Nova squeezed the brake until the dirt bike came to a complete stop. He didn’t have much choice. They had run out of room—at least room for the dirt bike to squeeze through.
It had only been a few minutes since they entered the canyons. Maneuvering through the tight corridors had been tricky, but he had managed. Now there was nowhere to go but back. Problem was, back was where the people hunting them were.
There was a sliver in the rock ahead of them, just enough room for one person to squeeze through at a time. It looked to go back several yards before it widened again.
The canyon walls stretched up toward the sky around them, at least one hundred yards tall.
Nova let the engine idle for a couple of seconds, then killed it.
Jessica asked, “Why are we stopping?”
He tilted his head to look back at her, placed a finger to his lips.
Silence.
It wasn’t a normal silence, not the kind most people were accustomed to where there was always some kind of background noise, whether it be distant traffic or air blowing through a vent or the faint, high-pitched whine of electronics. This silence was a deep, all-encompassing silence that had existed since the beginning of time.
The silence was so strong that Nova even found himself holding his breath. He heard blood singing in his ears and Jessica’s shallow breathing, and beyond that, the sound of engines. More dirt bikes, without a doubt, but probably more pickup trucks, too … though he doubted any of them would venture far down here.
“Do you hear that?”
Jessica, her face frozen, her eyes narrowed, nodded slightly.
“If we can hear them, they can hear us.”
“Where’d the dirt bikes come from anyway?”
“I figure from that wooden shed outside the mine entrance.” He glanced down at her ankle. “What happened there?”
“I fell when those men were chasing me.”
“Sprained?”
“I think so.”
“How much walking do you think you can do on it?”
She bit her lip, paused a beat. “Maybe a little. But I don’t think I could go too far. I can put some pressure on it, but not a lot. You want us to go through there, don’t you?”
She didn’t bother indicating the sliver in the canyon wall.
Nova started to nod, started to say something, when the phone in his pocket began to vibrate.
He paused, wondering how that was even possible. His phone was dead. Then, like before, he realized it wasn’t his phone—it was the sniper’s. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen.
“Who’s that?” Jessica asked.
“No idea.”
There was no name on the screen, just the words INCOMING CALL. Nova was surprised the phone even got service this far out and noted the one bar.
“Are you going to answer it?”
The phone vibrated again in his hand. In the distance, the sound of the dirt bikes was getting closer. They were maybe another half mile away. The canyons were a maze, but if Nova and Jessica stayed stationary, the men would find them soon.
Nova pressed the green button and placed the phone to his ear.
“If this is a telemarketer, I’m not interested.”
A beat of silence on the other end, and then a voice said, “Is this the asshole who blew up my helicopter?”
“That depends. Which helicopter was yours?”
“You’re in over your head.”
“So let me get this straight—you’re not a telemarketer?”
Another beat of silence. “I guess this is the part where I’m supposed to threaten you, isn’t it?”
“If this is who I think it is, you already threatened me. Told me I’m dead, if I’m not mistaken.”
“That was a moment of weakness on my part. Men who threaten are usually those without control.”
“Did you read that in a fortune cookie?”
“I’m a businessman, to tell you the truth, and when I see potential, I know better than to disrespect it.”
“I don’t think I get your drift,” Nova said. The dirt bikes, he realized, were getting even closer. “You want to offer me a job?”
“There are quite a few recent openings in my organization, no thanks to you. If you wanted to fill one of those openings, I would be more than happy to consider it.”
Nova laughed. “This is why you called me?”
“I’m taking a chance. Believe it or not, I can be a very reasonable man.”
“Right. Says the guy who was about to play bullet rain with an innocent girl tied to the ground.”
Another beat of silence. When the voice spoke again, Nova could hear a smile.
“I had a feeling you were once in the service. What branch?”
“Navy. You?”
“Army.”
Nova said, “Then I guess we don’t like each other on principle.”
“How do you know about bullet rain?”
“I’d heard stories. Some Rangers told me about it once in a bar on the outskirts of Kabul.”
“Have you ever played?”
Nova laughed again. “Bullet rain is a sucker’s game created by some hotheads who wanted to get their kicks off.”
The smile dropped from the voice. “Actually, I created bullet rain.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s true.”
“Whatever, man. More power to you.”
“I just want the girl.”
“I want my car.”
Another beat of silence.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about my goddamn car. Your men stole it, and I want it back.”
The silence that ensued was a beat longer than before.
The man said, “I’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about, but we can work this out. If my men have in fact stolen your car, I can return it to you. We can do an even trade, your car for the girl.”
Nova had to suppress laughter. “Do you honestly think I would ever consider doing that?”
“John, this isn’t going to end well for you.”
“Who says my name is John?”
“From what I understand, that’s what the girl called you before you shot one of my men in the knee.”
“She may have called me that, but that’s not my name.”
“Well whatever your name is, this isn’t going to end well for you—you or the girl.”
“So wait—you’re taking the job off the table?”
“My men are going to find you. They know this terrain. You don’t. You’re outnumbered. You’re outgunned. You might as well make it easy on yourself and surrender.”
“When you say it like that, how could I possibly resist?”
“I told you I’m a businessman, didn’t I? Nobody fucks with my business.”
“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure I just did.”
“And I will kill you for it.”
“You should be thanking me, actually.”
“For what?”
“Sparing your life. I could have put that bullet in your head, but instead I shot your hand.”
“I was wondering about that. Why didn’t you kill me?”
“I’m trying to be a better person.”
The dirt bikes were even closer now. Jessica kept looking back over her shoulder, her face growing anxious by the second.
“Look,” Nova said into the phone, “I would love to continue our chat, but right now I’m in the middle of something. Give me your number and I’ll fax over my resume and maybe we can talk later about setting up an official interview.”
The man went to say something else, but Nova disconnected the call. He tore the battery from the phone, tossed both pieces away, said to Jessica, “Think you can squeeze through there?”
Again, no need to indicate the sliver in the canyon wall.
Jessica nodded apprehensively.
“Then get going,” Nova said. “They’ll be here any minute.”