Dead Reckoning (20 page)

Ping! Ping! Crack!

Reece pulled himself into a crouch. Shuffling toward the middle of the car, he prepped himself to cross the distance. Prepped himself to die. He used his shoulder to wipe the sweat from his neck. This wasn’t the place to die. Shiloh needed him, and with what he heard in Abdul's office, he didn’t have time to mess around.

“Okay, God …” he mumbled and glanced to his right, his gaze tracking over the lit-like-day compound, searching for hostiles. And saw the power box. He grinned. “Thank you.” Peering down the muzzle, he lined up the crosshairs of his Glock and fired.

Sparks flew. Hissing, popping.
CRACK!
Darkness reigned.

Reece launched himself toward the plaster wall. Dirt burst up at him, as if reaching for his ankles to yank him down. The acrid smell of cordite enveloped him. Hurling himself at the wall, he prayed his landing wouldn’t hurt much. Plaster stabbed into his hands as he clawed up the barrier. Exploding paint chips peppered his face. Hooking an arm over the top, he grunted at the vibrating cement beneath his hands.

With a heave, he flipped, but not before fire tore down his left calf. He concentrated on landing with both feet, despite the wound needling his leg. Darts of pain shot up his calves on impact. He sprinted between two buildings. Through the maze of streets, he pushed himself toward his bike. His pants pulled against the wound, sticky from coagulating blood.

Sirens screamed. Light swirled as police cars cruised the streets, flashlights knifing the slivers of darkness separating the buildings. Reece gritted his teeth and hiked his bloodied leg over his Ducati. Helmeted, he jabbed the key into the ignition and cranked the engine. He eased the throttle and roared into the night.

“Open com.” Cool wind bathed him as he pressed his gut to the fiberglass spine and tore across town. “Nielsen, I’ve relayed a series of images.”

“Just got ’em.”

“I have my Sajjadi proof.”

“I’ll decide that. But, apparently, we have you to thank for a gun battle in the middle of an Indian ministry compound.”

“It hasn’t even begun.”

“What do you mean?”

Reece nailed a corner, practically laying out the bike. His gut twisted, not from his maneuvers, but from the threat still echoing in his mind. “I’m on my way to the transit station. Call in support. Get the GBs on alert.”

“Whoa! Slow down. What's going on?”

“Just do it!”

“Not till you tell me—”

“There's a hit ordered on Khan and Shiloh.”

I
THINK YOU SHOULD TAKE THE RING BACK.” SHILOH TWISTED THE GOLD
and ruby jewelry around her finger as she sat on the bench, a cool draft rustling the black burqa.

Silence choked their conversation as a family of three strolled past, dragging their luggage. Small and rosy-cheeked, the little girl with deep, green eyes stared back at Shiloh. It reminded her of the photograph from one of those national magazines that captivated the heart of the West. Brandishing a small stuffed animal, the girl smiled.

Shiloh ached. No more putting off the truth. She had to come clean. “Khal—”

“The train will be here soon.” His father joined them. “A short delay outside Calicut.” He leaned against the nearby wall.

“Let's walk.” Khalid stood and held out his hand for her.

They walked in silence to the end of the platform, where a metal rail protected passengers from stepping into the street. There, she lowered her backpack to the ground.

Khalid reached over and clasped a hand over hers. “Just because we argue does not mean it's over.” His smile touched that inner place in her heart that so few even knew existed. “We are different people from different cultures. We will not
always agree.” Gentleness in his tone coaxed a smile from her. “But I will not love you any less.”

She glanced at his hands. He didn’t know. “Those are easy words when you think the future is bright and promising.”

Movement drew her gaze. Baseer had walked closer, watching them. It felt as though sand filled her mouth.

With a warm palm against her back, Khalid smiled. “Do not fear this time, Shiloh. I know we are in danger. But I believe God has us firmly in His grasp.”

“Okay, see?” Raw burning seared her throat and heart. “Right there—I can’t believe that. The whole God-thing doesn’t work for me. Never has.”

“You are hurt. But I can help you through that. My mother—”

“I can’t have children.” The blurted words rang in her ears.

His eyes grew round and then narrowed. “Can’t? Or don’t want to?”

Indignation rose in her chest. “Experts made that diagnosis, not me.”

His ragged breath sounded loud in the thick air. “You … you never told me.”

“There wasn’t a need. I never intended to marry.” She steadied her quivering lip. “I can never give you what you deserve and want so badly. The one thing in your culture that gives a woman merit.”

His absolute resolve cracked, just a glimmer, but enough for her to know the revelation had the effect she feared. The vehemence in his sparkling eyes dimmed. At the edge of the platform, he stared out across the tracks to the small lights twinkling in the distance.

She’d known he’d reject her for this, that he would change his mind. Isn’t this what she had imagined for so long? So why did it hurt so much?

Shiloh closed the physical distance, yet knew the emotional distance between them had spread wide. “Here.” She tugged off the ring, lifted his hand, and tucked the piece into his palm and closed it. “I understand. I really do.”

He edged closer, his expression strangely serene. “No, I don’t think you do.” Khalid gripped her wrist and pulled it to his chest. He slid the ring back on. “I asked you to marry me.” His smile was thin. “If this is as God has ordained, it is my honor.”

“You can’t mean that,” she said. Suddenly, her rationale for not marrying him crumbled, leaving her exposed. No more fooling him—or herself. “Khalid, it's not just that.”

He nodded. “I know.” Sorrow dragged down his tranquil features. “I thought if you’d just give me the chance to show you how much I love you, how deep my feelings are for you …” He hung his head. “This whole time, I’ve used every possible explanation and reason to convince myself that you loved me too.” Bent over the railing, he folded his hands. “I’d never force you to do something you don’t want to do.” He rubbed a hand over his face, the
scritch
of his stubbled jaw echoing in the silent night. His gaze rose to the night sky. Hazy clouds streaked around a dull moon. “Oh, God, why did you fill me with such love for a creature too wild to accept it?”

“Wild?” Shiloh quivered.

A scream pierced the night. She spun.

The little girl lay on the ground a few feet away. A dark puddle spread out like a halo around her head. Wailing, her mother slumped and drew the limp body of her child into her arms.

“Help me! Help! My daughter—” Her words morphed into another scream.

Shiloh's heart skipped a beat. This seemed so familiar. Feeling distant yet trapped, she watched the man clasp his wife's shoulders and try to drag away the sobbing woman.

“What's happening?” Shiloh whispered.

Dark stains suddenly appeared across the man's tunic and pants. He crumpled like a blanket.

Whizzing and popping drowned the night sounds. Light twinkled against the barrenness of the black sky.

A hard yank snapped her out of shock.

“Run.” Khalid grabbed her pack and thrust her from the railing.

Pushing herself, Shiloh raced toward the building. Wood exploded, splintering and flying like tiny daggers. She shielded her face as she lunged around the corner and took cover. Khalid landed next to her, his back pressed against her shoulder.

With deep, gulping breaths, she tried to make sense of the chaos. “What's happening?”

“I don’t know.” Khalid peeked around the corner, but jerked back. “I can’t see anyone.”

Shiloh's mind caught up with the adrenaline surge. “Kodiyeri.”

“What?” Khalid looked over his shoulder at her. “What did you say?”

“The man who's been chasing me—his name is Kodiyeri.” Could he really have found her? How? They’d hidden. Brutus's little revelatory trip seeped into her mind. He’d shown her the brutal reality of her situation. Why did she think they could escape? And where was Brutus? He’d always been on her tail. What of his promise to watch her back?

The rumbling of a vehicle neared. Shiloh slowly turned toward the sound. Only then did it hit her. Despite having taken cover from the direction of the gunfire, she now stood with nothing but warm, sticky air and darkness between her and the open road. “They’re coming this way!”

“The office.” Khalid grabbed her hand and pulled her around the corner.

Thwat, thwat, thwat, thwat!

Shiloh ducked. Hunched over, she and Khalid snaked along the wall toward the depot door.

Shattering glass resounded in her ears and showered onto her head.

He stumbled but kept going. “Just a few … more …” A limp marked his gait.

Something marred the concrete under her feet. Shiloh squinted at it—blood! Her eyes shot to Khalid. “Are you hurt?”

An ominous howl rent the air.

Khalid answered with a loud, reverberating grunt as he whirled and threw himself at her. “Down!”

Boom!

Heat flashed over them. Wood, metal, and rocks showered the station. A squawking noise devoured her hearing. She looked around with narrowed eyes, trying to decipher the sound. Khalid's lips moved, but she couldn’t hear him; the explosion had deafened her.

“Khalid!” His father's voice, normally deep and resonating, sounded like a distant, underwater call.

A muzzle flash lit the dark, narrow alley.

Khalid struggled to his feet. Blood streaked his face and dripped down his chin. No time to nurse wounds. If they didn’t get to shelter, they’d both end up in Paradise. Well, at least Khalid would.

“Hurry!” Baseer leaned out of the office, a weapon in his hand, and fired several rounds.

Behind her, Shiloh heard two thuds that sent her spiraling toward him. A sudden shove against her shoulder made her stumble—straight into Baseer.

Then, the oddest of sensations. Her body lifted into the air. Baseer's wide eyes struck fear into her core. As if in slow motion, she saw him hunch his shoulders and cringe, all
the while propelling her to the side—into the building—with both hands.

Another whistle, but longer—higher-pitched.

Boooooom!

Her spiraling body rocketed through the air. Silence gripped her in terror. Her torso twisted. Arms crossed in front of her face, she braced for impact as she sped toward the concrete.

Someone hit the fast-forward button. Without warning her legs experienced a supernatural thrust. Head over heels, she hurled toward the far wall. No control. She tumbled. Blurred images. Chaos.

Thud! Crack!

Her head hit first. Pain stabbed her neck and back. Her body flattened against the pebbled concrete.

For a moment, everything went black.

She blinked open her eyes, dazed. How long had she been unconscious? Light swirled and spun. Fire licked the ceiling and walls. Red-hot embers rained down. Shiloh blinked again. Burning papers drifted aimlessly toward the debris-littered floor. Black murals smeared the furniture that was still intact. Smoke and ash singed her lungs.

The hollow scraping of her own head against the cement roared in her ears as she tried to regain her orientation. Although the door should have been to her right, she peered down the length of her body into a gaping hole in the wall. No door. No office. Half the building lay in ruins.

Khalid. Her heart lurched. Where was he? He’d been right behind her. And his father.

Shiloh peeled herself off the floor. Pain ripped through her back and shoulders. Wincing and moaning, she finally sat up. She clenched her stinging eyes tightly and called, “Khalid?” Her trembling fingers struggled to support her as she pushed to her knees.

On all fours, she took a ragged breath. Her head swam. Loud whirring and tweeting filled her ears. Excruciating. She cried out, clamped her hands over her ears, and collapsed into a huddle to protect herself from the noise. But it came from within. She shook her head hard.

Slowly, the shrieking dimmed. Gunfire devoured the seconds between the hiss and crackle of the flames. Disbelief choked her as she took in the scorched structure. Whoever did this wanted them dead. Drained of all strength, she didn’t have time to wimp out.

She struggled to one knee and froze in shock.

“No,” she whispered. The word sucked oxygen from her lungs. “Khalid!”

Unmoving, he lay on his stomach, facing away. The back of his shirt was charred. Smoke and ash clung in snaking vines around him.

As rocks dug into her burning palms and legs, she scrabbled over the debris. “Khalid!” At his side, she rolled him into her lap. Shiloh flinched.

His dark, beautiful eyes stared back empty.

She shook him. “Khalid! Khalid!” Again, she rattled his shoulders.

A blink. For a fraction of a second, he seemed drawn back from the edge of death, his gaze locked on hers.

“Thank …” A half-grin. He coughed. “Miss … —mer …”

“Shh, it’ll be okay,” she whispered. “I’ll get us out of here.” Searching the darkness beyond the missing wall, she wondered if she could. “There has to be a way. Just don’t—”

She paused and looked at his now blank expression. Eyes empty. Smile gone.

“No.” She gripped his shirt. “Khalid, don’t!” Drawing her legs out from under him, she eased him down. “Please, please don’t …” Unable to say the words her mind railed against,
Shiloh stared at his beautiful, ash-smeared face. He didn’t move. “Please.” Tears blurred her vision. “Khalid.” She pressed her ear to his chest. Nothing. She pounded his chest. Turning her arm, she opened her fist. Horrified to find blood, she looked at his shirt—covered in blood.

Coagulated blood. How long had she lain there unconscious?

Shiloh bent and held him close, his face still warm against hers. “Oh, please, God! Where are You? Please don’t let him die.”

Tears streaming, she let out a gut-birthed sob—one that freed her ears in a painful way. The stark pain was of little consequence. “Don’t die, Khalid!” She ground her teeth, forcing the words out. “Don’t leave me here alone. I need you. I love you!” She buried her face in his shoulder, crying. “I love you.”