Chapter Twenty-Four

By the time they got back to the police station, Kara was past exhaustion, running on sheer determination alone. It took the last of her strength to climb down into the room and kick off her snowshoes, allowing her to stagger to her feet and make way for Liam.

The sun was already beginning to set, the short day made shorter by their traveling through the town, taking back alleys and rooftops at times to check in on the handful of residents nearest to the hotel. No one had even begun to shovel out their driveways to the street, waiting for a neighborhood plow.

Some had heard from Billy on his way back to the firehouse and nodded solemnly to Liam and Kara before confirming they’d lock their doors and hide until the authorities arrived.

Some hadn’t.

They’d laughed at Liam’s warning for a few seconds before falling silent, realizing the truth in his words and stern face. He hadn’t sugarcoated the truth about the Sons of Cain—although he’d fudged the reason they were in town, claiming Homeland Security hadn’t told them much other than that the terrorist group was there for unknown reasons. Shelter in place until the authorities arrived—that’s all there was to it.

It was bad enough telling innocent civilians they had a group of monsters in their midst; they didn’t want to add in a revelation destroying whatever image they had of Liam/Jack.

The clinic had been their next-to-last stop. Annie agreed to barricade herself and Jen at the back.

“Those bastards aren’t getting past the front door.” She gestured at the locks. “Those are the best money can buy.”

“Won’t stand up against these men,” Liam warned. “If they do get in, don’t fight them. Don’t resist in any way. Just hang on until help arrives.”

Annie nodded. “Understood.” She gestured at Kara, focusing on the knife wound. “Want me to check that out?”

“No, no. I’m fine.” Kara kept her parka zipped shut. She didn’t want to try to explain away her rapid recovery.

Annie gave her a warning scowl. “Just keep it clean and check on it often. Don’t need any infection dragging you down. Any swelling, red streaks, you get your ass back here pronto.”

“I’ll be careful, promise.” She reached over and squeezed the doctor’s hand. “Just don’t open the door until the authorities arrive.”

“We won’t.” She eyed Kara. “Keep an eye on Jack. I’ve got the idea he’s thinking about doing something stupid.”

Before Kara could inquire further, Liam called to her, motioning them back out into the cold.

Alexandra Dubois, surprising enough, had taken the best approach. She’d opened the door as they approached, eyes narrowing as she sized up Liam. But she’d let them into the front lobby without complaint, listening to Kara’s explanation and warning.

“These men. They’re terrorists?” she asked.

“Yes,” Kara said.

“Right.” She went to a closet and pulled out a shotgun older than the three of them together. “I’ll be waiting for them.”

“Okay, then.” Liam nodded, backing toward the door. “Just be careful where you point that thing.”

She narrowed her eyes, scowling at him. “I know what I’m doing. Now go do your job.” Alex smiled at Kara. “Come on by when it’s all over, and we’ll have a chat.”

“You bet.” Kara kissed her on the cheek. “Fly straight.”

Liam was already out on the front step, fastening his snowshoes as Kara exited the house.

He laughed as they trudged along, returning to the station. “They may have found their match in Mrs. Dubois.”

Kara returned the laugh, her feet feeling like they’d been encased in stone. The effort of walking all day in the snowshoes had used up the last of her reserves.

The only upside to all this was the receiver they’d left atop the building next to the hotel. Not long after they left, the radio in Liam’s pack burst to life, startling them both.

They’d stopped; Liam pulled the radio out to make sure the volume was at the lowest setting possible—any sound seemed loud in the unearthly silence overlaying their winter wonderland.

He motioned her over to a doorway, as protected a place as they could find on the spur of the moment.

“Listen…” he whispered as he held the unit between them. “Bastard can’t pass up a chance to bitch and whine about something.”

She held back a chuckle, hearing Rick swearing and berating the two men they’d lost at the apartment. The voices came through clear and sharp, as if they were around the corner from the mercenary leader.

“It’s been too long,” Rick groused. “Should have known they couldn’t handle him.”

“Think he got help from one of the locals?” An unfamiliar voice, one of the other men.

“Not likely. The Hammer works alone.”

“What about the woman? If she wasn’t as hurt as McKay said…”

“She’s nothing to worry about—just a bar babe Wolfson picked up in Vegas. Worked in our favor to track him down, but she’s got to go as well.” An annoyed snarl. “That’s McKay’s job. Idiot messed up the first time, got to finish it before we leave. No money in it, but he’ll cut to kill next time.”

Kara saw Liam’s scowl and reached for his hand, squeezing it through the thick gloves.

“Let’s get moving,” she urged him.

He hung the handheld radio on his backpack strap, keeping the volume low as they trudged along.

“Five years ago, I’d have had no problem killing those two men,” he murmured.

“That was then. This is now,” she countered. “They might catch a cold in the apartment, but they’re not dead. They’ve got their parkas on, and the worst thing that they’ll suffer before the cops collect them will be peeing their pants.”

He grunted and kept walking. The walkie-talkies they’d taken off the men left in the apartment had been silent all day, reinforcing their belief that all of the Sons were at the hotel and within yelling range of each other—not out seeking more hostages.

But as they slipped through the back door into the station, she pulled off her boots and wriggled her ice-cold toes, wondering how long their luck would last.

Liam walked by her, shrugging off his parka. He’d closed the door and moved a storage cabinet in front. The wind whistled outside, sending a shiver through her bones.

“Snow’s picking up again. Maybe not so much fresh fall, just the older stuff blowing around. Still a damned mess.” He peered at the upper window. “Marie’s not going to be back tonight.”

“She might.” Kara moved over to the nearby radiator and warmed her hands. “They could fly in.”

“Not in this weather. Not at night.” He sighed. “Tomorrow…”

As if on cue the walkie-talkie came to life, the burst of static nearly deafening.

Kara scrambled to dig hers out of the parka’s inside pocket while Liam reached for the second one they’d taken off their attackers.

“Hammer.” Rick’s voice came through the tiny speakers. “I know you’re out there. You got two of my men—you wouldn’t leave the radios behind. You wouldn’t be that sloppy.”

Liam walked to the front door, staring at the small barricade.

“You’re not in Denver. You’re not holed up in some mountain cabin. You’re here in town somewhere.” The low chuckle dug into Kara’s soul. “I respect you not going down easy. Hell, I’d be surprised if you did. Been five years, five years with a price on your head and you finally got tripped up—courtesy of that sweet little thing you banged a year ago.”

She shook her head, the guilt churning inside her. If Marie hadn’t put her photograph out on the Net…

“Don’t.” He raised a finger. “It was my decision to go to Marie and have her do the search. We did nothing wrong.”

She nodded, her stomach twisting into knots.

Rick continued. “But that’s in the past. Now we’re here, and you’re here. Don’t care where you are, but I know where you’re going to be tomorrow morning—in front of this hotel, on your knees.”

Liam frowned.

“I can guess what you’re thinking, why not wait us out, hide until the authorities arrive? I’m sure they’re on the way—the mayor here, who’s a very nice guy, told me since your police chief hasn’t been around on her snowmobile to check on them, odds are she’s hightailed it out of here to find help. Plows won’t be here until tomorrow at the earliest, and with them, your salvation.” The snarl cut through the static. “Not going to happen.”

Kara imagined Rick striding through the lobby, the terrified hostages around him.

“I’m a kind man. I don’t want to kill civilians.” The chuckle chilled the air around them. “At least, not in this case. No money in it. So, I’ll offer you a deal. You come out tomorrow morning to the hotel, and I’ll let them go. We’re after you and only you—that’s the sole name on the contract. Show, and face your death like a man. Hide, have their blood on your hands. After I empty out the hotel, I’ll come looking for you, kill everyone I see on the way—hunt you down like a dog. Your call.”

The radio went silent.

She looked at Liam. “You can’t believe anything he says.”

Liam smiled. “You think? He’s a liar through and through—one of the reasons I never wanted to work anywhere near them.” He pressed his lips into a tight line before continuing. “But in this he’s telling the truth. He’s desperate, wants to get this over. Their perfect scenario was to come in, kill me quietly and set up a suicide scenario before getting out of town. Now it’s all gone sideways. They’re not panicking—but they’re eager to finish this one way or another.”

“You know he’s not going to let them go after they kill you.” She drew shuddering breaths, trying to control her fear. “He’ll kill you and then everyone else to make sure there’s no witnesses.”

“I know. But if I don’t show up, they’ll start executing them.” He looked again at the front doors. “I’ve got an idea.”

“Okay. But first, food.” She pointed at the break room. “We haven’t really eaten all day.”

She wasn’t sure she could push past the nausea, but she wasn’t going to let Liam make any major decisions when he was still cold and tired.

A good half hour later she felt settled enough to deal with the issues. “Good thing Dwayne likes his microwavable food.” Kara poked at the cardboard container holding the mac and cheese. “We owe him.”

“For the four we’ve eaten so far?” Liam put the last forkful of pasta into his mouth. “I’ll buy him a year’s worth of pizza from the diner.”

“Okay.” She pushed the plate away. “About Rick’s offer.” Kara prepared herself for what she assumed would be a long, drawn-out fight about not sacrificing himself when it was a good bet the Sons would still kill the townspeople.

“I’m not going to take it.”

She blinked, unsure of what she’d heard. “What?”

“Hey, I’m in no rush to go anywhere—Heaven, Hell, Valhalla, or Helheim.” He smiled. “Going out there tomorrow morning would be a suicide run. As you said, he’ll still kill the hostages. If I don’t show, he’ll hold off because he won’t want to go through his supply too quickly. He’ll open up negotiations again, try to talk me out before the plows arrive.” He paused. “I’m sorry if it sounds cold—but that’s how men like that think. They’re not people to him, they’re expendable commodities. There’s no good in killing them if there’s no possible return—and having to go out and bring in more hostages would open him and his remaining men to possible attacks.”

“And he doesn’t want to lose any more men.” She reached for her coffee because collapsing with relief would be too obvious. “Well, then. What’s the plan?”

“I’m going to stall them until you come back with Marie.”

She nearly choked on the lukewarm drink. “What?”

He jabbed a thumb at the back of the room. “There’s a second snowmobile. I want you to go and meet up with Marie. Get as far as you can, try the cell phone and see if you get a signal. Give her an update, make sure she understands the situation. We’re going to need hostage negotiators, SWAT teams, the entire show. You can give details about who and where the Sons are, how many. They’ll come in and deal with the bastards.”

She eyed him. “We can both go.”

“Not a smart decision.” He held up the walkie-talkie—he’d kept it on the table during their meal. “I can keep him on the line, talking about this and that. Find out who put the contract out on me, see if I can counter with a better offer. For them it’s all about the money—let’s see if I can outbid their original contractor.”

“You could do that?”

“Hell, no. But they don’t know that. They might think I’ve still got Swiss bank accounts, money hidden in offshore accounts. I can tease them with partial numbers, give them a lifeline.”

“Would they do that? Break the deal?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. The contract’s five years old—they might be open to negotiating. They’re in a hole, and if I can offer them a chance to get out of it, they might go for it.” He grinned. “Maybe I draw them out of the hotel, make them chase me around the town. Whatever I can do, I’ll do—drag it out as long as I can while you’re going to Marie. Besides, two of us on the back of that snowmobile and the gas will run out sooner.” He wiped his hands together before standing up. “If you leave now, you should be able to travel pretty far with the full moon lighting the way.”

“I don’t know…” She fumbled for words, her head spinning. “If I stay…”

“Kara.” He locked eyes with her. “If you stay, it won’t help anyone. I’m not going out again right now—we can’t leave tracks all over the town, and we’ve gotten to almost everyone to tell them to stay inside. I sure as hell can’t go ask anyone else to make that trip on the snowmobile.”

He looked at his watch. “We’ve got approximately nine hours before the sun rises. Plenty of time for you to go and meet Marie if she’s already on the return trip. She’s going to have a working radio, and she’ll be able to get more help, better help, to save the hostages.”

Kara shook her head. “I’m not sure about this. Leaving you alone…”

“Hey.” He came over and knelt by her chair, taking her hand. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want me to get hurt. But we’ve got to do everything we can to keep those people alive, and if you’ve got another idea, I’m all ears.”

Her heart raced as she closed her eyes and prayed for some revelation, some burst of inspiration…

“I got nothing.” She lowered her head. “I just don’t want to lose you.”

Liam kissed her, a soft gentle buss that made her dizzy. “I don’t want to lose me, either. But right now, this is what we have to do to make things right.”

She couldn’t argue with the harsh reality.

She didn’t have to like it, however.

Kara cupped his face in her hands, memorizing every feature as if seeing him for the first time. “Promise me, promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

“I won’t do anything stupid.” He gave her a sly wink. “And after it’s all over we’ll go into Denver, have dinner at one of those swanky places that make you dress up.”

She kissed him. “Right. Let’s get this show on the road.”

The snow glistened under the moonlight as they went to the shed. Liam opened it up, revealing a tarp-covered snowmobile. He pulled it back and found the machine waiting to serve, the police star prominently displayed in glossy paint.

“Best thing to do would be to follow the road out of town, look for Marie’s tracks. If something happens and it breaks down or you run out of gas, pop the emergency flares out of the pack and look for the plows. Stay warm, and you’ll be fine.”

“Will you?” She stared at his face, trying to memorize every feature. “Please, don’t do anything until I return. Play games with them, do whatever—but promise me you won’t take them on.”

“I promise.” He crossed his heart and put his hand to his chest. “Scout’s honor.”

“I doubt you were ever a scout.”

Liam handed her one of the police radios. “Call me when you reach the truck, so I know you’re on the right road. They won’t be able to hear us on this one—it’s a secure channel.”

She tucked it inside her parka. “Will do. I’ll let you know if I see anyone on the horizon, give you some idea of the time you have left.”

Liam picked up the helmet and handed it to her. “Listen. You need to find Marie and update her on the situation. You’re the only one who can do this.”

“All right.” She reached up and pulled him in for one last kiss, tears gathering in her eyes. “I’ll see you soon.”

“It’s a date,” he said as she tugged on the helmet. “Just keep to the road and you’ll be fine.”

She turned the ignition key, the engine roaring to life under her.

“Slow and easy,” Liam said as she eased out of the shed and followed his directions to the street. She sunk down into the snow as she moved, but nowhere as much as they had plodding out from the station.

Kara stopped and looked over her shoulder. Liam stood there, wearing the dark blue parka with his hands in his pockets. He smiled and lifted one hand in a wave before blowing her a kiss.

She returned it and focused on the road ahead, her eyes burning with tears.

I’ll be back soon.

The silent promise echoed in her mind as she twisted the throttle and surged forward.