Page 81 of Poison Evidence

“It was RON,” Ivy said. “He guessed we were flying RON at night, and patrolled the islands from sunset to dawn, looking for it.”

“It took a few nights to spot it,” Barrow interrupted. “And then I had the general area. The next night, I had my own drone ready. It followed RON back here.” He tsked. “You broke the number two rule of spying.” His gaze flicked to Ivy. “And the number one rule. One: don’t fuck the girl who might be a honey trap. Two: don’t stay in one place too long. Plus your drone didn’t utilize a surveillance detection route. Sloppy.”

He flashed a grin. “Look at me, giving advice to the Hammer. My mentor will be so proud.”

The sound of a plane landing in the narrow channel between this island and the next drowned out the rest of Barrow’s boasts. Once the noise faded, he continued. “Hurry your ass up, Ivy. If your pal Ulai is coming, Ian is sure to follow, and I really don’t want to see my mentor untilafterI have the AUUV in hand. Then I can give him the attention he deserves.”

She stood before the computer. “It’s shut down. Startup is biometrically coded to me.”

Barrow stood behind her, his gun at one temple, his mouth at the other. One hand on her belly. He ground his hips into her ass. “So do it.”

Dimitri would rip the motherfucker’s head off.

“It’s a three-part biometric code.”

Ivy was lying. First, the computer was only sleeping, not shut down, which meant no need for biometric login. But also, the biometric security required only one step. The weight of his gun was heavy at his back. He doubted he’d have time to grab it.

“First it must scan my left retina, then my fingerprint, and then my ear.”

Fucking brilliant. Ears were as unique as fingerprints, and this would force him to lower the gun.

“It all has to be done quickly too. Delay too long and I have to start over. Three mistakes and it’s game over.”

Barrow pressed tightly to her back. “Do it.”

She elbowed him in the chest. “Give me room! I have to do this right.”

Barrow gave her a scant inch of breathing space, and Ivy leaned her eye toward the apple-sized infrared scanner built in to the console. Barrow followed her motion with the gun. She reached toward the scanner with her left thumb in the same moment she turned her head slightly to expose her ear. The barrel no longer pointed at her head, and she punched the gun upward with her left hand.

The gun went off as Dimitri lunged and took Barrow in a chokehold, shoving him into the limestone floor. The gun fired again, and Ivy yelped.

Dimitri smashed a fist into the man’s face and kicked the gun from his now slack hand. Barrow slumped. Dimitri checked his eyes. Unconscious. Bleeding from the nose. Possible skull fractures. Breathing. All that mattered was making sure he was out so Dimitri could tend to Ivy.

He turned to see she had blood on her arm and face. Her eyes were wide with shock as she held her forearm.

She gazed up at Dimitri, fear in her eyes. “I think my arm is broken.”

“We’ve got to stop the bleeding.” He lifted her arm above her head. “You okay with this?”

She nodded.

“Are you going to pass out? I have a first aid kit below. I need to get it.”

“Go. Hurry.”

He bolted down the steps and grabbed the kit along with a radio. He called to Ulai as he took the stairs two at a time. “Ivy needs to go to the hospital. Now. Bring the plane as close to the shore as you can and I’ll carry her to you.”

“What happened?” Ulai asked.

“Gunshot wound. I’ll explain later.”

Ivy had slipped to the floor and leaned against the cave wall with her arm raised and resting across her head. Blood seeped between her fingers, dripping over her face. Her pupils were dilated and her breathing uneven.

“You’re going to be okay, sweetheart.” He pulled out a bandage, the kind medics used in war zones because they were packed with clotting powder, and wrapped it around her forearm. “Once the bleeding is stopped, we’ll get you on Ulai’s plane. He’ll radio the hospital. They’ll be ready for you. You’re going to be fine.”

“Good thing I’m right-handed.”

He smiled. “They’ll set the bone, and you’ll be good as new.”

---