Red on the River - Page 89

“We would have located him and dropped enough firepower on him that he would have made a run for it.” Rainier gave Shabina the smallest shake and then tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers gentle. “You might take a look at how gray I’m getting. You’re doing that to me.”

She gave him a shaky smile. “I’m so relieved you’re here, although I hate that you’re going to have to go after Larsen. That’s what you’re doing, right?”

Vienna looked up at Zale. “He’s wounded in a couple of places. Shabina shot the gun right out of his hand. We managed to harass him, but he’s determined to kill me and every single one of my friends and then he said he was going to kill my mother too. He meant it, Zale. He said that was the only way Wallin would be appeased over the death of his son, and even then, it might not work. Once he found Raine’s pack and realized she was important to the government, he figured he was a dead man no matter what, and he wanted to finish his job right.”

Zale indicated for her to sit down. “I want to look at your ankle.”

“Everyone will think he’s making a run for it.” Vienna sat down on the rocky trail. “Don’t take my boot off. I’ll never get it back on and I have to walk out of here.”

“Sounds to me like you had a conversation with Larsen.”

“I thought the longer I kept him talking the more time it gave for everyone to get here,” Vienna said. “He hasn’t run, Zale. He’s lying out in the forest right now waiting for me to take a step out into the open. I know he hasn’t run.”

“Anything give you that indication?” Rainier said.

“I just have this feeling about him. He’s sure of himself. Really sure of himself.” She pulled out Zahra’s cell. “Look. I have his location on the app. The mini Garmin sends an alert to Zahra’s phone in case she gets lost.” She held it out to Zale, who took the cell.

Zale handed the cell to Rainier after glancing at it. “Very clever, Vienna,” Rainier praised. “This was smart.”

“We’ve got a ride out of here for you and Shabina,” Zale said. “If you say Larsen’s waiting right out there on the edge of the forest, I believe you, Snowflake. We’ll take every precaution. This is what we do.”

His hands were gentle on her ankle but she still winced. Her ankle was swollen over the top of her hiking boot, and when he rolled the top of her sock down, her skin was black and blue.

“Let’s get them out of here,” Rainier said. He indicated to Shabina to follow him back up the trail.

Zale handed Rainier his pack and the rifle slung around his neck by a strap and simply lifted Vienna. She had no choice but to put her arms around his neck. “You can’t carry me to the meadow,” she whispered.

He didn’t answer but followed Shabina.

It was hotter than hell and his skin itched and burned. Larsen wiped the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve. No way would those women have the kind of patience it would take to allow so much time to pass. They were stalling him again for some reason. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t going to wait and find out.

Staying low in the grass and weeds, he crawled on his belly, using fingers and toes to move his way into the thicker trees. He just needed to find the best place to set up a base. He had survival gear with him, and Raine’s pack contained several items he could use. He had a good water filtration system. He could stay out in the forest until the heat died down and then go after Vienna Mortenson and her friends.

Once in the trees, he jogged toward the heavier growth where he could erase his tracks on the forest floor and go high. Very few people thought to look up into the trees. He had to find a very sturdy tree that had branches large enough to support his weight as he made his climb.

Once he found his tree, he was careful to make his way up into the heavier canopy. After securing the packs, he went back down to make himself a ghillie suit. It was a hasty job, but it would do, helping to hide him from anyone who came to look. Once back in the tree, he placed his weapons around him, securing them to the branches, and figured out several ways to exit the tree if necessary. The last thing he did, before closing his eyes to nap, was pull out his favorite rifle from his pack.

Zale studied his prey from the flat boulder he lay on. Larsen had made himself a cozy little den up in the tree. Even without Vienna giving him the phone with the locator on it, that particular tree would have been one of the first places Zale would have suspected Larsen would have decided on retreating to.

He indicated to Rainier. “He’s there. Sitting up all pretty like he owns the place.”

“Let him sit. He’ll get tired enough. The soldiers will make the sweep. We can protect them from here. If he makes a move to leave his little den, he’s dead. If they spot him, he’s dead. We’ll fade away and no one will be the wiser.”

The forest came alive with soldiers moving slowly, examining the ground and rocks. Going over the trail. They found the blood on the trail. Raine’s. Vienna’s from the spray of granite. Larsen’s. Eventually the soldiers continued their sweep away from Larsen’s tree and disappeared into the woods. Larsen didn’t move for a long time, proving he was well trained and had patience, but as no more soldiers came near, he sat up and drank from his water and ate an energy bar, all without the knowledge that they had him in their sights.

Quiet descended with the night. An owl hooted. Bats took to the air, wheeling and dipping to find every insect over the rushing water in the distance. Zale slipped off the boulder and circled around into the heavier forest, coming close to Larsen’s tree. Eventually, he would climb down and stretch his legs. He was feeling confident if his smug expression was anything to go by.

It took another hour before Larsen moved, making his way down the tree, using the branches, avoiding the trunk as often as possible in order to keep from scraping bark and leaving evidence. He jumped the last few feet, landing in a crouch. He wore a tactical vest and his weapons were close.

Zale emerged out of the shadowy darkness behind him. “You’re military, Larsen. Do you know what a ghost is, when someone in the military refers to one?”

He spoke low, so low Larsen wasn’t certain he actually heard a voice at first, but then he froze. “Ghosts never speak. They just make the kill and walk away.”

“True, unless it’s personal. This is very personal. Vienna’s mine. You shouldn’t have come after her.”

Larsen swore under his breath. “I knew almost from the beginning that I should walk away. Wallin isn’t a man who ever lets anything go. He’s got the backing of the Bottaro family. He carries weight, a lot of it with his kind of money and power.” His hand inched toward the pistol in his side holster. It was the hand in front of him, the one he was certain the “ghost” couldn’t see.

“Consider him already dead,” Zale said softly. This time he was only inches behind Larsen and whispering in his ear. “Because he’s going to die too.”

Larsen felt the bite of the knife in his left kidney as it went in, twisted and came out. Then the blade was at his throat and he felt the incredible sharpness slicing through his skin and artery. His knees went weak and his legs went out from under him. He fell forward, facedown onto the forest floor. Leaves, twigs and dirt met his eyes and nose. He opened his mouth to speak. He didn’t remember what he was going to say. The last thing he saw was the ants coming for him.

Tags: Christine Feehan Romance
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