Brett Battles - Shadow of Betrayal

She brushed the button on the stunner with her thumb, checking its position so she’d be ready.

Something scraped along the wall. A picture being moved.

Then there was the click again. Only it was louder inside the hidden room.

The door popped open an inch and light seeped in.

The sudden change caused Iris to move, her head rocking against Marion’s chest.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Marion whispered, trying to coax the child back to sleep.

Marion could see the tips of several fingers grabbing the edge of the door. Iris twisted again, this time lifting her head up, her eyes opening at the same moment the door did.

Marion held the child tightly with one arm while the other was occupied with the Taser, ready to ram it into the first piece of skin she saw.

Outside, blocking the light, was a dark form. Large, like one of the soldiers. Without even realizing it, she pushed down with her thumb, activating the weapon in her hand. Only nothing happened. There was no arc of electricity, or even a vibration that would tell her the device was on.

“I would appreciate you moving that away,” a voice said. It came from the shadow. The voice was male, speaking French like the soldiers. Only it was different. The accent was Germanic.

As he stepped backward, the weak light of the office revealed that he wasn’t one of the soldiers from before.

It was Jan, Frau Roslyn’s cousin.

“I don’t think that works anymore, anyway,” he said.

He held out his hand. After a moment, she gave him the stunner.

As he set it on the desk, he said, “It’s safe now. You can come out.”

“They’re gone?” she asked.

He nodded. “Fifteen minutes ago.”

He helped her to step out of the space in the wall, then he closed the door behind her.

“Where is Frau Roslyn?” Marion asked.

The look on Jan’s face darkened. “They kept her out front for over an hour talking. Then they took her away.”

“What? What do you mean ‘away’?”

Jan hesitated. “I’m going to go look for her as soon as I can find someone to watch the children.”

“I’ll stay.”

“No,” he said. “You have to get out of here. You have to take Iris with you.”

They both looked at the child. She was awake now, but she hadn’t made a sound. She was looking at Marion, smiling.

“Where do I take her?”

“Someplace safe,” Jan said. “The UN compound. They won’t bother you there. But—”

“I can’t just take her to the compound.”

Jan stared at her for several seconds. “Then leave her here. I’ll give her to the soldiers when they come back.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Of course,” she said. “Of course, I’ll take her. I’m sorry.” She paused for a moment, the beginnings of a sob caught in her chest. “I’m just… scared.”

The look on Jan’s face was tense. There was no smile, no friendly sparkle in his eyes like Marion had seen on previous visits. “You should be.” He leaned down until only a foot separated his face from her. “Listen to me. They’ll keep looking for her. You need to get her away. Far away. Once you do, you need to disappear. Don’t let anyone know where you are. These people will find you. And once they have the girl, they’ll kill you.”

“If I can get her out of the city, they’ll have to give up. They’re just local soldiers.”

“Forget about the soldiers,” Jan said. “It’s not the soldiers you need to worry about. It’s the people the soldiers are working for. Those are the people you need to be concerned with. They’re not local. They’re not even from Africa.”

She didn’t understand what he meant, but it was obvious he had no intention of explaining more. Without saying another word, he guided her through the orphanage to the back door she had snuck through less than two hours before.

“Go,” he said, all but pushing her through the door. “Iris’s life depends on you.”

The door closed before she could respond.

She looked down at the child. Iris’s eyelids were heavy.

“That’s right,” Marion said. “Sleep. Just sleep. I’ll take care of you.”

Once the girl’s eyes closed, Marion began retracing the steps that had brought her to the orphanage, not knowing how she was going to keep the promise she had just made.

CHAPTER

3

QUINN USED THE SAME PATH HE HAD EARLIER IN the day when he’d returned from his last check of the church. Only this time it was dark, and if that wasn’t hindrance enough, it seemed as if all the bushes that lined the trail had grown significantly larger in the several hours that had passed. He had to take extra care not to sound like a herd of roaming sheep.

In his right hand was his SIG, and in his left, the small wireless microphone that paired with the receiver hanging on his ear. Keeping his eyes on the path, he reached up and attached the mic to his collar.

“Give me a constant update,” he whispered. “I’m not going to be able to say much, so just keep talking.”

“Got it,” Nate said, his voice overamplified and crackling.

“You’re killing me,” Quinn said. “Turn down your gain.”

There was a pause, then Nate said, “Better?” His voice sounded almost normal.

“Yes. Thanks,” he said.

Two minutes later he came to a small open field. Though he was pretty sure the assassin in the tree wouldn’t be able to see him, he kept to the dark shadows at the edge of the clearing.

“He’s still in the tree,” Nate said. “But he’s moved back, closer to the trunk. Harder to see.”

He’s expecting company, Quinn thought. Waiting to see if his victims have backup anywhere close by.

“I still don’t see signs of anyone else. I think he might be working alone.”

Quinn wasn’t ready to concede that possibility yet. He’d seen too much in his years in the business, seen too many people who had been killed because they underestimated their opponent. He removed the sound suppressor from his jacket and attached it to his weapon. Any shot Quinn took at this point wouldn’t be to scare the guy, it would be to hit him.

“I’ve got no movement from the men on the ground,” Nate said.

There wouldn’t be. They were all dead the second Quinn and Nate had seen the muzzle flashes on the screen. The assassin got the first three shots off before any of the men in the church could react. The range was not much more than thirty yards. So close it was almost cheating for a trained marksman. Kill shots, all of them. No question. The only reason there’d been a delay before the fourth man was killed was that the assassin hadn’t had a clean shot. So he’d waited a few seconds for the man to panic, and run for someplace new to hide, then bang. Four dead.

“Wait,” Nate said. “I think he’s climbing down.”

Quinn had reentered the trees on the far side of the pasture and was once again fighting the underbrush. He guessed he was about a minute away from the old church grounds. From this direction, he would reach the graveyard first.

“He’s on the ground, but staying close to the tree. I can see his weapon, though. Hold on, let me zoom in.” There was a pause. “I think it’s a Galil.”

That would make sense, Quinn thought. A Galil sniper rifle using subsonic rounds could be silenced effectively. Plus the weapon was light and easily portable. An excellent choice.

Ahead Quinn could see the trees thinning. Beyond would be the graveyard. He slowed as he reached the edge of the woods, and crouched down low. Less than ten feet away from where the trees ended was a ragged row of headstones. They were old and weathered, several to the point of being unreadable. Between the stones grass had grown high, and here and there a tree or a bush had taken root. But none had grown too large. Quinn guessed that every few years someone came out and cleared away the vegetation, a last act of respect for the dead parishioners who were otherwise forgotten.

“I’m here,” Quinn said, keeping his voice as low as possible. “Behind the graveyard.”

“He’s around the right side of the church from your position,” Nate told him. “Probably about your two o’clock.”

“Okay.”

“Quinn.”

“What?”

“Peter wanted me to remind you not to let him get to the bodies.”

“That’s kind of what I’m trying to do, isn’t it?”

“And … em … if there’s any way you can subdue him, that would be best,” Nate said. “Peter said he’s got a couple guys heading our way right now. Should be here in thirty minutes.”

“That’s a joke, right?”

“Would you like me to patch you through to him directly?”

“No,” Quinn said, trying hard to keep his voice from getting too loud. “I’m really not in a place where I can have a chat with—”

“Movement,” Nate said, cutting him off.

Quinn froze in place.

“What’s happening?” he asked.

“He’s heading toward the church. He left the rifle behind the tree, and is carrying a pistol now. Looks like a SIG.”

Quinn stood up and weaved through the graveyard toward the church, the building’s bulk between him and the assassin, shielding him from view.

“I see you,” Nate said. “You’re both closing on the building at the same rate.”

Quinn sped up, moving to his left as he did, toward an opening that had probably once held a beautiful stained glass window. He knew from his earlier reconnaissance that the window would provide a clear view of the interior of the church. He crouched beneath the sill.

“Okay,” Nate said. “You’re there first. He’s stopped at the body outside the church. He’s checking the pockets … hold on … okay, he’s rolling him over and checking the back pockets … the dead guy doesn’t seem to have anything on him … okay, he’s getting up again … now he’s heading for the church.”

Quinn checked that the suppressor was securely fastened to the barrel of his SIG.

“He’s stopped just outside a doorway,” Nate continued. “It’s the one directly across from where you’re at.”

Quinn pictured the interior of the church in his mind. The window he stood beside, the door the assassin would walk through, the positions of the bodies on the sanctuary floor, the possible hiding places, the escape routes, everything. Then he took in a steady, silent breath, knowing what he would do. Peter was going to owe him big-time after this.

“He’s peeking around the doorway, looking inside … he’s stepping across the threshold and … inside … heading for the closest body first. Otero. Wait a minute. He stopped, seems to be listening.”

Quinn cocked his head, then he heard it, too. A car. It was coming fast from the north. No, not just one car, but two. Distant at the moment, but approaching rapidly.

“Car,” Nate said a second later. “Heading south.”

Quinn risked a glance through the corner of the window. The assassin was still standing rock still next to the body of David Otero. His head was turned away from Quinn toward the front corner of the church where the entrance once had been.

On the road, the cars continued to draw nearer. Quinn judged that they were less than two minutes away.

The assassin must have made the same calculation. He looked down at Otero, then glanced at the other two bodies. Quinn’s plan had been to make his move when the assassin was bent down searching one of his victims. It would have put him at an advantage, and he would have had little problem guarding the shooter until Peter’s backup arrived. If the assassin tried to run, Quinn would be able to take him out with a single shot.

But the cars changed everything. A second later, the assassin began rapidly retracing his steps out of the church and back to the tree that had served as his roost. Apparently he had decided to forgo searching the bodies in exchange for getting the hell out of there.

“He’s on the move,” Nate said. “Nearing the tree.”

Quinn rose and moved down the side of the church, staying tight to the wall. When he reached the corner, he turned and headed toward the far end. Beyond was an open area that ran parallel to the church and out seventy-five feet to where the brush and the trees took over in force.

The assassin’s tree was there. Quinn could see it another ten feet into the wild. He just couldn’t see the assassin.

“He’s picking up his rifle,” Nate said. “Now he’s slinging it over his shoulder and heading … northwest… he’s out of camera range now. I’ve lost him.”

That was it, then, Quinn thought. He wasn’t about to chase the man through the wilderness without the advantage of Nate being able to watch his back. He allowed his body to relax.

“Keep an eye on the monitors in case he’s just circling around,” Quinn said. “And watch the road cams, too. See if a car shows up that seemed to come out of nowhere. That’ll be him. He’s got to have a ride parked around here somewhere.”

“Quinn?” Nate asked.

“What?”

“Peter wants to talk to you.”

The muscles in Quinn’s face tightened. “Fine. Put him through.”

While Nate transferred the call to the comm gear, the two cars on the road reached the point closest to the church, but neither slowed. Immediately the whine of their engines began to recede as they continued down the back road to Cork.

Static in Quinn’s ear, then, “… inn. Are you there? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah. I hear you, Peter,” Quinn said. “The gunman’s gone. A couple cars on the road spooked him.”

“You’ve got to find him.”

“Ah … no. I don’t. I already took a chance trying to take him here at the church. He’s out in the woods now. I don’t have any eyes out there.”

Peter said nothing for several seconds. When he did speak, there was a tremor in his voice. He was either scared or angry as hell. “You have to find him, Quinn. You have to stop him. Jesus, at least find a way to delay him until my men get there.”

Peter’s insistence surprised Quinn. “It’s too late, Peter. He’s already got a good lead on me. Plus he’s a marksman, and has at least two weapons on him … it’s too much of a risk. Sorry.”

Peter took a second before he spoke. “Our deal was no questions. That means you do what I need, right?”

Quinn could feel his own anger rising. The deal—made the previous year—was three jobs, no questions. It had been made when Quinn had been at a disadvantage and needed Peter’s help. It had taken Peter six months to finally invoke the first of the promised “no question” assignments. If the next two were similar, they would be the last Quinn ever worked for Peter and the Office. About the only good thing was that none of them were freebies. Quinn’s standard rate of thirty thousand a week with a two-week minimum still applied.

“You’re losing time,” Peter said.

“Fine,” Quinn said. There was one thing he could try that was marginally safer. “Nate, get him off the line.”

A second later the signal cleared up.

“He’s gone,” Nate said.