Night Tide (59 page)

that!sounded!like!firecrackers.!I!pointed!my!gun!past!his!head,!

targeting! on! Tweedledum.! The! big! man! had! his! hands! full!

prying!Keely!off!her!father.!I!fired!twice,!the!echoing!boom!of!

the!bigger!pistol!ringing!my!ears!like!a!clapper!tolling!a!church!

bell.!Events!happened!so!fast!and!adrenaline!pumped!through!

me!in!such!quantity!that!I!jerked!the!trigger.!My!first!shot!went!

high.!The!second!flew!wide.!!

!

Focus,*damn*it!*What*did*Charlie*tell*you?
!

!

I!sighted!again!as!Wink!scrabbled!past!me!out!of!the!aisle,!

and! squeezed! the! trigger! smoothly! this! time.! The! bullet!

slammed!into!Tweedledum’s!shoulder,!forcing!a!loud!grunt!out!

of!him!and!grabbing!his!attention.!Moving!faster!than!I!would!

have!thought!possible,!he!pushed!away!from!Baines!and!Keely!

and! dove! to! the! floor! out! of! sight.! I! levered! myself! up! on! my!

feet! and! peeked! over! the! top! of! the! shelf! above! the! lab! table.!

With!a!loud!
pow
,!
pow
,!
powHpowHpow
,!equipment!and!shelving!

exploded!around!my!head!in!a!shower!of!fragments.!

!

I! yanked! my! head! back! and! folded! to! the! floor! like! a!

punctured! balloon.! Heart! racing! on! hummingbird! setting,! I!

tried!to!consider!the!options.!
Think!
!My!breathed!rasped!in!my!

throat,! loud! and! fast.!
Breathe!
! My! brain! and! body! wouldn’t!

cooperate.!Part!of!me!knew!I!had!to!pull!it!together!and!work!it!

through!quickly.!But!full6blown!panic!had!set!in,!taking!control,!

choking! off! rational! thought.!
Do*
some
thing!
! Gunshots!

reverberated! in! the! enclosed! space,! jolting! me! out! of! the!

trance.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

388&

!

Among! the! stream! of! disjointed! images! filling! my! head!

flashed! a! picture! of! a! high! school! ball! player.! A! big! power!

forward! at! one! of! Centralia’s! rivals.! Like! Jack’s! beanstalk,! I’d!

shot!up!in!those!years,!but!nature!had!taken!its!own!sweet!time!

in!adding!weight!to!my!tall!frame.!Every!time!we’d!played!that!

team,!Coach!had!assigned!me!the!big!guy.!After!a!lot!of!bruises!

and!a!chipped!tooth,!I’d!finally!experienced!some!success!when!

I’d!stuck!out!my!elbows!and!ignored!him,!went!into!that!zone!

where!nothing!else!existed!except!ball!and!basket.!Everything!

on!the!periphery!had!been!an!obstacle!to!avoid!or!bull!through,!

including! him.! Fueled! by! the! memory,! I! shoved! aside! the!

molten!fear!churning!in!my!gut!and!focused.!

!

Ball,*basket.*Get*the*ball.*Go*to*the*hoop.
!

!

I! spun! in! a! crouch! and! darted! in! the! direction! Wink! had!

disappeared,!rounded!the!end!of!the!aisle!and!sprang!up!onto!

the!last!long!lab!table.!Running!down!its!length,!I!held!the!gun!

in!front!of!me!and!halfway!down!started!firing,!aiming!for!the!

end!of!the!table!and!what!I!suspected!lay!beyond!it.!Just!before!

I!got!there,!I!changed!direction!and!leaped!over!the!shelf,!firing!

in!mid6air!down!toward!the!floor.!!

!

Tweedledum! lay! on! his! back! clutching! an! assault! rifle! to!

his!chest,!legs!churning!like!pistons!as!his!heels!scrabbled!for!

traction! on! the! tile! floor,! trying! to! push! himself! away! from!

where! bullets! had! been! ripping! through! the! lab! table.! His!

mouth!opened!to!scream!and!his!eyes!widened!at!the!sight!of!

me! looming! above! him.! No! sound! emerged! as! a! hail! of! slugs!

slammed! into! his! chest,! letting! the! air! escape! from! his! lungs!

before! it! could! pass! through! his! voice! box.! My! momentum!

carried!me!into!the!wall,!and!I!crashed!onto!an!equipment!cart!

in!a!heap.!!

!

“Legs,!you!okay?”!Wink!called.!His!voice!sounded!tinny!and!

distant!over!the!drone!in!my!ears!from!the!gunfire.!

!

“I!think!so.!You?”!

!

“Never!better.”!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

389&

!

Disentangling!myself,!I!stood!up!and!looked!for!him,!doing!

my!best!to!ignore!the!bloody!corpse!at!my!feet.!The!immediacy!

of!death!was!messier,!uglier,!more!personal!and!disturbing!up!

close!than!at!a!distance.!!

!

Across!the!room,!Wink’s!head!popped!up!above!a!lab!table.!

Quiet! settled! over! us! like! the! smoke! from! all! the! gunshots.!

Connie!lay!unmoving!along!the!wall.!Easing!around!the!end!of!

the!worktable,!I!peered!down!the!aisle.!Clayt!had!slipped!off!his!

stool!and!lay!curled!up!under!the!table.!Baines!and!Keely!were!

gone.!Reyna,!too.!!

!

“You’re!an!asshole,!you!know,”!Wink!said.!!

!

I! nodded.! “I! should! have! told! you.! I! should! have! come!

forward!at!the!trial.”!

!

“You!thought!I!did!it.”!

!

“No!one!would!have!believed!me,!Wink.!Mysterious!men!in!

black?!Hell,!they!didn’t!believe!
you
.!I!was!scared.!I!would!have!

lost!my!scholarship,!and!you!still!would!have!gone!to!jail.”!

!

“Maybe.”! He! shrugged.! “I! figured! you! split! before! it!

happened.!I!was!never!mad!at!you.!I!would!have!done!the!same!

thing.”!

!

The!admission!barely!registered.!My!train!of!thought!had!

already!switched!down!another!siding.!

!

“Wink?!We!have!to!get!out!of!here.!Baines…”!

!

Just! like! the! old! days,! he! immediately! tracked! the! weird!

way!my!mind!shifted!direction.!!

!

“Can!you!carry!the!Wilson!woman?”!he!said.!

!

I!was!halfway!to!the!desk!where!she!lay.!“Already!on!it.”!

!

I!scooped!Connie!up!in!my!arms.!Pale!and!pasty,!she’d!lost!

a!lot!of!blood,!but!she!hadn’t!lost!much!weight.!Middle!age!and!

years!of!comfortable!living!under!an!alias!had!plumped!her!up!

like!a!holiday!turkey,!and!I!staggered!under!the!load.!I!heaved!

her!torso!over!my!shoulder!like!a!sack!of!cement!and!headed!

for!the!door.!!

!

“Wink!!Let’s!go!!He’s!going!to!blow!this!place.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

390&

!

“Shit!!I’m!coming.!I!can’t!convince!this!dickhead!to!move!”!

!

I! paused! in! the! doorway! and! checked! on! his! progress.!

Wink!dragged!Clayt!across!the!floor!by!his!ankles.!Stepping!out!

into!the!hallway,!I!waited!for!him!to!catch!up.!Clayt!struggled!

feebly!as!he!slid!along!on!his!back.!

!

“Stop,”!he!moaned.!“What!are!you!doing?!Let!me!go.”!

!

Wink! turned! around! and! backed! up! between! Clayt’s! legs,!

hitching!himself!to!Clayt’s!wagon.!With!a!leg!tucked!under!each!

arm,!he!leaned!forward!and!pulled.!We!shambled!down!the!hall!

as!fast!as!we!could,!a!couple!of!draft!horses!pulling!their!loads.!

The!building’s!front!door!beckoned,!the!potential!threat!behind!

us!propelling!us!forward.!!

!

“Can’t!you!drag!his!ass!any!faster?”!I!said.!“Let’s!move!”!

!

“I’m!going!slow!so!you!can!keep!up.!You!out!of!shape?”!

!

I! straightened! and! slowed! my! labored! breathing.! “Candy6

ass.”!

!

“Pussy.”!

!

I! put! my! head! down! and! broke! into! a! trot,! feet! thudding!

heavily!under!the!load.!Wink!leaned!farther!forward!and!raced!

me!to!the!door.!I!won,!banging!into!the!door!with!my!shoulder!

and! bulled! it! open.! Outside! the! entry! I! waited! while! Wink!

hauled!Clayt!into!a!fireman’s!carry.!

!

The!two!of!us!stumbled!onto!a!patch!of!grass!out!front!just!

as!the!roar!of!an!explosion!blew!a!truck6sized!hole!in!the!side!

of! the! building.! The! concussion! shattered! the! glass! doors!

behind! us.! The! building! exhaled! a! thick! cloud! of! smoke! and!

dust!through!both!openings.!I!fell!to!my!knees!and!laid!Connie!

on!the!ground.!Sitting!back!on!my!haunches,!I!tipped!my!head!

up!to!the!sky!and!let!the!soft!rain!pelt!my!skin.!!

!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

391&

!

!

Chapter&54
&

!

!

Wink!stood!over!me!and!extended!a!hand.!

!

“We’re!not!done!yet,”!he!said.!“They!must!still!be!close!by.!

They!couldn’t!have!triggered!the!explosive!otherwise.”!

!

I!grasped!his!wrist!and!let!him!haul!me!to!my!feet.!“Don’t!

you!think!they’re!on!their!way!out!of!here!by!now?”!!

!

Shots! rang! out! behind! me,! proving! me! wrong.! Wink!

motioned!to!the!left,!so!I!spun!and!ran!in!a!low!crouch!behind!a!

tree! at! the! edge! of! the! large! parking! lot! in! front! of! the! main!

building.!Wink!leaned!a!shoulder!against!another!tree!fifty!feet!

away.!We!both!peered!around!them!to!see!where!the!shots!had!

come! from.! Across! the! lot,! Baines! was! trying! to! get! into! the!

SUV.!Keely!had!her!arms!around!one!of!his!legs!and!was!pulling!

him!back!out.!The!man!Baines!had!called!Pete!stood!behind!the!

open!driver’s!door.!He!squeezed!off!a!shot!at!someone!off!to!his!

left.!!

!

Three! other! cars! were! scattered! around! the! empty! lot.!

With!a!boom,!the!blackness!lit!up!in!an!orange!flash!behind!one!

of!them.!Pete!returned!fire,!three!shots!in!quick!succession!that!

ka6
thunked
! into! metal.! I! looked! over! at! Wink! to! see! if! he! had!

any! brilliant! ideas,! but! he! was! braced! against! the! thick! tree!

trunk,!cheek!tucked!near!his!shoulder,!gun!in!his!outstretched!

hands! pointed! at! the! SUV.! He! squeezed! off! a! round,! paused,!

squeezed!off!another.!Paused!and!did!it!again.!

!

Charlie! once! told! me! that! big! city! police! forces! like! SPD!

don’t! require! officers! to! target! shoot! from! more! than! about!

twenty6five! yards! anymore.! Too! many! cops! are! killed! inside!

seven! feet! to! warrant! the! extra! training.! Wink’s! dad! had!

started! Wink! out! at! fifty! yards,! just! like! old6style! competition!

shooting.!His!first!shot!punched!a!hole!in!the!driver’s!door.!The!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

392&

second!punched!another!hole!six!inches!above!that.!The!third!

one! shattered! the! window! and! drilled! a! hole! in! Pete.! He!

dropped!with!a!grunt.!

!

Reyna’s! head! popped! up! from! the! other! side! of! the! car!

Pete!had!been!shooting!at.!She!ran!toward!the!SUV,!holding!a!

gun!out!in!front!of!her!with!both!hands.!

!

“Baines!”! she! shouted.! “Get! away! from! the! car!! Now!! On!

the!ground!”!

!

Baines!still!struggled!to!climb!into!the!back!of!the!SUV.!At!

the!sound!of!Reyna’s!voice,!he!looked!over!his!shoulder.!With!

renewed! urgency,! he! yanked! a! leg! free! from! Keely’s! grip! and!

kicked! her! in! the! head,! knocking! her! to! the! ground.! He!

scrabbled!into!the!back!seat.!

!

Wink!ducked!around!the!other!side!of!his!tree!and!trotted!

toward! the! SUV! behind! Reyna.! I! was! slower! to! move,! and!

suddenly! saw! movement! low! to! the! ground! between! the! big!

vehicle’s!wheels.!A!black!wraith!stole!around!the!front!bumper,!

extending!the!barrel!of!an!assault!rifle!past!the!wheel!well.!!

!

“Reyna!”!I!bellowed.!“Get!down!”!!

!

I! sprinted! across! the! asphalt,! arms! and! legs! pumping,!

screaming! like! a! banshee! to! distract! him,! hoping! to! get! close!

enough!for!a!shot!that!might!not!miss.!The!rifle!muzzle!spurted!

flames! with! a!
popHpopHpop
! before! the! man’s! surprised! face!

swiveled! toward! the! sound! and! sight! of! me! bearing! down! on!

him.!He!swung!the!barrel!in!my!direction.!I!cut!the!same!way,!

desperate! to! stay! out! of! its! field! of! fire,! leading! him! as! the!

muzzle! flashed! again.! I! heard! both! Reyna! and! Wink! shouting.!

The!shooter!looked!even!more!confused.!In!a!panic,!he!swung!

the!rifle!back!the!other!way.!Keely!staggered!to!her!feet!just!as!

he! fired,! catching! the! burst! meant! for! Reyna.! She! spun! and!

dropped.!!

!

Screeching! to! a! stop,! I! took! three! deep! breaths! while! I!

peered! down! the! sight,! held! the! last! one,! and! remembered!

Charlie’s! instructions:!
“Slow* and* easy,* like* your* first* kiss.”
! The!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

393&

discharge!when!it!came—
bang!
!recoil—was!almost!surprising,!

the!way!it’s!supposed!to!be.!The!shooter!grunted!and!sagged!to!

one! side,! a! hand! instinctively! going! to! the! wound! in! his! leg.!

With!the!other!hand,!he!raised!the!rifle.!
Breathe!*In,*out,*in,*out,*

hold,*and*squeeze!
!The!hammer!felt!on!an!empty!chamber!with!

a! click.! I! pulled! the! trigger! again.!
Click.
! The! rifle! barrel! arced!

toward!me.!

!

“Drop!it!!Put!it!down!!Now!!
Do
!it!”!!

!

Wink! stepped! into! my! narrowed! range! of! vision! and!

advanced! toward! the! wounded! man,! gun! pointed! at! his! head.!

The!rifle!clattered!to!the!pavement.!Wink!kicked!it!out!of!reach,!

leaned! down! and! grabbed! a! fistful! of! fabric! near! the! man’s!