Return Fire (Sam Archer ) (20 page)

THIRTY SEVEN

In the office building across the street from the ARU HQ, Notting and Regent were sprinting down the stairs heading towards the ground floor. The parcel had been the perfect bait for an ambush, drawing the remaining cops out of the building just as planned; the two ex-US Army soldiers had managed to take a pair of them out, but the bitch across the street in the Operations area had seen them and shouted a warning before they could drop the others.

The two men went down the stairs two at a time, needing to get the hell out of there before the cops arrived and sealed the building off. There was no fire exit in the stairwell, which meant they’d have to go out through the lobby, but the Benellis were plenty persuasive and would ensure a trouble-free escape.

Smashing open the door to the ARU’s lower corridor, Archer and Marquez saw Lipton by the doors, his
MP5 in his hands still aimed up at the building across the street.

He wasn’t firing though and neither were the two enemy gunmen.

‘I think they’re gone!’ he said.

Archer and Marquez
immediately raced outside, not delaying for a second. Making it across the car park without being fired on, the pair ran past the barrier and the delivery van with Wilson and the courier still beside it, sprinting across the street towards the office building from where the shots had been fired.

Ripping open the glass door to
the building, they raced inside, just as a stairwell exit ahead to their right smashed open and the two guys appeared.

The gunmen reacted fast; each was carrying a black semi-auto shotgun and the man closest to the two cops turned and unloaded an entire handful of shells in quick succession, smashing apart the glass where Archer and Marquez had just been standing as they hit the floor behind a reception desk. There was a ferocious onslaught from both shotguns, spraying Archer and Marquez with
fragments of wood and glass and forcing them to stay down, but then it suddenly stopped, the shots continuing to reverberate around the lobby.

Risking a look around the side of the desk, Archer caught a brief glimpse of the gunmen disappearing through a revolving door, heading straight out to the street.

Pushing himself to his feet, he took off after them.

Notting and Regent raced across the road towards their car parked on the other side of the street as the few people around them screamed and ran, having heard the gunfire and then seeing the armed men erupt out of the building.

Notting jumped inside the vehicle and fired the engine as Regent turned back, aiming his Benelli at the lobby and giving his companion the chance to start the car.

‘Get inside!’
Notting shouted, putting it into gear.

Bursting through the revolving door, Archer and Marquez sprinted out onto the street but dove to the left immediately as another shotgun blast exploded into the glass behind them.

Across the road and to the right, one of the gunmen was standing by a car, his partner already behind the wheel; the guy on the street went to fire agai
n, but his shotgun clicked dry. Dropping the weapon, the man’s hand flashed for a pistol on his hip, whipping it out of the holster. As the guy did so, Archer lifted his MP5 and put his sights on the man’s chest, but he couldn’t shoot.

‘Move!’
he shouted to a couple of stunned pedestrians, who were standing behind the gunman and in the line of fire.
‘Get out of the way!’

He couldn’t pull the trigger; there was too great a chance he could hit one of them. However, the gunman standing by the vehicle had no such concerns and as the pedestrians scattered, he squeezed off some silenced rounds with the Ruger, Archer and Marquez both rolling behind a pillar outside the office building as the glass doors behind them were smashed to pieces, showering them both as the man unloaded
with the handgun, not caring if he hit anyone else.

As Archer drew the man’s fire from one side of the pillar Marquez snapped round the other side and squeezed off a round with her Glock, hitting the
gunman in the leg.

He shouted in pain and staggered back, dropping his pistol and falling onto the road in front of the car.

Inside the Audi, Notting saw Regent go down but he wasn’t hanging around.

Taking off the handbrake, he immediately put his foot down and floored it.

Running forward, Archer and Marquez watched as the man in the car ran straight over his companion, crushing him under the wheels as the car ploughed on and sped away.

As Marquez moved towards the man on the ground and checked for a pulse, Archer ran forward but watched the other man turn the corner and disappear out of sight. As Marquez grabbed the remaining man’s weapons, securing them, Archer suddenly remembered Chalky and Josh.

Turning, he sprinted back the way he and Marquez had come, racing back through the building lobby and out the other side towards the ARU car park.

Inside the interrogation cell, Nikki was desperately performing CPR on Chalky as Bernhardt tended to Josh and Lipton finished speaking to an emergency operator, having called for an ambulance. Laid out on the floor, his damaged tac vest unzipped to allow access to his sternum, Chalky wasn’t reacting to Nikki’s efforts.

Suddenly,
Archer ran back into the room, kneeling beside her and placing his MP5 down in one movement.

‘Where was he hit?’

‘The upper chest. He’s not bleeding; I think the force of the impact stopped his heart!’

Doing the CPR with just her good hand, Nikki started to slow, running out of stamina. Archer immediately took over, locking his hands and pushing down on his best friend’s sternum as Bernhardt looked on and Lipton returned his attentions to Josh, who’d recovered his breath but was hunched over in pain.

Chalky’s body jerked with each push but there was no response, no sign of life.

‘C’mon, Chalk!’ he said. ‘Stop messing about.’

He continued to pump his chest. Archer then pinched his nose and breathed into Chalky’s mouth as Nikki looked on helplessly, then resumed the CPR.

But Chalky’s body just jerked lifelessly under Archer’s clenched hands.

‘Don’t you die, you son of a bitch!’
Archer said to his best friend, pushing harder and harder.

He kept performing the CPR for a minute or so, refusing to quit.

‘Arch,’
Nikki whispered.

He didn’t hear her, continuing.

Chalky still didn’t respond.

‘
Arch.’

T
ears spilling down her cheeks, Nikki put her hand on Archer’s arm.

H
e slowed, taking deep breaths.

Then he stopped altogether.

Rocking back on his heels, Archer stared down at his best friend in disbelief.

Chalky was gone.

THIRTY EIGHT

Kneeling beside his best friend’s body, Archer couldn’t take his eyes off him. Tears were streaming down Nikki’s face as she clutched onto Archer’s hand, staring at Chalky’s corpse too.

He
was dead.

As
they all knelt there in silence, Marquez ran into the room to join them and stopped in her tracks when she saw Chalky.

She covered her mouth, realising what had happened.

Then Archer suddenly got to his feet and ran past her out of the room.

Turning right, he sprinted down the corridor into the locker room.

Once inside, he started pulling out all the drawers under the benches in the room in a frenzy.

The first few were filled with tools, rags, some spare vests, but he couldn’t see what he was after.

‘Shit!’
he shouted.

It had been moved since he’d last been here.

‘C’mon!
’ he shouted in frustration, ripping open another drawer.

Then he found it.

Grabbing the item, Archer ran straight back down the corridor and raced into the room, the others frozen in a tableau, still in the same places where he’d left them. Dropping down to his knees beside Chalky’s body, Archer ripped open the case, revealing the defibrillator that every police unit in the city was required to have on site. Switching it on, he pushed up his best friend’s polo-shirt, waiting for the device to charge.

It did.

‘Clear!’
he shouted, pushing the paddles onto his chest.

Chalky’s back arched.

Then he hit the ground again with a
whump
.

No response.

Archer waited for the paddles to recharge then did it again.

‘Clear!’

Nothing.

There was no response.

Beside him, none of the others spoke.

‘C’mon!
’ Archer shouted at his best friend as he used the paddles again.

His back arched and he dropped back down.

‘Fight it, Chalk!’

The paddles charged and he used them again.

Chalky’s back arched.

He didn’t respond.

‘Arch, he’s gone,’ Nikki said, crying.

Archer charged the paddles and pushed them down again.

‘He’s gone!’
Nikki shouted at him, Archer’s refusal to acknowledge Chalky’s death tipping her over the edge.

‘No he’s not!’
Archer screamed, charging the paddles for a final time.

He pushed them down onto Chalky’s chest.

His body arched and fell back to the ground.

But he didn’t respond.

Staring at him, Archer sat back on his knees again, panting as he looked down at his closest friend, unaccustomed tears filling his eyes as the defibrillator hummed quietly beside him and he shook with emotion.

He was gone.

Chalky really was dead.

I failed.

His mouth open, Archer stared at his friend, Nikki sobbing behind him. Across the room, Marquez was kneeling by Josh, her own eyes welling with tears, Lipton and Bernhardt staying silent.

I’m sorry, Chalk,
Archer thought, blinking as unaccustomed tears rolled down his face.

I’m so sorry.

Then Chalky suddenly stirred.

As Nikki gasped, Archer almost went into cardiac arrest himself. Lifting his shoulder as Nikki and Lipton both moved forward in disbelief, Archer supported his friend as he started to take sharp panicked breaths, Archer propping Chalky up as he sucked in air, grabbing at Archer and Nikki, blinking rapidly as he regained consciousness.

‘It’s OK, Chalk!’ Archer said. ‘It’s OK. We’re here!’

Chalky couldn’t reply, continuing to take deep gasps as he clutched his best friend’s arm, blinking and breathing. Archer and Nikki looked at each other in pure relief as the sound of sirens came from outside, back-up arriving.

‘God damn it,’ Archer said, looking down at his best friend
as Nikki clutched onto them both. ‘Don’t you ever do that to us again.’

THIRTY NINE

Less than ten minutes later, Archer and Marquez were standing in handcuffs in the middle of the car park watching an ambulance carrying Josh depart, the siren blaring as it headed off down the street. Wilson had been taken along with them, having been clipped in the leg by a ricochet in the shootout but not badly wounded.

Less than twenty seconds after Chalky had been revived, two
paramedics had suddenly arrived inside the interrogation cell; one had attended to Josh and the other treated Chalky, giving him oxygen while Nikki talked them through what had happened. Moments later, a Firearms Unit had arrived en masse and after Archer and Marquez had headed outside to meet them and explain the situation, they’d both been put in cuffs until their identities could be established.

They were now standing in the car park with two officers beside them, two others walking back across the car park having just checked out the building opposite and their sergeant approaching as he wrapped up a phone call concerning the body of the dead gunman a street away.

With Josh and Wilson’s ambulance now on its way to hospital and the threat of the two men with shotguns gone, Nikki appeared from the building and marched across the car park towards Archer and Marquez, carrying some papers in her good hand, the other still contained in the sling.

The Firearms Unit sergeant stepped forwards to meet her. Although these officers were always professional, Archer knew this particular sergeant of old and there was no love lost between him and the Unit. Named Haskins, he’d applied to join the ARU several times but had never made it past the final interview stage; consequently, he’d developed a large chip on his shoulder against Cobb’s team and would always run interference with their field work if he possibly could.

‘Show’s over, sweetheart,’ Haskins said.

He smirked at her, holding up Archer’s and Marquez’ NYPD badges as Nikki approached him.

‘And you’re in deep shit,’ he continued. ‘You’ve been allowing non-licensed people to run around the city with weapons. Do you have any idea the trouble-’

‘No, you listen to me!
’ she interrupted.

Her unaccustomed ferocity took the man completely by surprise and stopped him in his tracks.

‘In the last few hours, I’ve watched almost every member of my Unit get taken out,’ Nikki said. ‘Not only are two of my friends dead but the sons of one of my co-workers and a kidnapped NYPD detective are still missing and quite possibly dead by now.’

She slammed the wad of papers in her free hand into the surprised man’s chest.

‘These are official authorisations, signed by Director Tim Cobb giving these people the temporary right to bear arms in this country between the dates specified. We’re a para-military organisation that works under our own protocol, but then again you should already know that considering how many times you’ve tried to join us. Tell me Sergeant, do you really think Director Cobb would allow unauthorised personnel to operate out of his HQ and run around the city armed without his express permission?’

Haskins
didn’t reply.

N
ot pausing for a moment, Nikki pointed to the vehicles across the car park, rigid with pent up fury and frustration.

‘So thank you for your support, Sergeant. Truly, I’m touched. But I suggest you take the cuffs off my colleagues, get in your cars and leave before you really piss me off.’

She stepped in close, her eyes blazing.

‘And if you call me sweetheart one more time, you’ll join the remainder of my task force in the Critical Care Unit.
Are we clear?’

Archer and Marquez grinned at that, both watching Haskins who didn’t know how to respond, knowing he’d been wrong-footed.

Haskins didn’t move for a moment, Nikki staying where she was and glaring at him.

Then eventually, he turned to his team, some of whom quickly hid smiles after listening to the exchange.

‘We’re leaving.’

He swung back to Nikki and motioned with the papers.

‘And I’m going to check these out. Make no mistake. If there’s even one word missing that invalidates them then I’ll be coming right back.’

‘Good luck with that,’ she said as she wrenched the authorisations back off him, not prepared to let them out of her sight. ‘I’ll email you a copy.’

Turning, she watched as Haskins’ men removed the handcuffs from Archer and Marquez then climbed back into their cars.

After the teams had departed, leaving just a solitary ambulance team behind, Nikki turned to the NYPD pair, taking deep breaths and looking shaken.

‘Are you OK?’ Marquez asked.

‘I feel sick.’

‘You did great,’ Archer said, glancing around them and feeling exposed standing there in the lamp-lit car park surrounded by office buildings and anonymous windows. ‘But let’s continue this inside.’

A minute or so later, the trio were back inside the interrogation room, re-joining Chalky, a paramedic and Bernhardt.

Chalky was
sitting in one of the chairs, his breathing back to normal, his tac vest still open but his polo shirt now pulled back down over his torso. The bulletproof garment had saved his life, absorbing the shotgun blast, but the front of it looked pretty tattered, the fabric torn, the tools slotted inside dented and chipped.

Nikki and Marquez immediately moved across t
he room, making sure he was OK. Standing by the door and noting the paramedic was packing up his gear, Archer frowned.

‘You’re leaving?’ he asked, puzzled.

The man nodded, looking at Chalky. ‘I wanted him to come with me just for a final check but he told me what’s happened today. I guess he’ll be more use to you here than in hospital.’

‘But his heart just stopped,’ Nikki said, beside Chalky with her hand on his back. ‘Doesn’t he need an ECG or something?’

The paramedic shook his head. ‘I just did one. As expected, he’s fine. The force of the shotgun shell put him into cardiac arrest, but you restarted his heart with the defib kit and it’s working just fine. He’s perfectly healthy; totally back to normal.’

Clipping up his bag, he saw Archer looking doubtful.

‘Believe me, it’s as good as if it never happened. I wouldn’t leave him here otherwise. He didn’t sustain any broken ribs or collarbones, so although he may feel a bit shaky for a while, he’s good to go.’

He turned to Chalky.

‘You’re a lucky man.’

‘
I’ve heard that before,’ he replied.

The man slung his bag over his shoulder, then nodded to the room. ‘Stay safe. Whatever this is about, I hope you resolve it.’

The others nodded in acknowledgement and the man departed, pulling the door closed behind him.

‘You OK?’ Archer asked Chalky once the paramedic had left.

He cracked a half-hearted smile. ‘I could use a holiday.’

‘You should go to the hospital, Chalk,’ Nikki said.

Chalky shook his head, looking at her injured arm. ‘You stay, I stay. I’m not going anywhere. And you heard the man; I’m as good as new. Well, almost.’

As she smiled, listening to the exchange, Marquez focused on Bernhardt, who was standing across the room watching in silence.

‘Are you hurt?’

He shook his head. ‘I’m fine.’

He looked at Chalky.

‘The guy was right. You’re a lucky man.’

Satisfied Chalky wasn’t about to pass out or suddenly drop off his chair, Archer glanced at the people around him. Not including Bernhardt, they were now down to just four; Nikki, Marquez, Chalky and himself. Nikki was working at fifty per cent and Chalky had taken a hammering.

However,
everything had suddenly become a lot clearer.

Looking at Nikki, Marquez and Chalky, Archer
remembered the message inside the parcel outside addressed to him.

Vargas’ kidnap.

The bombs in Brixton and here.

The sniper attacks.

The ambushes.

All
of it was now starting to make sense.

‘So what now?’ Chalky asked quietly
from his seat. ‘We’re getting demolished by these people.’

‘At least we’ve got one less to deal with,’ Marquez said.

‘He’s dead?’

Marquez nodded. ‘I shot him; his buddy finished the job driving over him to escape.’

‘He’s already on the way to the lab,’ Nikki said, as she took a seat at the desk and looked at her laptop screen. ‘Hopefully they can get an ID for us. Whatever the case, as you said, at least that’s one of them down.’

‘What about that
phone call?’ Chalky asked, thinking back to the parcel sequence. ‘From the woman? Can we trace it, Nik?’

Nikki shook her head in frustration. ‘To do that, I need to be connected to the phone-line during the call. It all happened so quickly, I didn’t even think about it.’

Bernhardt turned to Marquez. ‘Any noise in the background? Anything distinguishable?’

‘Apart from the power saw, not much. That really dominated proceedings.’

‘What about the parcel?’

‘Forensics took it to the lab and are working on it,’ Nikki said. ‘Dusting the whole thing for prints and checking for DNA. It’s going to take a while though; this isn’t CSI Miami. I doubt we’ll find anything and if we do it’s probably because they want us to.’

‘Someone must have dropped it off for delivery and signed a form,’ Chalky said. ‘Can we check the depot cameras or the UPS log?’

Nikki sighed, motioning to her injured arm. ‘I can try. I’m working as fast as I can. Normally I’ve got two hands and an entire team working on this stuff.’

‘Wait, what was inside the box?’ Bernhardt asked, looking at Archer, who’d gone quiet.

‘A piece of paper,’ he replied
. ‘A4, folded in half. Five words, hand-written.’

‘What did it say?’

‘
An eye for an eye.’

‘
An eye for an eye?’
Nikki echoed, looking at Archer. ‘That sounds like revenge.’

He nodded. ‘
Yes. It does. And now I know what this is all about.’

The group looked at him.

‘The kidnap and all these attacks on us haven’t got anything to do with Vargas. They never did. They’re not after her.’

He paused.

‘They’re after me.’