Page 5 of Raider Unleashed

She made the turn and glanced in the rearview mirror. They weren’t being followed. Thanks to the chaos of the evacuation, she doubted anyone had noticed them. The only reason to be thankful for the unexpected volcanic eruption. They could fly under everyone’s radars.

Except… Raider had noticed. No doubt about that. She tried to even out her breathing and stop her stomach from rolling but it was no use. Raider was close by and that was all she was going to be able to think about for a while.

She glanced over at the windows of the homes they were passing. Many were dark. People trying to outrun the lava flow. The volcano was the only thing anyone was talking about. It was all over the news twenty-four-seven. It was why she wasn’t so worried about being spotted. But she was worried about what was going on in the back of the van. Vardis’s breathing was labored. He sounded like Darth Vader.

She asked in a low voice. “Should we take Vardis to a doctor?” She didn’t want to push Denlo, but she had to at least try to get Vardis some help.

Denlo glowered at her but didn’t say a word.

Swearing silently, Piper drove on. Sweat broke out on her palms, making her grip slip on the steering wheel. Something bad was about to go down. Being the realist she was, she knew she was powerless to stop it. Denlo was a stone-cold killer. She had no doubts if she asked too many questions, he would have no issue with getting rid of her. They didn’t really need a driver for this job.

She glanced in the rearview mirror again only this time she was looking at Vardis. He looked gray in the ambient lightcoming in as she passed under streetlights. His close-cropped blond hair looked white, making him all together look about seventy instead of in his mid-thirties. His eyes were closed and his breathing was raspy and intermittent, each respiration coming slower and more infrequently. The man’s asthma had been made worse as ash accumulated in the air. She knew he’d been using an inhaler, but for the most part, it had been ineffective.

“Turn here,” Denlo directed again, and Piper made a right onto a small dirt road that led into the trees. The foliage was thick and scraping on the sides of the van. Finally, they couldn’t go any further. Denlo opened his door and got out. He opened the back door and gestured to Baker and Wells.

Wells nudged Vardis but the other man didn’t move. Wells had a black mask pulled up over his nose. He was wearing dark jeans, a dark windbreaker, and black sneakers. His hair was black and so were his eyes, but he looked more like a hamster than a killer. His eyes just didn’t have the same lethal look that Denlo’s had. Wells nudged him again but Vardis didn’t move. Baker leaned over and shook Vardis hard, but the other man didn’t open his eyes.

“Get him,” Denlo directed. The two men dragged Vardis out of the van and the three of them disappeared off into the trees.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” What the hell was she supposed to do now? She didn’t have a cell she could use. Denlo had taken them all. And who the hell would she call? She’d known as soon as she’d stepped onto that plane, there’d be no backup for her. No one was coming to help her. At the time, it had seemed like she’d had no choice, like this was the only path forward if she wanted to get the Snake. Now, she wasn’t sure. Maybe she’d finally taken it a step too far.

She stared into the trees. There were few things in life she regretted. She could live with almost all her actions but, oneor two events still haunted her. There wasn’t much she could do about getting Marta killed. That was on her. But, there was one thing that she could do. She owed Raider an explanation for so much. She owed him the truth about why she threw him out, even knowing his reaction, the loss and devastation he’d feel. The same emotions she had felt. Those memories still haunted her. Seeing him brought it all back. If she got out of this, she’d explain the whole thing and if he hated her well, that was his right. But she would need to get out of this mess first. Unfortunately, the odds of her escape weren’t looking so good.

After fifteen interminable minutes, Denlo, Wells, and Baker all climbed back in the van. They weren’t dragging Vardis with them. She wanted to ask but decided to keep her stupid mouth shut until she figured out where the hell they were, and also, how the hell she was going to reverse down the sorry excuse for a road they’d driven in on.

An hour later, they were all holed up in a motel on the outskirts of Hilo. Denlo had his own room. Baker and Wells, who seemed to know each other from before. shared a room. She’d shared with Vardis. Now, she was praying Denlo didn’t decide to move in. Vardis had been easy to handle. He’d been polite but kept his distance since she’d arrived yesterday. Once the volcano erupted, he’d gone downhill fast.

The shocking bang on her door made her jump. She cursed under her breath and bit her lip.Get it together. Keep it together.She took a beat and then opened the door. The three of them were standing outside holding bags from which greasy, fried smells were emanating. Stepping back, she let them into the room and then closed the door after them.

Denlo sat at the table in the corner and the other two joined him. Piper stood back and waited until Baker handed her a burger and some fries. She sat down on the bed. Food wasn’t onthe list of things she really wanted, but it would look funny if she didn’t eat so she took a bite of the burger.

“We have a problem,” Denlo said. He wasn’t eating. As far as she could tell, they hadn’t brought food for him. Odd, yeah, but she wasn’t going to question his abstention. Questions would get her killed. Denlo was rail-thin to begin with. Maybe he had stomach issues. His pale blue eyes were in sharp contrast to his bright red skin. He’d been out in the sun at some point before she’d arrived. His close-cropped gray hair made him look like he was in his fifties but then again if he was sick, he could actually be much younger and just didn’t look good.

She popped a fry in her mouth and waited.

Denlo continued. “Vardis was our explosives guy. We can’t do this job without an explosives expert. We need to find a new one.”

Piper stayed silent.

“I know a guy,” Baker said as he wiped his greasy fingers on his faded jeans. “He might be available. I’ve worked with him before.”

Baker looked to her to be in his late thirties. He kept his head shaved but wore baggy clothes, barely disguising that he was a mountain of a man with tree trunks for legs. She only knew him as Baker. No one had offered a first name. Slug must have told them her name because they all called her Piper, but no one asked her last name.

Denlo watched Baker eat. “Is he here on the island?”

Baker shook his head. “Nah. He works out of Nashville.”

“Won’t work then. We need someone here ASAP. Nashville is too far. The boss is trying to locate someone in L.A. We don’t have a lot of time. The volcano erupting has moved up the timeline for the job. We go in tomorrow night.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Wells groused. “We need more time to plan. I don’t like rushing. You said we had a coupleof weeks. Now we’re doing it tomorrow night?” He played with the plastic cutlery in front of him.

Denlo glared. “I told you we go when the boss says so. The volcano is a distraction. We don’t need as much time to plan because the cops are all busy elsewhere.”

“Still,” Wells began. “Rushing during a job is always a big fucking mistake. That’s how a plan falls apart.”

“You better make sure no mistakes happen, or you won’t live to complain about it.” Denlo fingered the gun at his waist and Wells immediately shut up. He went back to eating his burger.

“Wells has a point,” Baker said.

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