Atone in Darkness Read online

  He kept his head down as they marched along, hoping to blend in with the other men in their matching black uniforms. Unfortunately, as the lone female in the entire installation, Marisol stood out in the crowd. He spotted one more hallway branching off the main one just ahead. Chase reached out to tug Marisol’s arm. “This way.”

  He led her around the corner away from the others. Eventually they’d have no choice but to rejoin the parade out of the building, but he wanted a few seconds to better assess the situation. As soon as he spotted another door to the outside at the end of the hall, he picked up the pace.

  “Are you sure we should go this way?”

  Damn it, now wasn’t the time for her to start questioning his every decision. “No, I’m not sure, but I want to see what we’re walking into rather than following the crowd blindly. If you want to go the other way, fine.”

  She didn’t look convinced, but she followed him as he walked away. Their luck ran out just after they stepped outside, where they stumbled right into a guard armed with an automatic rifle.

  “Where do you think you two are going? The gate is the other direction.”

  Chase gave Marisol a disgusted look. “I know, but I’ve got orders to take her back to her quarters. The main hall is so crowded right now it’s like swimming upstream against the current. I thought we’d cut back in the right direction out here and come back in through that entrance back there.”

  The guard looked in the direction Chase was pointing. “There’s no other door on this side.”

  When he turned back, Chase hit him fast and hard. He confiscated the man’s rifle before dragging him back up off the ground. “Open the door.”

  The gathering darkness helped disguise their movements as they dragged the unconscious guard back inside, where they stuffed him into the first unlocked door they could find. Marisol stared down at the motionless man and then back up at Chase, her dark eyes scared. That pissed him off. “I didn’t kill him, Doc. I knocked him out. Now shoot him up with one of your tranquilizers so he stays that way until we’re safely out of here.”

  She did as he ordered while he rifled through the guard’s pockets hoping to find some extra ammunition. No such luck, but at least he scored a combat knife and another one of the radios the guards carried.

  He handed it to Marisol. “Take this in case we get separated. I’ve got the one from the guard in the lab. We can’t use it to communicate, but it will keep us in the loop of what’s going on around here.”

  She pocketed the radio. “If we do get through the gate, what then? It’s not like they’ll drop us off somewhere along the way. If we’re still with the guards when they reach their final destination, we’re both dead.”

  Good, at least she had accepted the situation for what it was.

  “My first choice would be to steal one of their vehicles and drive like hell.”

  Not that he held out much hope for that possibility. For one thing, they probably had GPS or other ways to track their vehicles. Even if they did get away, it would only be a matter of time before they would be found again. If only he had some idea of how far they were from the nearest Paladin installation.

  “Do you know where we are? Even a vague idea might help.”

  She shook her head. “I slept through most of the trip. I always thought it was because I was so tired from getting ready to make the move here. For sure, I could hardly sleep for the last two nights before I was due to leave, and I spent the days running like crazy to get my things packed up and into storage.”

  She looked thoroughly disgusted when she added, “Looking back, I was a total idiot. They had to have drugged me to keep me from learning too much about where they were taking me. I was still groggy the whole next day after we arrived.”

  He patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up too much, Doc. Nothing in your past would’ve prepared you for this degree of evil. I’m a trained soldier, and they managed to get the drop on me, too.”

  That was as much time as they could waste on regrets. “Now let’s go. I’d rather be outside where we can move around than trapped in here.”

  He listened at the door. Silence. “Ready?”

  Her smile was so damn sad. “No, but lead the way.”

  She followed close on his heels as he slipped through the door. The area outside of their temporary hiding spot was empty, but he could hear voices at the far end of the hall. “Move out.”

  Marisol stared down the hall as if tempted to run toward the enemy. He grabbed her arm in case she really did try to take off in that direction. “Damn it, you heard what they said. What do you think terminating your part of the project means? That they’ll simply download all those test results you ran on me and then turn off the computer?”

  Still she hesitated, which pissed him off royally. Enough was enough.

  “Fine, stay and die.”

  Telling himself that he could blend in with the guards better without her, he slipped out into the darkness.

  7

  * * *

  What was she thinking? He was right. Right now he was her only hope in this nightmare. Chase stood a better chance of escaping without her, but he’d still done his best to keep her safe each step of the way. She took one more look back toward the main hall and froze right where she was until another handful of guards walked past. Once they were out of sight, she shoved the door open and stepped outside.

  A hand clamped down over her mouth before she’d gone two steps. Her instinct was to fight until a familiar deep voice growled, “Relax. It’s me.”

  When she went limp in Chase’s grasp, he eased up on his grip and stepped back. “Are you going to follow orders now?”

  Doubts or no doubts, there was only one answer. “Yes.”

  “Good.” He held out a jacket and a hat. “Put these on.”

  Even in the deep shadows where they stood, she recognized the hat and jacket as the types the guards wore. She didn’t ask where he’d managed to steal them in the brief period they’d been apart. Now wasn’t the time for unnecessary discussions. Besides, she really didn’t want to know.

  When she’d done as he asked, he stood back and studied her for several seconds. Then he zipped the jacket completely and pulled the collar up closer to her neck. After tugging the hat farther forward on her head, he said, “The disguise won’t hold up to close scrutiny. But if you keep your head down and your mouth shut, they might not notice right away that you’re female.”

  Feeling mildly insulted by his assessment, she didn’t argue. “I’ll follow your lead.”

  “Let’s go.”

  The compound swarmed with guards piling up boxes of equipment and supplies to be loaded into several large trucks, which must have been brought in for the evacuation. The two of them kept walking, aiming for the gate at the front of the compound. Chase slowed down to watch what was going on around them.

  “They’re also carrying boxes out to the trucks parked outside the wire. Maybe we should help.”

  They veered off toward a haphazard stack of cartons sitting near the security office at the front corner of the compound. He picked up a box and thrust it into her hands and reached for a second one for himself before following the line of guards heading for the gate. A man with a clipboard checked the number on the box against a list.

  Chase muttered, “Where do these go?”

  The man didn’t bother to look up at them. “Follow the line up to the second truck from the front. The guy there knows where to stow them.”

  They had to keep to the edge of the road as the already loaded trucks from inside the fence rumbled past. The two of them walked past a line of three school buses to where six more trucks sat waiting. When they reached the man directing the line of foot traffic, he pointed at the third truck. “Stick those in the back end and then find yourselves a spot on one of the buses.”

  Night had fallen. The light from the camp didn’t carry very far along the gravel road that led to the compound, whi
ch made it difficult to see any real distance. After handing off her box, she followed Chase back along the narrow shoulder between the buses and the surrounding forest. When they reached about the halfway point along the line of vehicles, Chase looked behind them. Then, with no warning, he grabbed her arm and dragged her into the trees alongside the road.

  The unexpected move startled her, but she managed to bite back her protest. He maintained his grip as he towed her along behind him. Her temper flared hot. Why hadn’t he stuck with the plan to steal one of the vehicles? Failing that, they might have been able to hide in the back of one of the trucks. Right now, he didn’t show any interest in explaining his actions, only in putting as much distance between them and the camp as possible. She had no idea how he could see where he was going, but he moved through the undergrowth without hesitation. She wanted to protest, but the pace he was setting left her struggling to keep up.

  Finally, after about ten minutes, he paused and cocked his head to the side to listen. The only sound she could hear besides the pounding of her own heart was the heavy rumble of the trucks pulling out of the camp.

  “I thought we were going to try to steal one of their vehicles.”

  She pitched her voice to carry no farther than her silent companion, but she still managed to lace her words with her frustration. “Why the change in plans?”

  “I got a bad feeling.”

  “About what?”

  He remained poised as if ready to take off running. “The trucks were all top of the line and new looking, but those buses looked like they’d seen hard times. You know, like they’d be disposable.”

  “What was that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m not sure. It seems weird the trucks leave as soon as they’re loaded, but all those guards sitting in the buses are going nowhere fast.”

  Gradually, the sound of the trucks faded away. A few seconds later, the night sky lit up as a fireball exploded in the distance. It was followed by another and then another, the explosions coming so close together that she lost count. The earth beneath their feet vibrated, making it hard to remain standing. Only her companion’s strong hold on her arm kept her from falling to her knees.

  A terrifying silence followed. It lasted but a heartbeat before the screaming started. The agonizing sounds ended with a volley of gunfire. Men shouted, but she and Chase had come too far for her to be able to make out the words. It wasn’t difficult to realize that some voices rang out angry and scared, while others were cold and precise as if barking out orders punctuated by sporadic gunfire.

  Fear tasted bitter. “If they knew an attack was coming, why didn’t they warn us that was the reason for the evacuation? No one seemed worried or in a particular hurry to leave.”

  Although she couldn’t see Chase clearly in dim moonlight, she sensed the tension rolling off him in waves as he whispered, “That’s not it. The sons of bitches you worked for are cleaning house.”

  His succinct description snapped the noisy chaos into sharp focus for her. “They’re killing off their own people?”

  He nodded. “Which means we have to get the hell out of here. Chances are we’re not the only ones who escaped, and whoever ordered the hit can’t afford any loose ends. They’ll be hunting for any evidence that someone survived.”

  Nothing in her experience had prepared her for such cold-blooded brutality. Those guards had done little to endear themselves to her. God knows, Chase had no reason to give a damn about them. For kidnapping him and the ensuing torture, they deserved to be tried, convicted, and sentenced to years in prison. But this wasn’t justice; it was a massive execution to destroy all traces of what had been done in that compound.

  The snap of a branch from somewhere behind them set Chase back in motion. “We need to get moving. Someone’s heading this way. No telling if they’re running for their life or hunting for stragglers.”

  They hadn’t gone but a few steps when a gunshot rang out. It was followed by a shout of pain, which ended abruptly after another shot was fired and found its target.

  Her heart threatened to explode in her chest as they kept moving. The sound of her own breathing made it impossible to listen for any pursuers, but maybe Chase’s superior hearing would give them ample warning if they needed to take cover.

  Meanwhile, she did her best to keep up with the brutal pace Chase set for them, but it was clear that he was holding himself back to accommodate her shorter legs. It took her complete concentration to stay upright as they snaked through the trees and undergrowth. In one of the few respites he allowed her, she’d almost asked if he had a specific destination in mind. As she struggled to catch her breath, she realized the answer for herself. Right now, the only place they were headed was away from the hell they’d left behind.

  Even now, there were occasional bursts of gunfire. Then another sound entered the fray that had both of them ducking under the heavy cover of a large Douglas fir. A helicopter flew overhead, a spotlight flickering through the trees.

  Chase cursed a blue streak. “Those bastards aren’t going to let up anytime soon.”

  Once the chopper had turned back, perhaps to make another pass, he started running again. By that point, her side hurt from overexertion as she stumbled along behind him. All things considered, she counted herself lucky that he’d kept her with him. He would’ve been much farther away from their hunters if he’d been on his own.

  The helicopter was back, or maybe it was a second one, not that it mattered. Regardless of how many they had flying around up there, it felt as if the two of them were being herded. That horrifying thought had her yanking back on Chase’s hand. He ignored her attempt to get his attention, so she planted her feet, forcing him to an abrupt stop.

  “Will they keep coming? The helicopters, I mean. It feels like we’re being pushed in a certain direction.”

  He stopped, his blue eyes glittering in the darkness as they stared down into hers. “Maybe, but even with spotlights, they’ll have trouble finding us in these woods. I’m guessing they’re using the helicopters for the initial cleanup. Come daylight, they’ll send in ground troops who can follow the tracks of anyone who got away.”

  While he talked, he dug one of the water bottles out of her pack and opened it. “Drink slowly.”

  She took small sips until half the water was gone. “You finish it.”

  When he was done, he stowed the empty container back in the pack. “Ready to move on?”

  She nodded and started walking.

  • • •

  HIS KEEPER WASN’T going to be able to keep going much longer. She was already moving like an automaton, numbly planting one foot in front of another. If he were to let go of her hand, she’d probably coast to a stop and drop right where she stood.

  Dark thoughts played through his mind on an endless loop as he blazed a trail for them to follow through the undergrowth. Logic said he’d be better off without her. For sure, he could move through this forest making a helluva lot less noise than she did. Not to mention she’d worked for the enemy. Even if she’d done everything she could to lessen his pain, it might have been part of the game plan. A more suspicious man might wonder if she’d done so to trick him into trusting her with his secrets.

  He had no proof that he was wrong about any of that, but he couldn’t bring himself to release his hold on her hand. Rather than admit he was an easy touch, he told himself he might still learn something useful from her about her mysterious employer. That was reason enough to keep her alive. Because, God as his witness, once he found his way back to his own people, there would be a reckoning. He worked with some of the best computer experts in the world. If anyone could track down the bastards behind his kidnapping, it would be them.

  Had his message reached Jarvis and Devlin Bane? If so, they’d be on the hunt and wouldn’t give up until they found him. All he had to do was evade the enemy until he found someplace safe where he could update his friends on his situation. Back in his cage, he’d begun to despair
of ever seeing his sister and friends again, but now there was at least a chance of that happening. The taste of hope was amazing and gave him a new burst of energy.

  When he sped up, Marisol stumbled over a root jutting up out of the ground and nearly took a header. Finally, he dropped back beside her and pulled her arm up over his shoulder and all but dragged her forward. They wouldn’t be able to keep going much longer like this, but each step took them that much farther away from the enemy behind them.

  The soft babble of running water caught his attention. Pausing long enough to locate the source of the sound, he turned to the left and started down the curve of the hillside, taking it at an oblique angle. They slowly made their way toward the silver sheen of a small creek at the bottom of the gully. More than once he had to grab hold of a branch or tree trunk with his free hand to keep the two of them from tumbling down the steep slope.

  When they finally reached the bottom, he lowered Marisol to the ground under an overhang that would make it difficult to see her from above and then parked his ass on a nearby log to catch his breath. Probably five minutes passed before he could find enough energy to talk. Considering how recently he’d been dead, it came as no surprise that his stamina wasn’t all it should be.

  “Are you all right?”

  He wasn’t sure if she actually nodded or if she was simply too tired to support the weight of her head. Pushing himself back up to his feet, he retrieved the empty water bottle from Marisol’s pack and refilled it from the creek. After taking a sip and finding the water to be cold and sweet, he guzzled most of the bottle before stopping to breathe.

  He filled it a second time and carried it over to Marisol. When she didn’t respond to his approach, he poured some of the water in his cupped hand and used it to wash her face. That got an immediate reaction.

  She jerked her head back to glare up at him as the water dripped off her chin onto her jacket. “I was sleeping.”

  “You need to eat and drink first.” He thrust the bottle into her hand and then dug two of the granola bars out of the pack. After peeling back the wrapper, he gave her one and then devoured the second one himself. It was tempting to eat more, but their supplies were too meager to squander this soon. Until they had a better idea of how far they were from civilization, they’d have to ration the food carefully.