Freedom Does Matter (Mercenaries Book 2) (32 page)

Kevin stood after securing the man on the floor. As he did, Derek came through the door and took in the scene. He was holding the remnants of Beckie’s clothes. “Not much, but it’ll get you to the car,” he said, handing her the Chelsea shirt, slit down the front, and a piece of the robe that she wrapped about her waist.

“Thanks,” she forced out through gritted teeth. “Any idea about Haleef?”

“Nope. We were ‘opin’ you had some news.”

“I don’t. Before I splashed water all around, I thought I saw some blood, but not a lot.”

“When we get to the car, we can check ‘is bug.”

“Yeah. Well, let’s get out of here, then.”

Kevin jumped to catch Beckie’s elbow as she tried to stand, but ended with an arm around her, half-carrying her. Derek went first—“Watching for trouble”—and Beckie saw nothing as they made their way to the elevator, down and then out to Derek’s car. When Kevin helped her stand beside it, she opened the door and dropped into the seat beside Derek. Kevin made a snorting sound that amused her, but then sat behind her.

“Really, Kev, I’m not disabled.” She tried to turn to look at him; her grimace was all he needed, based on the frown on his face.

“You’re giving a great impression. What happened?”

“First, we should call the cops about the taxi driver. They slugged him. Next, when we get back, I’m gonna sign every petition I can find to abolish water-boarding!” She caught her breath. “I tried to get away while I was in the tub, and fell. I don’t know if it’s broken or just bruised, but…” This time she was able to turn to look at Kevin, using her disposable phone. “God, I’m sorry, Kev. I gave him your name. Just Kevin, when I was screaming for you guys to find me.”

“The guy on the floor?”

“No, another one. He spoke English.”

The car stopped at a signal. “That’s okay. That one ran into my knife, so no ‘arm done.” Derek gave her a quick glance. “Sorry we didn’t get there a little sooner.”

“As long as you didn’t get there a little later.” She laughed and then doubled over clenching her side. “Won’t do that again. What about Haleef?”

“We’re ‘ot on ‘is trail,” Derek said. He handed Beckie the tracking tablet as he pulled away from the traffic signal. “They’ve got a good ‘ead start, so you lot give me directions. ”

As she oriented herself with the map on the device, Beckie heard Kevin talking. This time, he was using his own phone. Based on the conversation, he was telling Millie of her misadventures, and, like Beckie, they were both worried about the condition they’d find Haleef in.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Day Thirty-one - London

BECKIE SAT UP, THEN STIFLED a cry.

“What is it?” Kevin said, and she saw Derek’s glance as well.

“Take a look. He’s stopped.” She pointed out the location and she and Kevin went over the stats.

“I don’t much like this, Derek,” Kevin said, looking at the display. He zoomed the picture in and handed the tablet to Derek.

“Good thought,” the man said. He pulled to the curb and studied the image. “Looks like a scrapyard, in amongst the industrial estates.” He handed the tablet back. “What the ‘ell’s ‘Aleef doing in a scrapyard? What’s anyone doing there at this time of night? Or morning, since it’s going on for two?”

“Since he’s not moving, either he’s hiding or lying dead.” Beckie squealed. “Or hurt, anyway.” Kevin looked around the seat at her. “Sorry.”

“No, my bad,” she said.

“Do we want Millie to come ‘ere, or should we take ‘im to ‘er, assuming ‘e’s not there voluntarily?”

“She should be on the way,” Kevin said. “Yeah, that’s her tracker there.” He pointed to a different symbol than the one Beckie had been watching. “She’s tracking us, but…” He picked up his phone and called Millie again.

Derek set the GPS. “We’re about fifteen minutes away, so let’s get going.” He drove back onto the street.

Derek followed a main street for more than ten minutes, until the GPS led him to a narrow track between rows of buildings. Beckie suffered the discomfort from her ribs to sit on the edge of the seat, looking out. The road had sidewalks, occupied by vans and delivery vehicles parked for the night. A few streetlights showed the tiered buildings, some single story, a few three, but most two level. Between the streetlights, there was no light barring the Mondeo’s headlamps; except for the trucks, the area gave every evidence of being abandoned.

The rain now made its appearance; a misty drizzle just heavy enough for Derek to start the wipers. Beckie squinted as the car moved between the parked vans and building fronts. The rain slowly increased as they headed north.

Following the GPS, Derek made several left turns in sequence and Beckie began to wonder if they were circling the target instead of closing on it. And Haleef’s out there, maybe hurt. She spent a couple of seconds checking on Millie’s progress; the doctor would arrive minutes after Derek did.

Finally! Behind a fence at a painted roundabout, smashed car and truck bodies lay askew on a weed-covered lot. “That fence will only keep honest people out,” she muttered to herself, looking at the four-foot high black iron spikes set perhaps five inches apart. “That’s gotta be it,” she said to the others.

Mumbled agreement accompanied Derek’s turn into the narrow byway. About forty yards down, she glimpsed a gate with both a padlocked chain and a massive built-in lock securing the swinging halves. “And,” Derek said, pointing to the sign in the edge of the headlamps’ light, “look at that.”

“Big Dog Security,” the well-worn placard read. “If the Dogs Don’t Get You, the Cameras Will.”

Beckie opened the door and put her hand out. “Rain’s gotten heavier,” she said, pulling the door closed again.

“Well, don’t get out yet. Tracker says he’s still ahead.” Derek put the car in gear and inched along the road. Beckie and Kevin both concentrated on the tablet.

“Okay,” Kevin said. “We just passed him. Back up a little.”

Beckie glanced at the display again, then looked out the window. A muddy sidewalk no more than three feet wide was backed by the fence, no different than it had been on the other side of the gate. Weeds and scrub bushes reached out through the fence; almost six feet high, they obscured whatever lay beyond them. The rain was now falling steadily; the road and sidewalk were both beginning to puddle.

She opened the door again, but Kevin placed his hand on her shoulder to prevent her stepping out. “You’ve already had your fun in the wet tonight. Flag down Millie when she gets here, and wait for us.” He was now standing on the walk. When Beckie lowered the window, he grinned. “If the cops come by, tell ‘em your boyfriend had to have a leak.”

Derek was using a small but brilliant flashlight to peer beyond the undergrowth. He shook his head. “Nothing close by. About five yards in, there’s a Volvo estate. Let’s check it first.” He held his hands in a step and Kevin climbed up and over the fence. “Not electrified, I guess.” Derek gave a macabre snort of humor before throwing one leg to the top of a spike and rolling over. “You can give me a boost comin’ back.” Beckie laughed in relief as they disappeared through the branches and leaves.

After the initial rustling and snapping of branches, she heard nothing over the rainfall. She divided her attention: first, she watched the bent plants where Kevin and Derek had disappeared; then she glanced up and down the street to make sure no one was traveling by, and finally, she checked the tracker to make sure Haleef hadn’t moved, and Millie was still coming. Repeat.

It was another couple of minutes before the bright lights of Millie’s rented SUV appeared behind Beckie. As the doctor stopped behind Derek’s Mondeo, Beckie leaned over to open the door allowing Millie to tumble in.

In a minute, Beckie had told the story so far. In another minute, Millie had completed her recriminations and checked Beckie’s facial injuries. A few muttered expletives and then, in spite of the rain, the doctor came around to Beckie’s door and helped her to stand beside the car.

“The open air shirt makes this a lot easier,” Millie joked as she poked and prodded Beckie’s rib cage. After causing several gasps and oaths, she pulled the shirt back together and said, “The ninth and tenth ribs on your right side are at least cracked. I doubt they’re broken, but we’ll still tape you up.” She laughed. “That’s all we do for ribs.” After she pushed Beckie back into the seat, she looked at the fence. “Where the hell are they?” She glared up and down the road. “I’m gonna pull around so the headlights shine into the back.”

Millie had her SUV in place with the tailgate open when Derek pushed the bushes apart and peered over the fence. “Great!” he said when he recognized her. “The lad’s out cold, there’s blood everywhere and ‘e looks to ‘ave been beaten near to death.” He hopped the fence again and faced back into the lot. As Kevin pushed through, Derek stepped close to the fence on the outside and reached for Haleef. Together, he and Kevin worked the limp body over the fence and into Derek’s arms.

Beckie forced herself out of the car. As she watched Derek carry Haleef to the SUV and lay him down, she limped to the fence to try and assist Kevin over the fence. With a look, he waved her aside and crawled up and over. “Not as elegant as the track star, there,” he said with a wave toward Derek, “but it gets the job done.”

Beckie leaned on him as they walked to the SUV. “How long before the police show up?”

“You always ‘ave such good questions, Miss Beckie,” Derek said with a chuckle. He pushed his wet red hair back out of his face and glanced up and down the street. “Not soon, is my guess, unless we set off an alarm. The big dogs seem to be missing.”

She nodded and waited for the doctor.

Millie rolled up two towels and supported Haleef’s head with them, then filled the next minutes with her own brand of small talk, heaping oaths on those who leave injured bodies, and on bandage manufacturers and rain and the steel floor of the SUV and any of her observers who got close enough to interfere.

She rocked back on her heels to look at the others. “God, this is uncomfortable to kneel on.” She waved off Kevin’s attempt to comment and went on. “If these people were even half-way competent, we’d have three dead team members.”

She put her hand on Haleef’s chest. “Most of the blood is from his head, where they tried to shoot him. Like Ian, they must have used something like a .22; unlike Ian, the slug didn’t go in. Instead, it opened a big gash in his scalp. Scalps bleed a lot when cut, so that’s where almost all of the blood came from. I’d guess they beat him, broke his fingers, kicked him some, shot him and left him for dead. I can’t tell till he’s conscious, but he’s gotta have a concussion between the beatings and the bullet.” She twisted around to sit. “Was he just dumped there?”

Kevin looked at Derek, who shrugged his shoulders. “I think so, Millie,” Kevin said. “While it wasn’t completely out of the rain, there wasn’t much blood except on him.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’m gonna stay back here with him. Beckie can’t drive, so you two will have to split up and get us back.”

“Can you take care of him at the hotel?”

“Yeah, unless something else shows up. Or we go back to the Nest, which would be best.” Millie looked straight at Beckie. “You should be back there, too. A couple of your facial bones could be cracked along with your ribs.”

Beckie licked the inside of her mouth again. “I thought it felt… funny.” She pulled herself up to stand beside Kevin, instead of leaning on him. “But we hav’ta find out what’s going on. Someone really doesn’t want us poking around.”

“Right,” Derek said. “You take the SUV, and I’ll take my car.”

“Okay. You lead, since you have the local GPS,” Kevin said with a laugh.

“I’ll ride with Derek,” Beckie said, “unless… Can I help you, Millie?”

“Not while he’s out, which I expect to last till tomorrow, anyway.”

Beckie made a slow turn toward Derek’s car, but then returned. “Should we take him to Gatwick, to the plane? Sue said there’s X-ray equipment in the clinic?”

“Thanks for that reminder. Yeah, let’s go there. While I don’t think he has any hidden problems, that would clear it up sooner.” She turned to Kevin. “Will we need Jean-Luc? Or Mathilde? You know, to unlock the plane?”

“I’ll call and find out. Let’s get moving.”

The GPS said Gatwick was a little more than an hour away. With half her mind, Beckie watched Derek navigate the streets to the motorway south. Jean-Luc told them he’d meet them there, as the plane had been moved to a maintenance facility for ‘routine’ checks. Shore power was connected, so the medical equipment would work fine.

The other half of her mind fretted first about her fear of being raped until she figured out that, unlike Noorah, the two men were out to embarrass her. At first, anyway. After she’d shoved that thought back into the recesses where it belonged, she focused on Haleef.

He was more important. While he’d volunteered, likely expecting to gain prestige in Noorah’s mind, he was still Beckie’s responsibility. She’d brought him into it; now she wondered how much longer she could delay before shipping him the hell out again.