“All right, Carruthers.” Delaney said, holding the man up by his shirtfront. “Talk, Where’s Steiger?”
“You go to hell.” Carruthers gasped.
Delaney brought his knee up sharply into the man’s groin. Carruthers made a brief, high-pitched keening sound and sagged in his grasp. Delaney lifted him up effortlessly and slammed him against the wall again.
“You tell me what you’ve done with Steiger or I’ll break every bone in your body.” he said.
Carruthers shook his head. Delahey brought his fist back and smashed it into his face. Blood splattered on the wall behind Carruthers as his head snapped around with the force of the blow. His nose was broken.
“Your ribs are next,” Delaney said. “And then your kneecaps. Where is he?”
Carruthers coughed and drew a ragged breath. “If I tell you. I’m dead.”
“You’re dead if you don’t tell me.” said Delaney. “Did you kill him?”
Carruthers shook his head. “No… we’ve got him…
“ Where?”
Carruthers shook his head again.
Delaney drew his fist back once more and drove it with pile driver force into the man’s chest. Something cracked. Carruthers made a grunting, wheezing sound and sagged down once again. Delaney let him fall. He knelt over him, his knee over the man’s leg, his hand grasping the back of his calf.
“Okay, hard guy, your knee goes next. I can keep this up all night.”
“Do your worst, damn you,” Carruthers said in a croaking voice. “But if you kill me. Steiger’s had it.”
Delaney was about to yank up on the man’s leg when Lucas stopped him. “Finn, wait! Forget it. Let him go.”
Delaney stood up. “I’ll make the bastard talk,” he said.
“No. It’s no use. We’re not going to get anything out of him this way.” Lucas said. “Let’s clock him back to headquarters and let the I.S. D peel back his mind and take a look inside.”
Carruthers suddenly lunged toward the bodies of his two men. His fingers closed around one of the pistols they’d dropped Hunter shouted a warning and fired. Carruthers collapsed to the floor, a bullet through his shoulder. Before any of them could respond, he pulled the pistol toward him, put the barrel in his mouth, and squeezed the trigger. His cheeks seemed to light up and a thin beam of light came up through his skull. He fell down, dead.
“God damn it!” Delaney swore.
“I’m sorry.” Hunter said. “I couldn’t get a clear shot at the gun …”
“It wasn’t your fault.” said Lucas.
Hunter shook his head. “Yes, it was. It’s my fault all this happened in the first place. I wanted a crack at Drakov and now I’ve got you in a real mess.” He sighed. “I’m sorry about the shoulder, Andre, You all right?”
She nodded. “It’s just a minor flesh wound. But I’m glad you’re a good shot.”
Hunter grimaced. “What happens now?”
Lucas gave him a long look. “I guess that’s up to you.” he said. “You’re the one who’s got the gun.”
Hunter glanced down at the gun, then tossed it on the bed with disgust. “What the hell are we doing?” he said, a note of genuine confusion in his voice. He shook his head. “You’re supposed to be the enemy and here I’m trying to help you. You don’t trust me and meanwhile your own people are trying to kill you. This whole thing is a fucking joke.”
“Nobody’
s laughing,” Lucas said, “Except maybe Drakov.”
“Look,” said Hunter. “you’re up against both Drakov and the Network now. They’ve already got Steiger. Frankly, far as I’m concerned, they can keep him, but if we don’t work together on this, Drakov’s going to win and then everybody loses. We can’t afford not to trust each other. The bottom line is you’re going to need my help, whether you like it or not”
“He’s right. Lucas,” said Delaney. “We’ve got no choice now. We have to find Steiger, fight the Network, and stop Drakov. We’re spread too thin. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”