Hide No Secrets (Lawson & Abernathy 3)

Brenda nodded and walked into the front of the diner, keeping low to stay out of sight of any gunmen in the street or the general store. Josh was missing. “Not good,” she said under her breath.

“What do you want?” she yelled, keeping her voice tough and hard.

“Too many people have died. I don't want anymore death,” Adam yelled into the dry, hot air. “Take your friend and leave. You have my word that no one will hurt you.”

“Give yourself up, Frinton. We know about the land steal,” Brenda yelled back. “We have a team on the way.” Brenda didn't like playing the bluffing game, but what did she have to lose? “Our team will be here within the hour.”

Adam tensed up. “You had your chance!” he hollered through gritted teeth. “Now you're going to die.”

“What do you want, Frinton?” Brenda yelled, waiting for Mack to attack. “Is this all about stealing land and helping the pharmaceutical company?”

“So you are undercover agents,” Adam growled under his breath, staring down at the street.

A cold line of panic struck his heart. Whoever Brenda and Mack were, he realized, they knew the truth. And they could handle themselves in a fight. Adam knew he wasn't in a position to kill his targets. No. He was now alone. The only two options that were on the table were miserable options. Adam could either run or wait for his brother to send in a hit team. The hit team, Adam knew, would certainly fill him full of bullets. If Adam ran, his brother would hunt him down.

“Bruce will find me no matter where I run to.” Adam muttered and kicked the roof with a hard boot. “My only choice is to get out of this corn town and kill him. Forget these agents.”

Mack cut through the shingles over his head and emerged into a dying day. He spotted Adam standing at the front of the roof, staring down at the street.

“Turn yourself in, Frinton,” Brenda yelled, keeping her voice stern and steady. “It’ll go better for you if you cooperate.”

Adam began to back away from the edge of the roof but stopped when he saw Josh zoom around the side of a dry building and start running down a cracked sidewalk.

“Dead, they're all dead!” Josh was screaming at the top of his lungs. “Men in gray! Shooting everyone!”

Fear grabbed Adam's mind. “Bruce sent in a team… he betrayed me!” Adam spun around and prepared to get off the roof. Mack was waiting, standing tall and powerful, aiming a deadly M-16 right at Adam's chest.

“Drop your rifle,” Mack warned in a voice that told Adam that if he moved one single inch he was a dead man.

Adam stared at Mack. “We're all dead,” he informed Mack. “There's a hit team in the corn. We're not leaving this town alive.”

Josh burst into the diner and ran into Brenda's arms. “They're dead...” he screamed as hot tears flooded from his eyes. “Saw a man shoot down Mr. Sallows and Mr. Trails. Melvin was laying dead in his driveway.”

Brenda put a firm arm around Josh. “What are you talking about, son?” she asked.

Josh planted his face into Brenda's stomach. “A man… he tried to kill me. I bit him and ran into the corn. When I ran past the other farm houses… I saw...”

Brenda wasn't exactly the motherly type. Holding a crying, frightened, child wasn't her part of her skill set. Still, Josh needed to be comforted and Brenda knew she couldn't push the boy away.

“Son,” she said, squatting down, staring into tears of agony, fear and pain. “I'm not going to let anyone harm you, but you can't run off again, is that clear?” Josh nodded his head. “Now, go into the kitchen and stay there. Please,” Brenda actually spoke in a soft voice that made her insides turn a little.

“I won't run off again,” Josh promised, wiping at his tears and hurrying to the kitchen.

“Brenda!” Mack yelled down from the roof. “I have Frinton. The others have deserted town. We're coming down. Meet me in the alley.”

“You're a dead man,” Adam warned Mack. “We're all dead.”

Mack eyed Adam. The smiling face he had seen plastered inside a false book now looked mean as a rattlesnake and hungry for a fight. “You're scum,” he told Adam, lowering the M-16 in his hands.

“You want to fight me?” Adam asked, reading Mack's body language.

Mack knew that he needed to shoot Adam where the man stood, but something came over him—hearing Josh's terrified voice, a deep, volcanic, anger erupted inside of his heart. “Brenda, give me a minute,” he yelled and then narrowed his eyes. “Kick your rifle into the middle of the roof.”

Adam couldn't believe that Mack was itching for a fight. He kicked the rifle laying at his feet to the middle of the roof and then tossed a hidden Glock 19. “Your turn.”

Mack threw down his rifle and his own Glock 19. Without saying a word, he began walking toward Adam. Adam dropped down into a vicious fighting position and threw a hard roundhouse kick at Mack's face. Mack ducked under the kick and brought a hard right fist into Adam's chest. Adam stumbled backward, caught his balance. “You're dead.” Adam smiled as his murderous eyes began to flash. “You’re no match for me.”

Mack lowered his head and narrowed his hard eyes. “Come get some.”