Night Tide (56 page)

loose.!!

!

Reyna! looked! at! it! ruefully.! “Damn,! there’s! probably!

another!one!inside.”!

!

I! tossed! the! camera! in! the! bushes! by! the! side! of! the!

building!and!took!the!gun!out!again.!

!

“Looked! like! this! one! was! taking! stills! every! five! or! six!

seconds,”! I! said.! “Maybe! the! one! inside! didn’t! catch! you! in! a!

frame.”!

!

The!security!guard!looked!even!more!nervous!now.!“What!

do!you!want?!We!don’t!keep!money!here.”!

!

Reyna!snorted.!“You’re!on!rounds!and!you!don’t!know!why!

someone!would!break!in.”! !

!

“You’re!what,!like!industrial!spies?”!

!

“Shut!up!”!she!said.!!

!

Reyna! bound! his! arms! behind! his! back! with! nylon! ties!

from!her!pocket.!She!grabbed!his!arm!and!roughly!jerked!him!

toward! the! electric! vehicle.! He! dragged! his! heels,! so! I!

encouraged! him! with! a! wave! of! the! gun.! Reyna! spun! him!

around!and!gave!him!a!shove.!Off!balance,!he!had!no!choice!but!

to!sit,!legs!dangling!over!the!steel!armrest.!She!stuck!her!gun!

under!his!chin.!!

!

“Where!are!they!holding!the!prisoners?”!

!

His! eyes! widened.! “Prisoners?! What! prisoners?! This! is! a!

manufacturing! plant,! lady!! Please,! I! don’t! know! what! you’re!

talking!about.”!

!

She!cocked!the!hammer.!“Let’s!try!again.!Where!are!they?”!

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!

“I!swear!!I!don’t!know!what!the!hell!you’re!talking!about!!

Please,!you!gotta!believe!me!”!

!

I!took!a!step!closer.!“Baines.!Is!he!here?”!

!

The! guard! turned! his! head! warily,! Reyna’s! gun! barrel!

limiting!his!movement.!He!blinked!rapidly.!

!

“Mr.!Baines?!I!don’t!know.!Maybe.”!

!

“Which!is!it?”!Reyna!said,!applying!more!pressure.!

!

He!winced.!“I’m!not!sure.!I!heard!he!was!here!earlier,!but!I!

didn’t!see!him,!and!he!didn’t!sign!in!at!the!main!desk.!But!he’s!

the!boss.!He!doesn’t!have!to!sign!in!if!he!doesn’t!want!to.”!

!

“Have!you!noticed!anything!unusual!on!your!shift?”!

!

A! thought! stopped! his! head! in! mid6shake.! “A! couple! of!

guys! stopped! in! the! security! office! earlier! tonight.! Said! they!

were!from!the!main!office!in!San!Jose.!I!was!on!my!way!out!on!

rounds.!I!didn’t!talk!to!them.”!

!

Reyna!and!I!exchanged!a!glance.!

!

“Where!would!Baines!go!if!not!to!the!office?”!I!asked.!

!

The! guard! shrugged.! “Anywhere.! The! lab,! one! of! the!

assembly! buildings…! But! no! one’s! been! in! any! of! those!

buildings! tonight.! Oh,! could! have! been! the! conference! center,!

too.!There’s!a!guest!staying!there,!not!sure!who.!But!it’s!been!

pretty!quiet.!Guest!turned!in!a!while!ago.”!

!

I!studied!the!main!compound.!“Which!one’s!the!conference!

center?”!

!

“The!one!on!the!left.!Used!to!be!the!old!farmhouse.”!

!

“The!one!with!all!the!lights!on?”!!

!

A! tall! Victorian! house! stood! apart! from! the! rest! of! the!

campus!buildings!in!a!stand!of!big!oak!trees!from!their!size!and!

shape.!The!house!windows!burned!brightly.!

!

He!turned!to!follow!my!gaze!and!gawped.!“What!the—?”!!

!

Reyna! placed! the! gun! against! his! cheek! and! turned! his!

head!back!until!he!faced!her.!

!

“Explain!the!layout,”!she!said.!“Start!at!the!front!door.!Go!

room!by!room.”!

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!

The!guard!rolled!his!eyes!up!to!the!black!sky,!envisioning!

the! floor! plan! in! his! mind,! and! described! the! interior! of! the!

house!for!the!next!two!minutes.!

!

“Let’s! go,”! Reyna! said! when! the! words! stopped! tumbling!

out!of!his!mouth.!

!

I!gestured!with!my!gun.!“Him?”!

!

“He!won’t!be!any!trouble,”!she!said.!!

!

She!pulled!out!her!ID!and!held!it!under!the!guard’s!nose,!

angling!it!toward!the!light!so!he!could!read!it.!She!spoke!slowly,!

making!sure!he!understood!every!word.!

!

“This!says!I’m!with!the!U.S.!Office!of!Naval!Intelligence.!In!

Washington,!D.C.!That!means!I’m!one!of!the!good!guys.!What’s!

your!name?”!

!

The!guard!swallowed.!“Owens.”!

!

She! grabbed! a! fistful! of! his! collar! and! hauled! him! to! his!

feet.!Her!strength!surprised!me.!I!was!glad!I!wasn’t!on!her!bad!

side.! None! too! gently,! she! dragged! Owens! to! the! back! of! the!

vehicle!and!fastened!his!wrists!to!a!bar!with!another!plastic!tie.!

!

“Okay,! Owens,! here’s! the! deal,”! she! said.! “For! your! own!

protection!as!well!as!ours,!you’re!staying!here.!If!you!so!much!

as!make!a!peep!to!warn!these!people,!I’ll!bring!the!wrath!of!the!

U.S.! government! down! on! your! head.! We’ll! be! back! later! to!

thank!you!for!your!cooperation.”!

!

She!turned!and!motioned!to!me.!

!

“What!if!you!don’t!come!back?”!Owens!said,!plaintiveness!

in!his!voice.!

!

She! faced! him! and! jerked! a! thumb! at! me.! “Then! he! and! I!

are!probably!dead,!and!you’ll!have!to!explain!to!the!bad!guys!

how!you!managed!to!get!yourself!tied!up.!Got!it?”!

!

He!nodded!vigorously.!

!

Reyna!loped!into!the!darkness!without!another!word.!!

!

Owens!implored!me.!“You’re!coming!back,!right?”!

!

I! sighed! and! trotted! after! Reyna,! catching! sight! of! her!

silhouette! in! the! light! from! the! windows! of! the! conference!

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center.! She! skirted! the! pools! of! lamplight! at! the! entrances! to!

the! other! two! low! factory! buildings.! I! followed! her! lead! and!

hoped!the!maneuvers!kept!us!out!of!camera!range.!She!slowed!

as!she!closed!on!the!house.!I!caught!up!to!her!just!as!she!pulled!

up!and!dropped!to!one!knee!alongside!some!bushes!at!the!edge!

of!the!yard.!I!crouched!next!to!her.!!

!

The!entire!first!floor!of!the!building!was!ablaze!with!lights.!

Only! one! window! upstairs! glowed.! My! heart! thumped! loudly!

from!nerves!and!the!exertion,!but!Reyna!didn’t!seem!to!notice.!

She!stared!intently!at!the!house.!I!looked,!too,!but!saw!nothing!

out! of! the! ordinary! except! the! radiant! gleam! in! the! middle! of!

the!night.!It!finally!occurred!to!me!that!what!was!missing!was!

any! sign! of! life! amidst! all! that! light.! No! sounds! emerged,! no!

shadows!flickered!across!the!window!coverings.!!

!

“Circle!left,”!Reyna!murmured.!“`We’ll!meet!up!by!the!back!

door!and!compare!notes.”!

!

I!pushed!off!and!ran!in!a!low!crouch!to!a!huge!oak!at!the!

corner!of!the!yard.!Taking!cover,!I!peeked!at!the!house!around!

the! thick! trunk.! Nothing! stirred.! I! dashed! to! the! cover! of!

another! tree! near! the! circular! drive! at! the! front! of! the! house.!

No!one!stood!guard!by!the!front!door.!I!caught!my!breath!and!

listened! to! the! night! sounds.! The! wind! had! quieted! to! a! light!

breeze!that!carried!only!the!distant!screech!of!a!nighthawk,!not!

any!murmurs!of!human!conversation.!

!

The! thin! fabric! of! the! shirt! I’d! bought! in! California!

provided!little!protection!from!the!damp!night!air,!and!the!chill!

had! seeped! into! my! bones.! I! shivered,! and! for! a! moment!

couldn’t! stop! the! tremors.! Rubbing! my! arms! fiercely! to!

generate!some!warmth,!I!paced!until!they!subsided.!Exhaustion!

was! a! memory,! and! I! wasn’t! sure! what! force! still! kept! me! on!

my! feet.!
Focus!
! Taking! several! deep! breaths,! I! sprinted! back!

through!the!shadows!to!the!rear!of!the!house.!!

!

Reyna! crouched! by! the! steps.! I! joined! her! and! shook! my!

head! silently.! She! nodded! and! tipped! her! head! toward! the!

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door,! then! crept! up! the! stairs! silently,! gun! at! the! ready.! She!

disappeared!through!the!screen!door!at!the!top.!I!went!up!after!

her! and! found! her! squatting! just! inside! the! screen,! staring! at!

the!door!that!led!inside.!A!muted!yellow!glow!came!through!a!

frilly! curtain! on! the! inside! of! the! lattice.! The! pane! above! the!

doorknob!sported!a!jagged!hole.!Reyna!slid!forward.!I!clamped!

a!hand!on!her!shoulder,!wondering!if!the!blink!of!red!reflected!

in! the! glass! had! been! my! imagination.! I! twisted! my! head.! A!

camera!was!mounted!directly!above!us.!

!

Slowly,! I! stood! and! stretched! for! it.! Gripping! it! tightly,! I!

waited! for! another! red! flash! and! twisted! it! sideways,! aiming!

the!lens!at!the!ceiling.!The!relief!on!Reyna’s!face!was!palpable.!

She!duck6walked!across!the!porch!to!the!back!door!and!opened!

it.!Light!spilled!out!from!a!modern!kitchen.!She!poked!her!head!

in!quickly,!then!scooted!inside!and!took!up!a!position!to!the!left!

of!the!door!like!a!gargoyle!sentry.!Heart!banging!like!a!stick!on!

the!picket!fence!of!my!ribs,!I!slithered!through!the!opening!and!

bookended!the!other!side!of!the!door.!!

!

The! soles! of! my! shoes! hummed! with! vibrations! through!

the!floor!from!the!murmur!of!voices!below.!The!muted!tympani!

of!heavy!feet!pounding!uncarpeted!stairs!reverberated!through!

the!kitchen.!Reyna!quickly!sidled!to!the!opposite!wall,!next!to!a!

closed! door! where! the! sounds! came! from.! She! frantically!

waved! me! off! to! my! right.! I! scuttled! behind! an! island! in! the!

middle!of!the!room!and!crawled!to!the!other!side!on!all!fours!

until!I!could!peek!around!the!corner.!Reyna!gave!me!a!nod!and!

focused!on!the!door.!It!burst!open.!

!

Keely!came!through!first,!strode!halfway!to!the!back!door!

and!stopped.!She!folded!her!arms,!stared!at!the!back!door,!and!

tapped!a!foot!impatiently.!

!

“Let’s!not!take!all!day,”!she!called.!!

!

An! out6of6uniform! NFL! nose! tackle! dressed! in! black!

fatigues! emerged,! backing! through! the! doorway! slowly,!

holding!a!gun!on!whoever!came!next.!Reyna!rose!in!a!flash!and!

Night&Tide
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373&

jammed! her! gun! in! his! ribs,! holding! a! finger! to! her! lips.! He!

froze!as!Reyna!twisted!the!pistol!out!of!his!hand.!She!motioned!

him! back! a! few! steps! to! make! room.! Though! several! inches!

shorter,!he!had!thirty!or!forty!pounds!on!me,!and!looked!as!if!

he! spent! spare! hours! bench6pressing! large! farm! animals.! He!

made! me! realize! how! big! I! looked! to! most! people.! He! could!

have!easily!crushed!Reyna,!but!surprise!and!a!gun!were!great!

equalizers.!!

!

Next!float!in!the!parade!was!Clayt—his!ponytail,!at!least—

staggering!backwards!through!the!opening!under!the!awkward!

weight!of!a!woman’s!legs.!Connie.!Wink!lumbered!up!the!stairs!

with! the! rest! of! her,! holding! her! under! the! armpits.!

Unconscious! and! limp,! she! was! deadweight.! Clayt! lost! his!

footing! and! stumbled! into! the! football! player,! dropping!

Connie’s!legs!to!the!floor.!The!guard!grunted!as!Clayt!fell!into!

him!and!turned!his!face!toward!me.!He!was!unrecognizable,!the!

savagery!of!what!they’d!done!bringing!bile!up!into!my!throat.!

Wink!lurched!into!the!room!under!Connie’s!weight!and!sank!to!

his!knees,!cradling!her!head!so!it!didn’t!bang!the!floor.!!

!

Keely! whirled! at! all! the! commotion! and! stared! at! Reyna.!

“Who!the!hell!are!you?”!!

!

Before!Reyna!could!answer,!the!nose!tackle’s!twin!charged!

through! the! door,! gun! in! hand,! swinging! it! from! side! to! side,!

not!sure!where!to!point!it.!I!stood!and!aimed!at!his!head.!

!

“Uh6uh,”!I!said.!“Drop!it,!please,!and!kick!it!over!here.”!

!

The!jut!of!his!chin!begged!for!someone!to!swing!at!it,!but!

the! wild! light! in! his! eyes! flickered! out! when! he! realized! his!

twin!was!unarmed.!The!gun!dropped!to!the!floor!with!a!solid!

thump.! He! nudged! it! with! a! toe! and! sent! it! sliding! across! the!

floor.!I!picked!it!up!and!stuck!it!behind!my!belt.!

!

Keely! wheeled! and! stared! at! me,! mouth! agape.! “Oh,! my!

god.!
You’re
!here?!Who!in!hell!
politely
!asks!someone!to!drop!a!

gun?”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

374&

!

She!shook!her!head!with!a!look!of!disgust.!My!face!flushed!

and!my!hands!closed!tighter!around!the!pistol!grip.!

!

“She!doesn’t!seem!happy!to!see!you,”!Reyna!said.!

!

“I! don’t! know! why,”! I! said.! “I! pretty! much! did! everything!

she!wanted!me!to.”! !

!

“Got!that!right,”!Wink!muttered.!

!

I! glanced! at! him.! “You! knew! she! was! using! me! to! get! to!

you?!Why!the!hell!didn’t!you!leave?”!

!

“I!didn’t!think!you’d!put!it!together.!And!if!I’d!had!a!little!

more! time,! I! would! have! been! long! gone! before! you! led! her!