Stars of Mithra Box Set: Captive Star\Hidden Star\Secret Star (16 page)

The two men got out, separated and did a slow circle of the building.

The big one was his target.

Using parked cars as cover, Jack made his way over, watching as the man bent, picked up M.J.'s phone from the ground. It was a decent plant, Jack mused, gave him something to consider in that pea-size brain of his. As the big man pondered over the phone, Jack sprang and hit him at a dead run, bashing into his kidneys like a cannonball.

He took his quarry to his knees, and had the cuffs snapped over one steel-beam wrist before he was flicked off like a fly.

He felt the searing burn as his flesh scraped over wet, grainy asphalt, and rolled before a size-sixteen shoe could bash into his face. He made the grab, snagged the sledgehammer of a foot and heaved.

From her post, M.J. watched the struggle, wincing as Jack hit the ground, praying as he rolled. Hissing as fists crunched against bone. She started quietly toward the van, glancing back to see the progress of the bout.

He was outmatched, she thought desperately.
Was going to get his neck broken, at the very least. Braced to spring to his aid, she saw the second man rounding the far corner of the building.

He'd be on them in moments, she thought. And Jack's plan to take them both quickly and separately was in tatters. She sucked in the breath to call out a warning, then narrowed her eyes. Maybe there was still a way to make it work.

She dashed out from behind cover, took a short run toward Salvini, away from Jack. She skidded to a halt when she saw the second man spot her, made her eyes widen with shock and fear. His hand went inside his jacket, but she held fast, waiting until he began closing in.

Then she ran, into the curtaining rain, drawing him away from Jack.

Both Jack and his sparring partner heard the shout. Both looked over instinctively and saw the woman with the bright cap of red hair racing away, and the man pursuing her.

Never listens, Jack thought with a bright spear of terror. Then he looked back, saw the big man grinning at him.

Jack grinned back, and his swollen left eye gleamed bright with malice. “Gotta take you down, and fast,” he said conversationally as he
rammed a fist into the man's mouth. “That's my woman your pal's chasing.”

The giant swiped blood from his face. “You're meat.”

“Yeah?” There wasn't any time to dally. Praying M.J.'s legs and his neck would hold out, he lowered his head and charged like a mad bull. The force of the attack shot the man back, rapping his head smartly on the steel door. Bloodied, battered and exhausted, Jack drove his knee up, hard and high, and heard the satisfactory sound of air gushing out of a deflated blimp.

Blinking stinging sweat and warm rain out of his eyes, Jack wrenched the man's arms back, snapped on the second cuff.

“I'll be back for you,” he promised, as he retrieved the phone and tore off in search of M.J.

J
ack had told her, if anything went wrong, to head for the shops, to lose herself in the crowds. Scream bloody murder if necessary.

With that on her mind, M.J. veered that way, her priority to lure the second gunman away from Jack and give him an even chance.

But as she raced toward the stores, with their bright On Sale signs, she saw couples, families, children being led by the hand, babies in strollers. And thought of the way the man chasing her had slipped a hand under his jacket.

She thought of what a gun fired at her in the midst of a crowd would do.

And she pivoted, changed direction on a dime and ran toward the far end of the lot.

Pumping her arms, she tossed a quick look over her shoulder. She'd left her pursuer in the dust. He was still coming, but lagging now, overheated, she imagined, in his bagging suit coat and leather shoes. Slippery shoes on wet pavement. Just how far would he chase her, she wondered, before giving up and turning back to pick up his friend?

And stumble over Jack.

Deliberately she slowed her pace, let him close some of the distance, in order to keep his interest keen. Part of her worried that he would simply use that gun, slam a bullet into her leg. Or her back. With the image of that running riot in her head, she streaked into a line of parked cars.

She could hear her own breath whistling now. She'd run the equivalent of a fifty-yard touch-down dash in the blistering heat of a midsummer storm. Crouching behind a minivan, she swiped sweat from her eyes and tried to think.

Could she circle back, find a way to help Jack? Had the gorilla already pounded him into dust and set off to help his buddy? How long would her luck last before some innocent family of four, their bargain-hunting complete, ran through the downpour and into the line of fire?

Concentrating on silence more than speed, she duckwalked around the van, slid her way around a compact. She needed to catch her breath, needed to think. Needed to see what was happening behind the Salvini building.

Bracing herself, she put one trembling hand on the fender of the compact and risked a quick look.

He was closer than she'd anticipated. Four cars to the left, and taking his time. She ducked down fast, pressed her back into the bumper. If she stayed where she was, would he pass by, or would he spot her?

Better to die on the run, she thought, or with your fists raised, than to be picked off cowering behind an economy import.

She sucked in a breath, said another quick prayer for Jack, and headed for new ground. It was the ping on the asphalt beside her that stopped her heart. She felt the sharp edge of rock bounce off her jeans.

He was shooting at her. Her heart bounced from throat to stomach and back like a Ping-Pong ball, and she skidded around a parked car. Another inch, two at the most, and that bullet would have met flesh.

He'd tagged her, she realized. And now it would only be a matter of running her down, cor
nering her like a rabbit. Well, she would see about that.

Gritting her teeth, she bellied under the car, ignored the wet grit, the smell of gas and oil, and slid like a snake beneath the undercarriage, held her breath as she pulled herself through the narrow space and under the next vehicle.

She could hear him now. He was breathing hard, a wheeze on each inhale, a whistle on the exhale. She saw his shoes. Little feet, she thought irreverently, decked out in glossy black wing tips and argyle socks.

She closed her eyes for one brief moment, trying to get a picture of him planted in her mind. Five-eight, tops, maybe a hundred and sixty. Mid-thirties. Sharp eyes, a well-defined nose. Wiry but not buff. And out of breath.

Hell, she thought, going giddy. She could take him.

She scooted another inch, was just preparing to make her move when she saw those shiny wing tips leave the ground.

There in front of her eyes were a pair of scuffed boots. Jack's boots. Jack's voice was muttering panting curses. Her vision blurred with relief and the terror as she heard the muffled thump that was the silenced gun firing again.

Skinning elbows and knees, she was out from under the car in time to see the gunman running for cover and Jack starting off in pursuit.

“Jack.”

He skidded to a halt, whirled, sheer relief covering his battered face. And it was then that she saw the blood staining his shirt.

“Oh, God. Oh, God. You're shot.” Her legs went weak, so that she stumbled toward him as he glanced down absently, pressing a hand to his side.

“Hell.” The pain registered, but only dimly, as his arms filled with woman. “The car,” he managed. “Get to the car. He's heading back.”

His hand, wet with blood and rain, locked on hers.

Later, she would remember running. But none of it seemed real as it happened. Feet pounding on pavement, skidding, the jittery thud of her heart, the rising sense of fear and fury, the wide, shocked eyes of a woman carrying shopping bags who was nearly mowed down in their rush.

And Jack cursing her, steadily, for not doing as she was told.

The van screamed out of the lot as they skidded down the incline. “Damn it all to hell and back again.” His lungs were burning, his side shot fire.
Desperately he dug the keys out of his pocket. “In the car. Now!”

She all but dived through the window, barely maintaining her balance as he burned rubber in reverse. “You're hurt. Let me see—”

He batted her worried hands away and whipped the wheel around. “He got his three-ton friend, too. After all that trouble, they're not getting away.” The car shimmied, fishtailed, then the tires bit the road as he swung into the chase. “Get the gun out of the glove box. Give it to me.”

“Jack, you're bleeding. For God's sake.”

“Didn't I tell you to run?” He punched the gas, screaming on the van's rear bumper as they rocketed toward the main drag. “I told you to head for people, to get lost. He could have killed you. Give me the damn gun.”

“All right, all right.” She beat a fist on the glove compartment until the sticky door popped open. “He's heading for the Beltway.”

“I see where he's going.”

“You're not going to shoot at him. You could hit some poor schmuck's car.”

Jack snatched the gun out of her hand, swerved to make the exit, skidded on the damp roadway. “I hit what I aim at. Now strap in and be quiet. I'll deal with you later.”

Her fear for him was such that she didn't blink an eye at his words. He zipped through traffic like a madman, hugging the bumper of the van like a lover. And when they hit ninety, a cold numbness settled over her, as if her system had been shot full of novocaine.

“You're going to kill someone,” she said calmly. “It might not even be us.”

“I can handle the car.” That, at least, was perfect truth. He threaded through traffic, staying on target like a heat-seeking missile, his fat new tires gripping true on the slick roadway. He was close enough that he could see the big man hunched in the passenger seat turn around and snarl.

“Yeah, I'm coming for you, you son of a bitch,” Jack muttered. “You've got my spare cuffs.”

“You're bleeding on the seat.” M.J. heard herself speak, but the words seemed to come from outside her mind.

“I've got more.” And with the gun on his lap, he whipped the wheel, gained inches on the side. He'd cut them off, he calculated, drive them to the shoulder. The big man was cuffed, and he could handle the other.

And then, they would see.

His eyes narrowed as he saw the driver of the
van twist his head around, heard the wheels screech. The van shimmied, shuddered, then swerved wildly toward the oncoming exit.

“He can't make it.” Jack pumped his brakes, fell back a foot and prepared to make the quick, sharp turn. “He can't make that turn. He'll lose it.”

He swore when the van rocked, lost control on the rain-slicked road and hit the guardrail at eighty. The crash was huge, and sent the van flying up like a drunken high diver. It rolled once in the air. And amid the squeal of brakes of other horrified drivers, it landed twelve feet below, on the incline.

He had time to swing to the side, to push out of the car, before the explosion shoved him back like a huge, hot hand. M.J.'s hand gripped his shoulder as the flames spewed up. The air stank with gas.

“Not a chance,” he murmured. “Lost them.”

“Get in the car, Jack.” It amazed her how cool, how composed, her voice sounded. Cars were emptying of drivers and passengers. People were rushing toward the wreck. “In the passenger side. I'm driving now.”

“After all that,” he said, dazed with smoke and pain. “Lost them anyway.”

“In the car.” She led him around, ignoring the high, excited voices. Someone, surely, would have already called 911 on his car phone. There was nothing left to do. “We need to get out of here.”

 

She drove on instinct back to her apartment. Safe or not, it was home, and he needed tending. Driving Jack's car was like manning a yacht, she thought, concentrating on her speed and direction as the rain petered out to a fine drizzle. A very old, very big boat. With a vague sense of surprise, she pulled in beside her MG.

Nothing much had changed, she realized. Her car was still there, the building still stood. A couple of kids who didn't mind getting wet were tossing a Frisbee in the side yard, as if it was an ordinary day in ordinary lives.

“Wait for me to come around.” She dragged up her purse from the floor, found her keys. Of course, he didn't listen, and was standing on the sidewalk when she came around the hood. “You can lean on me,” she murmured, sliding an arm around his waist. “Just lean on me, Jack.”

“It should be all right to be here,” he decided. “At least for a little while. We may have to move again soon.” He realized he was limping, favor
ing an ache in his right leg that he hadn't noticed before.

Her heart had stopped stuttering and was numb. “We'll just get you cleaned up.”

“Yeah. I could use a beer.”

“I'll get you one,” she promised as she led him inside. Though she habitually took the stairs, she steered him to the elevator. “Let's just get you inside.” And then to a hospital, she thought. She had to see how bad it was first. Once she'd done what she could, she was dumping it all and going official. Cops, doctors, FBI, whatever it took.

She sent up a small prayer of thanksgiving when she saw that the corridor was empty. No nosy neighbors, she thought, ignoring the police tape and unlocking her door. No awkward questions.

She kicked a broken lamp out of her way, walked him around the overturned couch and into the bath. “Sit,” she ordered, and flicked on the lights. “Let's have a look.” And her trembling hands belied her steady voice as she gently lifted his bloody shirt over his head.

“God, Jack, that guy beat the hell out of you.”

“I left him with his face in the dirt and his hands cuffed behind his back.”

“Yeah.” She made herself look away from the
blooming purple bruises over his torso and wet a cloth. “Have you been shot before?”

“Once, in Abilene. Caught me in the leg. Slowed me down awhile.”

Ridiculous as it was, it helped that this wasn't the first time. She pressed the cloth to his side, low along the ribs. Her eyes stung with hot tears that she wouldn't shed. “I know it hurts.”

“You were going to get me a beer.” Didn't she look pretty, he thought, playing nurse, with her cheeks pale, her eyes dark, and her hands cool as silk.

“In a minute. Just be still now.” She knelt beside him, steeling herself for the worst. Then sat back on her heels and hissed. “Damn it, Jack, it's only a scratch.”

He grinned at her, feeling every bump and bruise as if in a personal carnival of pain. “That's supposed to be my line.”

“I was ready for some big gaping hole in your side. It just grazed you.”

He looked down, considered. “Bled pretty good, though.” He took the cloth himself, pressed it against the long, shallow wound. “About that beer…”

“I'll get you a beer. I ought to hit you over the head with it.”

“We'll talk about who conks who after I eat a bottle of aspirin.” He got up, wincing, and pawed through the mirrored cabinet over the sink. “Maybe you could get me a shirt out of the car, sugar. I don't think I'm going to be wearing the other one again.”

“You scared me.” Anger, tears and desperate relief brewed a messy stew in her stomach. “Do you have any idea how much you scared me?”

He found the aspirin, closed the cabinet and met her eyes in the mirror. “I've got an idea, seeing how I felt when I saw you trying to draw that puss-for-brain's fire. You promised to head for the mall.”

“Well, I didn't. Sue me.” Out of patience, she shoved him down again, ignoring his muffled yelp of pain. “Oh, be quiet and let me finish up here. I must have some antiseptic here somewhere.”

“Maybe just a leather strap to bite on while you pour salt in my wounds.”

“Don't tempt me.” She dampened another cloth, then knelt down and began to clean his face. “You've got a black eye blooming, your lip's swollen, and you've got a nice big knot right here.” He yelped again when she pressed the cloth to his temple. “Baby.”

“If you're going to play Nurse Nancy, at least
give me some anesthesia first.” Since she didn't seem inclined to give him any water, he swallowed the aspirin dry.

He continued to complain as she swabbed him with antiseptic, slapped on bandages. Out of patience, she pressed her lips to his, which caused him equal amounts of pain and pleasure. “Are you going to kiss everywhere it hurts?” he asked.

“You should be so lucky.” Then she laid her head in his lap and let out a long, long sigh. “I don't care how mad you are. I didn't know what else to do. He was coming. He'd have had you. I only knew I had to draw him away from you.”