Nighthawk (NUMA Files 14)

Kurt was about to move forward when someone tapped him on the leg.

He spun around with his weapon. But instead of enemies, he saw the smiling face of Joe Zavala. Paul Trout was just behind him.

“For a ghost, you’re made of surprisingly solid material,” Joe said.

Kurt grinned. “And easy to sneak up on,” he said. “Glad to see you both. Believe it or not, I think we’re winning, primarily thanks to Gamay’s shooting.”

“She’ll be hard to live with after saving us,” Paul said. “But well worth it.”

“How many of them are down?”

“Four down below,” Joe said.

“And I took out three,” Kurt said.

“That leaves only Urco,” Joe said. “Trust me, I’ve been counting them obsessively.”

Kurt pointed to the high ground. “He’s up there. But I have a feeling he’ll be lobbing bombs at us if we move his way.”

“Maybe Gamay can hit him from her position,” Paul suggested.

Kurt pulled out the radio, gave Gamay a status report and made the request.

“He’s up there, all right,” Gamay insisted. “And he’s alone. But he’s not defenseless.”

“We got a taste of the explosives,” Kurt said. “I’m not interested in a second course. Can you hit him?”

“Maybe,” she replied. “But there’s a problem with that plan.”

“Which is . . . ?”

“He seems to have anticipated this,” she said. “He’s crouched behind the last of the containment units. And he’s got his pistol up against the housing as if it was a living human hostage.”

Just then, Urco’s booming voice called out to them. “This violence has gone on long enough,” he shouted. “Throw down your weapons. Or I’ll destroy us all.”

52

The battlefield went silent in the wake of Urco’s words. Kurt glanced at Joe. “Apparently, we’re not winning . . . yet.”

“We could rush him from three sides,” Joe offered.

“The last thing I want is for him to panic.”

The radio came alive with Gamay’s voice. “I might be able to get a head shot if he moves,” she said. “But if I miss . . .”

“Even if you hit him square, he might squeeze that trigger,” Kurt replied. They had to try something else. He handed Joe the radio. “I’m going to walk up there.”

“He’ll shoot you down.”

“Hopefully,” Kurt said. “And when he does, you guys drop him.”

Joe looked at Kurt quizzically.

“Clue Gamay in,” Kurt said. “Once I get moving up the path, you two move through the grass. I’ll try to keep him talking as long as possible.”

Kurt stood slowly. He raised the shotgun over his head with both hands like a surrendering soldier. Carrying it high, he walked out of the grass, across the clearing and up the snaking path to the higher ground.

He arrived at the upper clearing and found Urco crouching behind the last containment unit with the pistol up against one of the cryogenic tubes.