The Paladin (28 page)

"Look, Brenda, when we are miles from here, then we can hash out the implications, but for now, stow it and let's get the hell out of Dodge."

The women moved to the heavy grill covering the room's only window. Standing on a chair, Maggie used the remaining key to unlock and remove the grill. As she sat the covering aside, Maggie and Brenda jumped as a gunshot rang out and something landed hard on the floor above.

40

Dana walked up the steps; Harold paused and locked the basement door while trying to contain his excitement.
I can't believe the plan is actually working. God bless you, Maggie, and your damsel in distress act! It was truly an inspired performance.

Harold trotted up the stairs and joined Dana in the spacious living room. Dana leaped into his arms and kissed him passionately.

"You've done it," she whispered. "Our new life is about to begin."

"Why don't we take this celebration upstairs," he said softly as he began to unbutton her blouse.

"First things first," she said pulling away from his embrace. "Have to give the boss the good news."

"Can't this wait, for say, an hour?"

"One phone call, then I'm all yours, Romeo," she said taking out her cell.

***

Silas followed Beck and his hostage into the dark interior of the barn.

"Now, put the vessel on the ground and back away," said Beck.

"I don't think so," Silas said pulling a gun from his waistband.

"What are you doing?" Beck shouted.

"Taking care of business," Silas said bringing the gun up to his own temple.

"Stop him!" Brenda screamed.

John Beck turned his weapon away from Celeste and fired four times at Silas. The revolver sounded like thunder in the barn.

Dropping his weapon, Silas stumbled back in blinding pain, as two of Beck's bullets had shattered his arm.

"So, our little ruse didn't work out quite the way I planned," said Beck advancing toward the wounded man, "but it still turned out just fine."

Silas looked up at Beck. Beck looked the same as he did in the church back in 1940.

"Let me finish this, John," Celeste said, her guise as Brenda now gone. "I'll make it quick."

"No, I have a better idea," he said easing down the hammer on his .357. "The Coles have been a burr under my saddle since that damn Silas shot me. I think it's time for some long overdue payback."

"Would you hold this, my love?" Beck said, tossing his gun to Celeste.

***

"Fix us a drink," Dana said as she stepped across the living room and dialed Beck's number.

"This is a bad time, Dana," said Beck, "I am entertaining."

"Sir, I have wonderful news, news that can't wait."

"Well, spit it out."

"The Paladin has stopped by for a visit. As we speak, she is enjoying the accommodations of the basement game room."

Dana pulled the phone away from her ear as Beck whooped with joy.

"Dana, I'm doubling your salary!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"Listen to me," he said, "Don't lay a finger on them. I'm going to send Celeste ahead while I explain to Zack the error of his ways. I'll follow shortly."

"Yes, sir."

"One more small thing. With the Paladin taken care of, it seems that Mr. White has outlived his usefulness."

"Sir?"

"Under no condition is Mr. White to still be breathing when Celeste arrives. Do you understand me?"

Dana looked over at Harold, smiled, and blew him a kiss.

"Not a problem, sir. In fact, it will be my pleasure."

Dana switched off her phone and put it away.

Price of immortality,
she thought.

Harold approached and handed her a glass. Dana took the drink in her left hand and held it high.

"To immortality," she toasted.

"Immortality," he said, bringing the glass to his lips.

Dana smoothly pulled her Walther free with her right hand.

Harold sidestepped and threw his scotch in her face as she fired.

The bullet made a painful yet superficial wound along his ribs. Harold gave Dana a hard right cross and she fell senseless to the hardwood floor.

"I guess this means we are over," he said. "Pity."

41

"Yes!" Beck exclaimed setting his phone on a wooden stool.

"Good news?" asked Celeste.

"My dear, it is over. It seems that Zack's companion tried to rescue Miss Mills and failed. Could you please go and take care of them? I'll be along directly after I finish with Mr. Cole here."

Silas closed his eyes in anguish.
No, Maggie, not you, too.

"But you said that we need to avoid contact with White and Kirby."

"Change of plans," he said. "Dana should have dispatched Harold by now. Please make sure Dana joins him."

"It will be my pleasure. I always thought Dana looked…delicious."

Celeste exited the barn and soon they heard the sound of a car engine.

"Well, it looks like it's just you and me, Zack," Beck said with a smile.

"Where are Maggie and Brenda?"

Beck walked around the wounded man and stood between him and the room's only door.

"Go back down the road the way you came, one and a half miles until you come to a black top drive flanked by a pair of stone gate hangers. They're big suckers, can't miss them. The drive ends at a big log cabin I built back in the fifties. Your two friends are there."

"Just like that?" said Silas. He gritted his teeth as the white-hot pain shot up his arm.

"Just like that that," Beck said with a grin. "All you have to do is get by me. I have to warn you though, boy. I once whipped John L. Sullivan's ass. He was a boxer who lived way before your time. Back when real men ran the roost. Not like the spineless pussies of today."

"For your information, I know who the Boston Strong Boy is. Moreover, you wouldn't know a real man if he bit you on your ass! Maggie was right: you are a waste of skin."

"Why, you son of a bitch!"

Silas lunged for the door, but Beck was too fast. Beck grabbed Silas by his wounded arm, and with his fingers, ground together the shattered bones.

Silas gritted his teeth against the pain.

"Like that, boy?" Beck said as he slammed a fist into Silas’s jaw. "More where that came from."

Silas went down to his knees and Beck delivered a brutal kick to his face.

"That was for my two legs."

His nose broken and one eye beginning to swell, Silas made a halfhearted lunge. Beck easily knocked him down.

"Oh, come on, son, you can do better than that! I haven't even worked up a sweat yet."

Dragging his useless arm and spitting blood, Silas struggled to his feet. Slowly, he moved toward the door.

"Damn, son, I've been wanting to this to a Cole for nigh on seventy years," Beck said as he slammed a left and right combination into Silas's side. Silas staggered sideways but kept his footing.

"The only thing I regret is that it's you and not that piece of shit, Silas."

Silas turned to Beck and began to laugh.

"What's so funny, boy?" Beck said as he moved in for the kill.

"I was thinking about you, sitting in the Good Hope. You were sitting between Mr. Web and Mr. Lloyd, smiling, just like the cat that had eaten the canary," Silas said as he wiped his bloody mouth. "When I pulled out that gun, I thought you were going to shit your pants."

"What did you say?"

Silas looked Beck dead in the eye. Looking into the strangely familiar blue eyes, Beck had an epiphany.

Silas concentrated with all his might, activating the last of the angel's blood. His features wavered and blurred.

"Oh my God!" Beck exclaimed. "Silas Cole, it can't be!"

Stunned, Beck threw a distracted left and Silas caught the punch with his good right hand. Clamping down hard with supernatural strength, he trapped Beck's fist. With a quick flick, he was rewarded with a high-pitched scream from Beck. Beck staggered back clutching his broken wrist.

"No, it can't be you!"

Silas stepped in, and ignoring his own pain, landed a downward right to Beck's ribs. Beck cried out and then went down hard on the dirt floor.

"John L. Sullivan, my ass," said Silas.

Silas lurched over to where Beck's phone lay. Awkwardly, he also wrapped his arm around the handle of a shovel leaning against the wall.

Beck tried to crawl away, but Silas slammed his foot down hard on his back. He smiled as he felt bone crunch.

With the toe of his shoe, he flipped Beck over onto his back and he placed the blade of the shovel to his throat, just under his chin.

"No…please don't…I have money…I will give it all to you, Silas…just let me go."

"Call your people and have them let the women go, now!" Silas dropped the cell to Beck.

Gasping for air, Beck quickly punched a button and placed the phone to his ear.

Horrified, Silas saw a wicked gleam shine in Beck's eyes and a smile form on his lips. For years, John Beck had teetered on the eroding edge of sanity. Defeated yet again by Silas Cole, Beck lost his tenuous grip and plunged head first into madness.

"Kill them! Kill them all, especially the Paladin!" Beck screamed into the phone.

With a mighty shout, Silas drove the tempered steel blade deep into the dirt floor.

42

Maggie and Brenda crawled out of the window and ran for the cover of the forest.

"Those gunshots…"

"Probably Dana made her call and Harold finished her off."

"What now?" asked Brenda.

"Harold said he would leave your SUV near the road. Said the keys were in the ashtray. Let's move it, Blondie, we can still help Silas."

"Silas?"

"Yes, he was delivering your ransom to Beck."

"He is walking into a trap, isn't he?"

"What do you think?" asked Maggie. "I know where they are meeting. It is close by, but we have to hurry."

The two women took off at a dead run through the pine trees. Half a mile from the cabin, the right reverend appeared before Brenda and stuck out his foot. With a yelp, Brenda went down hard.

"What the hell was that for, you son of a bitch!"

The right Reverend Mills got down in her face and said, "Look here, girl! Things at the cabin have gone south. Get back there now, or this world will die and it will all be your fault. Not only will you go to Hell, but you will enjoy my company forever!"

Shit!

Maggie picked Brenda up.

"Don't have time for this, Blondie!" said Maggie. "Silas needs us."

"We have to go back."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Something is wrong, I just know it. We have to go back."

"No!"

"Then go save your boyfriend," said Brenda. "I'm going back."

Brenda turned toward the cabin.

With an oath, Maggie slammed Brenda against a tree.

"I am getting real tired of you, little girl," said Maggie.

"Get your hands off me! If you won't do your job then I guess I will have to!"

Enraged, Maggie drew back a fist.

"I'm warning you…"

"Go ahead, beat me up, but I'm still going back. I'm telling you, something is wrong!"

Maggie stepped back, gritting her teeth.

"OK, you win," she said. "I must be out of my mind! I'll go back and have a quick look, and then I will join you at the truck."

"I'm coming, too."

"Brenda, you have been in the way from the beginning, not to mention being a pain in my ass. Now do what I say!"

"OK, I'll go to the car," said Brenda. "But please, hurry!"

Maggie turned on her heel and flew down the path.

***

Warily, Maggie approached the cabin.

If this turns out to be nothing or anything happens to Silas, I swear to God, I will kill Brenda!
Maggie thought.

Easing close to the cabin, she heard the sound of a car coming down the long driveway. Ducking behind a large shrub, she lay flat and watched as Celeste exited the Mercedes.

Wonder where Beck and Silas are?
Wish I had Kali with me.

Maggie watched as Celeste approached the front door.

Celeste tried to open the door but found it locked. Frowning, she rapped hard on the oak door.

Seconds later, the door opened and Celeste was surprised to find Harold standing in the doorway.

"Thank God, Harold is alive," breathed Maggie.

"Mr. White, I understand we have house guests." Celeste said.

"Yes, they are in the basement cooling their heels," he said with a smile. "This way."

Celeste entered the house and Harold shut the door behind her.

Brenda is an idiot,
Maggie thought. Maggie crawled along the side of the house to the open basement window from which she and Brenda had escaped. Peering into the dungeon, she saw no sign of Dana.

43

Harold winced slightly in pain as he felt blood trickle down his side near where he had sheathed Kali.

"Hungry,"
said Kali as she longed for his blood.

Be patient, you damn demon!
Soon you will feast.

Regardless of his and Maggie's deal, Kali still belonged to Maggie, but she would go along with him if he would feed her well. The big animated blade was hidden from view by his sport coat.

"I smell blood," Celeste said. "You are wounded."

"Yes, the Paladin didn't go down without a fight: luckily, it is only a flesh wound."

"Where is Miss Kirby?"

"She had to use the little girls' room. I think the Paladin broke her nose. Dana will join us as soon as the bleeding stops."

"After I check on our guests," said Celeste, "I will take care of you both."

"Thank you, Mrs. Beck," said Harold, "You are too kind."

Harold ushered Celeste down the steep basement steps and unbolted the door. Opening the basement door for Celeste, he smiled as she entered the room.

Spying the empty cage and the open window, she erupted with rage, "You fool! They have escaped!"