!that!once.!!

!

A!shout!drew!my!attention!back!to!the!SUV.!The!sight!of!an!

outstretched!arm!and!pointed!finger!sent!me!rolling!back!into!

the!woods.!Bullets!mowed!the!grass!and!chewed!up!the!ground!

where!I’d!lain!with!a!percussive!song!of!death.!Heart!pounding,!

I! scrambled! onto! all! fours! and! scuttled! deeper! into! the! trees,!

Night&Tide
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feet! slipping! and! limbs! flailing! in! a! desperate! attempt! to! get!

away.! I! heard! the! snorting! of! a! pig! rooting! for! truffles,! and!

realized!the!sound!was!coming!from!me.!

!

Pulling!up!short!behind!a!tree,!chest!heaving,!I!stretched!a!

two6handed! grip! around! the! trunk,! closed! one! eye! and! fired!

until! the! slide! locked! open.! Dropping! low,! I! scrabbled! behind!

another!nearby!tree,!thumbed!the!magazine!catch!and!fished!in!

my!pocket!for!a!loaded!clip.!

!

Breathe!
!

!

“They’re!in!”!someone!yelled.!

!

“Go!!Go!!Go!”!!

!

An! engine! came! to! life! with! a! roar.! I! stood! and! stepped!

around!the!tree!to!fire!again,!but!flinched!and!ducked!as!bits!of!

bark!exploded!in!front!of!my!face,!gunfire!deafening!me.!
Shit!*

Shit!* Shit!
! I! dove! to! the! ground! and! pressed! my! face! into! the!

dirt,!wishing!I!had!some!of!Alice’s!“DRINK!ME”!potion.!Two!or!

three!guns!fired!at!once!now,!pinning!me!in!place.!A!swarm!of!

bullets!tore!into!the!brush!around!me,!filling!the!air!with!debris!

and!certain!death,!the!dizzying!cascade!of!objects!and!sounds!

swelling! my! brain! with! sensory! overload.! I! even! thought! I!

heard! the! boom! of! another! gun! join! the! cacophony.! Slower,!

spaced!shots.!Not!the!shotgun,!but!not!the!chatter!of!an!assault!

rifle!either.!

!

A! raw! bellow! of! frustration! ripped! from! my! throat.! I!

couldn’t! stop! them! now.! I! had! no! last6second! cut6through! or!

pick6and6roll!to!get!clear!for!a!winning!shot.!Nothing!left!in!the!

playbook.!Suddenly!the!firing!stopped.!I!lay!motionless,!afraid!

of!another!onslaught.!But!the!only!sound!over!the!ringing!in!my!

ears!came!from!the!SUV’s!straining!engine,!slowly!receding!as!

it!climbed!the!hill!into!the!woods.!I!slowly!got!to!my!feet!and!

looked!around.!

!

Keely.*

!

The!prefrontal!cortex!is!largely!responsible!for!keeping!us!

focused,! handling! short6term! memory! and! wrestling! with!

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abstract! problems.! It’s! also! in! charge! of! self6control.! The!

problem! with! this! chunk! of! brain! tissue! is! that! it’s! easily!

overloaded.! Focus! hard! on! one! thing,! add! a! couple! of!

distractions,!and!self6control!goes!out!the!window.!Concentrate!

on!exercising!restraint,!using!willpower!to!resist!an!extra!slice!

of!a!favorite!cake,!say,!and!tough!problems!are!more!difficult!to!

solve.!Since!the!ADD!I!struggled!with!meant!I!probably!had!less!

gray!matter!in!that!area!of!the!brain!than!the!average!human,!I!

tended! to! tune! out! more! external! stimuli! in! order! to! focus.!

Could!be!the!average!Joe!would!have!forgotten!Keely!under!the!

circumstances.!That!didn’t!make!me!feel!any!better!for!having!

done!it.!

!

“Keely?”!I!called.!“You!okay?”!

!

No!answer.!

!

I! swallowed! hard,! and! my! heart! hammered! my! ribs.! I!

pushed!through!some!brush!to!the!road!and!got!my!bearings,!

then! backtracked! to! where! we’d! been! when! the! assault! team!

had!pulled!into!the!front!yard.!No!sign!of!her.!!

!

“Keely?!Not!funny.!Where!the!hell!are!you?”!

!

I!turned!slowly,!straining!to!hear!some!signal—breathing,!

moaning,! something—to! let! me! know! she! was! alive.! A! ship’s!

horn! sounded! far! out! on! the! water.! A! nearby! raven! cawed,!

answered! a! moment! later! by! another! up! the! hill! somewhere.!

The!gentle!lapping!of!little!waves!licking!the!shoreline!drifted!

up! from! the! water’s! edge.! Something! rustled! faintly! in! the!

woods.!My!breath!caught!as!I!tried!to!determine!the!direction!

of! the! sound.! Across! the! road,! and! gone! now.! A! small! animal,!

maybe.!Squirrel!or!chipmunk.!

!

I! shoved! the! gun! in! my! waistband,! picked! up! a! big! stick!

and!frantically!beat!the!brush!aside,!wildly!turning!in!circles!in!