Marauder (Oregon Files 15)

him out of the water and into the raft.

“And here’s the catch of the day,” Linc said as he leaned back against the closest seat to steady himself and catch his breath.

Eddie clutched one of the safety bars to keep from getting tossed around as they continued down the rapids.

“Thanks,” he said. He keyed the mic with his tongue. “MacD, report please.”

There was no response. He tried again with the same result.

All he and Linc could do now was wait in frustration until the raft was carried back to the end of the ride.

FOURTEEN

If the crowds of shrieking guests hadn’t been in Raven’s way, she would have shot Sinduk before he reached the Crazy Eights. The terrorist leader and his comrade were making slow progress as they dodged panicked tourists, allowing Raven to make up ground as she ran after them through the cleared path they’d created behind them.

Halfway up the stairs of the waterslide, the Senators’ families peered over the railing to check out what was causing the chaos below. Raven feared they would come back down the stairs right into Sinduk’s path. She tried waving at Muñoz, Schmidt, and their two teens to keep climbing.

They weren’t looking at her, but it didn’t matter. Sinduk took a potshot at them, plastering the stairs with bullets too low to hit them. The Americans screamed and started running up the Super Pass side of the stairs.

Sinduk and the other man reached the stairs and sprinted up after them. Crowds of riders streamed past them down the main stairway. Luckily, Sinduk was so focused on his goal that he ignored the easier targets.

Raven got to the stairway moments later and took the stairs two at a time. There was a gap between the switchback stairs, allowing her to see Sinduk two stories above her. She stopped and took aim as they rounded a corner. She had Sinduk in her sights and fired.

The shots didn’t hit him because the other terrorist stepped into the path of the bullets. The man went down without a sound.

Sinduk pointed his weapon over the railing and sprayed the stairway with rounds. They pinged off the metal, but Raven was able to duck back in time to avoid being struck.

When the hail of bullets stopped, she leaned back and saw that Sinduk had continued up, but he made sure not to present himself as a target again. Raven kept running.

When she passed the dead terrorist on the sixth level, she saw drops of blood spattered on the stairs leading to the top. She must have hit Sinduk. There was still a chance to catch him.

When she was on the eighth level, she saw him just above her, limping from a bloody wound on his thigh. He was wrestling his way through frightened guests pushing and shoving to get into one of the eight tubes of the waterslide and flee from the gunfire underneath them.

She bounded up the stairs, trying to reach Sinduk while he was distracted. She was still a flight down as he stepped onto the loading platform at the top.

When Raven turned the final corner, she saw that Sinduk had stopped and was pointing the gun at his quarry. The employees had long vanished, and the few remaining guests were piling into one of the eight tubes gushing with water. Oliver Muñoz shielded his daughter Elena while Emily Schmidt frantically pushed Kyle toward the waterslide.

The Senators’ families were only a few steps away from him.

Raven couldn’t take the risk of shooting with so many innocents in the line of fire.

In Sinduk’s other hand was his phone. He tapped on it and dropped it to the floor.

“Death to America,” he shouted in English, raising his weapon.

At that moment, Raven hit him in the back with her shoulder using all the power she could muster. The blow knocked them both to the floor. Sinduk dropped his weapon, and it went skittering into one of the waterslide tubes.

He leaped onto Raven, trying to snatch her gun away. Muñoz made a motion toward them, but Raven thought that was a good way for him to get killed.

“Go,” she yelled. “Get out of here.”

As Raven wrestled with Sinduk, Muñoz shoved Elena and Kyle into a tube, followed by Emily Schmidt and finally Muñoz himself.

Sinduk roared in fury as he saw his targets fleeing. He pried the gun from Raven’s hand, sliding it away from them before slamming his elbow into her chin. Raven rolled away, shaking her head from the powerful jolt.

They both got to their feet, him on his bleeding leg, her with a swollen jaw. They faced each other with the gun lying halfway between them.

“Who are you?” he snarled in Arabic.