Iris Johansen - Eight Days To Live

“Here they come,” Jock murmured, his gaze on the sky. “Low and fast. Tell me when I should slow down.”

“Not slow, stop.” Caleb was sighting. “On three. One… two…”

The copter was so close the roar was drowning out Caleb’s voice, Jane realized. But she could see his lips move.

“Three!”

Jock put on the brakes.

An instant later Caleb fired.

He must have missed, Jane thought. The copter was over them, passing them.

No, it was listing drunkenly to one side and dipping!

“I couldn’t get the gas tank. I was in the wrong position. But I got the rotor engine. That should bring them down.”

“Which means they’ll be after us in a heartbeat,” Jock said dryly. “Lina’s car is parked at the cottage. They’ll have transport. We have another thirty miles before we get out of this valley.”

Jane’s grip tightened on the plastic bag. “Then let’s get through that pass and on a decent highway before they catch up to us.”

MILLET CURSED AS he jumped out of the helicopter. “Medford, take the men up to that cottage and see if one of you can find a car.”

“Right.” Medford gestured to the four men jumping out of the aircraft. “Fan out and look sharp.”

Look sharp for what? Millet thought bitterly. He gazed at the taillights of the BMW, and his fingers clenched into fists. He had been so close. “Son of a bitch!”

He still had a chance if they could get their hands on a decent car.

His phone rang two minutes later. Medford.

“We found a Volvo parked in back of the cottage. We’re jumpstarting it now.”

“Hurry. Is the place deserted?”

“Almost.” Medford paused. “We found Weismann in the toolshed. He’s tied up and he’s… I don’t know. Something.”

“Bastard.”

“What do you want us to do?”

“What do you think? I want you to get down here with that damn car.”

“What about Weismann? Should I bring him along?”

Shoot him on sight, Roland had said.

But Millet didn’t take orders from anyone. He’d do whatever he liked with Weismann.

But what he didn’t like was having to drag a wounded man along with him while he went after Jane MacGuire. What he didn’t like was leaving him to be picked up by his buddy, Venable. Roland was worried about his own ass, but the chances of Weismann’s incriminating Millet were much greater. He should have known that Weismann would try to double-cross him when he sent him to get that tablet from Adah.

Two-faced prick. A bullet in the brain was too good for him.

“Hell, no,” he said harshly. “Burn the bastard. Torch that toolshed. Torch the whole damn place.”

“LINA’S STIRRING,” CALEB SAID. “Maybe you’d better take the AK-47 up there. It might be too accessible when she comes out of it.”

“Take your chances,” Jane said. “You’re the one who knocked her out.”

“You were being too polite. It wasn’t going to work with Lina. She wasn’t going anywhere.”

“So you gave her a karate chop.”

“It ended the discussion.” He met her gaze. “And admit it, you were glad I didn’t use more ‘unusual’ methods. You were ready to jump me.”

“Hell yes. I’d just seen what your persuasion did to Weismann.”

“I was in a hurry, and I didn’t give a damn. I would have been careful with Lina. If I’d chosen to do it.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because I didn’t want to tamper with her. I know Lina. I like her. It wasn’t fair to take the advantage. I don’t intrude with personal relationships unless I can’t do anything else.”

“Your code again?”

He shrugged. “When I can go along with it. As you saw tonight, it’s a very loose code.”

“Exceptionally,” Jock said. “Almost nonexistent.”

“And you didn’t seem to be overly worried about it.”

“I was too busy watching and sifting through your weird vibes.”

“I’m glad you held your-Shit!”

His hand closed on Lina’s wrist and jerked her hand away from between his legs. “Dammit, are you trying to tear off my balls?”

“Yes,” Lina said fiercely. “You bastard. You hit me.”

“And I guarantee that you hurt me just now more than I hurt you.”

“Good.” She straightened in the seat. “And I’ll hurt you again. As soon as I get a chance.” Her eyes were blazing in her white face. “I didn’t think you’d-I don’t trust many people, but I thought that you were-”

“I didn’t have time to argue.” He paused. “This seemed the least intrusive way to move you.”

“Well, it won’t do you any good. Let me out. I’m going back.” She glanced out the window. “We haven’t reached the pass yet. It will only take a couple hours to hike back home.”

“And you’ll be welcomed by Millet and his men,” Jane said. “A few things happened while you were unconscious, Lina. They’re not far behind us.”

“Let-me-out.”

“Okay.” Jock stopped the car. “Get out, Lina.”

“No,” Jane said sharply.

“You can’t convince her. She has to make the decision.” His gaze was on the rearview mirror. “Or have it made for her.”

“You’ve already tried that,” Lina said as she opened the car door and got out. “And I don’t appreciate it. This is my life. I don’t want your protection or your pity. I take care of myself. I won’t have-My God.” She was staring at the southern sky, which was glowing orange-red in the darkness. “Fire.”

That’s what Jock was staring at in the rearview mirror, Jane thought as she got out of the car and joined Lina on the edge of the road. That’s why he stopped the car and let Lina get out. The hillside was wreathed in smoke, and the cottage and outbuildings were being devoured by flames. “It’s your place, Lina,” she said gently.

“I know that,” she whispered. “I’ve driven this road hundreds of times, and knew I was almost home when I reached this point.”

Jane put her hand on Lina’s arm. “I’m sorry. It’s senseless destruction. There was no reason for them to do it.” She added bitterly, “But that doesn’t seem to matter.”

“I could have stopped them.”

“No.” Jock got out of the car. “Those are trained killers, and there are too many of them. You might have slowed them down, but this wasn’t the place to stand your ground. If it had been, we’d have stayed.”

Her gaze never left the burning cottage. “I’d have found a way.”

“Headlights.” Caleb suddenly said, his gaze on the valley below. “Get going, Gavin.”

Jock got back in the car. “And this isn’t the place to stand our ground either, Lina. We can’t risk Jane. Will you come with us?”

Lina didn’t answer.

“I’m not going to knock you out again,” Caleb said. “But Jane is wasting time she doesn’t have on you. She’s not going to leave you.”

“That’s her decision.” Lina glanced at Jane, then turned on her heel. “Oh, hell, I’ll go. For now. Get in that car. Let’s get out of here.” She jumped in the car. “But if that car has any speed, it could overtake us in ten minutes if you keep on this road.”

“You should know. It’s your car they stole.”

“Then it has the speed. I made sure of that when I bought it.”

“According to the map, there’s no other road,” Jock said.

“There’s a road. Go straight ahead.” She turned to Caleb in the seat beside her. “And you’ll never be in the position to knock me out again. I trusted you enough to let you near me. I won’t do that a second time.”

“You never know,” Caleb said. “Circumstances usually dictate response.”

“I know.” She leaned forward, and said to Jock, “Around the next curve is a little lay-by on the right that disappears into the brush and trees. Go off the road and into the brush. In about forty yards you’ll see the road. It runs parallel to the main road. But go very slowly and be careful to stay on the road. Four feet on the other side is a three-hundred-foot drop to the valley below. You won’t be able to see it because of the tree cover.”