The Darkness Beyond (18 page)

God forbid they'd have to hike their asses back down the trail and across the valley to their fallback position on the other side. But if that's what they had to do, they'd need the food and supplies in that pack. He hustled back to where Reggie was waiting. She looked relieved to see him but then frowned.

“D.J., what's wrong?”

There was no use lying to her. “I think someone has been up here today. It might be the guy I fought last night.”

“Kolar? The one you thought died when he fell off the cliff?”

“Yeah, but it almost has to be him. No one else has passed by us, and this trail comes to a dead end just past the cave.”

Reggie backed away a few steps. “How is that even possible? Even if Kolar survived the fall, he'd be injured too badly to hike this far.”

Now wasn't the time to discuss the full capabilities of the Paladins or their alien counterparts. She'd already learned more than she should have about his world. Okay, that was a lie. It wasn't his world he was trying to protect. He didn't want her to find out how much of a freak he really was.

“Trust me, with these guys almost anything is possible.” He shouldered his own pack, but drew Larem's sword. “Keep your gun aimed down and to the side. Stay behind me as much as possible.”

He made sure she was following his directions before starting up the hillside. They had less than half a mile to go. Once they drew closer to the entrance, he'd find somewhere to stash Reggie while he investigated. When they reached the cave safely, he should be able to defend them both until Barak opened up the way home.

Home.
He couldn't wait. No doubt Reggie felt the same way to the power of ten. Had she stopped to think that getting back across the barrier was only the first step in returning her life to normal? Until he and the Paladins managed to track down the bastard who had ordered the kidnapping in the first place, she'd have to be under armed guard.

She'd hate that, but one step at a time. Right now he needed to concentrate on the immediate problem of getting them both safely inside the cave.

There was another cluster of trees and rocks just ahead, the perfect place for Reggie to wait while he scouted. In the time it took for her to catch up, he'd dropped his cloak and pack on the ground. He'd move more easily without them.

She came puffing her way up the trail a few seconds later. “Why are we stopping here? Isn't that the cave entrance just ahead?”

“It is, which is why you're going to stay here. If someone has laid a trap for us, I'll need room to maneuver. I can't do that and protect you at the same time.”

Reggie took a deep breath and then planted herself right in front of him, blocking the trail. “Hold up just a second.”

He tried to get around her but ended up just slide-stepping as she kept pace with him. Short of mowing her down, he'd get nowhere.

“Come on, Reggie, no arguments. If this turns violent, I don't want you caught in the middle.”

For such a tiny thing, she sure was stubborn. “Hold still, for Pete's sake. I'm not trying to stop you from going, just stop you from going
yet
.”

Her smile was a bit ragged as she reached up to capture his face in her hands. “I'm scared, and I want to give you a kiss for luck before you go up there.”

He stared down into those eyes that read him like an open book. She was worried, but mainly about him, even though they were both at risk. For a brief second he knew what it was like to be Devlin and Trahern, having women in their lives who sent them off to battle knowing that they were loved.

He kissed her with everything he had. It might've been a bit awkward, holding her close with his hands full of weapons, but that didn't detract one bit from the sweetness of the moment. Standing there on the hillside in full view of the whole world was insanity, but he desperately needed this little bit of craziness in his life.

A trickle of gravel slipping down the hillside was his only warning. D.J. managed to shove Reggie out of the way just in time to block the charging Other's blow with his own weapon.

“Reggie, get back!” he bellowed as he forced the enemy to retreat one step, then a second.

He could hear Reggie scrambling for cover. The previous night he'd never gotten a clear look at his opponent, shrouded as he'd been in his cloak, but the Other's fighting style was unmistakable. The bastard was good, but then desperation often took a fighter to a new level.

They were going at it too fast, too up close and personal for D.J. to get off a clean shot with his gun, especially when he wasn't quite sure where Reggie had gone to ground. He tossed the gun aside, freeing up his second hand to grasp the pommel of Larem's sword. The two-handed grip gave him that much more control and power.

“You have any last wishes, Other?” D.J. taunted as he charged the bastard, forcing him to give more ground. Their blades clanged together, the two men ending up pommel to pommel and smelling each other's breath.

The Kalith smiled, sweat and dust streaks on his pale face only emphasizing the insanity in his eyes. “Human, I'm not the only one who will die this day. You and your woman both will breathe your last here in Kalithia.”

D.J. didn't waste precious energy responding to the smug bastard. He jumped back, only to rebound with a series of fast and furious blows intended to wear the Other down. Maybe the previous night's injuries had yet to heal completely, because the man's defense was rapidly weakening.

D.J. finally caught the Other on the upper leg, the curve of his blade slicing straight through flesh until it hit bone. D.J. jerked the sword free and danced back a few steps. Blood gushed from the wound as the Other screamed in agony, retreating back uphill toward the cavern entrance.

D.J. followed slowly. Given the rate the guy was leaking oil, he'd be dead within three minutes, maybe less. And D.J. planned on making sure there'd be no coming back this time. Back home, he'd shoved his share of wounded Others back into their own world, seeing no need to finish them off as long as they stayed on their side of the barrier.

Not this time. Not after what this pale-eyed bastard had done to his woman.

Damn it, he'd forgotten all about her. The last thing Reggie needed was to witness another bloodbath. He looked around for her. Smart woman that she was, she'd found a good-size boulder to hide behind. She still held the gun in her hand, but she was shaking so hard he hoped like hell that she had the safety on.

A soft moan snapped his attention back to the matter at hand. By now, the trail of blood left by the Other had almost reached the cave. He had collapsed in the dirt, the stream of blood flowing more slowly than it had been a few seconds before. Death had its hooks in the male and wouldn't be letting go.

Still, the wounded man kept dragging himself closer to the cave. He'd abandoned his sword, using his one hand in a futile attempt to staunch the bleeding as he limped along leaning against the rocky wall with the other. Finally, he slumped down to sit in the dirt right outside the entrance and reached for something on the ground.

What the hell was he up to now?

D.J. ran forward, ready to end it once and for all. But then he saw what the Other had clutched in his bloody hands. Two wires. What the fuck?

Oh, hell, no! He backed away, slowly at first but then faster.

“Run, Reggie, run!” he shouted, knowing they'd never get far enough away in time.

Kolar looked up at D.J., the fading light in his eyes triumphant as he touched the wires together. The two pieces of metal sparked and sizzled. Turning his back on the dying man, D.J. hauled ass down the trail, hoping like hell Reggie made it out of the blast zone.

A deep rumble shook the ground beneath his feet, almost sending him skidding to his knees. He managed to keep his balance right up until the hillside erupted in a blast of heat and fire. Rocks and burning ash rained down. Ahead, the shock wave sent Reggie pitching headfirst to the ground. D.J. dove to cover her body with his, ignoring the pain as the rocks and dirt pelted him.

He wrapped his arms around her and held on with all his strength, waiting for the world to right itself. As bad as it was, at least they were both still breathing.

With luck, maybe they'd both survive this.

D
evlin's door slammed open. Cody jumped about a mile as the big man stormed out of his office looking royally pissed off. What had happened? Everyone in the area froze in midmotion, no doubt wondering the same thing.

For several seconds, all Devlin did was curse as he abused the furniture in the area. A wastebasket bounced off the wall. A second one followed the first, throwing up a cloud of trash and sending it fluttering through the air. When Devlin picked up the nearest desk chair, Trahern and Cullen bolted across the room to gang-tackle him. They might have knocked the wind out of him, but it didn't last. Within a heartbeat, he'd almost succeeded in bucking them off, screaming threats at the top of his lungs.

“Let me the fuck go!”

Trahern bellowed, “Help, you idiots!”

Larem and a couple of young Paladins immediately joined the party, aiming for Devlin's arms and legs. It took all of their combined efforts to pin the man down, a tribute to his strength and fury. Even then, the mass of big bodies writhed across the floor.

Trahern gripped his friend's face with one of his big hands. “Damn it, Devlin, quit this shit.”

Cody stood up, and was considering adding his weight to the pile when Trahern rose up long enough to belt his friend. Abruptly all the fight went out of Devlin.

One by one, the combatants peeled off the heap until only Trahern and Cullen remained kneeling beside their friend. From where Cody stood, it was impossible to see how much damage Trahern had done with his fist. After a few seconds, the two men helped Devlin sit up.

The Paladin leader shook his head as if to clear it and rubbed his jaw with his hand.

“Damn it, Blake, I forgot just how hard you can hit.”

Trahern flexed his hand and laughed as he got back up to his feet. He and Cullen pulled Devlin upright before shoving him into the same chair he'd threatened to demolish. He happened to look in Cody's direction and cursed under his breath.

“Sorry, Cody. Didn't mean to go ballistic in front of you. Normally, I have better control.”

“No problem.”

Then Cody asked the question he knew they were all wanting answered. “How bad is it?”

Devlin pushed himself to his feet and looked around the room. “Barak just called. He and Lonzo were still camped out and waiting to bring the barrier down for D.J. and Reggie. About half an hour ago, all hell broke loose. One second the barrier was at full strength, and the next it basically imploded. They only got a brief glimpse through to the cave on the other side, but it appears that someone blew it all to hell and back.”

His already grim expression worsened. “They couldn't tell if anyone was inside the cavern on the other side. Lonzo and Barak had to take off running before the aftershocks rolled through to our side. The whole fucking place collapsed only seconds after they got out. That's all we know for now.”

The walls started closing in on Cody, and the temperature bounced from hot to cold and back again. Maybe it was the waves of tension coming off every man in the room.

“How soon can Barak find out what's going on?”

Devlin shifted his gaze to a spot on the wall behind Cody's head. “They can't go back in, even through one of the other caves. The whole area is too damn unstable now. Not that it matters. With that part of the barrier destroyed, no one will be coming through there anytime soon. All we can do is wait until D.J. and Reggie find another way home.”

The Paladin leader looked straight across to where Cody stood. As the man's words sank in, Cody's lungs forgot how to work and his pulse raced out of control.

“I've told Barak and Lonzo to head on back. There's nothing more to be done there.”

Cody needed to sit down. Now. Evidently someone else thought so, too, because a chair hit him in the back of his legs and a hand shoved his head between his knees.

“Breathe, damn it.”

Even through the dizziness, Cody felt the rough concern in Trahern's voice, reminding him that he wasn't alone in this. Reggie was his friend, but D.J. was theirs. Well, maybe his, too.

A minute or two passed before the spots in front of his eyes faded. He stood slowly once the fog started lifting. As soon as he was upright, Cullen stuck a bottle of water in his face.

“Drink this and then we'll go eat. Don't want you to starve to death before we have a chance to nail the bastards.”

Although the water helped, Cullen's barely controlled anger was what actually made Cody feel better. At the very least their cyberhunt would give them something to concentrate on other than worrying.

Devlin was back to snapping out orders. “Larem, get Hunter on the horn and have him send a follow-up message to Berk. Tell him what's happened. Maybe he can send someone to check out the cave and see if they're . . .”

He stopped talking and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, just tell him we need to know one way or the other. Maybe he can split up his men and have some check out this area and send the rest to watch for D.J. and Reggie heading toward their secondary target.”

Larem was already dialing the phone. While he talked, his dog ignored everyone else in the room and headed straight for Cody. Scratching the dog's head, he smiled a little when the dog groaned and closed his big brown eyes. For a moment, Cody concentrated on making the dog happy, the only thing in his control.

Cullen walked over to where he was sitting, twirling his key ring on his forefinger. “You ready?”

“Yeah, sure.” Reluctantly, Cody nodded and pushed the dog back so he could stand up. He wasn't particularly hungry, but right now getting out of there for a while sounded damn good. His own mood was bleak enough, but being surrounded by a bunch of guys whose moods were even darker wasn't helping. He waited until he and Cullen had put some distance between themselves and the rest of the crew.

Keeping his voice low, he asked, “Devlin thinks they're already dead, doesn't he?”

Before Cullen could answer, Devlin's voice rang out over the distance. “Hell, no, I don't think that! Never underestimate D.J. He's one tough son of a bitch, and no fucking Other is going to get the better of him. You just watch. He and Reggie will come strolling back across the barrier in a day or so. When he does, I'm going to kick his ass just for worrying you this much.”

Cody looked at Cullen. “I thought I whispered that.”

The Paladin smiled at him. “We all have exceptional hearing, but his is better than most.”

Evidently Devlin wasn't done horning in on their conversation. “It comes from years of riding herd on this bunch of idiots. Now, go eat and then get your asses back here. There's work to be done.”

Then Devlin walked back into his office, abusing his door once again as he slammed it behind him. Once he was out of sight, everyone else scattered. Cullen gave Cody a slight push toward the door at the end of the hall.

“So what sounds good for lunch?”

“I'm not picky, but I could go for Italian.”

Before they reached the door, an obnoxious horn blasted up and down the hallway. The racket was unbelievable. What the heck was that? Obviously something bad because Paladins came pouring out of nearby offices and hallways at a dead run, most carrying swords.

“Cullen, what's going on?”

The Paladin was already walking back the way they'd come. He had the same fierce expression on his face as the others. Gone was the affable hacker and in his place a stone-cold killer, his expression hard and brittle.

“Listen, Cody, that alarm tells us the barrier below has gone down. Chances are there are a bunch of crazies from Kalithia foaming at the mouth to escape into our world. I'm going to have to join the rest of the guys to make sure that doesn't happen. Go with Larem. He'll stay with you until we get back.”

“How long will that be?”

“There's no telling. Could be fifteen minutes or two days.”

Larem stood in the middle of the desks watching the Paladins rush by. Cody waited for a break in the crowd to join him. If he'd thought the Kalith's face had been difficult to read before, it was impossible now. When the last of the Paladins disappeared from sight, Larem finally acknowledged Cody's presence.

“Did you need something?”

“Cullen and I were on our way to grab a bite to eat, but obviously that's not happening.”

Larem continued to stare down the hall as if seeing something other than elevators and office doors, his hand rubbing his upper thigh. His demeanor had taken on the same hard edge as Cullen's. When he didn't immediately respond, Cody took a step back, a little leery of bothering him.

As if breaking free of his mood, Larem shuddered slightly before turning to face Cody.

“I didn't mean to ignore you. I find it difficult to stand here and do nothing when my friends are fighting for their lives.”

“I'm sorry.” What else could he say?

Larem's pale eyes looked so sad. “Me, too. As my friend Hunter reminds me, we can only play the cards we are dealt. Why don't we both get out of here for a while? We'll have to take Chance with us, but I know a place with great takeout. If you don't mind, we'll take it to the animal shelter where I volunteer. Maybe you can help me there until Cullen is back.”

Cody nodded and followed Larem out.

Todd studied the printouts Ray had slipped to him before leaving for the day. The man was still bitching about the Morrison woman punching him and the revenge he was planning when she returned. Personally, Todd figured spending time as a plaything for their Kalith allies was punishment enough, but then it hadn't been his nose she'd broken.

If Ray's nose surgery went well, he'd be back in a few days. Until he returned, though, it was up to Todd to monitor what was going on out in Seattle.

Rumor had it that one of the Paladins had gone missing. A couple of them had been away from the Seattle office briefly. No one seemed to know where they'd been, although Todd had his suspicions. Wherever it was, they'd evidently returned with a new recruit in tow. Great. Just what the world needed—another loose cannon trained in the fine art of killing everything in sight.

Okay, maybe that was cold, but it was true. No one he knew ever claimed Paladins were all that stable, just that they were the most capable means to prevent an all-out invasion of alien crazies.

Todd had dedicated most of his working life to providing the supplies and equipment needed to keep the whole organization running smoothly. So what if he'd siphoned off a few bucks here and there for his own use? He deserved some compensation for having to deal with the freaks.

Flying under the radar while he did it was the hard part. With that in mind, he'd better spend some quality time with those printouts. If Devlin Bane's boys were hot on Todd's trail, maybe it was time to take that vacation his wife had been nagging him about.

Too bad he'd be going without her.

Reggie's ears were ringing, and she couldn't catch her breath. Everything ached. Absolutely everything. She really, really hoped that last problem was due to the fact that D.J. was on top of her. When he didn't immediately roll off, she felt the first stirrings of panic setting in.

“D.J., are you okay?”

Still no response. She waited another heartbeat or two, and then tried to wiggle out from underneath him. As soon as she moved, he spoke, his voice a rough whisper.

“Hold still, Reggie, and give me a minute. The side of the trail has given way. We're poised at the edge, and I'm not sure how stable it is.”

He shifted a little to her right side, his weight grinding her farther into the rocky ground. She wasn't about to complain about the pain, not when he was trying to keep her alive. If she didn't trust him by now, she never would.

“On a count of three, I'm going to roll to the right and take you with me. Once we're on more solid ground, we'll assess the damage.”

His hold on her tightened as he counted off in a quiet murmur. Then he abruptly rolled to the side, jerking her off the ground and literally tossing her about a yard to his right. She landed in a painful heap against the base of a tree. D.J. scrambled after her.

When she pushed herself up, she got her first look at their world postexplosion. All around them trees were uprooted and boulders shattered. The cave entrance was gone, buried in a tumble of dirt and rocks. There was no sign of Kolar. Considering that he'd been at the center of the blast, that came as no surprise.

It had only been by sheer blind luck that a rocky shelf had shielded D.J. and herself from the worst of the blast. A few nicks and bruises weren't much in the grand scheme of things.

“Are you all right?”

She suspected she'd yelled the words because of the way D.J. flinched before he nodded.

“Sorry about that,” she mouthed. “My ears are seriously screwed up.”

“Not a problem.”

He stood and took a couple of steps, not looking all that steady himself. At least he had the good sense to stay in one place until he was sure his legs would support him. That's when she noticed the trickle of blood pouring down his arm.

“You're hurt!”

Okay, she hollered that, too, but who could blame her? He actually looked puzzled until she pointed at the gash on his forearm.

“Let me check you over.”

“I'm okay.” He swiped at the blood with the hem of his tunic. “It's nothing.”

Oh, brother. “I don't need that macho crap from you. Now let me clean that up before it gets infected.”

“Trust me. It won't.”

She ignored his protests as she took hold of his arm and turned it around to get a better look at the wound. There was a large sliver of wood embedded in the cut.

She needed more than just the hem of his tunic to clean the wound. Looking around, she spotted the strap of her pack peeking up from out of the rubble.