On the Hunt - Page 80

“Good. Then let’s step it up.”

Kira jumped nervously as lightning struck just a few hundred yards ahead. The storm had advanced from light sprinkles to pounding rain in less than a minute. She adjusted the hood on the poncho Harlan had given her. “What are you doing?”

Harlan stared into the sky with a pair of binoculars. He lowered them. “There’s a small drone over the next ridge. It’s almost come to a stop.”

“You think it’s Taylor’s?”

“I’m sure it is.” He raised his voice to be heard over the pounding rain. “And the fact that it has slowed tells me that it’s found what he’s looking for.”

“Fiona!”

He nodded. “It’s a good bet he has her in his sights.”

“Then we need to get to her before he does.”

Harlan raised the binoculars again. “In any case, that drone isn’t going to last long in this storm. Let’s go! I’ll call Kalim on the way.”

Fiona leaned over Sinbad’s mane as they rode through the storm. For the past fifteen minutes, she’d been looking for a cave or even a cluster of trees to shield her from the sheets of cold rain that were hitting her full-force. She, Sinbad, and Mack were completely drenched, and her numb fingers could barely feel the reins. How much longer could she take this?

She’d lost sight of Mack, but it was difficult to see anything in this awful rain. He was probably okay, but what if…

Oh, God. If anything happened to Mack, she would never forgive—

Whiplash!

Something appeared in front of her and knocked her off Sinbad’s saddle! She flew backward and hit the muddy earth with such force that the wind was knocked from her lungs. She lay on her back, facing upward as raindrops pelted her face. She couldn’t breathe or move for a long moment, but when she raised her head, she saw what had knocked her down: a long piece of rope, pulled taut across the trail by two of Taylor’s men.

The men walked toward her, both still holding the rope. One of them was laughing. Taylor walked up behind them, seemingly oblivious to the storm. He crouched beside her. “Hello, Fiona. Nice to see you again. Remember? Your friend Kira and I had a deal. I traded you for her, and she reneged. So I had to come for you. You understand that, don’t you? It’s all a matter of honor. None of it is my fault. You’ll have to blame her. Of course, it’s Harlan’s fault, too.”

Fiona sat up and let the cold raindrops roll down her face for a moment to help revive her. “You don’t know anything about honor. But do you know who did? My father. He took you into our home and tried to help you and you killed him. Then you went after Harlan, who filled you with so much jealousy that you could hardly bear it. Everyone knows what a pitiful monster you are.”

“And soon I’ll be a very rich monster, which is the only thing that counts in this world,” Taylor said. “And you will very soon be dead if you don’t cooperate.”

“No way. I’m not afraid of you, Taylor.” By this time, Sinbad had trotted back to Fiona. She reached up and comfortingly ran her hand over his muzzle, then used the dangling leather saddle ropes to pull herself to her feet.

“That’s right,” Taylor said as he watched her. “You don’t let much keep you down before you bounce back, do you? I remember how strong and defiant you were. I’ll wait and give you a few minutes more to recover. Then you’re coming with us.”

“Like hell I am!”

Connor raised his gun and aimed it at Sinbad’s head. “No. You’ll do it, or we’ll kill your horse.”

Fiona tried to look as if she hadn’t been punched in the gut. “You’re bluffing. Taylor won’t let you. It would be a stupid move. Sinbad is too valuable to him.”

Taylor used his fingers to comb back his rain-soaked hair. “The metric has changed, dear girl. He’s not very portable, is he? The only question that remains is if we leave him here alive… or dead? It makes no difference to us.”

Fiona hoped the driving rain would keep them from seeing the frantic tears stinging in her eyes, but Sinbad could sense how upset she was. He suddenly started whirling, then bucking, his front hooves pounding the wet ground around them.

Connor raised his gun as Sinbad came too close to him. “That’s enough. I’m putting him down!”

Fiona screamed and stumbled forward. “No! I won’t let you. Don’t do it!”

In that instant, she saw Mack tear from behind a tree across the path and leap for Connor’s arm! The dog sank his teeth into his sleeve and thrashed ferociously back and forth until the gun went flying. Blood spurted from the wound! Connor screamed and fell to his knees holding his arm, trying to stop the bleeding.

Phil reached for his own gun, but before he could pull it from his holster, a shot rang out. A bloody wound appeared in the center of his forehead. His eyes turned glassy. Then he staggered and fell backward, dead.

Fiona and Taylor both whirled to see where the shot had come from. Harlan stepped into the clearing, holding his automatic in front of him. Kira was beside him. But she was already running forward toward where Connor was lying nursing his bloody arm. She grabbed his pistol to train on him. “Don’t move!”

Harlan’s shout at Taylor could barely be heard through the pounding rain. “You’ve lost, Taylor. Can’t you see that? It’s over!”