Matt Hilton - Slash and burn

I was gratified when the man in a state of prayer shouted back at me. 'What are you doing, Hunter? You don't think I believe you'd kill the woman?'

'It's because of this cheating bitch that I've gone through hell. Believe me: I'd kill her as soon as look at her.'

Huffman came forward and the four with him fanned out. The two on the far sides lifted their rifles and aimed at me.

'I've got a round jacked. Any of your guys get itchy fingers, I might just slip and kill her by accident,' I called.

Huffman waved their guns down.

'Show me Kate. Now!'

It was Larry Bolan who turned back to one of the vehicles. He leaned down, and came out with a squirming bundle that I recognised as Kate. He flung her over his shoulder. Clever, Bolan, using her as a shield. He came to stand next to Huffman. Kate twisted her shoulders to peer back over Bolan and even from that distance I saw her eyes grow big and round. Then she went into a wild frenzy, twisting, trying to get free of Bolan's grip. Beneath the gag her shouts were guttural and I guessed that she was cursing me. I had a gun to her sister's head, so I suppose her reaction was justified.

'Gone home to roost, eh, Bolan?' I shouted. 'I'm not surprised really. You know what they say about shit sticking together.'

Bolan looked at his boss, but it appeared that Huffman hadn't caught the meaning in my words. I wasn't about to make him any the wiser, but it didn't do any harm to place Bolan on the defensive. In return, Bolan lifted his free hand and flipped me the finger.

Right back at you, I thought.

'So how do we play this, Hunter?' Huffman asked.

'You send Kate to me. When she's midway, I set Imogen off from this end.'

'No. We send them at the same time.'

'OK. Just send her.'

'Where's the camera?'

Pulling Imogen's camera out of my jacket pocket I lifted it for him to see. 'You mean this one?'

Before he could answer I lobbed it as hard as I could into the long grass in the field on my right. Hanging on to the damn thing would have guaranteed a volley of shots at both Imogen and me. Better to have Huffman worry that the camera wasn't the one he wanted and have no way of knowing without checking it first. It was a mere distraction, but enough to keep us alive a little longer.

'I take it that you've made copies. How can I be sure that you won't use them against me?'

'Huffman,' I said, as pedantic as I could muster. I did a reasonable impression of a man on the verge of insanity. 'I don't give a shit about you or what you've done in the past. All I'm interested in is getting my woman back. What you do with this bitch or any evidence she has against you is your business. Just get on with it. Send Kate to me so we can make the exchange and I can get out of your hair.'

Huffman stood silently for a moment, deep in contemplation. Finally his chin came up and I saw a smile like that of a shark. He nodded to Bolan and the big man placed Kate on her feet. He leaned in close to her and said something in her ear but I could not hear what it was. Kate turned towards me and there was a mix of hatred and confusion and something else in her face when she looked at me.

I pulled Imogen to her feet none too gently. I didn't take the gun from her head.

Then I waited.

When Huffman pushed Kate forward, I did the same to Imogen. Both women took a stumbling step towards each other. I lifted my SIG, aiming it between Imogen's shoulder blades. If Huffman believed that the camera was the one that he wanted, or my denial about copies, he didn't make any sign, so I still held the upper hand while I could threaten Imogen's life.

Mirroring my action, Huffman's sidekicks raised their guns and aimed them at Kate. Bolan pulled out the cannon he'd used to down the chopper earlier in the day, but I noticed him subtly weighing up the others, deciding which one of them was the greatest threat to his personal quest for vengeance. Huffman stood with his hands clasped. He watched the proceedings with his smile fixed in place.

'Remember the plan,' I whispered and Imogen replied by stiffening her shoulders. She sobbed, and this time it wasn't an act.

The women approached each other, their steps short and full of apprehension. I could only see Kate's expression, but I guessed that Imogen's would be the same. Both women were terrified, but full of an overwhelming love for the other.

Just keep walking, Kate, I thought, don't do anything to spoil the plan now. I saw her gaze flicker past her sister and she looked at me. I couldn't show her anything but a stern face; if I did anything else it would spoil everything.

The sisters' steps grew faster as the distance between them lessened. I could hear both of them making wordless noises and I hoped that they wouldn't give in to their urge to run to each other and hug.

'Keep on walking, Kate,' Huffman warned from his end. 'No talking to your sister. No touching either.'

'You heard the man, Imogen. If you want your sister to live, do exactly as he says.' As I shouted those words I saw Kate's face twist. If she'd had her gag removed she'd have been cursing me loud enough for everyone to hear.

Ten feet separated them.

Kate angled towards her sister.

Imogen shook her head savagely, telling her not to come near.

Five feet and Kate held her sister's gaze as though their souls were locked in an embrace.

Three feet.

Two.

One.

I wanted to yell at Imogen, but if I did that the others would fire out of reaction. Instead, I had to wait for the longest second of my life.

In the next instant, Imogen twisted towards Kate, grabbed her as though taking her down in a tackle and both women rolled together to the side of the road and into a shallow gully.

At the same time I rushed forward, firing shots as rapidly as I could squeeze the trigger.

Huffman's people didn't react until a full second and a half after we did.

The two with their rifles raised swung them to find me. I zigzagged, firing back at them. From that distance, and at a run, only a lucky bullet would strike them, but it was enough to make them flinch. Their return shots scorched the air around me. I was still thirty yards short of the women, who were already beginning their crawl in my direction. Another half-second passed and then the remaining man and woman with Huffman and Bolan had their guns up.

'Don't kill Ballard!' I heard Huffman roar.

His command was enough to halt all their bullets as their brains assimilated this new information.

Undeterred, I continued to fire.

My bullets struck the vehicle behind Huffman, and I saw him leap to the side, then scurry backwards to put the vehicle between us. I wasn't concerned about him getting away; I only wanted Kate – and now Imogen – out of there. Angling off the road, I went into the ditch. Rain hadn't fallen lately and the ditch was dry. I pounded along it firing the occasional shot at the group of vehicles.

Huffman's killers were spreading out.

A tall man who looked like he was more used to wrestling steers than firing an assault rifle dropped to one knee and placed the stock of his M16 to his shoulder. He had me in his sights.

Then blood puffed from his head and he went down on his belly, his rifle rolling away from his spasming fingers. A second or so later the crack of a M24 sniper rifle rolled across the prairie.

Thank God, my friends had made it to their positions in time.

'To me,' I yelled at the sisters. 'Keep low, but get here as fast as you can.'

Coming to a halt, I fired a round at another of Huffman's men. He was a muscle-freak but even his overdeveloped pectorals wouldn't stop a jacketed round. He went over backwards, landing on his ass in the road. But then he was rolling to one side, avoiding my second shot. Sitting up quickly, he pulled the trigger on his assault rifle and I had to flatten myself against the ground to avoid the bullets. Kate and Imogen's screams were strident and I blinked up at them, seeing them throw themselves down together.