“Doing it now!”
There was fencing running parallel to the highway. He took his chances and rammed his truck straight through it. He kept on driving until he could jump out and take cover. He heard a bullet zing past his ear. The Forest Service helicopter had swept in low, allowing the sniper to get a good shot, but he’d missed Vic by inches.
He rolled in the underbrush beneath the trees and heard return fire. When he looked up, he saw a police helicopter overhead. It was following the other one that was coming straight for the trees again. He heard a cacophony of police sirens getting louder. The sniper fired at him again, but missed. Vic rolled the other way to avoid the line of fire, not having enough time to shoot.
Then there was an explosion, and Vic saw the hostile helicopter lose control and come straight toward the trees. He got to his feet and started running for dear life. Before he reached the edge of the grove, something hit him on the back of his head. Dazed by the impact, he saw lights, and started to crumple.
“Vic—” Kit came running to him out of the smoke. Before he knew it, his friend was pulling him away from the trees that had caught fire. “Come on.” He put Vic’s arm around his shoulders. “Let’s get you away from here.” The air was black with smoke.
They were both coughing. “Where’s the sniper?”
“Dead. The pilot, too.”
“Add two more life sentences to those on Waters and Fisher. To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get out of there alive.” They were headed for the highway.
“I knew you would. You’re indestructible.”
They could see several ambulances arriving. “I don’t want an ambulance. Some debris hit the back of my head, but I’m fine now. The wig protected me.” He removed his arm from Kit’s shoulder, but neither of them could stop coughing. “Just give me a minute to catch my breath. I’ll be fine as soon as I can take the vest off. Damn, it’s hot out here.”
“We’re almost there. It’s the boss’s orders. You’ve been through too many ordeals in the past ten days. He wants you checked out. I’ll ride with you.”
Vic eyed the scene of destruction. “The Forest Service lost a helicopter. I think I ruined the front end of the truck.”
“When I saw you ram that fencing, my heart almost stopped.”
“I decided it was all or nothing, so I went for it.”
“Thank God you did. It bought you enough time for the sniper to miss his mark.”
“Are the guys all right?”
“They’re fine. One of them will drive the van back to Austin.”
They kept hacking while they walked. “I should have warned Jori he was in danger.”
“You didn’t know what was going to happen.”
“In my gut I did. He was young a
nd vulnerable. You heard him on the recording.”
“I’ll listen to it again after we get in the ambulance.”
“My suitcase is in the toolbox. The Glock is under the seat. Make sure we get everything back.”
“I’ll tell the sheriff right now.”
One of the paramedics helped Vic into the ambulance, but he remained standing in order to remove his shirt and the vest. Kit climbed in and reached for the vest while Vic put the shirt back on. “Ah...that feels good. You like my tan?” he asked the medic. “It came out of a bottle, but it’s washable.” Another coughing spell ensued.
He reached up and removed the wig that had seen better days after his roll in the underbrush. Kit took it from him. The paramedic looked shocked. “I had no idea you weren’t real.”
“Oh, he’s real,” Kit declared. “What are you? One-eighth Apache?”
“Close. It appears my disguise worked, thanks to Sandra.” He winked at Kit, who sat on the bench. Before he sat down, he pulled the recording device from his pocket. “Go ahead and listen.”
Letting go with another cough, Kit pressed play then put it up to his ear to listen.
“Okay, now you can have at me,” Vic told the medic. “The back of my head took a whack from something.”