Blind Run (29 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

THE BUILDING TREMBLED,
jarring Sydney back from hell.

The men in the room came alive as well: Cox jumping to his feet and dragging her with him; the two guards scanning the walls and ceilings as if they’d fall; Danny gripping the arms of his chair.

And Ethan. Immobile. And unsurprised.

“Check that out,” Cox ordered one of the guards. “And you,” he said to the other, “don’t take your eyes off—”

A second blast rumbled, followed by brief popping sounds.

“You.” Cox turned on Ethan, waving his gun. “This is your doing.”

Ethan didn’t move, his expression deadly calm.

When the third explosion rocked the building, the lights flickered and died. Silence filled the room.

It took Sydney a mere second to react. This could be her only chance. Cox had a vicelike grip on her upper arm, and before she could second-guess herself, she drove her fist down into his crotch.

Grunting in pain, he released her.

Reeling backward, she collided with a chair and grabbed at the table. Darkness blinded her. Her eyes should have adjusted by now. Why couldn’t she see anything? Shapes at least. There was only sound, echoing through the inky blackness with terrible clarity: bodies slamming against bodies, muffled grunts and curses, furniture breaking.

Fear gripped her.

She backed farther, heart racing and hands trembling as she attempted to get her footing. Her fear wasn’t just for herself, however. It was for Danny. And for Ethan, in the center of the maelstrom.

Then a shot. The crack ripping through the darkness and ringing in her ears. A door slammed. Then silence.

“Ethan?” she whispered, afraid he wouldn’t answer.

“I’m here.”

Relief coursed through her.

The lights blinked on, dimmer, as the backup power system kicked in. Ethan crouched beside one of the guards, stripping him of weapons and ammunition. The man was unconscious or dead. Sydney didn’t want to know which.

“Danny?” she said, looking for the boy.

He crawled out from beneath the table, his face pale and eyes wide. “Here.”

“Thank God.” Sydney wrapped her arms around him before he could object.

Ethan stood and slung the guard’s automatic weapon over his shoulder. “Are you both okay?”

Sydney nodded, though she doubted she’d ever be truly okay again. At least, not for a very long time.

“Ramirez hit the island’s power station,” Ethan said, moving toward the door.

“He’s here?” Surprise and shreds of her earlier anger surfaced. “He’s causing these explosions?”

“It was the only way,” Ethan answered, but his concentration was elsewhere. Holding a handgun as though it were an extension of his arm, he edged through the door, pivoting first one way then another. “Come on,” he said, gesturing for them to follow.

“Where’s Cox?” Danny asked.

“Probably out regrouping.” Ethan ushered them through the door. “We need to get out of here while we can.”

Another explosion rippled through the walls, followed by the distant cracks of gunfire.

“Where’s Callie’s room?” Ethan asked.

“This way.” Danny started forward, but Ethan grabbed his arm.

“Stay behind me.”

They hurried through the empty corridors to the enclosed breezeway, which connected the facility’s two main buildings: administration in one, and the school, hospital, and dormitories in the other. Except for the occasional blurts of gunfire outside, it was too quiet.

“Upstairs,” Danny said as they entered the far building. “The steps are over there.”

Silence drenched the second floor as it had the first.

Sydney strained to hear something, anything other than the soft pad of their feet. The abnormal stillness unnerved her, testing the grip she had on her fear. She wanted to shout. Or scream. Everything about this place felt wrong.

Ethan must have sensed something as well, because he slowed, checking around each corner before proceeding. Sydney kept close, one hand on his back while the other clutched Danny’s. The building seemed deserted, but she knew that wasn’t true. Two dozen children lived in this facility, and Cox wouldn’t leave them unguarded.

Finally they reached what Sydney guessed was the hall leading to the dormitories. Ethan inched around the turn but jerked back, pressing himself against the wall.

“Guards,” he mouthed and motioned for her and Danny to stay back.

“There’s another way,” Danny said in a whisper. “Come on.”

“Wait—” Ethan didn’t speak the word, but Sydney clearly read it on his lips. It was too late. Danny had already slipped his hand from hers and started back the way they’d come. She and Ethan had to hurry to catch up.

Danny led them to a door several corridors away. “These are all classrooms.”

“How will we get to Callie?” Sydney asked.

The boy just smiled as Ethan checked out the room before waving them inside. Danny went directly to a desk near the wall, clambered on top, and removed the mesh cover from a maintenance shaft.

Of course, Sydney thought.

“These run all through the building,” Danny said. “It’s how I used to get into Callie’s room without the Keepers finding out.”

Ethan stepped up to have a look. “I’m not crazy about the idea, but I don’t want to get into a firefight on a floor full of kids, either.” He readjusted the automatic weapon he’d taken off the guard and holstered the handgun, then gave Danny a boost. “Wait here, Sydney. We’ll be back with the girl.”

“No way.” Without waiting for Ethan’s response, she climbed into the opening behind him. “I’m coming.”

Ethan mumbled something incoherent, but Sydney ignored him. He’d gotten her into this, he wasn’t leaving her behind now.

As they crawled through the network of heavy, industrial aluminum, the last hour closed in on Sydney. In the aftermath of the explosion, she’d nearly forgotten Cox’s claim.

Nicky murdered? Was it possible? Had Ethan known?

The idea churned her stomach, nauseating her. Of course he’d known. And he’d kept it from her.

Another blast, and the shaft bucked and groaned, straining against its supports. Sydney froze, fearing the structure would collapse around them, trapping them in an aluminum coffin. No one would ever find them, or know about the wrongs visited on the children of this place.

The tremor passed, and the cold alloy beneath them stabilized. Sydney closed her eyes, fighting back tears of relief.

“Damn it,” Ethan said. “It feels like he’s trying to blow up the whole place.”

The comment fanned her anger. “Are you sure he’s not?” She wiped dust from her eyes, smearing it across her cheeks.

Ethan glanced back at her, but in the dim light she couldn’t make out his expression. It didn’t matter. Even if she could see his face, she couldn’t trust what it told her.

Stop it. She couldn’t do this now, not when Callie’s life hung in the balance.

“Let’s go,” she said. “You’re going to lose Danny.”

The boy had scrambled ahead of them, smaller, more nimble, and more accustomed to traveling through aluminum tunnels.

Ethan hesitated, then continued on.

A few yards farther, and Danny popped the grate ahead of them and clambered out of the shaft. “Hey, Callie.”

Ethan and Sydney followed him into a small room identical to the one Sydney had occupied. Callie was fully dressed and hugging her brother. “I knew you’d come.”

“You’re not sick anymore,” he said, looking a bit embarrassed by his sister’s show of affection.

“I’m all better.”

“Hey, sweetie.” Sydney wrapped the little girl in her arms. “You feeling okay?” She pressed a hand to Callie’s forehead. “No fever or anything?”

“I’m fine.”

“We were worried about you,” Danny said.

“Let’s have the reunion later.” Ethan stood near the door, the gun once again in his hand, listening. “We need to get out of here.”

“What about the others?” Callie looked from Ethan to Sydney. “We can’t leave them.”

“She’s right,” Sydney said. “We have to take all the children with us.”

“Forget it,” Ethan said. “We can’t even get to them.”

“We can go through the maintenance shafts again,” Danny suggested.

“Then what?” Ethan asked. “How are we supposed to get them past those guards?” He positioned a chair under the vent. “Let’s go. If the four of us make it out alive, we’ll send back help.”

Callie settled on the bed with crossed arms, resembling her stubborn older brother. “I’m not going unless everyone goes.”

Sydney sat next to her. “I’m with Callie.”

“Danny . . .”

He backed up. “I’m not going, either.”

“This is nuts.”

“Do we really have time to argue about it, Ethan?” Sydney asked. “You won’t change our minds. So, let’s just go get the rest of the children and be done with it.”

Ethan glanced from one of them to another, his frustration obvious. “You three are crazy, you know that?”

“But we’re right,” Danny said. “We can’t leave them.”

“Okay, where are they?”

“The girls’ dormitory is at the end of the hall,” Danny volunteered. “The boys’ is on the next corridor over.”

Ethan just looked at them, and Sydney winced. Of course there would be separate dormitories. It would make their escape more difficult.

To Ethan’s credit, he simply shook his head and gestured toward the chair. “Danny, you lead.”

Both children climbed into the shaft, with Ethan and Sydney behind them. They emerged cramped and dirty a few minutes later into a large room with a dozen frightened girls in pajamas, the youngest about Callie’s age, the oldest Danny’s.

“It’s okay,” Sydney said. “We’re here to help.”

They shied away from her, closing in around Danny and Callie instead with a buzz of questions.

Ethan pulled Sydney aside. “There’s no way we’re getting these kids back through that shaft. We have—”

Suddenly, gunfire erupted outside the room.

“Quick.” Ethan spun toward the door. “Take cover.”

The children froze.

“Hide!” Danny yelled, and they scattered behind beds and into closets.

Sydney crouched beside a desk, and Ethan pressed his back to the wall beside the door, both hands gripping his handgun.

More shots, and the door crashed open. Two men burst in. Back to back, one guarding their retreat from the hallway, while the second swept the room with his weapon. Ethan swung around, grabbing the first man’s arm, yanking him off balance and firing twice in quick succession, dropping the man in the hall, then the other at close range.

Sydney suppressed her gasp of horror as the bodies tumbled to the floor, and Ethan flattened himself against the wall again. All she could think of was the children, who’d just watched two men shot to death.

Silence.

Then, a distinctly Latin voice, “
Amigo,
is that you causing such havoc?”

A moment later, Marco Ramirez stepped through the doorway.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

ETHAN LOWERED HIS GUN.
He never thought he’d welcome the sight of Ramirez. “You’re lucky I didn’t kill you.”

“You are still alive, too, I see. A shame.”

“How bad is it out there?”

The assassin shrugged. “There are a few guns looking for me. And you. When they do not find us outside, they will come here.”

“Then we better get going.” Ethan slipped the dead guard’s .44 Magnum into his holster. “Danny, get everyone together.”

One at a time, starting with Callie and Danny, a group of frightened little girls crept out from the shadows and corners of the room.

“Have them put on some warm clothes,” Ethan said. “Quick.”

Ramirez looked stunned. “What is this?”

“What does it look like? We’re taking them with us.”

“This was not part of our bargain.”

“It is now. That is, if you want off this island before Cox’s reinforcements arrive.” Ethan turned to Danny. “Where’s the boys’ dorm?”

“It’s just down the hall.”

“You promised me answers,” Ramirez said.

“These kids are your answers.”

“Ethan.” Sydney stepped forward, giving Ramirez a wide berth. “He’s right. We can’t leave without proof of what’s going on here.”

Right now, all he cared about was getting everyone out of here alive. “We’re leaving.”

“Cox will try to gather records.” She acted as if Ethan hadn’t spoken. “Notes, laboratory findings, whatever he can put his hands on. He’ll download what he needs and destroy the rest. We have to stop him.”

“It’s suicide, Sydney.”

She turned to Danny. “Where would Cox get access to those files?”

“Dr. Turner’s office,” Danny answered. “It’s in the administration building. I can take you.”

“Wait a minute—,” Ethan started.

“No, you go with the others and I’ll catch up. Ethan, tell me where to meet you.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“I will go with her,” Ramirez offered.

Ethan turned on the assassin. “Like hell.”

“I don’t want him anywhere near me,” Sydney said, without even glancing at Ramirez. “Now, tell me where to meet you.”

Ethan felt like the only sane person in the room, but he knew he was wasting his breath trying to change Sydney’s mind. “Okay, look. We can’t all go traipsing around this facility. I’ll take you to Turner’s office and—”

“I’m going with you,” Danny insisted. “I know the Haven’s computer system better than anyone.”

The boy was right. Besides, he was every bit as stubborn as Sydney and not likely to back down. “Okay, you’re with us. Ramirez, take the girls and get the boys from down the hall.”

Holding up his hands, Ramirez backed away.

“I’ll get your proof,” Ethan said. “I give you my word. Just get these kids to safety.”

The assassin scanned the small faces, and Ethan understood his reservations. Setting explosives and facing an army of mercenaries was one thing, being responsible for young lives was something else entirely. Something neither of them had succeeded at before.

“There’s a boat waiting to pick us up on the north side of the island. It belongs to Tony Rio, and since he owes you his life, he should be very accommodating.”

“I’ll go with you.” Callie stepped forward and took Ramirez’s hand. He stiffened. “I know the back way out of the building.” She lifted soft blue eyes to the assassin. “And the quickest way through the woods.”

Ramirez looked ready to bolt.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Danny and I did it the last time we ran away.” She smiled, and Ramirez visibly folded.

“Okay, listen,” Ethan said. “There’s no landing dock on the north shore, just a small cove. The boat will be waiting in deep water, so you’ll have to signal before they send a dinghy ashore.” Ethan glanced at Callie, then refocused on the other man. “Lift your weapon over your head with both hands.”

Ramirez nodded his understanding, and Callie turned to gather the others. Then Ramirez took over, barking orders like a drill sergeant. “You children, stay together and behind me.”

“Ramirez,” Ethan said as they headed for the door. The assassin stopped. Ethan moved in close, where only Ramirez could hear. “You better be on that beach when we get there.”

“Do not worry about that,
amigo.
You and I have unfinished business.”

Once they’d gone, Ethan checked the Uzi. It wasn’t a weapon he’d normally have chosen, but considering the resistance they might encounter, he was grateful for the added firepower. “Okay, Danny, which way?”

The boy led them back down the stairs and across to the administration building. From outside came the occasional burst of an automatic weapon or a small rumble as one of Ramirez’s fires reached another source of fuel. Inside, everything remained quiet, but Ethan knew that wouldn’t last. They were running out of time, with only minutes before what remained of Cox’s forces decided to search the building.

Not surprisingly, the door to Turner’s outer office was locked.

Ethan pressed a hand to his lips, then gestured for Sydney and Danny to stand back. One hard kick, and the door splintered open. Inside, Cox’s man went for his weapon and died, spraying bullets as lead from Ethan’s Uzi caught him in the chest. Ethan crossed to the inner office, slamming through the door as Cox leapt from his chair and fumbled for the Colt in his pocket.

He was too slow.

Ethan pinned him against the far wall. “You son of a bitch, I ought to kill you right now.”

“But you won’t.” Even with Ethan’s hands around his throat, Cox was arrogant as hell. “You don’t have the balls.”

Ethan tightened his grip.

“Don’t,” Sydney said. “Let the authorities take care of him.”

Yeah, right. Men like Cox somehow always managed to slip through the legal system’s fingers, but Ethan let him live. For now. “Danny, find me something to tie him up with.”

Sydney settled in front of the computer. “Looks like he already started the download, medical records, the children’s files. It’s going to save us time.”

Danny helped Ethan bind and gag Cox, using cords from the blinds and towels from Turner’s private bathroom, then went to help Sydney.

Ethan took a position at the door. “How long will this take?”

“Just a few . . .”

He glanced back at her. “What is it?”

Danny looked confused, but Sydney obviously understood what she was seeing. She keyed in more commands. “I’ll tell you later. Just give me a few minutes.”

Turning his attention back to the silent hallway, Ethan knew they were about out of time. It had been several minutes since he’d heard anything from outside, and his recent exchange of gunfire with Cox’s guard would call attention to the building. “Come on, Sydney, hurry.”

She didn’t answer, the clicking of the keyboard echoing through the room. Finally, she pushed away from the desk. “That’s it. Let’s get out of here.”

“Have you got it?” Ethan asked.

“You bet.” She held up a CD, gave him a half smile, then slipped it into her pocket. “Oh, one more thing.” She turned, walked over to Cox, and slapped him across the face. Then, she joined Danny and Ethan at the door. “Okay, let’s go.”

As they left Cox’s office, Ethan recognized the sound of running boots pounding against tile. “Get us out of here,” he said to Danny. “Fast.”

The boy took off, threading his way deeper into the building with Ethan and Sydney right behind him. Finally they reached a large storage area filled with boxes and crates. It was the loading dock, and the back door out of the building.

Ethan had to admit: The boy was good.

Outside, the cool damp air hit him, along with a greater sense of foreboding. Their pursuers weren’t far behind. He could almost feel them breathing down his neck. The temptation to face them was great, the need to turn the game around almost overwhelming.

Gripping Sydney’s arm, he followed Danny into the woods. They hadn’t gone far when Ethan slowed, sensing something ahead. “Danny, wait.”

He half turned at Ethan’s command, then fell back as someone stepped into their path. A man held a boy in a choke hold, a .38 automatic pointed at the kid’s head.

Danny stepped toward them. “Adam?”

“Danny, no.” Ethan aimed the Uzi at the pair, knowing damn well he couldn’t use it. “Whoever you are, let the boy go.”

“I’m a doctor here, Dr. Paul Turner, and I need your help.” He shifted his hold on Adam, tightening it and using his body as a shield. “I don’t want to hurt him.”

“You’re not doing a great job of convincing me of that.”

“I just want off this island.” Turner’s hands visibly shook. “Is that too much to ask?”

“Drop that weapon and we’ll talk.”

“Put down yours first.”

Ethan might risk a head shot with the Glock or even the .44 under his arm, but not the Uzi. “I’m putting it down.” He positioned himself in front of Danny and Sydney and held out the weapon, slowly laying it on the ground. “There. Now let the boy go.”

“Do I have your word you’ll get me off this island?”

“No promises until you put down that gun.” Ethan sensed Danny behind him, then felt the hard butt of a knife pressing against his spine.

“I’ll kill him.” Turner yanked the boy closer. “I swear.”

Ethan believed him. The man was too rattled to think clearly and realize that with Adam dead, he’d have no leverage.

“You win.” Ethan raised his left hand, counting on the darkness to conceal the other behind him, and accepted the open blade from Danny. “Keep the gun. But you can’t walk through the woods holding Adam like that.”

Turner hesitated, his eyes darting toward the complex as distant shouts reached them. Cox’s men had obviously regrouped.

“We don’t have a lot of time.” Ethan looked directly at the boy in Turner’s grasp, hoping Danny and Callie weren’t the only gutsy kids on this island. “If they catch us, we’re all dead.”

Adam’s eyes remained steady, resolved, as he gave Ethan a single nod of understanding. The voices drew closer, and Turner became more agitated. “Are you—”

Adam rammed his elbow into Turner’s gut. He grunted, his hold loosening. Adam dove forward, and Ethan hurled the knife, both finding their target at the same instant. The boy hitting the ground, the knife burying itself in Turner’s throat.

Sydney and Danny were at Adam’s side, helping him up, before Turner’s body hit the ground. Ethan retrieved his knife and turned to the others. “You okay, Adam?”

He nodded. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Ethan grabbed the Uzi, and they started up again, running this time, the shouts chasing them. They wouldn’t make it, Ethan realized, not this way. He slowed. “Danny, go on ahead and get Sydney and Adam to the boat.”

“Where are you—”

The others stopped, too, and Ethan waved them on. “I’ll be right behind you. Go on.”

He thought the boy would argue, but for once he seemed ready to follow orders. He punched Adam lightly in the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

“Hey,” Ethan said. Danny looked back at him, and Ethan tossed him the knife. “Good job.”

Danny grinned. “We’ll wait for you on the beach.”

Ethan turned back, fading into the thick woods. No longer the hunted, now
he
was the hunter. And the men on the trail had just become his prey.

He slipped into the shadows of a nearby tangle of wild rhododendrons. Crouching low, he watched. Two men appeared from the trees, their forms little more than dark silhouettes in the night. They moved cautiously. Too many of their comrades had died tonight for them to ignore the danger. Nor could they have missed Turner’s body a ways back.

Ethan waited for them to pass.

He took the first from behind, bringing the butt of the Uzi down on his skull. The lead man turned, and Ethan kicked the weapon from his hand then swung around, driving an elbow into the man’s temple, dropping him where he stood.

With both men sprawled on the forest floor, Ethan squatted and turned their faces to see their features. He’d expected—had hoped for—Morrow, but didn’t have time to waste on disappointment when he recognized neither man.

He needed to move.

Surging to his feet, he followed in Danny’s wake. Maybe Morrow was already dead, caught by Ramirez’s deadly rifle.

A few minutes later, he broke through the trees onto the rocky beach. In the cove, two boats waited. The charter Rio had promised and beyond it, the
Sea Devil
.

“Damn, Rio.”

He’d gone after his precious boat on his own before Ethan had given him the all clear. Fortunately, several hundred yards to his right, the dinghy stood ready for its last launch, Ramirez at its helm eager to shove off. Danny and Sydney stood side by side at the edge of the water, watching the woods. Waiting for him.

Yet, something was wrong.

Ethan started forward, scanning the surroundings. Nothing. Except a premonition of disaster pricking his spine. A gut feeling he’d learned never to ignore. Then a dark form emerged from the trees.

And time slipped out of synch. Slowing.

“No!” The word tore from Ethan’s lungs, a long echoing single syllable. He stumbled over the rocks, his legs heavy, leading with the Uzi, firing.

Too far.

Ramirez swung around, a man in slow motion. First toward Ethan, then the other. His mouth opened. A warning. And dove forward, a dark explosion bursting from his chest as he knocked Danny to the sand.

Time shifted into motion, returning.

And the sound of Ethan’s scream ripped through the night, punctuated by the staccato of automatic-weapon fire as he emptied the Uzi into John Morrow.

Too late.