Page 60 of Tangled Threats on the Nomad Highway
“He’s yours, brother. I know.”
Einstein shook his head. “No, that’s what Iwas going to say. Whatever happens to him, he’s pulled all this inon himself. I know I’ve been hunting him for a long time, but itdoesn’t have to be me. Any of my brothers deal with him, they’reacting with my hands. My sole focus is Marian. Everything else isnoise to me.”
“Always knew you were fuckin’ smart.” Retroglanced around at the men standing nearby. “Are we ready togo?”
A dozen affirmative responses had theirboots aiming at the house. Einstein didn’t ask what the strategywas, didn’t ask who was assigned what; he just followed Retro,knowing his brother and best friend would never steer himwrong.
They came to a halt on the back porch.Einstein stood directly behind Gunny, who already had the screendoor opened wide, held there by one wedged boot. He watched inamazement as the man wrenched the molding off the side of the doorwith his bare hands, a wire contraption clenched between his teeth.Tossing the piece of wood into the yard behind them, Gunny turnedback to his work, and a pocketknife appeared in his hand. He usedthe pointed end of the blade to tease a set of colored wires out ofthe gap between the door and the wall. On two of the wires, hefrayed the plastic covering and attached the clips, one at eachlocation. With a deft twist of his wrist, Gunny snipped through onewire.
Gunny turned. “You’re in. I’ve got to getthe front door next. Give me a count of fifteen.” Then hedisappeared. Einstein was left staring at Retro as he bent over infront of the doorknob, hands held close together, metal flashing ashe picked the lock.
“Got it.” Retro straightened and moved sohis shoulder bumped the screen door, hand on the knob of the insideone.
“Fifteen,” Einstein heard from behind him,the voice sounding like Mudd’s.
“Here we go.”
Inside the house was dark. Only limitedlight filtered in through the sheers over the windows. Einsteinfollowed the patch on Retro’s leather vest, noting the heatmap hadbeen accurate with the placement of the walls as they immediatelyturned a corner into a short hallway. It was brighter here, the endof the hall illuminated with light that streamed through adoorway.
Shadows darkened the area, and just beforehe and Retro got to the opening, a man stepped out. Einstein had aninstant to recognize Scar. He was older, face more lined, new marksliving alongside old ones—then Scar ducked back into the room, andanother man appeared, pistol in hand. The brilliance of the muzzleblasts as he pulled the trigger was blinding, loud reportsdeafening in the enclosed space.
Retro went down with a yell, and Einsteinslammed against the wall as Mudd pushed past them both.Fuckinghell, Retro’s down!Then a woman’s screams split the air, andEinstein was torn between pausing to check on Retro or continuing.Oh my God, Marian!He saw Mudd’s trajectory was true as hetackled the man, shoving him through the window at the end of thehall. As the glass shattered, it reflected a final blast from theend of the gun, pointed harmlessly overhead. Immediately, alarmscaterwauled around them, shrill and adding to the insanity.
“I got Retro! Go, go, go!” Marlin shoved athis shoulder, and Einstein stepped over Retro’s prone form, even asit killed him to do so. He raced through the door and came into theroom to see Marian dangling at the end of a man’s fist. She was infront of the large form of Scar, held in place by his handclutching the seam of her neckline. An unmoving Penrose lay on thefloor near Scar’s feet.
“Back the fuck off.” Scar’s shout seemed tocome from a thousand miles away, echoes of the gunshots stillblocking Einstein’s hearing. The man shook Marian like a ragdoll asshe jerked with uncoordinated movements. “I’ll kill her. Backoff!”
“You’re dead anyway.” Gunny’s voice frombehind preceded the appearance of a pistol over Einstein’s shoulderby only an instant. Einstein had only a breath to bring his hand upand cover his ear before Gunny pulled the trigger. A tiny holeappeared in Scar’s shoulder as red splashed the wall behind him,both arms lifting as he fell to the side. He was up in an instantand plunging through the glass of a window and into the darknessbeyond.
“Fuck.” Gunny pushed past Einsteintowards the broken window.
Freed from Scar’s hold, Marian sagged, andEinstein lunged forwards, catching her against his chest as he sankto the floor with her on his lap.
She looked up at him, her smile brilliant,eyes unfocused and alarmingly aimed in different directions. “Thereyou are.”
Her words were slurred, blending together infrightening ways, and Einstein shouted, “Help. Someone helpme.” Marian’s head tilted towards him, thudding against his chestwith a painful blow. “Something’s wrong.”
“Be still, motherfucker.” Bane’s growledinstructions had Einstein shifting to place his shoulders againstthe side of the bed, well away from where Marian had fallen.Penrose was moving, trying to sit up as he held one hand againstthe back of his head.
Mudd appeared, and Einstein stared at thered on his hands. He darted a glance towards the door, then back toMudd’s face. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ll always have your back.Folks are takin’ out the trash I left on the yard right now. Do youknow what’s wrong with her?” Mudd looked at Bane, who was smashingthe rest of the glass from the window, already halfway out.“Where’s Scar?”
“He got out, that way.” Penrose lifted hischin to indicate a disappearing Bane. “Through the window. Theygave her ketamine. She’s been hallucinating.”
Einstein clutched Marian closer at Penrose’swords.
“I missed you.” Marian’s lips pursed in asweet demand, and Einstein didn’t hesitate before dipping down topress his mouth to hers. Her cold lips heated underneath his, and atiny bit of his terror faded away.She’s going to be okay.He wouldn’t allow any other thought inside his head right now.She’d be okay, and so would his brothers.
“Get the fuck off of me.” The words from thehallway were clearly audible, spoken just as the alarm ceased itsklaxon alert, and Einstein took a deeper breath in, relieved tohear Retro’s voice. “I’m not dyin’. Leave me thefuck—goddammit,that smarts, asshole. Stop pokin’ atit.”
“Baby, did they hurt you?” A quick scan ofMarian’s visible skin didn’t show him any bruising, something thatwasn’t as comforting as it should be. “Talk to me. Tell me you’reokay.”
Gunny climbed back through the window, ashake of his head answering Einstein’s unspoken question.
Fuck.
“Definitely winged him. I’ll get Myron towatch the hospitals, see if we can tag him that way. Motherfucker’sfast.” Gunny’s fingers worked across the screen of his phone.“Maybe the drone that gave us the heatmap can track him.” He pickedup a small bottle from the floor and frowned. “Shit. Ketamine?”Einstein nodded as Gunny crouched nearby, gaze darting between hisphone and Marian’s face. “Okay, that’s not the worst. Not the besteither.”
“The bad clown went away.” She shuddered andclung tighter to Einstein. “Thank you for making him go away,Gunny.”
