The Killing Chase (Beach & Riley Book 2) (20 page)

Chapter 26

Kerr’s years of training and experience as a breach specialist were obvious as he crept undetected through the live-in caretaker’s cottage. He knew any occupants would be innocuous, but held his M4A1 in close combat posture just in case.

Rounding the corner into a hallway leading to the master bedroom, he saw light radiating from a narrow door halfway along. Based on the configuration of doorways in the hall, he suspected the lit room was a toilet. His suspicions were confirmed as he approached. Pinching his nose with his left hand, he maintained control of his weapon with his right, and emerged directly in front of the caretaker.

Sensing Kerr’s presence, the caretaker lowered his newspaper. The shock of seeing a large man in full military gear, pointing an assault rifle directly at him, caused his bowel to loosen audibly. His flatulent greeting broke the tension, and Kerr lowered his weapon.

“I guess it’s a good thing you’re already seated.”

“No shit!” the caretaker replied.

His unintentionally comical response brought a chuckle from Kerr. He slung his weapon to relieve the man’s apprehensions.

“You mind telling me what the hell you’re doing in my house?” The old man asked.

“Sorry for the intrusion, but I’m here to evacuate you,” Kerr chuckled again. “No pun intended.”

Anxiety combined with the absurdity and embarrassment of his situation brought suppressed laughter from the caretaker. “I swear I’ve never heard of such a ridiculous situation in all my years,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Shanghaied in the damned toilet by an armed comedian. I’m never gonna live this down.”

“I think this can be our little secret. Now – down to business. Unfortunately you’ve been caught in the middle of an FBI operation. Is there anyone else on the property?”

“Not a soul until the weekend.”

“Okay, you’ve got two options: stay right where you are and lock the door, or we find you somewhere safe to hide until the fireworks are over.”

“I’ll go with option ‘A’ if that’s all right with you, young feller.”

“Okay. But you have to promise to stay put, with the door locked, until I come back and let you know it’s safe to come out.”

“Wild horses, son. Wild horses.”

“Good man. Hope everything works out okay.” Kerr shut the toilet door and spoke into his comms unit. “The resort’s deserted except one civilian. He’s secured. Your move, Jake.”

“You copy that, Albrecht?” Jake asked the sniper.

“Copy, I’m set.”

“Kerr, you cover the rear of the maintenance shed from the cottage in case Adler gets past us. Remember, we need him alive.”

“Copy that.”

“Let’s move.”

Jake took off toward Albrecht’s position, closely followed by Dozer, Priest, and Fouts, They skirted past the ski lift, tracing the edge of a pond on their way to the maintenance shed. Arriving at a side entry, Jake directed Dozer and Priest to another door near the far end of the building, while he and Fouts stayed at the first door. When the Australians were in position, Jake counted down from three, and the four men breached simultaneously.

The morning sun shone through windows and cracks in the structure’s corrugated iron walls. Beams of light caught dust in the air, casting hazy streams of brightness throughout the interior. A tractor blocked their view of the rear wall, while snowmaking equipment, snowmobiles, and tool shelves provided cover in other areas.

The men hugged the inside of the doorways, checking the rafters and far corners for any sign of Adler. Seeing nothing, Priest and Fouts took up their prearranged positions, standing in the open doorways, net-guns at the ready. Dozer crouched beside his brother, holding the syringe of paralyzing agent in his left hand, his right balled into a grapefruit-sized fist. Jake crept along the side wall, trying to get a better view behind the tractor. He rounded the rear corner of the machine, looked underneath, and behind the huge tires. Adler was nowhere to be seen.

Preferring to meet the madman head-on rather than being jumped while checking blind spots, Jake moved into the center of the shed. A good ten feet of space all around him, he let his arms drop loosely to his sides. His thin, high-tensile rattan sticks hung past his knees.

The open invitation was irresistible to the trapped serial killer. Despite his wounds, Adler bolted from the cover of the snowmaking machine with startling speed, charging directly at Jake. The bigger man reacted with catlike reflexes, ducking down and to one side, simultaneously striking several staccato blows to Adler’s side as he passed.

Adler tried to stop, but the mixture of oils and water on the floor, combined with his forward momentum, caused him to slide two feet closer to Priest’s waiting net-gun. The madman managed to keep his balance, oblivious to the Australians’ presence. He was a dangerous, cornered animal in a final bid for his freedom. Wild-eyed and ferocious, he focused on the source of Jake’s dreadful stinging strikes. His broken ribs throbbed with renewed pain from the rattan sticks’ penetrating energy. Adler’s momentary hesitation was long enough for Priest to fire his net-gun.

The contraption shot a ball of golden mesh directly at Adler’s head. For a split-second, Priest thought it would bounce harmlessly off his target, but three feet before its destination the ball sprung open, spreading rapidly against the friction of the air. By the time it reached Adler the net was almost fully open, quickly encasing its target like butcher’s mesh on an Easter ham.

Dozer didn’t hesitate. He barged forward, the syringe poised near his face. As he swung his arm downward, Adler managed to skirt sideways, avoiding the strike. Dozer unleashed his right arm, plowing a powerful hook into Adler’s jaw. The crazed killer winced only slightly, while Dozer backed off, shaking his fist in pain. The golden mesh slowed Adler just enough for Jake to move in and strike with more accuracy. Arms swinging hypnotically, the whip factor brought the tip speed of his rattan sticks to nearly two hundred miles per hour as he neatly placed two powerful strikes onto Adler’s left temple. The crazed animal’s eyes rolled back in his head, just long enough for Dozer to lunge forward and stab the syringe into Adler’s neck.

Fouts had sprung from his position and shot his net-gun from twelve feet away, further hindering the madman’s movements. Adler struggled so hard against the nets that it seemed the paralyzing agent wasn’t going to do its job. Jake knew the drug would work eventually, but Alder’s massive adrenalin burst was fighting its effects. He drew one stick back behind his body and bounced the tip off the concrete floor. Capitalizing on the immediate boost to the stick’s tip speed, Jake perpetuated the stick’s motion, adding more energy as it flew through the air, making a loud whoosh, until the tip thudded into Adler’s neck.

Despite the lightness of the rattan, the sudden termination of the stick’s trajectory released overwhelming energy directly into the nerve cluster at the base of the madman’s neck. Adler was out like a light for a few seconds, and by the time he came to, the paralytic agent had overcome his depleted adrenalin level. The synthetically enhanced serial killer was finally down.

“Well, that worked,” Dozer said, exhaling mightily. “What do we do with him now?”

“The paralytic agent lasts about an hour,” Jake said. He removed his backpack and pulled out a black leather case about twice the size of a wallet. “But that’s’ not going to be enough for what I have in mind.”

Jake unzipped the leather case, exposing a syringe and three small bottles of clear liquid. He plunged the tip of the syringe into the first bottle and drew up some liquid, then did the same with the second and third bottles. “We don’t know what he may be resistant to, so I’m not taking any chances. With what I’m giving him, he’ll be sound asleep for at least eight hours. Sorry, Dozer, but you get to carry him out of here.”

“No worries, mate.”

The big Australian grabbed the golden mesh, drawing the ends together to form a sack, then heaved Adler’s unconscious body over his shoulder. “Where to?”

Jake punched a number into his phone, and spoke for a moment before turning to the group. “A chopper will be here in fifteen minutes. We’ll get as close as we can to Chow’s body, and drag him out of there, then drop you guys back at your vehicle. I know Walker wants you back at the Test, but the Aussies and I have a plane to catch.

“We do?” Priest asked.

“I heard from Equilibrium. Ugolev is on his way to Kiev, in the Ukraine. Now that Adler’s taken care of, our plates are clean, so we’re on the move. We can get some shuteye on the plane.” Jake included the others. “I know it’s a pain in the ass, but I need you guys to take Adler on a detour on your way back to Kentucky. Kerr, I guess you can let the caretaker know all’s clear. Any idea what you’re going to tell him about what went on here?”

“Trust me, he won’t be asking any questions,” Kerr said. “But I’ve got one for you, Jake: why are you hanging onto Adler? I mean, shouldn’t you be handing him off to the FBI?”

“Don’t worry about the FBI. I’ve got plans for our freaky little friend.”

Chapter 27

Jake led Dozer and Priest through the solid steel inner security door that opened into his enormous garage. A considerable array of customized vehicles and motorcycles glimmered in the stark fluorescent light.

“I do love your fancy toys, Jakey,” Dozer said. “When are we going to take some out for a spin?”

Jake continued toward the stairs leading up to his apartment. “When this operation’s complete, we’ll go for a ride to Kentucky to see Fouts and the boys. How’s that sound?”

“Dibs on the Harley.”

“That’s about the only one you could fit on, bro,” Priest said.

“I can’t help being big-boned. I drank a lot of milk when I was a kid, you know that.”

“Yeah, that milkman sure was around a lot. Not sure it was milk he was delivering, though.”

“Hey, that’s our mum you’re talking about there!”

“Geez, you’re easy to wind up, mate. Settle, petal.”

Dozer grumbled about his older brother’s teasing as he followed Jake up the stairs and through the hidden passageway into the master bathroom.

“Sure is an odd way to make an entrance, Jakey,” Priest said. “It’s kinda weird walking through your bedroom every time we come over.”

“It wasn’t designed with guests in mind. Just drop the weapons in the armory and get your things packed. We’ve got two hours to get to the airport. If you’re hungry, I’m sure Tik’s got something cooking. I’ve got some calls to make.”

The brothers walked through to the kitchen, where Tik was busily chopping exotic herbs and spices. A large pot boiled rapidly on the stove, wafting smells of Asia through the large, open-plan living area. The feisty little woman looked up from her work and gave the pair an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “You still here?”

“Oh, come on, Tik,” Dozer said, sidling over to her. “You know you love us.”

“I not love your smell. Australia man need shower.”

“That’s man smell, sweetheart. You don’t like men?”

“Tik like clean man, not stinky man.”

Tik tried to shove the big man away with her hip, but her effort was comically futile.

“I reckon you’re in the wrong weight class, love,” Priest chuckled. “You might need to gain a coupla hundred pounds.”

“Nah, she’s just the right size for me, bro,” Dozer said, giving Tik’s shoulders a playful squeeze. “I like ’em small.”

“I reckon you’re in there, mate,” Priest said, winking at Tik.

Tik’s face reddened visibly.

“Whoah, look out, mate,” Priest said. “I think she’s gonna blow. Get outta there while you can.”

Dozer playfully pranced away to join his brother on the other side of the workbench. The Laotian woman gave them her most earnest death-stare, drawing peals of laughter from the brothers. Despite her best intentions, Tik couldn’t maintain her solemnity. The corners of her mouth curled upward just enough to be noticed.

“See that, I told you she likes me,” Dozer said.

“Impossible!” Tik said. “Go away.”

“You two idjits, leave her alone,” Jake said, emerging from his room. “What did I say about putting the weapons away?”

“On it, Jakey.”

The pair walked off to the gym entrance, still ribbing each other and cackling loudly.

“Crazy Aussies,” Tik said, just loud enough for Jake to hear.

“I hear you, Tik. But if you’re going to do something about that crush you’ve got on Dozer, you’ll need to show a little bit of interest.”

Tik’s jaw dropped as she looked at her boss in disbelief. She tried to speak, but was too flustered.

“You think it my first rodeo?” Jake said, teasing Tik’s accent and vernacular. “You can’t fool me, Tik, I know you too well. Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with Dozer. He’s a bit goofy sometimes, but he’s got a heart of gold, and he could certainly take good care of you.”

Still out of her usual orbit of control, Tik clamped her mouth shut and turned back to her cooking. “Tik not talk anymore.”

Jake reached over the countertop to touch her shoulder. “Tik, I’m being serious now. You’ve been alone far too long. I know you like him, so why not take a chance?”

She put down her knife and looked pleadingly at Jake. “Tik not know about love. Not understand silly games. And Australia man have crazy sense of humor. I not know when he serious or not.”

“I’m certainly no expert, but I’d say you should just trust your feelings. If you show him just a little of how you feel, he’ll get the message soon enough. I know Dozer seems flippant, but I also know for a fact he’s a true gentleman, and fiercely loyal. You two would make a great pair. Just relax and let it happen – if you want it to.”

Tears welled in Tik’s bottom eyelids, but she held them back by sheer force of will. Hers had been a very difficult and painful life until Jake had saved her. She’d lost her entire family under particularly brutal circumstances, and Jake was the only person in the world she truly trusted. Now this man – who’d rescued her from a fate worse than death, who’d given her a home, a job, security, and a feeling of belonging – was encouraging her to follow her heart.

“What if he not like me?”

“Maybe you can’t read the signs, little sister, but it’s pretty obvious to me. He’s definitely interested. The last time I saw him act like this around a woman was with his former fiancée. It almost destroyed him when she died of cancer. Trust me, when he falls, he falls hard and fast.”

“What if him want me go away from here? Maybe him want to live Australia.”

“You’re getting way ahead of yourself, Tik. Just take it one step at a time, and don’t overthink things. You can cross that bridge when you come to it, if necessary.”

“”Shhh!” Tik rubbed the tears from her eyes. “They come back.”

The Australians sauntered back to the kitchen workbench and plopped themselves down on stools.

“So, what you got cookin’, good-lookin?” Dozer asked.

Tik glanced at Jake, and he gave her an encouraging wink. She turned to Dozer, giving him a very brief but angelic smile, before returning to her usual demeanor of self-control. “Tom Yum Goong. You can eat spicy?”

Tik’s adorable smile caught the big man off guard. Her simple but poignant gesture spoke volumes, piercing his heart with a suddenness and depth he hadn’t felt in years. Gone was Dozer’s mask of humor; he saw something in Tik he’d hoped to find again, but never truly expected. “Spicy’s good, thanks,” he said, trying to regain his composure.

Priest had noticed Tik’s smile too, and observed the immediate, drastic change in his brother’s deportment. He leaned back in his stool to meet Jake’s eyes, giving him a questioning glance. Jake raised his eyebrows, nodding his head almost imperceptibly. Priest gave him a satisfied smile. It seemed his younger but not so little brother might finally be ready to try again. Priest couldn’t be happier – for both of them.

The older brother backed off from his usual teasing and banter while they ate. He and Jake watched as the interaction between Dozer and Tik progressed. The brothers could return to their good-natured ribbing soon enough, but for now Priest would give the fledgling connection time to bloom. He took his bowl to the sink, and said, “Come on, Jakey, let’s go see what you’ve got in your bag of tricks. Anything you reckon we can get past the blockheads at Ukrainian customs?”

“There might be a thing or two,” Jake said, following Priest toward the armory.

*****

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t serious, Althea,” FBI Deputy Director Whyley said. “I know we agreed never to use our being brother and sister to help each other’s career, but it’s not for me. There’s something very dark going on in DARPA, and they fall under your department’s jurisdiction.”

“Where does your information come from?” Althea Whyley asked.

“I’d rather not say, but I can assure you the source is unimpeachable.”

“Come on, Iain, you can’t expect me to barge into DARPA’s affairs without a legitimate chain-of-command request. They’ve got very powerful allies, and they’re granted a great deal of leeway in their research and procedures. If I go poking around, it’ll raise flags very quickly. Their flat management structure means this guy, Ian McAdam, will find out what I’m up to, and cover up so fast it’ll make your head spin. Then I’ll have to explain myself to the Inspector General. No, if you want me to get into this, I’ll need approval from the Deputy Secretary of Defense.”

“But we’ve got no idea how high up the rot goes. I can’t risk tipping off whoever authorized McAdam’s operations.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do.”

“Look, sis, I’ve always admired your hardheadedness. It’s what’s gotten you where you are today. But how do you think it’s going to look to a Senate committee when they find out the Assistant Inspector General for the Office of the Secretary of Defense allowed a major conspiracy to happen under her watch?”

Althea Whyley sighed deeply. “If I’m going to do this, you’d better give me a damned good reason, little brother.”

“I’ll give you more than one. First, we’ve got a financial link between McAdam and the murders of two federal employees – the prison transport driver and the guard who were moving Adler from Sherbourne Institute to a special testing facility. The transfer was approved by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, but McAdam faked Adler’s death, and paid the guard and driver twenty-five grand each to keep quiet. Then a few days later, they both died under questionable circumstances. We can’t prove it yet, but we believe McAdam had them both killed to ensure secrecy.”

“When you use words like ‘questionable circumstances’ and ‘we believe,’ I have to wonder at the veracity of your allegations, Iain.”

“Goddammit, this is serious, Thea. I’m the Deputy Director of the FBI, for crying out loud. You really think I’d make shit like this up? We know Adler’s still alive, and we know McAdam paid the guard and driver off. Those facts alone should be enough for you to act. But if you want more, how about the trail of bodies Adler left in his wake? Innocent civilians have been brutally murdered since that psycho’s been on the loose.”

“I read about the murders, but they said it was a copycat.”

“We thought so, too, until Adler kidnapped two of my agents and almost beat one to death. The guy’s fighting for his life in the hospital right now. Then there are the mysterious dead soldiers found at Adler’s crime scenes. These guys’ fingerprints had all been surgically removed. When we traced their DNA, we found they’d all been reported as killed in action overseas over three years ago.

“Who the hell would have the resources and cover to pull something like that off? And these guys were killed by Adler while they were obviously hunting him. Probably trying to recapture him and hide him away in some DARPA black facility so no one would find out about McAdam’s operation. You need to find out what the hell this guy’s up to and who’s pulling the strings.”

“You don’t think he’s acting alone?”

“In my experience, everyone has a boss. I have no idea if it’s someone at the DoD or not, but there must be more to it than some mid-level DARPA administrator.”

“You say McAdam has direct financial links to the Bureau of Prisons guys. How did you find the link?”

“Does this mean you’re going to look into it?”

“I can’t make any promises. What you’re asking me to do constitutes a serious breach of protocol. But if what you’re telling me is true, you’re right – I need to get ahead of it.”