Mirrored Man: The Rob Tyler Chronicles Book 1 (33 page)

Eddie nodded.

“What about the woman?”

Anger welled up in him now. Not at the
deputy, but at himself. He was responsible for the loss of his
partner. He took a slow, deep breath. “Yeah, we were friends.”

Seeing Eddie fight to keep his emotions in
check, Kelly nodded but kept silent. They had been waiting for the
Air Force security personnel to respond for more than twenty
minutes and thus far, they hadn't seen anything but the chopper.
“Look, Special Agent. I know this is your crime scene, but is there
anything I need to notify my people about? I mean, it's been almost
half an hour. Do I need to put out a BOLO for your people?”

Eddie had no idea how to answer the deputy's
question. Those who were missing were of great concern, considering
the fact that one or more of them probably killed Benny. But he
couldn't compromise protocol by giving too much information to the
local sheriff’s department. He checked his watch. It was 3:02 AM.
How much longer will it be before base security arrived?

A moment later, his question was answered as
the sound of engines approaching caught their attention. They
turned to face a column of vehicles, topped with flashing blue,
red, and amber lights, speeding from the west.

Eddie shoved his hands into his pockets.
It’s about time
.

In the lead was a white security police
sedan followed by two ambulances and a myriad of support vehicles.
Kelly strained his eyes against the lights to see into the first
car, guessing correctly that Colonel Talbot, the security police
squadron commander himself, would come. “Don't worry. This guy's
alright,” he told Eddie.

Eddie wasn't worried.

The colonel exited the car quickly. He was
wearing desert fatigues but had no sidearm, which Eddie would have
found odd had he not been preoccupied by the thoughts of Jo's
death. The officer walked toward them as he surveyed the area. His
hawkish features gave him an air of complete control. He was in his
early forties with sandy-colored hair, and he carried his one
hundred eighty pounds on his five-foot-eleven frame with an easy
confidence. He extended his hand. “Special Agent Perez?”

“That's right,” Eddie answered, his hands
still in his pockets.

Under the circumstances, the colonel gave
little thought to the special agent’s lack of pleasantries. “Jim
Talbot. Looks like we've got a situation here.”

“You could say that.”

“Good morning, Kelly,” Talbot acknowledged
the sergeant.

“Colonel,” he replied.

Talbot turned his full attention to Eddie.
“I've briefed my people about the sensitive nature of this event,
and they are all professionals,” he said reassuringly, his Texas
accent giving away a hint of his personality.

“I appreciate that, Colonel.” Eddie watched
the Air Force paramedic crews grabbing gear from their vans as Greg
directed them to the injured.

“My orders are to take command of the scene
and transport you and the others to the hospital. Immediately after
that, you’ll be interviewed by the base commander General
Stillman.”

Eddie didn’t blink. He expected the Air
Force to take over. “My partner is in the truck. I'm staying until
the M.E. arrives.”

“When you're ready, then,” Talbot said.

“Thanks,” Eddie replied.

“Kelly, I’m gonna need you to hang out here
with me for a while,” the colonel said, turning his way.

“No problem,” he answered. The two walked
over to where some of the men had begun the process of
photographing the scene.

Eddie joined Don and Jimmy as they were
being looked after by the new arrivals. He was uncharacteristically
thankful that all of this was now in someone else’s hands.

* * * * *

THE BLACK GMC WAS
closing the
distance fast as it roared across the parking lot, its headlights
bouncing wildly up and down with every parking block that the
driver charged over.

“I'll drive,” Rob said calmly, reaching for
the door handle. But before he found it, June had the SUV moving …
and headed straight for the other vehicle.

“Ever played chicken?” she asked.

“Been a while,” Rob said, replacing his seat
belt.

Seconds apart now, the driver of the GMC
seemed intent on ramming them, but June timed it perfectly. She
swerved right, then left around it, and then accelerated toward the
road.

“These fellas are serious,” Rob said
grimly.

“Which way?” she asked. They heard the GMC's
tires
screech
again as the driver wheeled around to begin
the chase.

“Right.” Rob chose that direction for no
better reason than that the GMC had come from the left. He watched
as the black SUV slid around to start after them, white smoke
billowing behind it, trying to find traction on the wet
pavement.

“Good tires on that thing.”

June took a bit more care bullying her way
over the curbs and landscaping, striking only a few of the concrete
blocks. “Remember, I don't know where I'm going,” she stated
calmly.

Rob, impressed with the change in her
composure, looked over at her. “Just drive,” he said with a smile.
“Navy,” he said. “It's not just a job, it's an adventure.”

At that, she gave him an incredulous look.
How can he be so calm?

“Tough crowd. Just drive fast, you're doin’
fine.” He turned to see the more powerful GMC rapidly close the
distance between them.

June looked back and forth from the rear
view mirror to the road. As they rounded a curve, she saw through
the trees the lights of a convenience store at the coming
intersection.

“There's a store. Should I stop?”

“Nope,” Rob said as the GMC slammed into the
back of the Toyota. Glancing over, he saw that June had taken the
hit in stride.
I'm beginning to like this girl. “
Been in
many demolition derbies, have we?”

“You have no idea,” she answered, half
smiling. “Who are they?” she asked, weaving the SUV in an attempt
to keep their adversary from pulling next to them on the narrow
two-lane highway.

Well, since I was in Afghanistan until
about forty minutes ago …
“I have no idea, but there's more
than one of them in there.” He unbuckled his seat belt and climbed
into the back.

“What are you doing?” June asked.

“Seein’ if I can scare ‘em.”

The two vehicles burst through another empty
intersection. Each time they did, June was forced to steer wildly
to keep their adversaries at bay. She was dismayed that there was
no traffic to run interference with. Glancing at the GPS, she saw
that they were approaching another intersection as the GMC struck
them again, shattering the back window.

Brushing off shards of glass, Rob looked at
his weapon in despair.
Only six rounds. Gotta pick my targets
carefully.
He leveled the 9mm at the driver’s side of the GMC's
windshield and squeezed off a round. It bounced away
harmlessly.

Bulletproof.
“Maybe not so
carefully.”

He adjusted his aim and emptied the
remaining bullets into the GMC’s grill, hoping to hit the radiator
or some other vital component. His action produced the same result.
Nothing.

The next impact made both SUVs swerve
violently back and forth, but June continued to impress her
passenger as she recovered quickly.

Rob climbed back into the front seat. “We're
in trouble.”

June looked at him skeptically. “Ya
think?”

“No, I mean we're in
real
trouble.”

“Whadaya mean,
real
trouble?”

“I think that thing is armored. It probably
weighs six tons.”

The tires of the Toyota squealed in protest
as June turned the wheel violently, propelling them around a curve
and through another intersection in an unsuccessful attempt to
shake their adversaries. “Armored? Who are these guys?” June wasn't
aware of the fact that she had turned on to a five-lane highway
until the GMC surged ahead, quickly slamming into the driver’s side
of the Toyota. “Hang on!” she shouted. She slammed on the breaks
and then went quickly back on the gas. The back of Rob’s head
nearly smashed into the dashboard, but the force of the
acceleration that followed slapped him back against the seat. June
looked back at her mirror, smiling as they shot past the GMC. But
that smile quickly faded as the behemoth rushed back to within
inches of their bumper.

“Did you
mean
to do that?” Rob asked
incredulously.

“Crap!” she yelled.

“Yeah. Don't try that one again, okay?”

“Back seat driver,” she admonished.

She couldn’t keep the GMC from wheeling
around them on the five-lane, but she anticipated their next move
and slammed on the brakes again. The bigger SUV hit the Toyota
squarely on the side instead of forcing them into the intended pit
maneuver. June's hands danced on the wheel and her feet did the
same with the pedals. Another driver may have lost control, but she
was able to hold the road and even regain the lead.

“Okay, I'm gonna just let you drive then,”
Rob said stoically.

But the GMC was on them again and
maneuvering for another hit. Without hesitating, June hit the
brakes again, having the presence of mind to shift the truck into
neutral to prevent the engine from stalling. They both watched as
their foes crossed inches in front of them, only to lurch off of
the road. The driver of the larger vehicle worked hard to regain
control, but lost some ground as a result.

“Nice!” Rob shouted excitedly. “You may have
to do it again, but quick.” He watched the GMC come at them again
from behind.

June’s smile disappeared as she looked in
her rear view. “Looks like I don’t have a choice.” Looking ahead
again, she saw another intersection, this one with several
businesses lining each side of the road. “Should I stop at one of
these?”

“No! Just keep goin’!”

Once through the intersection, June saw a
grove of trees ahead on the right. She slid the Toyota to the left
and watched their adversary pull alongside for another attempt at a
“pit.” But at the last possible moment, June stood on the break
pedal with both feet, turning the wheel as she did. The 4 Runner
began to spin clockwise as the GMC came at them. It almost passed
by harmlessly again, but at the last second it clipped them in the
front. The deafening sound of crunching metal assailed them. It
appeared as if the Toyota's entire engine compartment
disintegrated, making their clockwise spin even wilder. But June
had misjudged the distance to the trees. Instead of smashing into
one of them, the GMC dove into the drainage ditch. Water from the
recent downpour exploded into the air as the SUV connected with a
concrete driveway that crossed over the ditch. The truck's momentum
carried enough energy to flip the heavy vehicle completely over,
landing upside down and spinning a hundred feet before coming to
rest in the middle of a resident's front yard. Motion sensors
triggered floodlights, and the whole area was suddenly brightly
illuminated.

The Toyota continued its spin until it
turned a complete three-sixty, coming to rest on the road, facing
west again.

Lights came on and curtains were pulled back
inside the house, silhouetting one of its residents as they looked
out at the carnage on their lawn. Rob watched as the driver’s door
of the GMC opened and a man dressed entirely in black slowly
climbed out. “We have a survivor,” Rob said, opening his door.

“What are you doing?”

“I want some answers.”

June turned her attention back to the rear
view. In the distance, a set of high beam headlights could be seen.
Rob saw them too as he climbed out.

“Maybe it's the police,” June said
hopefully.

Rob’s keen eyes recognized the shape of the
lights. “Not unless they drive Humvees.”

“The Air Force?”

“We better go,” he instructed, a bit too
calmly for June's liking.

“How are we gonna go? The car's ruined,” she
said woefully, gesturing to what was, from her prospective, a
nonexistent engine.

Jumping back in, Rob reached over and
pressed the start button. To June's amazement, the Toyota came to
life. “Engine’s fine,” he said. “At this point, I don't care who
they are. There’re too many people tryin’ to kill us! Let's
go.”

“What about lights? It's dark. Do we even
have any? The cops'll stop us for sure.”

“Auxiliary lights under the bumper,” he said
without missing a beat. Turning toward her, he smiled. “Can we go
now?”

As June started down the road, Rob turned
his attention back to the lights behind them. He knew that a
Humvee’s top speed was around ninety miles per hour, and after what
he had just witnessed he was confident in June’s ability to outrun
them. He continued to watch as it stopped at the crash site and a
single figure climbed out, but they were too far away to make out
who it was.

Rob forced himself to relax and look over at
his chauffeur.

Feeling his stare, June looked back at him,
suddenly self conscious. “What?”

“What was your name again?”

“June … June Phillips.”

“Where did you learn to drive like that,
June Phillips?”

As she turned her attention back to the
road, a girlish grin crept onto her face. “Ethiopia.”

* * * * *

INSIDE THE OFFICES
of the Manhattan
Temporary Service located in a professional park off of Highway 54
in Morrow, Georgia, Toni Blackburn vigorously chewed a wad of
bubble gum while sitting at her desk in her combination work/living
space. She was staring anxiously at the computer monitor in front
of her. Next to the desk was a small table with a laptop computer
that she used for Internet research. The young woman had been only
twenty-three and fresh out of college when the CIA recruited her
two years before. She was a graduate of the University of Georgia
where she had obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Human
Resource Administration and Development. She had been offered a
position within the clandestine agency and, after completing her
training, was assigned to the Atlanta field office as a logistics
coordinator.