Дэвид Балдаччи - End Game

Holly grabbed the door handle, threw her suitcase in, and followed right behind it.

She slammed the door behind her and Robie accelerated.

“Luke, oh my God! Luke!”

She put her arms around him and started sobbing. “Oh, please tell me he’s not dead. Please.”

“Probably drugged.” said Robie. “Nearest bus station?”

“But what about Luke’s car?”

“Not happening. The bus station?”

“There’s a Greyhound station sixty miles to the west on the main road.”

They raced on with the storm chasing them the whole way. Ten minutes later Robie worked his way over to an asphalt road, while Reel checked the GPS.

She directed him to the town with the bus station, and they arrived there over an hour later.

By this time Miller had woken up, and he and Holly were hugging in the backseat.

As they slowed to a stop at the bus station, Reel checked her phone.

She said, “A bus is leaving for Denver in thirty minutes. You can get there and then make plans to get to LA. Bus, car, train, or plane. Do you have money?”

Miller nodded. “I got credit cards. Luckily, those dumb shits didn’t think to take my wallet.”

“They were tapping your phone,” said Robie. “That’s how they knew where you were meeting both times. And if they’re tapping your phone they may be able to trace your credit cards. Do you have cash?”

“Probably not enough,” conceded Luke.

Robie and Reel took out their wallets and gave them what they had.

“This should be enough to get you out of the state,” said Robie.

“Thank you so much,” said Holly. “And we will repay you. I swear.”

Luke put out his hand for Robie and Reel to shake, “I want to thank you both. You saved my ass and Holly’s.”

After they shook hands, Robie said, “You can clean up in the restroom. How did they get a hold of you? An ambush somewhere?”

“Exactly. Then they shot me up with some drug.”

As they climbed out of the truck Reel asked Miller, “Were you really that bored that you had to join those guys?”

“It was beyond stupid,” said Miller sheepishly. “But they talked a good game, at least initially. I pretty quickly figured it out and just wanted to escape.”

“Remember to take the swastika off,” said Reel. “Hard to make the right kind of new friends with that on your head.”

“Right,” said Miller.

“And get rid of your phone,” added Robie. “They can track it even when you’re not using it.”

Miller reached into his pocket, pulled it out, and chucked it into a nearby trash can.

Holly hugged both Robie and Reel and said, “Thank you so much.”

“Call your sister,” said Robie.

“I will. Look, I know all that stuff I said about my family and all. The truth is, I was jealous of Valerie. You’re right, she wears the uniform. She was out there fighting the good fight. Risking her life. I thought no matter what I did that I could never measure up to that. So that was my problem, not hers. She’s been nothing but supportive of me, no matter how many mistakes I made. I know she loves me and I love her.”

“Sounds like something you should tell her yourself, at your first opportunity. You don’t want to squander chances with your family,” added Robie, drawing a quick glance from Reel. “You never know if you’ll get a second shot to make it right.”

Holly smiled. “Good advice. I’ll take it. And I hope you find Mr. Walton.”

“We will,” said Reel. “Guaranteed.”

As they drove back to Grand, Robie said, “Think they’ll be okay?”

“I think they have a far better shot of surviving than we do. They’re getting out of the storm. We’re heading right back in.”

“I can’t guarantee your protection,” said Valerie Malloy. “I don’t have enough resources, and the state police aren’t going to come up with any.”

Robie and Reel were sitting opposite Malloy in her office. Deputy Bender was standing next to her.

“We can look after ourselves,” said Reel curtly.

“Did my sister tell you anything else about this Clément Lamarre?”

“No, just what we told you,” said Robie. “Do you know him?’

She shook her head. “Missing people. Hoods. Armed guards. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean.”

“It means people are being held against their will,” interjected Reel.

“That I get. But is it the skinheads?”

Bender said, “What about Doctor King and his group?”

“That’s a possibility,” said Malloy. “Although they were helping Holly.” She turned to Robie. “She really was okay?”

“She was fine when she left us. We dropped her and Luke at the bus station. It was leaving shortly after we left.”

“And you really think he’s a good guy?”

“I do, for what it’s worth. It was a plus in my book that the skinheads were trying to kill him.”

“Maybe they discovered what Clément told her somehow. Maybe through JC Parry. Maybe they’re the ones involved in that.”

“And you say JC Parry has also vanished?” said Bender.

“As far as we could tell. We saw no sign of him and he left his dog behind, as you know.”

“I found a temporary home for it,” said Malloy. “I hope JC gets back to reclaim it.”

Robie said, “And it’s clear now that he was the go-between with Walton and Holly. He wasn’t acting as Walton’s guide. He didn’t need one.”

“That was a good catch on your part,” conceded Malloy. “I should have seen that one.”

“If the skinheads are the ones with prisoners, where would they be holding them?” asked Robie.

“They have a compound about twenty miles east of here,” said Bender. “It’s a fortified camp. Nobody goes near there unless they have business with them.”

“Sort of like the King’s Apostles folks?” said Reel.

“I’ve been out to Doctor King’s,” said Bender.

“So have I,” added Malloy. “The skins are a whole other story. And you’ve shot up a bunch of them and now you’ve wrecked their ATVs. They’re going to want blood.”

“Well, they kidnapped Luke and were trying to kill him and Holly. Would you rather we just left them to fend for themselves?” snapped Reel.

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m incredibly grateful that you helped Holly. I’ll never be able to repay you for that. I wish she had told me what she was planning to do. I could have helped her.”

“You ever been there?” asked Reel. “To the skinheads’ compound?”

“Once. To serve a warrant to appear.”

“What happened?”

“I served the warrant and they never appeared.”

“And you let that slide?”

“I had no choice. The witness against them disappeared, and the case fell apart and was dismissed.”

“Tell us about the compound.”

“There’s nothing for miles around it, which means they can see anyone coming from a long way away.”

Bender added, “It’s got a perimeter wall, with concertina wire on top of it. There’s only one road in and out. There are guard towers all along the perimeter. They have their own water source and a generator for electricity.”

“How many people are there?” asked Robie.

“About a hundred or more,” replied Malloy. “At least there were when I went out there. There’re probably even more now. They’ve got lots of firepower.”

“Any idea how they generate the cash to pay for all that? When I asked the bartender how the Apostles make a living he suggested drugs or guns or human trafficking. But he said he really didn’t know.”

“I don’t believe that Doctor King and the Apostles are involved in any of that,” said Bender. “But the skinheads sure could be. They definitely got money. They come to town every so often and buy whatever they need and pay in cash. So they’re getting it from somewhere.”