Black Ops Chronicles: Dead Run (8 page)

CHAPTER 5

Oh, shit, oh shit
!
Nick
! Just the sight of him made Tess’s throat slam shut. Gasping for air, she edged backward into the cover of the trees.

Had they seen her? No. There’d been no shouts of victory. They must’ve been too focused on her trash. Thank God.

Run, you fool
, screamed the little voice in her mind. Yeah, good idea. She’d go back to Pablo’s and use the trail north of his house to get to the village. Max would just have to take care of himself.

“Oh, Jesus,” she muttered, the realization hitting her like a slap in the face and stopping her in midstride. Max had
seen
her—and spoken to her—when she found him on the beach. He’d remember. When Nick started asking questions, Max wouldn’t know not to answer. And once he told what he knew, Nick would kill him then hunt her down with the tenacity of a pack of wolves closing in on wounded prey.

She sagged against a tree, boneless with fear, as the full impact registered.

Nick could hire the locals to search for her. Money was no problem for him, and the people here needed it too much to refuse him, even if they wanted to. If she didn’t go back and warn Max, she’d have no chance to escape.
And it’s my own damn fault for not talking to him before I left
. But she’d wanted to give him just a little more sleep before he had to wake up and face a cold harsh reality. As cold sweat oozed down her back, she wrapped her arms around herself, held tight.
Christ, what a mess
.
This is what I get for trying to do someone a favor
.

The men going through her trash were most likely looking for evidence of who lived there. And since the cottage doors and windows were locked, they probably hadn’t been inside yet. Otherwise, they’d have already talked to Max and would be spreading out to search for her. But they weren’t.

So if she hurried, she could get to Max before they did. Maybe. Or she could get caught and the last nine months of running would be for nothing.

Icy terror clutched at her heart, stole her courage. She swallowed hard.
Don’t think about it
.
Just do what has to be done
.
Come on now, damn it
.
You’ve got no choice, so deal with it
.

The pep talk did little to calm the shudders racking her body. Refusing to submit to defeat, she lifted her chin and took slow, deep breaths to steady herself. When the trembling stopped, she removed the satchel of sketches from her duffel bag and hid the duffel behind a Joshua tree. She’d come back for it. If she could.

She stuffed her shoes and the sketches in her backpack and slipped the pack on her shoulder. If she couldn’t make it back for the duffel, at least she’d have everything
essential
with her.

Dropping to a crouch, she crept out of the trees. The ground between the grove and the cottage boasted enough cacti and desert shrubbery to conceal her approach, but she still felt much too vulnerable and exposed. Running in a low squat, she darted from cover to cover as skittish as a desert mouse.

When she reached the saltbush hedge that separated her yard from the beach, she peeked through the leaves to make sure the men were still distracted by her trash. They were, so she low-crawled around to the back door.

Now all she had to do was sneak in and warn Max before anyone found out she was there.
Jesus, could I have come up with a dumber or more desperate plan
? Doubtful, but since nothing else came to mind, she had no choice but to go with it. Holding her breath, she pulled out her keys and darted to the door.

She found Griffin in the bedroom, but not Max.

A frantic search of the rest of the house revealed no sign of him. With a sinking heart, she discovered the front door was open a crack.
Which meant that Nick had forced the lock and been inside.

Oh, God, he’s already disposed of Max
. With a whimper of dismay, she buried her face in her hands.
This is all my fault
.
I should never have brought him here
. If she’d taken him to the village instead, he’d still be alive.

“Check inside once more.” Joe’s rough voice outside the living room window startled her, and she shrank back against the wall. “Make double sure there isn’t some information somewhere.”

“Already did,” grumbled a voice she recognized as Bruce’s. “There ain’t nothin’.”

“I said,
check
.”

“Oh, all right. Keep your pants on.”

Shit
. The bedroom was closest. As she raced in, Griffin jumped off the bed and headed for the door. Afraid Bruce might take his aggravation out on her cat, she scooped him up. The front door squeaked. Tess muffled her gasp of desperation in Griffin’s soft fur.
I’ve got to get out of here
. But how?

The window? She crept to it and peeked out. No one there. Still holding Griffin, she reached up to unlock it. Already unlocked? She didn’t stop to question why, just opened
it
and climbed through. Closing it behind her, she sprinted past a small clump of shrubbery to the protection of a large palm tree swaddled in bougainvillea.

Safe behind the bright red flowers, she put Griffin down and planned her next move.

She had to assume Nick had questioned Max and knew she’d been living here. So his men were probably going through her trash in hopes they’d find a clue to where she’d gone.

Damn it, you knew they’d go through the trash, so why didn’t you put something in it to make them think you’d gone back north, away from La Paz
? She sighed. Why, indeed? But it was too late now.

If she could get back to her duffel bag and put on her costume, she might gain enough of an edge to make it to the chicken farm. After all, Nick would expect her to run, not blend in with the locals.

Satisfied with the plan, she shifted her backpack to her other shoulder and stole another quick peek over the bougainvillea. Joe and another man were arguing beside the cottage—something about the cat, but she tuned out what they said. Griffin was safe outside now, and that’s all that mattered.

Over in the driveway, Nick leaned against the hood of the Jeep, smoking a cigarette and staring off into space. The sight of him looking like a Greek god in a thousand-dollar suit filled Tess with rage.

What right did he have to hunt her down like an animal?
He
was the criminal. All she’d been guilty of was being stupid enough to think she loved him. But Nick didn’t care if she was innocent. As long as he was alive, she’d have to keep running.

As long as Nick is alive
. That phrase tumbled around in her mind, hypnotizing her.

Surrendering to the anger and despair, she pulled the gun from her backpack and stared at it. She should kill Nick. End it here and now. He was evil. He’d killed a man and his entire family, including two small children, right in front of her.

Kill him
, her mind chanted.
End it
.
Do it now
. Despair overcoming reason, she propped herself against the tree, cocked the pistol, and aimed for Nick’s head.

***

Damn it, where the hell was Tess? Standing by the Jeep, Nick took a long drag on his cigarette and stared out at the shimmering blue-green sea. She couldn’t have escaped again. Could she?

An elderly Mexican up the road had told Tony—after being given a hefty bribe—that a redheaded woman lived in this dump. It
had
to be Tess.

But except for a large orange cat, the cottage was deserted. Nick rubbed his thumb over the spot on his hand where the little fucker had scratched him. If he hadn’t been afraid of alerting Tess, he’d have taken out his gun and blown the bastard’s head off.

And what had he gotten for all his pain and trouble? Not a fucking thing. Other than a little food in the cupboards and an unmade bed, he hadn’t seen a single indication that
anyone
lived here.

Tony walked up and leaned against the car beside him. “No sign of her. Inside or out. If she was hiding out here, she’s gone now.”

“She can’t have lived here,” Nick insisted. He dropped his cigarette and ground it out with his shoe. “That old man had to be lying.”

Tony snorted. “Why, because she left the cat?”

“Exactly. Tess wouldn’t leave a cat locked in a house to starve to death. She hasn’t got the balls.”

“You’re right. She wouldn’t have left the cat. Not unless she planned on coming back.” Tony helped himself to one of Nick’s cigarettes. “I’d lay you three to one that bed was slept in last night. So
whoever
lived here not only cleared out without leaving a trace, they did it in a hurry.”

“It can’t have been Tess. She’s not smart enough to disappear without leaving some evidence.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Tony began. “I’d say she’s—”

Shouts from the men cut him off. Nick followed Tony at a run as Joe, his fist raised, shoved Bruce up against the house.

“What’s the deal?” Nick demanded.

Joe lowered his hand. “He screwed up. I told the guys to leave everything like it was so nobody’d know we’d been here. Just like you wanted.” He jerked a thumb at Bruce. “But this idiot let the cat out, and now it’s gone.”

“Even if he did,” Nick said. “So what? I don’t see what the fuss—”

Tony held up a hand, cutting him off. “Is that true?” he asked Bruce. “Did you let it out?”

“No, I swear I didn’t. All the windows are shut, and I was real careful about the doors.”

“And you’re sure it’s not in the house somewhere, hiding from you?”

“Yeah, I searched. Twice.”

“All right, never mind. Round everyone up and get them in the cars.” As Bruce hurried away, looking grateful to be off the hot seat, Tony turned to Joe. “He might be telling the truth.”

“Then, who let it out? The damn thing was there when we first searched the place. But when I checked just now to make sure the guys hadn’t disturbed nothing, it was gone. And Bruce’s the only one who went back in.”

“No,” Nick corrected, realizing what Tony was getting at. “He was just the only one we
saw
go back in.”

Joe frowned. “You mean somebody else went in? But Josh and Glen were with me. And we searched the house and yard real good. There’s nobody else here.”

Nick and Tony exchanged glances.

Tony stroked a hand along his jaw. “Unless that bitch came back and slipped in without us noticing. Just in case, leave Bruce here to watch the house. Give him one of the radios. If nobody turns up by sunset—or if somebody besides Tess shows up—he can call us, and we’ll come get him.”

“And if she shows up?” Joe asked.

Tony’s smile was pure malice. “Kill her.”

***

He might not remember his name, but he damn sure recognized the sound of a gun being cocked. The surge of adrenalin shot him to his feet. Hands raised, he whipped around to face the danger.

To his surprise and relief, the revolver wasn’t aimed at him, but at a man leaning against a Jeep near the cottage. The woman he thought he’d dreamed stood a few feet away, aiming a pee shooter at the guy’s head.

His own woes forgotten, he took three quick strides and grabbed her from behind, clamping one hand over her mouth.

“I don’t know what the problem is,” he hissed in her ear. “But that’s not the solution.”

The woman struggled.

He tightened his grip. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you. Promise you’ll keep quiet if I let you go?”

Her head nodded against his chest.

He released her and stepped back. “Do you mind telling me—”

She whirled, bringing the gun up to the level of his heart. Anger flared in her eyes—eyes that would’ve held him captive even without the revolver. He felt a punch of desire, like a blow to his chest, and struggled to think coherently.
She’s got a gun, idiot
.
And it’s pointed at you
.

Holding his hands in the air, he took another step back. She hesitated then lowered the weapon. Maybe she didn’t intend to shoot him, after all.

“I’m sorry I startled you,” he said. “But I didn’t have time to—”

The two vehicles near the cottage started up. Leaving behind one blond-haired monster—spewing curses and complaints—the rest of the thugs drove off.

As the cars pulled out, the woman glanced over her shoulder. Taking advantage of her distraction, he grabbed for her gun. Just in case she changed her mind about shooting him.

She jumped and dropped the pistol before he could get a firm hold on it. It hit a large rock at the base of the bougainvillea and discharged. The bullet whizzed past his head, slamming into the trunk of a palm tree some twenty feet away.

Although he felt like he’d walked into the middle of a movie and couldn’t grasp the plot, he had no trouble comprehending the extent of this new disaster. He snatched the gun off the ground and the woman by the arm then hightailed it down the beach to a large thicket of shrubs and cacti. The solid, chest-high cover should buy them at least a few minutes.