Clive Cussler - Wrath of Poseidon

His warning had the exact opposite effect. The young man ran faster, his attention solely on the truck.

Hoping that he was guessing correctly, Sam aimed his gun at the blinking light beneath the pallet—which left a lot of room for error at this distance.

“Blue lettering!” Remi said. “The one that’s missing from the photo.”

At the last second, he shot out the tire. The sidewall burst, the weight of the cab shifting onto the rim. The blast of intense heat from the near simultaneous explosion hit Sam in the face as the pallet and all its contents launched upward and out in a flash of light. Dimitris was hurled back, slamming to the ground as flaming debris pelted down around him and on top of the truck.

Zoe screamed, burying her head in Remi’s shoulder, while Remi stared in horror. “Is he—?”

Sam tossed his backpack at Remi’s feet. “Wait here.”

He ran out, dropping to the ground next to Dimitris, relieved to see him conscious, though somewhat stunned. “What happened?” Dimitris asked.

“They set you up. The load was rigged.” He reached down with one hand, helping Dimitris to his feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

They heard a loud click as two halogen lamps on posts flooded the area with light. Sam pulled Dimitris back to the office building, then around the corner as the bunker door opened. One of the guards stepped out, aiming a mini Uzi. “Get back,” Sam shouted to Remi.

The gun roared. A deafening rat-a-tat echoed between the buildings. A volley of shots hit the corner of the building and the gravel in front of them. The gunman ducked behind the flatbed. Sam gripped his Smith & Wesson, aimed at the blinding lights, and shot both in quick succession. Sparks rained down, then faded into the dark. A second burst of gunfire peppered the ground several feet to Sam’s left. He edged out, fired at the muzzle flash, heard a grunt, then the clatter of the Uzi as it fell to the ground.

One down.

Sam motioned for Dimitris to move to the trees where Remi and Zoe were hiding. He followed, walking backward, his weapon aimed at the bunker where the two remaining guards were holed up. So far, neither had emerged. Sam had a feeling that they were waiting for him to make the first move.

With only two bullets left, and a good quarter mile to the boat dock, he wasn’t about to take the chance. They still needed to get across to the ruins and thicker trees. With the truck headlights—although now somewhat askew—glaring down the road, they’d never make it past without drawing fire.

Sam looked over at Dimitris, who was holding Zoe in his arms, the young woman sobbing quietly. Unfortunately, the young man’s misguided attempt to save them had actually set them back. Not only did Kyril’s men now know Dimitris wasn’t alone, they knew exactly where they were positioned.

Time was running out. “I’ll stay here and hold them off while the three of you cross over. Get to the dock. I’ll be right behind you.”

Remi put her hand on his shoulder. “Sam . . . ?”

He reached up with his left hand, grasped her fingers. As intelligent as she was, there was no doubt she realized the position they were in. All he could do at this point was hope to hold them off long enough so that the three of them could—hopefully—make it to the ruins. As he let go, about to tell them to get ready, his foot hit his backpack. Ironic, he thought. Here he was with a block of C-4, a detonator, and a remote, but no batteries to set it off.

But he did have a rope.

Simple, but effective.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Remi, her stomach twisting in knots, listened while Sam quickly outlined what he needed them to do. She glanced across the road at the ruins, the moonlight painting the old stones and treetops a soft blue. “Questions?” he asked her.

A million, she wanted to say. First and foremost, how was it that he knew how to do what he did? How was it that he had skills that were beyond those any ordinary man possessed? But all that came out of her mouth was “No.”

“Try not to look at the headlights,” Sam said to her and Zoe. “It’ll ruin your night vision. Once you get to the ruins, use those backpacks to make as much noise as you can. Just keep the trees between you and them.” He picked up one end of the rope coiled at his feet, handing it to Dimitris. “Keep this on the ground as you cross. If anything goes wrong, get them to the boat.”

Dimitris looked at Zoe, a myriad of emotions flitting across his face. He’d done exactly what Sam had warned against—going it alone—and now they were paying the price. Just when Remi worried that he was going to stand there and beg forgiveness, he took Zoe’s hand in his and nodded. “Got it.”

Remi, holding Sam’s backpack by its straps, started to follow Dimitris and Zoe, then stopped. She turned to Sam, pulled his face to hers, and kissed him quickly. “Be careful.”

He nodded, searching her eyes. “You too.”

She took a deep breath, trying to slow her thudding heart. There were so many ways this plan could go wrong, and it seemed each one of them was rushing through her mind. As much as she didn’t want to leave him, she let go, moving next to Dimitris and Zoe. “Ready.”

They poised themselves at the edge of the road, waiting for Sam’s signal. He stepped out, closer to the warehouse. “Hey! Over here!” he shouted, drawing the guards’ attention. He fired once.

The three of them burst from the trees, Dimitris dragging the rope through the gravel as Sam fired his last shot. They dove into the ruins on the other side just as the guards returned fire.

Safe for the moment, she, Zoe, and Dimitris crouched behind one of the crumbling walls. Dimitris positioned himself in the doorway and gripped the rope, then nodded. Remi crawled to the edge of the ruins, looking across the road at Sam.

When she gave him a thumbs-up, he pulled the trigger several times on his empty gun, the distinct click, click, click audible in the quiet of the night. “Run!” he shouted. “I’m out of bullets!”

And just in case the gunmen didn’t understand English, Dimitris yelled out in Greek, “Hurry! To the dock! He’s out of bullets!”

Remi and Zoe ran into the woods. They darted from tree to tree, hitting their backpacks on any shrubs they passed. The automatic gunfire sent the adrenaline racing through Remi’s veins as she pressed herself against the trunk. But after a few shots, silence descended. The gunmen made no move to pursue them.

Looking over at Zoe, Remi nodded. They ran again, dragging their packs through the shrubs, then ducked behind the next tree, and then the next. Several seconds passed. The only sound was the wind riffling through the leaves on the branches above. If the gunmen didn’t make a move, Sam would be trapped on the other side. Remi edged around the thick trunk, looking back at the compound, seeing the ruins between her and the guards. Apparently they’d played it a bit too safe. Not only could Remi not see the gunmen, they definitely couldn’t see her or Zoe, who was leaning against the tree to her right, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

“We need to find a way to make them follow us,” Remi said.

“How?” Zoe asked between breaths.

Remi eyed the tree and shrubs near the road to her left, the area lit up by the flatbed’s headlights. To get to it, she’d be opening herself up as a target. “It might be Sam’s only chance.”

Zoe saw the direction of her gaze. “Remi, no.”

She wasn’t about to leave him trapped. There had to be a better way to draw the guards out. Gripping Sam’s backpack, she thought about the odds as she glanced across the road, where Sam waited. And then it hit her.