Page 53 of Atone in Darkness
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Here Chase had been wanting to kick Marisol’s parents for not taking better care of her, and he was the one who’d let the enemy get within killing range. At least for the moment, Edgar and company seemed content to stay right where they were. He didn’t know what their plan was, but it wouldn’t turn out well for him and Marisol if it succeeded.
Pointing at the rifle she held clutched in awhite-knuckled grip, he whispered, “Remember what I showed you about how to use that thing?”
Her nod was pretty tentative, so he gave her a quick refresher course. “It’s important to make every shot count, so I set it to shoot just one bullet at a time. That way you can’t go all Rambo on their asses the first time you pull the trigger.”
She gave him a solemn nod. “I’ll try, but you should knowthat I’ve never shot a gun before.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll do all the heavy lifting. I just want you to have some way to defend yourself if things go bad.”
Which they would. There was no getting around it. Thosejerks hadn’t hiked their asses up there just for the exercise. Maybe it was time for some conversation. “Hey, Edgar. Tell me again why you’re siding with those bastards against your ownkind. What could they promise you that would make it worth betraying everything we stand for?”
The other Paladin’s laughter rang out. “You’re not going to talk your way out of this, Mosely. And a pup like you has no right to judge me. I got tired of letting the Regents use us for cannon fodder and then put us down like rabid dogs at the first sign our shelf date is about to expire. When a manhas lost as many friends as I have over the decades, he reaches the point when enough is enough. I walked away, and I don’t regret it.”
“You will.”
Chase would make sure of it. If not him, then Jarvis and Devlin would see to it. It wasn’t just that Edgar had betrayed his fellow Paladins, he was also a clear threat to the woman Chase loved. Whether he and Marisol had any kind of future togetherwas beside the point. No one threatened her and lived.
Edgar must really love the sound of his own voice because he was still talking. “No, actually I won’t. I was hanging out in a bar in St. Louis when some like-minded gentlemen approached me. Seems their employer was looking for someone with our particular inborn talents and thought maybe I could help them find a few test subjects like you.I’ve got to say, the Cadre pays its operatives really well. I also give them bonus points for the way they let me indulge my taste for violence. I would’ve watched you die for free. It’s a win-win situation.”
Edgar’s companions were on the move. Chase scanned the hillside through the scope of his rifle and picked up at least five of them slipping through the trees. Oddly enough, they weren’tall headed toward Chase and Marisol. A couple were moving up to flank Edgar, who seemed completely unaware of their approach. Maybe it had been part of the plan, but there was something about the situation that seemed wrong.
Meanwhile, the other Paladin kept chatting away. “We both know how this is going to end, Mosely. I promise to make sure they don’t play any more games with you. You deservethat much. All you have to do is surrender the lady. You don’t owe her a damn thing, especially considering she was part of this from the beginning.”
Marisol winced as if she feared that Chase would take Edgar at his word. He reached out to squeeze her shoulder in reassurance. Pitching his voice just loud enough for her to hear, he whispered, “He’s just trying to get us to turn on each other.If he keeps us distracted, it will make it easier for his buddies to surround us.”
As long as they were talking, no one was getting killed. He called out, “It’s not like I owe you anything, either, Edgar. And for sure, I can’t say much for the company you keep. Tell me, do your bosses buy these guys from some kind of ‘I Wanna Be a Soldier’ catalog? I’m guessing they get a discount for buyingin volume. Do they come with those cute matching uniforms and all those fancy weapons, or do they come in other colors?”
Okay, that probably wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever said, although Edgar clearly thought it was funny. Or at least he was laughing when suddenly the sound he was makingwent from a loud guffaw to a liquid gurgle. Chase swung his rifle in the Paladin’s direction only toget a close-up view of the gaping wound in Edgar’s throat. Two of the black-clad guards stood beside him. One had his fingers tangled in Edgar’s hair and was arching his neck back. The other held a combat knife still dripping blood. Even a Paladin wouldn’t come back from that kind of injury.
What the hell? Why would they kill one of their own? Unless they didn’t think of Edgar that way. Maybethey thought if he’d betray the Paladins then he wouldn’t hesitate to turn on them if the price was right. Chase didn’t give a damn what their reasoning was. He rewarded each of the killers with a single bullet right between the eyes. The quick death was a better deal than either of them deserved, but he couldn’t stoop to their level of depravity, not if he wanted to live with himself.
“Is Edgar—”
Marisol stopped to swallow hard but couldn’t finish her question. She didn’t need to. “Yeah, he is. So are the guards who killed him.”
She met his gaze and then nodded as if in approval or at least acceptance. “Will he make it back?”
Figuring she would prefer he play it straight with her, he didn’t sugarcoat the situation. “With proper medical care, maybe. Left to bleed out like that, not achance.”
She straightened her shoulders and with it, her resolve. “I won’t forgive the man for betraying you and your people, but he didn’t deserve that. We have to stop those animals permanently.”
“I agree.”
With that in mind, he closed his eyes to better listen for any sign that the remaining guards were back on the move. Nothing. Using great care, he rose high enough to be able to scan thearea through the scope of his rifle. There, off to the left, he spotted two more of the guards. He continued scanning until he located three more scattered along the steep slope. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a clear kill shot at any of them, not without exposing himself at the same time.
“They’re all under deep enough cover that I would probably be wasting ammunition if I tried to take themout.”
Marisol stayed hunkered down without saying a word until he settled back in behind the rock. “Chase, what can I do to help? If I fired off a couple of rounds to draw their fire, maybe you could get a better shot at them.”
It was a sign of how desperate he was that he actually considered her offer. Then the decision was taken from him as one of the enemy lost patience and sprayed theirrefuge with bullets. Chase threw himself over Marisol to protect her from both flying debris and the chance of a ricochet hitting her. It would hurt like hell if he took a bullet, but he stood a better chance of surviving than she would.
An unfamiliar voice called out, “You and the good doctor need to come out with your hands up, Number Five. Our employer still has some use for her, and we’llmake sure you die easy.”
Before Chase could tell him to get screwed, someone else entered the conversation. “How about you bastards laying down your weapons instead? We’ve got you surrounded, and I’m telling you right now, I’d rather shoot you than put up with any more of your shit.”
It was all Chase could do not to jump up and start the celebration. “Jarvis, it’s about damn time you showedup. I was getting tired of entertaining them all by myself.”
