Spy High (40 page)

“Still… here. Please… Moonbeam…”

“…Meadow Sky,” I finished. “I’m sorry,
I’ll try to remember. How did you get out of Vietnam?”

“Airlifted…” A smile tugged her lips,
but her eyes didn’t open. “When we got home… Skidmark didn’t want a
child… at the time… but Karma Wolf Song did… very much. We agreed…
to register as Cosmic River Stone’s parents. It was easier… with
the citizenship… anyway…”

Her smile widened. “We didn’t know
then… that Skidmark would… live his life here… after all.” Her
chest rose and fell in a deep sigh, her smile softening at the
corners. “My dearest men…” Her hand went limp in mine. “If only…”
Her voice faded so I had to lean close to hear. “…we could have…
had… grandchildren…” The last word ghosted out on a faint breath
and her face relaxed.

“Moonbeam! Come on, Moonbeam!” I patted
frantically, but she didn’t speak again.

Heart hammering, I fumbled for her
pulse. It was still there, stronger than I had expected, but not so
rapid now.

“Skidmark, where the hell is Karma?” I
snapped. “We need him here
now!
”

“What’s happening?” he demanded.

“Moonbeam’s passed out.”

“He’s still with Orion. Helmand and
Kane haven’t shown up yet. I thought you said she was okay!” His
voice rose in fearful accusation.

“Just send Karma,” I begged.

Crouched in the dark silent room
between the two unconscious women, I stroked Moonbeam’s hair and
patted her hands and face, feeling utterly useless.

I should have made her drink more hot
chocolate. Too late now.

Oh God, if she died it would break
Stemp’s heart. And Karma’s and Skidmark’s.

And mine.

I rocked miserably beside her, fighting
tears. Too soon for such a sweet woman to die. She was so full of
life and love. She hadn’t gotten to meet her little
granddaughter…

Her hand was cold and motionless in
mine.

No more blankets available.

I lay down and pulled her close,
wrapping my jacket over her to share my body heat.

“Oh, Moonbeam,” I whispered into her
hair. “Don’t go yet. Anna needs you. She wants to meet her grandma,
I know she does.”

The bang of the door and rapid
footsteps made me jerk up, my hand flying to my holster, but
Skidmark spoke in my ear at the same time. “That’s Karma, don’t
shoot.”

A moment later he barrelled through the
door and dropped to his knees beside Moonbeam, his fingers already
reaching for her pulse.

His brow furrowed. “Strong and steady…”
he muttered, sounding puzzled.

Moonbeam’s eyes popped open, her lips
stretching into a grin of sheer exultation.

“Karma Wolf Song, Skidmark, we’re
grandparents!” she cried.

My mouth dropped open and I rocked back
to plop flat on my ass. “Wha…? You…”

Relief choked me for a moment before
giving way to furious indignation. My mouth opened and closed a few
times before I could get my voice working again.

“You played me! You… you… ruthless…
cold-hearted…” Words failed me and I tried again. “…manipulative…
conniving…
you’re exactly like Stemp!
” It was the worst
insult I could come up with on short notice.

“Like mother… like son,” she said
faintly, still grinning. “I’m sorry, dear.” She drew a breath as
though she couldn’t quite get enough air. “I was hoping… you’d
confess your love… for Cosmic River Stone… but a granddaughter… is
even better…”

She closed her eyes and panted for a
moment, her cheeks still bloodless.

“She might have overacted a bit but
she’s not faking this,” Karma said, concern wrinkling his brow.

“Of course… I am, dear,” Moonbeam
whispered. “I’m perfectly… fine…”

“Shhh. Of course you are,” he agreed.
“Let’s get some more fluids into you and get you out of here.
Storm, if you could find it in your heart to forgive? And maybe
make some more hot chocolate?”

My anger drained away at the sight of
her white face and rapid breathing. “Of course.” I hauled myself
upright and plied the kettle.

Skidmark spoke in my ear. “They’ve
secured the last of the terrorists at the roadblock. They’ll be
cleaning up for a while but it’s safe to approach.”

“Good,” Karma said, and I realized
Skidmark must have spoken to all of us simultaneously. “Rand will
need to be medevacked,” Karma went on. “I’ve stabilized him but
he’ll need surgery.” He turned to me. “No word from Helmand or Kane
yet?”

“No.” Caught up in Moonbeam’s drama I
had almost forgotten the remaining gunman, but now fear slithered
cold tentacles into my belly again. I hesitated. “I don’t want to
call them unnecessarily,” I decided. “If they’re stalking this
guy…”

I trailed off. Or if he was stalking
them…

Don’t think about it. Deal with what
you can control.

“Will you look at Nichele?” I asked
Karma. “John thought she’d been drugged, and I’m worried about her.
She’s been breathing okay and she moved a bit when Ratboy hurt her,
but she hasn’t moved since we got here.”

He nodded and went to her side, pulling
out a small flashlight to check her pupils and closing his fingers
over her pulse.

“She’s definitely been drugged,” he
said as he rose to return to Moonbeam. “Without examining her more
thoroughly I can’t be sure, but I’d suspect an intramuscular
injection, maybe haloperidol or something similar. Or he could have
slipped an oral sedative into her food or drink. Her vital signs
are strong so I don’t think there’s any reason for concern unless
the drug doesn’t wear off over the next several hours. But she
won’t remember much about this, if anything.”

“Thank God.” I finished mixing the hot
chocolate and handed the mug to him before going over to kneel next
to Nichele. “I’ll get her cleaned up and back in her tent and maybe
she’ll think it was just a bad dream. She always used to sleepwalk
as a kid so that might work.”

Karma wrapped an arm around Moonbeam’s
shoulders, easing her into a semi-reclined position. I watched them
for a moment, cuddled together while he fed her sips of hot
chocolate.

My eyes prickled and I turned back to
Nichele and picked up a cloth.

A few minutes later, Karma put the
empty mug back on the table. “I’ll take her back to our tent,” he
said, and picked Moonbeam up as though she was made of thistledown.
“As soon as I have her settled I’ll come back and take Nichele to
her tent, too.”

“Karma Wolf Song… I’m perfectly…
capable… of walking,” Moonbeam protested.

Karma winked at me over her head. “Yes,
dear,” he agreed, and made for the door. “But I need you to cover
us, and you can’t do that if you’re trying not to pass out. Now
pull out your pistol and let’s go.”

Her fussing and his fond answering
rumble receded as they crossed the hall out of sight, and I turned
back to Nichele.

Her face was finally clean but her hair
was sticky with drying blood and bits of tissue I preferred not to
identify. Her nice clothes were probably done for, but her shoes
weren’t stained. Small mercies. They probably cost more than my
entire wardrobe.

I sponged busily, refusing to think
about Kane and Hellhound creeping through the darkness. Refusing to
think about the shots that might erupt at any moment.

My back crawled with the sensation of
being watched by malevolent eyes.

A cold draft snaked through the broken
window, coiling around Nichele’s wet hair and clothes. She began to
shiver but didn’t open her eyes. I hesitated for a moment, then
stripped her clothes off and wrapped her in both blankets, the
clean one next to her skin and Moonbeam’s blood-soaked one around
it. Several rinses later I deemed her hair clean enough to wrap in
a tea towel.

My hands trembled, icy with nerves and
blood-tinged water.

When Skidmark’s voice sounded in my
ear, I twitched so violently I nearly knocked over the bucket.

“Karma’s just walking up to the west
door,” he informed me. He hesitated, and I thought I heard a smile
in his voice. “So, a granddaughter? How old?”

“You can’t know about her,” I growled.
“Nobody can. It could cost her life.”

His voice went as cold and flat as
Hellhound’s had been. “Who wants to kill her? Tell me.”

A shiver trickled down my spine.
Emphysema or not, I wouldn’t bet against Skidmark if it came to a
fight for his granddaughter’s life.

“Later,” I promised as I dragged myself
to my feet. “When I can talk to all of you together.” I grabbed the
bucket and pitched the bloodied water out the broken window just as
Karma strode in and crouched beside Nichele.

“Lucky she’s small,” he grumbled. “I’m
getting too old for this.” He hoisted her into his arms without
visible effort and stood. “Cover us.”

I nodded and drew my Glock, my heart
rate accelerating at the thought of leaving the bulletproof
concrete.

Karma was already striding out into the
main hall. I hurried after him, scurrying ahead to open the door
for him only to wonder if I should go through first just in
case.

I compromised by bumbling out beside
him and nearly tripping us both.

Outside, the moon was obscured by
gathering cloud. A chilly breeze cut through my damp jacket.
Shivering, I limped beside Karma trying to look in all directions
at once.

“Wait,” I whispered.

He halted and I switched to
thermal-only, scanning while I turned a full circle. I drew a
breath of relief when no heat signatures appeared and switched back
to night vision.

“That’s not regular night-vision is
it?” he inquired with interest.

I wasn’t sure if it was classified
technology or not so I muttered, “Mm,” and started walking
again.

“So Moonbeam was right; you do have a
very high security clearance,” Karma said. “You have some
fascinating toys.”

“Yeah. Sorry I can’t share.”

“So am I, believe me.”

We walked on for a minute or two before
I stopped for another scan. Karma let out a breath and lowered
Nichele to the ground.

Crouching beside her, he massaged his
shoulders and muttered, “I really am getting too old for this.”

“What, for sneaking around in the woods
killing armed men with your bare hands half the night and then
toting unconscious women around for the rest of it?” I inquired
lightly. “Yeah, you’re such a feeble old man.”

His chuckle turned into a long
exhalation as he reached for Nichele again. This time his
straightening didn’t look quite so effortless.

“Let me help,” I offered. “I can take
her feet…”

“No; one of us has to cover.” He hefted
Nichele higher in his arms with a grunt. “Unless you can carry her
by yourself. With a bad ankle.”

I sighed. “Sorry. No.”

By the time we reached Nichele’s tent,
sweat was pouring down his face and his panting was audible several
paces away. He dropped to his knees beside her cot and lowered her
into it, then braced both hands on the edge of the bed with his
head hanging, the muscles of his shoulders trembling with
overuse.

“Sit for a minute,” I urged. “I’ll get
you a drink of water.”

“No.” He inhaled as though gathering
himself for the effort, then rose slowly to his feet. “I have to
get back to Moonbeam. Stay here and protect Nichele until Skidmark
sounds the all-clear. Then meet us in our tent.”

I reached for his hand and squeezed it.
“Thank you.”

Karma smiled his usual smile, but his
eyes were weary. “You’re welcome; and thank you for giving Moonbeam
a reason to fight another day. She pretends hard, but…” He sighed,
the wrinkles on his face deepening. “None of us are young
anymore.”

I grimaced sympathy, and he ducked out
the tent flap.

My ears straining for any movement
outside, I rooted through Nichele’s giant suitcase and found her
silk pyjamas. As I wrestled her inert body into them, I discovered
exactly how many of my muscles were protesting the night’s
activities. Groaning quietly, I stretched and massaged my neck and
shoulders before returning to my task.

At last I had her tucked in, her
precious shoes under the cot. I was straightening clutching my
aching back when a fusillade of shots froze me in place.

My knees collapsed and I sat on the
floor of Nichele’s tent with a thump that jarred every sore muscle
I owned. Holding my breath, I waited for more shots.

I was sure that had been a three-shot
burst from an assault rifle. Maybe some pistol shots. From the
other side of the commune, in the direction of the bridge.

Oh God, oh God…

Sparkling blackness at the edges of my
vision convinced me to suck in a breath and drop my head between my
knees until the light-headedness passed.

Straining outward with every psychic
feeler I could imagine, I tried to sense Kane and Hellhound. Surely
I’d feel it if one of them was hurt.

Surely I’d know if one of them was
d…

Don’t go there.

My hand hovered over my pocket.

Should I phone?

What if I phoned at exactly the wrong
moment, distracting them in a life-or-death situation?

Which one was I willing to risk?

Paralyzed, I did nothing.

One of them would phone.

The gunman couldn’t have gotten them
both.

He couldn’t have…

“Last hostile down.” Skidmark’s voice
sounded in my ear like angel trumpets.

“Are John and Arnie okay?” I
demanded.

“Unclear. Kane probably is. Rand’s too
out of it to report. I’m guessing Kane found him under the bridge
and took his earpiece. Kane reported in but I couldn’t respond to
him without blowing my cover. He said the last guy was down, but
that was all he said before he realized he wasn’t getting a
response.”

“I’ll call him.” I fumbled a phone out
of my pocket and pressed the button, but the screen was dark and
dead behind its cracked face. “Shit, I fell on that one…” I dug out
the second. “Shit!”