Devil's Island Page 11

  “And what happens next?” Dallas asked a question Drake was interested in hearing the answer to. “Back to interviewing mercs for a new relic smuggling team?”

  “Well, apparently, Hayden has a new proposal.” Kenzie sighed deeply as she ran. “I guess I’ll have to hear her out first.”

  “Maybe I’ll stick with you,” Dallas said.

  “Maybe I’ll let you.”

  “You’re not that alluring, you know.”

  “You’re kidding?” Kenzie looked across at him. “If I wanted to I’d have you eating out of my hands.”

  “Really?” Dallas’s reply was a little too fast and forced. “I doubt that.”

  Suddenly, ahead, Dahl stopped. He turned to face them. “I don’t think we can do this,” he said.

  Drake skidded to a halt. “What are you talking about?”

  “The timing’s too tight,” Dahl said. “I’ve been running it through my brain. We’ll lose hours saving Hayden and the others. Then hours to reach the mountain. After that we need to find Mai, save those captives and find a way off the island before the nuke blows.”

  Drake narrowed his eyes. “We don’t have time.”

  Dahl nodded. “So, what are we gonna do?”

  Desperation clawed inside his stomach. There was only one choice, and nobody was going to like it.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Pursuit came fast.

  To Mai it felt deliberate. Up until now their pursuers had moved at a similar pace but now she heard and sensed an urgency. Were they trying to close the gap?

  They couldn’t be nearing the exit so why would they do that now? When she voiced her concern to Luther he looked at her and uttered one word: “Trap.”

  It happened fast. One minute they were negotiating the dark, roughhewn tunnels, the next they had emerged into a vast cavern that needed no artificial light. Mai stumbled, brain shocked as the walls vanished to left and right. Heat and light hit her at the same time, making her throw her arms in front of her face.

  “Don’t stop.” Luther propelled her forward. “They’re less than a minute behind.”

  It looked bad. Mai had been in some dangerous scrapes through the years—from Tokyo Coscon to Washington DC—but this could well be the worst. Their path ended about twenty feet ahead where a lava pit dissected the cave. The glow shining up from it was hellish and hot. Gobbets of lava exploded from below, some shooting straight up into the air whilst others came diagonally, landing on the cave floor.

  The gap was twelve feet wide. A single plank of solid wood was the only way across. Mai guessed it measured about two feet in width.

  The plank’s underside was hit by a lava-bomb even as she watched. Then, a harsh blast flew up and splatted the ceiling, before raining down fire, dripping like melting glass. Within seconds she had assessed the whole cave.

  “There’s only one way to go.” Luther stalked forward, making sure his backpack was secure.

  “We could stop and fight,” Dino said. “It worked last time.”

  Mai wiped sweat from her forehead. “But at some point, we’ll still have to cross that.” She pointed at the plank. “Better now so that at least some of us survive.”

  Karin eyes opened wide at her words, as if she’d just realized how deadly this underground pursuit was. Mai placed a hand on her arm. “We’re not all gonna make it,” the Japanese woman said softly. “I’m sorry.”

  Luther was at the edge of the lava pit, looking down. Mai joined him, Dino and Karin at her side. It was a white-hot mess below. Fire bubbled, spat and boiled. A shimmering wall of heat dried out the water in their eyes.

  “You first.” Luther nodded at Karin. “Then Mai, Dino and me. Move.”

  Mai knew he wasn’t being solicitous. It was simply the best order to cross, keeping at least one experienced member of the team with a younger one. And she was nimbler, able to cross faster. If Luther went first he’d slow the whole group down.

  But crossing was a whole new matter. Without the spitting lava and a long drop it would have been simple. Karin held her arms out for balance and put one foot in front of the other, teetering at first. She stared ahead but down, keeping the plank at the forefront of her vision. It was the next gout of flame she was waiting for—they all were.

  Their pursuers arrived.

  Karin was halfway across the plank. Mai was ready to start over. Luther was covering them all, standing in the center of the cave. Mai saw four of the ten remaining mercs surge out of the tunnel, followed by Valance and the four rich civilians, and then more mercs. Everyone came to a sudden halt.

  Valance laughed. “Here we go,” he said. “What did I tell you?”

  All four civilians chortled along with him, taking in the shocking sight that was the lava cave. The mercs lowered their weapons and fanned out in front of Luther. Karin picked up the pace. Mai stepped out onto the plank behind her.

  “Take your pick.” Valance indicated them. “I’d recommend knocking one of them into the lava. It’s great sport.”

  The civilian trophy hunters unstrapped rifles from their shoulders and dropped to one knee. Karin was five feet from the other side when a lava bomb exploded. Fire shot past her left shoulder, emanating intense heat. Karin flinched away, lost her footing on the plank and toppled.

  She fell toward the fire pit. One of the trophy hunters cheered.

  Somehow, she hooked a knee over the plank and landed on her inner thigh, crying out with pain but managing to hang on. She hooked her hands over the nearby ledge and crawled the last few feet, rolling to safety. Mai ignored the lava burst, speeding up. Dino stepped out behind her.

  Luther used his bulk to block their enemies aim.

  “Remove him,” Valance told his men.

  Mai felt her heart lurch. It felt like someone had dosed her with ice water. Running forward across the narrow plank, she looked back. At that moment a spear of fire shot across the plank, landing right before her, sizzling on the hard wood and making it burn. Dino yelled out a warning. Mai jumped headlong, above the rock plank and the fire that dripped off it, trusting to balance and aim to save her life. She came down three feet further along, still running, sure-footedly hitting the middle of the length of wood.

  Behind her, Dino pulled up.

  “Luther! Move!”

  Mai turned to see four mercs rushing the big warrior. Valance hadn’t meant “kill him” then. “Remove him” was a literal term. Luther shrugged the first two off without giving ground, sending them sprawling left and right. The third hit head on, shoulders down, forcing Luther backward even though he planted both heels in the ground. Luther grabbed hold of the man’s shoulders and heaved him away.

  Mai jumped to safety. The trophy hunters had sighted their rifles on Dino and were ready. The first fired. His bullet snagged Dino’s left shoulder and spun him around. Crying out in pain he fell right off the path.

  Mai jumped, catching his body round the middle a second before he fell, and clamping hold. His weight dragged her down. She couldn’t hold on. Karin grabbed her and, exposed, the two women held on to Dino. Mai reached up to grip the ledge once more. Dino was crying out but not from the pain where the bullet had nicked him. It was from the heat washing over his feet and legs. Mai heard the crack of another bullet, saw it impact close to where her right hand gripped the ledge.

  She heard a chorus of cheers and boos, one man boasting about how close he’d gotten, the others berating him for missing. Another shot rang out and glanced off the rock near Karin’s head. There was another bout of yelling and booing.

  Luther tackled the fourth attacker, spinning around with the man in a bear hug, letting him go close to the edge of the pit. There was a terrified yell as the merc realized his fate. Unable to save himself he plummeted over the edge and was incinerated below. Luther turned to another man that was climbing to his feet, very close to that same ledge. He ran and then jumped with both boots facing forward, smashing the man in the chest and sending him tumbling into the lava
pit.

  Valance yelled out in anger. “Shoot that bastard’s legs out!”

  Luther was already taking precautions. He grabbed one of the men he’d felled earlier and swiveled so the man was between him and his enemy. The first bullet took his human shield in the chest, the second in the stomach, both shots non-fatal due to hitting body armor. Luther held on tight, retreating toward the rock plank.

  Mai channeled every ounce of energy into one huge heave. Karin held on tight. Her own body fell back to safety. She didn’t let up, dragging Dino over as well. One more bullet came close, impacting between Dino’s dangling legs.

  “Stop playing and shoot them!” Valance yelled.

  The four Great White Hunters looked miffed at having their fun stopped, one of them giving the head merc the finger. Mai was torn between wanting to help Luther and taking Karin and Dino out of the cave and into the exit tunnel.

  But there was no question here. Karin and Dino were grown adults, trained soldiers, and should stand or die on their own merit. Pointing out the escape tunnel, she spun back to Luther.

  The big man was struggling, being forced to walk backward whilst being shot at. Required to keep the same position, he couldn’t check back to find the plank. Also, he was bigger than the man he was using as a shield. It wouldn’t be long before a bullet found him.

  Mai didn’t hesitate. She ran out across the fire pit once more, using the trophy hunters’ gleeful rebelliousness to gain the time she needed, and pressed her back to Luther’s.

  “Stay with me and maintain contact,” she said. “Come with me.”

  Back to back, she led Luther across the narrow shelf of rock, keeping her hands at his sides. She was covered by his bulk and that of the mercenary he dragged along. She felt bullets impact; the shuddering of the man; the grunting of Luther; the man’s great strength as he fought against the blows and held on to his enemy at the same time. It was deadly at first, stepping out over the lava pit. The merc struggled; his feet slipped and missed and swung out over heated air.

  But after several hairy seconds their shield stopped struggling, realizing that if they fell—he would too.

  Together then, they negotiated the shelf. The civilians peppered them with bullets, hitting the merc’s legs before Valance could say otherwise—if he was even going to—making him scream in pain and sag helplessly.

  Luther somehow held on, dragging him along. Mai kept them straight with her body, making sure Luther’s spine stayed dead center with hers.

  Two thirds of the way across, Valance came to a decision. “After them!”

  Mai fought the urge to run. They stayed together until they reached the end of the plank and jumped to safety. By then, the mercs were halfway across. Luther waited until they came close and then threw his hapless captive at them.

  Mai ran. Luther followed. Shots rang out. Bullets skimmed the walls. The man Luther had thrown struck the first runner dead center. Both men flew down into the lava pit. The others came to an abrupt stop, falling to their knees to keep their balance.

  Mai used the distraction to reach the exit tunnel. Luther was a step behind.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “You owe me again.”

  “Pay me back by surviving.”

  “Y’know, I think I might just do that.”

  Following Karin and Dino, they hurried down another tunnel; disgusted, angry shouts coming from Valance at their backs.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The Devil paced, running two scenarios though his head and trying to decide which one should take precedence. He was ensconced in his surveillance room, surrounded by monitors and local feeds as well as the remote ones he was using to keep an eye on events transpiring in Washington DC.

  The first scenario involved escaping the island and then organizing his new hideout in America. The second scenario entailed dealing with the Dahls.

  The problem with the hideout was the time it would take. The Devil was looking at many months of organization, oversight and low-key operations to make it all come together. This put an emphasis on the second scenario, which would take just a few days.

  But he didn’t trust anyone. If he set the supply boat on a course for the United States, who was going to make sure it arrived?

  No matter. He’d appoint a captain and threaten the man’s loved ones. He knew the backstory of every mercenary who’d been on this island longer than a month. He had reams and reams of data stored away.

  Based on that single thought, the Devil knew which scenario he preferred. He licked his lips. This was going to be fun.

  A moment later he had the DC team on the line. “Report.”

  “We’re stoking the locals. The parade crosses close to the east of the city where crime is worst. We toyed with fuelling the hate crimes, drug use, cartels and the gun laws. We decided on the former. Honestly, it’s not hard here. DC may be the HQ of the FBI and home to the President, but crime is happily prevalent.”

  “Can you bring it all together in time?”

  “We’re checking all angles. We’re using social media to fool those most likely to commit hate crimes into thinking the parade will be loaded with the kind of people they hate. It’s ridiculously easy.”

  The Devil nodded. It wasn’t hard to sway a man surrounded by constant animosity and full of anger. The tricky part was in directing his fury to the right place.

  “I’m coming to you,” he said, forcing his voice to remain calm. “I want everything ready so that I can take charge at the end.”

  “You want the killing blow?”

  “I do.”

  “On the wife or on all three?”

  The Devil thought about it with cold detachment. Emotions were not his thing. “The wife, for sure. Let’s see how the parade pans out, though. We may need to improvise.”

  “Our view too,” his acolyte said. “Two days then.”

  The Devil was silent for a moment and then said: “Five Guys?”

  “Ah,” there was a respectful chuckle. “I forgot how much the Devil likes his Five Guys. A shame you can’t get them flown to the island.”

  “That won’t matter soon. I’ll update you when we meet. For now, keep on top of the local enmity and make me proud.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “One last thing. An update on the targets.”

  “Nothing much to tell. Johanna takes her kids to school, hits the gym and lunches before driving home. She tidies and watches a few documentaries before heading out to collect the girls later. Then, they either go to the mall, eat out and shop, or return home and cook. They take it in turns. After the kids go to bed, Johanna wastes an hour on social media before renting a movie. She’s a fan of rom-coms. Probably hates action movies because it reminds her of the dangers her husband faces. She’s usually in bed by eleven.”

  “That’s a typical day for Johanna Dahl?”

  “That’s every day. It rarely differs.”

  “Except when she plans a big day out.”

  “Yes, sir. Just like the day of the parade.”

  The Devil signed off and took a long look around his surveillance room. This part of his life was nearly over. Soon, everything would change.

  It was time to embrace a fantastic future.

  In America.

  The thought gave him goosebumps.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  Torsten Dahl took Dallas and Kenzie with him in pursuit of Hayden, Kinimaka and Molokai. They were stretched pretty thin. It was beyond risky. But nobody saw a better way. Mai would be heading to the top of the mountain. Did she even know about the monsters that made their lairs up there? And then there was Hayden’s plight. They couldn’t be left in the hands of the Scavengers. Not after the things Dahl had seen in their camp. But now they also faced the added complication with the nuke. The hours were ticking down.

  The Devil was escaping. The Blood King had already left. SPEAR had come late to this party. It seemed they were here solely to mop up. Dahl raced through undergro
wth, the rising warmth of the sun hot on his back. Sweat dripped from his brow and chin. Dallas ran to his right, Kenzie to his left. Nobody spoke. They hurried up a long, sharp slope and ran over the top, jogging down the incline. The Scavengers had left a wide trail. He guessed they were about twenty minutes ahead, maybe less. For the third time in as many minutes he checked his weapons.

  Dahl wasn’t used to being nervous. It was a combination of this island’s inhabitants, their friends being in peril, and lack of proper rest. Truth be told, Dahl hadn’t rested in months. He was a family man, a loyal man, and the distance between his wife and children had become a vast gulf, littered with traps. He couldn’t span it. Months ago, Johanna and he had overcome their biggest problem. They had decided to stick together, try again. They took a holiday in Barbados and ended up fighting for their children’s lives. It brought the real world home to their family, and all the bad things that could happen to good people. For a while they had been in a good place.

  But Dahl’s job was demanding. He knew it. He knew that one day, very soon, it would come down to the job or the family. Dahl couldn’t continue to do both. Was there a compromise?

  To start mending . . . you first had to try.

  If the harsh sun beating down upon them wasn’t enough, a steady drizzle began to fall. Dallas voiced his surprise, but Kenzie reminded him of the island’s numerous climate zones. Dahl tried to stop the Israeli intruding on his personal thoughts.

  “Keep your voices down,” he snapped, more harshly than he’d intended.

  Kenzie came up alongside him. “It’s not wrong to feel attraction, Torsten. You haven’t acted on it.”

  He wondered if it was so bloody obvious. “I worry that it’s influencing my thoughts.”

  “You’re a good man,” Kenzie said. “Probably the best I’ve ever met. It’s why . . . it’s why I left.”

  “You left because I’m good?” Dahl leapt over a narrow stream.