THE RADIO WAS silent for a good twenty seconds. I guessed suddenly hearing the voice of one of their quarry might have stunned them into speechlessness. When no one spoke, I clicked my radio open, hardly knowing myself what I wanted to say. The bush around me was unnaturally silent and still.
“I just took down one of your men,” I said. “I didn’t hurt him. I’m not here to hurt any of you.”
No answer. I crept slowly farther down the slope toward the clearing where the house was situated.
“I came here to stop Regan Banks,” I said. “Regan is a merciless killer. I’ve seen his handiwork. I’ve seen it, because it was meant for me. This is my fault. If anyone’s at risk trying to stop this man, it should be me. If he has as much trouble taking one of you down as I just did, you’re all in real danger right now.”
There was a small crackle on the radio, two of the men out there speaking to each other.
“Unit seven, are you hearing this?”
“Yeah, two.”
The men’s voices were shocked, high with tension. Still, no one answered me directly. I clicked the mic again.
“I’m asking you not to consider me a target,” I said. “And I’m asking you to leave now, while you still can.”
The radio cracked to life again. A voice heavy with anger, clipped with the certainty of someone in command.
“All tactical units, this is Command. Switch radio frequencies, and disregard rogue transmissions,” the voice said.
My radio fell silent. I tore it from my ears and dropped it in the dirt. I’d never find the secondary tactical frequency, even if I scanned the airwaves all night. All I could hope was that the men had heard my plea, and that they would at least pair up so that if Regan came, he would have two men in each position to contend with.
I also hoped that if I ran into any of them, they’d remember what I’d said and not shoot me.