Page 87 of Smoky Lake

“You have no clue what’s going on, do you? You think we’d let you sell out to someone else?”

“I wasn’t selling out.” Victor transferred his gun to his other hand, and wiped sweat off his now-empty palm. “I have to save the world. I’m the only one who can.”

“That stuff really did a number on you, didn’t it? That’s what we like to see.”

Gil frowned, trying to work out what the merc meant. “That stuff”…was he talking about the Milagrosporos? But Victor wasn’t hallucinating and speaking nonsense. If anything, he sounded too full of himself, as he had ever since Carlo Creek.

“Sorry, Canseco,” continued the merc. “You’re a nice-to-have, not a must-have.” He beckoned to the plane for someone else to step out.

A dark head peeked from the plane, and then a slim figure jumped onto the pontoon.

Nyx.

“Nyx?” The shock and heartbreak in Victor’s voice could be heard even from Gil’s position on the cliff bank. “You’re working with these people?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Nyx sounded just as furious as Victor. “You were cutting me out of everything. After all the work I did, all the stories I told you. Those are my relatives, my elders, and you used them.”

Victor shook his head, so upset he didn’t even notice that the gun was now dangling from one finger.

“You don’t understand. I couldn’t trust anyone. I wanted to tell you what I was working on, but I couldn’t.”

“Because you wanted all the credit. All the fame, all the money.” A gust of wind blew Nyx’s dark hair across his face. He shook it away.

“It was never about money,” Victor cried. “This research could save the entire world. No more viruses. Imagine!”

“I know more about it than you do. A lot more. You better get on the plane, dude. This isn’t going to end well if you don’t. Even though you iced me out, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Victor clutched at the gun as it nearly slipped through his fingers. When he regained control of it, he held it by the barrel instead of in firing position. Gil hated seeing such incompetent gun-handling, but at least he couldn’t fire a stray shot that way. “Then you shouldn’t have gotten involved with these people,” Victor yelled at Nyx. “They’re criminals. They’re threatening the whole town.”

“That’s right.” The mercenary sounded bored with the whole scene. “We’re criminals about to make a bunch of money. Now get in the plane.” The man stalked toward Victor, then kicked the gun out of his trembling hand. Victor tried to fight back as best he could, but he was absurdly outmatched, and seconds later, the merc dragged him along the dock toward the plane.

Gil winced. If he had a gun himself, he could try to help. But Victor had put himself in this position and now there wasn’t anything Gil could do for him.

Nyx stepped aside as they reached the pontoon of the floatplane. The merc poked at the cooler strapped to Victor’s back.

“Where’s the rest of it?” the merc demanded.

Victor, panting and sweating, shook his head. “We’ll finish the deal when we get there.”

The merc raised his gun, ready to whack him on the head. Victor cried out, “I want to see the kids first.”

Kids?

Every one of Gil’s muscles tensed. Victor had raised his voice, as if deliberately making sure Gil could hear him. He must be hoping Gil hadn’t left, as he’d demanded.

“Get on the damn plane.” The merc muscled him through the open hatch of the floatplane.

”Nyx!” From inside the plane, Victor shouted to his assistant, who was hovering behind, waiting his turn to climb onboard. “Those kids. They’re Ahtna. Did they tell you that?”

Nyx froze, then swung on the armed man. “What’s he talking about?”

“They’ll be fine. We needed some extra leverage. This’ll all be over soon.”

”Did you hurt them? Are they okay?”

“Who gives a shit? Fuck, we don’t need you anymore, we have this guy.”

With a hard shove, the man pushed Nyx off the pontoon. Into the splash where Nyx had been, he fired his gun. Twice.

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