Wings of Steele - Destination Unknown (Book 1) (76 page)

"How're
you doin', Jack?"

The
sudden voice in his ear from his comm made him jump. "I'm
fine,"
he whispered. He moved across the yard and up the back steps to the
house, the dog at his heels.

Jack
stood at the back door with his heart pounding in his ears and
the
dog stared curiously at him. "Ok," said Jack, staring
back. "Give me a second..." He gathered his courage and
Fritz wagged his tail.

The
knock sounded so tremendously loud he feared it would wake the
neighbors.
But nothing, no answer. Jack knocked harder the second time, pounded
even, and a dog barked somewhere. But nothing. "Damn..."
He realized he should have checked the garage to see if the SUV was
in it first.

Halfway
down the stairs, Jack produced a shadow as the kitchen light
came
on. He almost slipped and fell scrambling back up the steps to the
back door. He fumbled, but quickly pulled the black eye patch from
the pocket of his bomber jacket and slipped it over his artificial
left eye. "No sense in scaring them half to death," he
told Fritz. The dog woofed softly.

The
face of his younger sister appeared in the window of the door,
her
hands cupped around either side so she could see out. Her eyes grew
to saucer size and her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Covering
her mouth she backed away from the door. Remembering herself, she
clawed at the lock and swung the door wide.
"Jaaack?
"
She screeched.

"Hi
sis," he replied as nonchalantly as possible.

She
threw herself at him, encircling him with her arms.
"Where
have
you been?"

"You
wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

She
dragged him inside, wiping the snow off her bare feet. "Try
me..."

“
Ok...
well you believe in UFO's right...?

“
Very
funny
...”

■ ■ ■

The
Colombian behind the wheel of the Blazer nudged his dozing
partner.
"Hey, wake up..."

"What..."
replied the other, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"Look."
He pointed at the only house on the block with lights on.

"So?"

"So,
they just came on, that's what."

"So?"

"So
let's go take a look, stupid!"

"Out
there? Are you kidding?" He stared at the swirling flakes and
shivered.
"You're crazy. You go, I'm staying here."

The
driver produced a .45 cal. automatic from his belt. "Let's
go,
you lazy slug, or I'll shoot you where you sit."

■ ■ ■

"Well,"
said Jack, "it would be easier if I showed you. Where's mom
and
dad?"

"Florida."
Her eyes shifted from his face to Fritz. "What do you mean
show
me? And what happened to your eye? And
what
is that
thing
on Fritz?" Fritz stared at her, his tail wagging, his right eye
glowing green.

"Look,"
said Jack, "get dressed, I'll tell you everything on the
way..."

"To
where?"

"Florida,
where else?"

"N
ow
?"

"Yeah
and hurry, Ok? I'm kinda' double parked."

■ ■ ■

"Is
it him?" asked the passenger of the Blazer.

The
driver peered through the living room window after referring to
the
photocopy of Jack's photo he kept in his pocket. "Yeah..."
He was thinking of the bonus this would bring him. "Let's go
get the truck.."

■ ■ ■

Lisa
was in her room changing and Jack stood in the living room
staring
at the tropical fish tank that had been there since his childhood.
"How long have they been in Florida?" he called.

"Since
late November," she called back. "I stayed for a couple of
weeks
then came back `cause I had to work. Y'know you're in a lot of
trouble, don't you?"

"So,
what else is new? Are mom and dad upset?"

"Upset
is not the word I'd use," she called. "More like worried
to
death..."
Lisa appeared a moment later from her bedroom, fully dressed and
carrying a canvas duffel bag. "It seems like everybody on the
planet is looking for you..."

"Like
who?" he wondered aloud.

"CIA,"
she began, ticking them off on her fingers. "FBI, Military
Intelligence,
KGB and some drug guy from Colombia named Vasquez."

Jack
could understand the CIA, FBI, even Military Intelligence...
they'd
be looking for Paul and Mike. But... "Why the KGB? And who the
hell is Vasquez?"

"I'm
not sure," she answered, pulling on her coat. "But those
two
are
supposed to be tied together... something about a missing woman..."

"Who?
What's her name?"

"Escobar
or something like that..."

"C'mon,
Lisa, her full name, think..."

His
sister frowned as she moved about the house turning the lights
back
off. She stopped and stood in the kitchen to pull a hat down over
her ears. "Martina..." she said slowly, as she opened the
back door. "No, that's not it..."

As
they descended the stairs to the yard, it came to her. "Marianna,
Marianna
Escobar! That's it!" She was sure of it.

Jack
stopped dead in his tracks at the top of the stairs. "Marianna,
Maria..."
he was comparing the names. "Marianna Arroyo Escobar?"

"Yes,
that's it!" Lisa frowned again. "Why? Do you know her?"

Jack's
face was covered with his hands. "Geeeez! How could I have
been
so stupid?!"

"You
do
know her?"

"Yes,"
groaned Jack. He tromped down the stairs and followed Lisa out
the
gate followed by Fritz. The trio turned and headed for the park. He
clicked on the comm and called the Invader. "I'm on my way
back."

"Roger,"
came the reply.

"Where
are you parked?" she whispered.

"In
the park," he told her. "Bri, call the Freedom, have
Commander
Edgars
put Lieutenant Arroyo in the brig until we return."

There
was a moment of silence, then, "Maria? But why?"

"You'll
have to ask
Comrade
Marianna
Arroyo Escobar that question."

"Are
you trying to tell me Maria is Russian?"

That
was Paul's voice that time, thought Jack. "That is affirmative,
Commander.
Lieutenant Maria Arroyo is a Soviet... KGB."

"I
copy." The reply was soft, without conviction. He would be as
stunned
as I was, thought Jack.

Lisa
looked at Jack and suddenly realized how much he had changed,
commanding,
evasive, secretive. Not the happy, carefree pilot she used to know.
She stopped walking. "What is all this? Commander, Lieutenant?
Jack, what's going on? What happened? Are you in the military or
something?" She stood with her feet apart and her hands on her
hips, something he remembered their mother doing. "I'm not
moving until you tell me..."

A
hundred feet in front of them, the Blazer slid to a stop in the
snow
and the doors flung wide, cutting off their path to the park. "Come
here, Mr. Steele! We need to talk to you!" The man's voice had
a thick Latin accent.

Jack
shot a glance at his sister, "You said a Colombian drug dealer,
right?"

"Yeah..."

Jack
grabbed Lisa's arm and spun her around,
"RUN!"
His hand was in
his
jacket for a millisecond, emerging with the blaster. Hazarding a
quick shot as he turned to run, his feet slid in the snow, the
bright magenta bolt cleared the roof of the vehicle and bore a hole
into a tree on the other side of the street.

The
Colombian from the passenger side froze in his tracks. "
WHAT
in
the
name of Saint Mary, was
THAT
?"

"Get
him!" shouted the driver as he jumped back in. He stomped on
the
accelerator
and the passenger door slammed shut of its own accord, the vehicle
fishtailing around the corner, knobby tires kicking up blobs of
snow. The first man gave chase on foot.

"Between
the garages!" shouted Jack, his long strides bringing him
closer
to his sister. Fritz cut the corner cleanly but Lisa lost her
footing and slipped, falling into the snow. Jack was so close he
couldn't help going down with her. He was better for it, as a bullet
thwacked the wooden fencepost beside him. They must be using
silencers, thought Jack, I never heard that coming. He fired behind
him without looking and scrambled to his feet. The Blazer slid by,
its brakes locked, as Jack pulled Lisa to her feet. He shoved her
toward the space between the garages. "Get to the football
field," he told her. There was a soft
puh
behind him and a tug on his left arm that spun him off his feet.

"Jaaack!"

"Go,
go, go!" he yelled. She disappeared in the gap between the
garages
and he rolled over realizing his left arm was numb. The Blazer slid
into a parked car and the driver was spinning the tires in reverse.
Jack pulled off the eye patch, half-sighted and squeezed off three
fast shots at his running attacker. The blaster had no recoil, so
all three caught the man in the same spot just below the ribcage.
The sizzling magenta streaks cut him cleanly in half. As the
Colombian lay dying in the snow, he knew he should have never left
home.

Jack
struggled to his feet as the driver of the Blazer worked to
turn
the vehicle around in the drifted snow. Fritz appeared and woofed
from between the garages. Jack followed him as he hazarded a glance
back over his shoulder. There was a dark stain in the snow where he
had fallen. When he turned back, the Shepherd was gone.

"A
little help out here..." The crew in the Invader could hear
Jack's
labored
breathing. "My sister's coming, watch for her..."

"Let's
go..." Paul, Mike and Brian, grabbed assault rifles off the
weapons
rack and headed for the door.

Fritz
had run ahead of Jack to catch up with Lisa and guide her to
the
ship. They emerged from between the houses and raced across the
street into the park. She saw three figures running toward her in
the white swirls and slowed her pace in fear. Fritz looked back over
his shoulder and slowed. "Come!" he barked, and sped up.
She hastened her pace for a second then slowed again, confused at
what she thought she heard.

"Keep
going, Lisa!" Came the shouts from the men ahead of her. "It's
Ok,
follow Fritz!" She could hear the Blazer behind her, muffled
shots and the noise of the strange weapon Jack was carrying. She ran
on, past the men with the strange uniforms and odd rifles. One face
was familiar but she didn't slow... until she saw the Invader, a
bulky gray shadow through the blowing snow. That's when she stopped
dead. And stared. Fritz saw this and circled back to get her.