Lose Your Breath (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Nope, I saw him same time as you. He must have been close to the fire and it hid his heat signature.” Terabyte sounded concerned. “Three women in the house he entered. I can’t see anyone close by. The militia truck has been circling the block to the north of your position. It’s moving in your direction now. Once it hits the straightaway, it will be in sight of the militia HQ. Once you hit it, it will be like disturbing a bees’ nest.”

“Copy. That’s the plan. I’m heading upstairs now.” Dave picked up his rifle and ran up the stairs taking them two at a time. The tower was as he’d expected, the clock sat in the middle with a walkway around it. Thick brick walls with gaps in between made up a viewing platform for the entire town. Using his scope, he scanned the town to the north until he picked up the headlights of the militia truck. It was the same setup as before. One gunner and two men inside. The truck was heading in his direction through a heavily damaged area on a straight road. Using night goggles, he could make out the men inside the truck and the gunner as if they were a few meters away. He set up his rifle, checked the wind, and dropped into the zone. He’d need three shots, each bullet loaded individually and at top speed. He’d made more complicated shots before over a greater distance. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed the trigger, and before the bullet had reached its target he’d reloaded and fired again. By the time, the truck had veered off the road, mounted the curb, and stopped, he’d taken out the passenger.

The expected fallout was immediate. Heavily armed militia spilled from the HQ. All of them running toward the truck, shooting at random. The sound of loud voices and rapid fire echoed through the town but the streets were empty. The people had taken cover. Dave pressed his com. “How many?”

“Eight. None inside.”

As the smell of gunpowder drifted toward him in a cloud, Dave remained in his calm place. He had all the time in the world and recalibrated his rifle and took aim. The distance was an easy shot for him. The only problem was reloading his rifle. The phut as each bullet left the muzzle and flew through the air to the targets made hardly a sound. He counted the hits, and pressed his com. “All targets down. Are we clear?”

“Copy that. You’re clear to go. There are locals running into the street. It must be the cleanup crew. I suggest you head out of Dodge. Your bounty has just gone through the roof.”

Dave smiled as he stripped down his rifle and stowed it in his backpack. “Copy that. I’ll go get my ride and the package. We’re leaving tonight. The scuttlebutt on the street says there’s something big going down in the next twenty-four and as soon as the militia discover I’ve neutralized their home base, it’s going to get hot here real fast. I’ll head for the border now. Follow my progress. We’ll need an evac ASAP.”

“Copy that. Stay safe out there.”

Dave headed down the steps and vanished into the night. “I intend to.”

Chapter Seventeen

The new safe house was a dump. Annie sat on a rickety chair, with the Glock resting on her thigh, staring at the door. Her heart missed a beat with every sound and there were many. People seemed to be close by and she could hear low voices through the walls. It was as if everyone was hiding. A woman had arrived before Dave had left. She’d said nothing but left a pot of the hot sweet yellow coffee, bread, and cheese. They’d eaten everything and then after checking his watch, Dave had left. Since then, she hadn’t moved.

When a knock came on the door, heart pounding, she aimed her weapon, holding it high with both hands. She could hear men’s voices, low and conspiratorial. Terror had her by the throat but she kept her hands steady with the gun aimed chest high. Footsteps moved away but she heard a scratching on the wall beside the door.

“Annie.” Dave’s voice was just above a whisper but she recognized it. “Time to go. Unlock the door, I’m alone.”

Relieved but not stupid, she hurried to the door, unlocked it, and stood to one side, Glock at the ready, just in case. The door swung open and Dave peeked around it and smiled at her. She lowered her weapon and hugged him close. “Thank God you’re safe.”

“Thank God you’re cautious.” Dave smiled down at her and nuzzled her neck.

Annie reluctantly dropped her arms and handed him the Glock. “I was worried sick about you.”

“That would be a first.” Dave gave her a long look. “I kinda like that someone cares about me.” He moved the bags to the door. “If you need to use the bathroom, go now. I’m not planning on stopping until we cross the border.”

Annie rubbed her sore back. “Are you tying your backpack onto me again?”

“Yeah, sorry. It’s just in case we meet a roadblock. But we’ll be moving fast without headlights once we leave the town.” He twirled his fingers. “It won’t be so heavy. I’ll carry most of the ammo, but we’ll need to hide the US bills as well.”

Annie frowned at him. “What about the drugs? There’s no way I’m carrying them through customs.” She pulled off her dress and he fitted the backpack.

“We won’t be going through customs. We’ll have an uncomfortable ride in whatever military vehicle is available but I’ll take charge of the backpack. Once we land, we’ll be straight into debriefings. They’ll want to make sure you haven’t been corrupted. The brick of drugs is what I’m using to pay for our vehicle. I’m not taking it back to the States.” Dave tightened the straps. “I know this is heavy but you’ll be in the vehicle most of the time. We may have to sprint to the chopper, but I’ll carry you if necessary.”

Annie grabbed her dress and pulled it over her head, surprised when he helped her. She adjusted her burka and met his gaze. “Thanks. Do you need anything before we go? The yellow coffee is lukewarm. I covered the pot to keep it warm for you.”

“Yeah, it will help to keep me awake.” He pulled the towel from the pot and drank down the fluid and dropped the empty pot onto the table. He dressed hurriedly in his long robes and head covering and then looked her over. “Okay, let’s go. Farid said he’d be here in five and it’s way past that now. We’ll need to move fast before they find out I took out the militia.” He picked up the bags and slung them over one shoulder. “Stay close.”

Terrified at what might happen next, Annie hurried behind him down the stairs, trying to keep from toppling forward under the weight of the backpack strapped to the front of her. She gripped the handrail but underfoot the way was rough and loose pebbles slid under her boots. Dave moved in silence, not even his boots crunched on the gravel as they reached the sidewalk. She couldn’t see the vehicle pulling up to the curb as Dave had his entire body blocking her from view. After a rapid exchange in Arabic, Dave handed over the drugs. She assumed by the jangle it was in exchange for a set of keys. She came out from behind him and his fingers closed around her arm as he propelled her toward a battered four-by-four. Bullet holes riddled one side but she noticed two gas cans in the back and what looked like a plastic container carrying about two gallons of water. She climbed inside, holding the backpack, and dropping the weight between her legs before stretching the seatbelt around her and clipping it in place.

“Hold on to anything you can find.” Dave slid in behind the wheel and they took off at full speed. He didn’t take his eyes off the road as he handed her a map and flashlight. “You’re the navigator. Take the map, the route is marked, the cross is where we are now. Only use the flashlight in short bursts when checking the map. We don’t need to be seen.” He glanced at her as she stared at the map. “Turn it the other way up. You can read a map, can’t you?”

Annie’s face grew hot. She’d always relied on her GPS or phone. “I’ll do my best but everything is in Arabic.”

“Roads are roads, crossroads the same.” Dave glanced at the map and made a sharp left turn and headed down a long narrow road. He dug a finger into the map. “This is the road we’re on now, follow the red pen line, tell me to turn left or right at the intersections. Got it? Count the roads ahead of the next turn. So, say, in five blocks, tell me to turn left. Understand?”

Wishing he’d just keep his eyes on the road, Annie gripped on to the seat with one hand and stared at the map. Looking ahead as side roads flashed past, too fast to keep count, she gave up on that idea as a bad joke and glanced at him. “Right turn next intersection, then a sharp left, go through a town square, and then straight ahead.”

“Copy.” Dave slammed his foot on the gas and the truck sped through the night. “Once we get out of the town, I’ll use my night goggles and kill the lights. I’ll be able to see fine. I know there’s only one or two main highways to the border. I’ll be in contact with my handler and he’ll be guiding me from there.” He flashed her a white smile. “You’re doing fine.”

They dashed through the town square and the truck bumped and slid on the gravel as they made the turns. Heart in her mouth and her fingers white-knuckling the seat, she waited until they hit the straightaway and glanced again at the map. “This road veers to the left up ahead. You’ll need to slow down to make a left, then straight ahead and another left. We go under a bridge, then there’s a straight run out of suburbia. From there it’s just one road as far as I can make out.”