Yesterday's Thief: An Eric Beckman Paranormal Sci-Fi Thriller (28 page)

She glanced back again. Yes, it was the huge Gypsy on the noisier of the two scooters.

He would cut her off before she got to the house. She changed course toward the spot in the fence where she’d cut the barbed wire.

The scooter wasn’t any faster than she was, but it didn’t get tired. She’d have to have enough of a lead so that she could climb over the fence before he could grab her. Then she’d be free. Yes, he might climb after her, but without his scooter she’d leave him in her dust. No contest.

She needed more of a lead, though. She entered the forest.

The whine went down in pitch as if running out of battery. Was he slowing? She looked back to check. He wasn’t gaining on her. Falling back in fact. Maybe this would work.

Looking back was a mistake. Her foot hit an exposed root and twisted. She brought her other foot forward to catch herself, but it hit the same root. She flew forward and threw out a hand instinctively to grab the trunk of a small tree. That only twisted her and she fell hard on her shoulder, the same one she’d injured earlier.

She looked back as she rolled. Ferka had gotten a lot closer. Too close. But her legs were in hyperdrive, and she popped to her feet and continued running. Everything was working now, all vestiges of the drug gone. With the adrenaline she had superpowers. Ferka was so close, though.

The trees here, away from the trail, gave her an advantage. Ferka had to slow to avoid them. But the trail lead directly to the place they’d cut the wire. She needed that. She couldn’t climb over barbed wire fast enough. Ferka would grab her. The trail it was. She changed course.

He was close enough to shoot her with the crossbow, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Viol
. That was his goal.

Not much farther. She glanced back. He had slowed. He wasn’t far behind her, but she would run right up to the fence, leap high onto it, and climb over. He’d have to stop and get off his scooter. That might give her the extra seconds she needed.

Once she was over, he might decide to shoot her. But that would be better than being violated by that disgusting creature. Even if she lived, she’d wish she hadn’t.

He’d have to climb to the top to shoot her. He couldn’t do it through the fence. Not with a crossbow. She could be far away by then. But she’d have to hit it just right.

Ferka was about seven meters back and matching her pace.

Now. Without slowing, she jumped high onto the fence. She hit it dead center between the posts, and with a rattle, it absorbed her momentum. Even before it stopped shaking she’d scrambled to the top. If only she’d been able to climb like this earlier in the morning.

Soon her waist was to the top and she started her flip.
Da!

But Ferka didn’t stop his scooter and step off. He drove full steam into the fence, jumping up as he hit it.

His huge hand fastened onto Viviana’s ankle. She looked at him through the chain-link. He had that same disgusting leer on his face.

He had her. He took his time, apparently enjoying himself.

She had her waist bent over the top of the ten-foot fence, her fingers clawed into the chain-link on the outside. Even missing a finger, it was a grip no one could break by pulling down on her ankle. The top of the fence cut into her belly. Her pounding heart echoed in her ears.

He reached up and pulled her spandex pants and her black panties down to her ankles. It didn’t matter. Getting loose mattered.

A strand of barbed wire hung down by her face. It was still connected at one end, but she had plenty enough free for her purposes.

She released her grip, grabbed the wire, and whipped Ferka in the face.

He roared, let go of the fence, and put a hand up to his cheek.

She whipped him again, the wire whistling through the air. She caught one of his eyes. Surely that would put him out of action.

He fell back but didn’t let go of her ankle.

No longer having the advantage of being bent over the fence with her hands welded to the wires, his weight pulled her down. She fell on top of him.

Viviana raised her leg high and brought it down, smashing her heel into his face. Then she bent her knee, and thrust her foot toward his head with all her strength. Her heel landed right below his chin and whipped his head back.

Another kick to the throat could finish it. Maybe his breathing tube would swell up and cut off his air. But he grabbed her other leg. He rolled on top of her. He must have been dazed and in pain, but his great weight incapacitated her.

As when they’d slid off the table in the workroom, she was once again under him, her face pressed into the rotting leaves.

The sound of his belt being unbuckled gave her a burst of energy. She snapped her head back, but he’d figured out that trick from before. She smashed into nothing but air and hurt her own neck from the whiplash effect.

She elbowed him in the gut but couldn’t get any power into it.
La naiba!

He reached around to her front and put his head next to hers. His stinking cabbage breath flowed over her.

Apparently overcome with lust, he started shaking.

* * *

My two Taser darts drilled into Ferka’s face. He started shaking, and I ran up to him. One dart was embedded in his temple, the other deep into his eyeball.

I roared as I sprinted the last twenty feet and kicked him in the temple. I rolled him off Viviana.

She scrambled up, a jumble of Romanian thoughts in her head. <
Asasina
.>

In a flash, she grabbed my pistol from its holster, pointed it at Ferka’s head, and pulled the trigger. But her thought had given me the warning I needed. I pushed her arm, and the bullet slammed into the dirt.

I pulled the gun from her hand and put it back in my holster.

I pulled up her pants and hugged her. “It’s okay, Viviana. It’s all over. You’re okay.”

She didn’t respond. Her mind was blank. She shook harder than Ferka, and she hadn’t had 50,000 volts running through her. The current flowed only between the two darts, not through to the ground.

I wanted to continue holding her, but I had to make sure the huge Gypsy was out of the fight.

I sat her down on the leaves and before Ferka could recover his wits, put a sturdy zip tie around his wrists, behind his back.

When I stood up, three things hit me. The whine of a scooter, a burst of Romanian thoughts, and those crazy, jumbled thoughts I’d detected back at the house. I’d heard that person thinking before but couldn’t place him. Or her. The Romanian thoughts were loud and clear, but I couldn’t understand them. A rustling of leaves also tugged at my attention, but my mind was already overloaded.

Viviana jumped back up and we both turned. Zaharia stood on his scooter, pointing his deadly crossbow at my heart. He delivered a long string of Romanian in a monotone.

Viviana replied with a pleading tone then glanced at me. <
He thinks I am his wife, Lia. He thinks I have been unfaithful with you, here in the forest.
> “Zaza,
este Viva. Este Viva!
”

His glance shifted to me. He began squeezing the trigger.

A shadow flew in from my left, between Zaharia and me. A man. He jerked and stumbled backwards. The point of an arrow bloomed through the back of his neck. The point pierced the center of his swastika tattoo. I caught him as he fell.

The thoughts I’d detected. The rustling I heard. Garrett Jarmin, the suicidal skinhead. He’d gotten his wish. <
Thank you, Eric.
> But how did he get here?

I looked at Zaharia. He struggled to load another arrow.

I sprinted toward him, my heart in my throat. He got the crossbow cocked and brought it up, aiming directly at Viviana. He pulled the trigger.

I jumped into the path of the arrow, trying to make the sacrifice for her that Garrett had made for me, but I missed. The arrow whistled past my ear. Perhaps it actually touched my head, the feather end brushing me.

I hit the ground, then jumped back up and tackled Zaharia. He felt as feeble as he looked, and I put a zip tie around his wrists. I looked up toward Viviana. It was the sight I most dreaded. She stared into the distance and fell to the ground.

I ran to her. The arrow was deep in the left side of her chest. I screamed her name. I wanted to rip the deadly thing out, but my brain overrode my arms.

All the blood had drained from her face. I felt her back. The arrow hadn’t gone through. Had it angled over and hit her spinal column? I put pressure on the entry point, feeling her blood flow out.

Peggy jogged over to us, and an ambulance appeared outside the fence near my position-broadcasting car. She must have disobeyed my orders. Good. Had she gotten Garrett involved?

One of the EMTs climbed over the fence with his kit, and Peggy told the other how to get to the entrance. The EMT started working on Viviana. I didn’t want to leave her side, but I owed my life to Garrett. I went over to him.

He was still conscious, but he wouldn’t live long. He seemed to want to say something.

I whispered in his ear. “Thank you for saving my life, Garrett. You are a good man. I can read your thoughts. Is there anything … are there any messages you want me to pass on?”

<
Project was canceled.
>

“Yes, that’s right. Your project was canceled. No more struggling against life.” I held his hand.

His eyebrows went up. <
You can read my thoughts. That’s how you won our fight at the bridge.
>

I nodded.

<
Tell Helen it wasn’t her fault. It was no one’s fault.
>

“I’ll tell Helen it wasn’t her fault. She’ll understand. Thank you, Garrett.”

Tears fell from his eyes. He gave a weak chuckle, raised one hand, and then dropped it. No more thoughts. No more pulse. He was gone.

The other EMT came up and started working on Garrett. “The helicopter will be here any minute.”

I went over to Viviana. She’d lost consciousness.

I whispered in her ear. “I’m here Viviana. Everything will be okay. I love you.”

Nothing. No thoughts that I could detect. Even when she’d been in the coma, I’d gotten something.

When the helicopter touched down in a clearing, the EMTs loaded Viviana into it.

I kept one hand on her arm, hesitated, and then pointed to Zaharia with the other. I yelled over the sound of the rotors. “Get the old man, too.”

“Was he injured also?”

“No, but he has a neurological problem that needs attention.” I would have been happy to let him die, but again, my brain overrode my heart.

“He dangerous?”

“Leave the cuffs on him.”

“What about that guy?” He pointed to Ferka.

“The police will deal with him,” I yelled.

I wanted to stay at Viviana’s side, travel with her, but I had to take the chance that I could save the energy ball from destruction. I kissed Viviana’s cold lips, told her goodbye, and watched the helicopter take off. Garrett didn’t need speedy transportation—he was long gone.

I checked my watch: 7:19. Sixteen minutes to go before the acid mixture would be released.

Peggy gave me a hug. “She’ll be okay, Eric.” <
Probably not.
>

“Come with me.” I couldn’t let this whole adventure be for nothing. We jogged toward the house.

“Good thing I didn’t listen to you, huh, boss?”

“How did Garrett get here?”

“Poor guy. He’s been bugging me to let him help. I called him last night, and he came right over to the office. Paced around, driving me crazy. Kept talking about canceling a project. Your fancy car reported its position. It hadn’t moved since two-thirty. When you didn’t call, I decided you had forgotten to charge your phone or something, and we drove down here along with the private ambulance.”

“How did you know we’d need an ambulance?”

“I didn’t. But we have plenty of money, so I hired one, just in case.”

“Police?” I jumped over an exposed root in the trail.

“They’ll be here soon. So, let me finish. As soon as Garrett and I drive up, he’s out of the van like a shot, climbing right over the fence. We could hear the whine from those scooter things, but I guess it took him a while to find you.”

“How’d you get in?”

“I smashed through the gate with the van. It wasn’t pretty.”

We arrived at the house and went into the power room.

“So this is what all the fuss is about?” She walked toward the energy ball.

“Don’t touch anything.”

“Right. You told me that already. This doesn’t look like it can solve the world’s problems.”

I snapped at her. “Well, this thing is powering the whole house. Do you see any external power lines?” I stifled a sob and rubbed the back of my neck. “Sorry, Peg, I’ve had … You saved my life—”

“By disobeying your orders.”