Page 44 of Atone in Darkness
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Just as he crested the hill overlooking the cabin, Chase caught a faint sound coming from somewhere above and behind him. Pausing to listen, his suspicions were instantly confirmed. A helicopter was headed in this direction. Of course, there was always the remote chance that it was the Paladin cavalry on their way, but his luck hadn’t been running that good for some time now. No, it had tobe the same bunch who had been breathing down their necks for days now.
Were they still scouring the countryside looking for any sign of escapees from the compound, or had Edgar somehow signaled exactly where the two of them had gone to ground? They must still have some use for Marisol, since Edgar had made no effort to kill them.
He slung both rifles over his shoulder and gripped the sword,taking some pleasure in the familiar feel of a blade in his hand. Once he was sure the chopper wasn’t going to fly directly overhead, he took off running as fast as he could across the rough terrain. He picked up speed when he spottedMarisol charging out of the cabin with Edgar hot on her heels. Chase kicked it into high gear, but there was no way he’d get to her before the other Paladin caughtup with her.
He shouted, “Leave her alone!”
His warning didn’t deter the lying bastard. By the time Chase closed the distance, Edgar already had Marisol in a choke hold.
Chase marched toward them. “Hurt her and you die.”
Edgar dragged her backward a handful of steps. “Then I guess we’re at an impasse, Chase. Even if I do let her go, you’ll still kill me.”
No arguments there. “You deserveit. I finally figured out you really were there the day the guards strung me up in the gym. You watched and laughed your ass off.”
He waited to see if Edgar would confirm the truth and seal his fate. It wasn’t long in coming. “Yeah, I watched you dangling at the end of that rope. Looked like it hurt like hell, too.”
Even though Chase had been expecting that answer, it still infuriated him. “Whywould you betray everything the Paladins stand for?”
Edgar sneered. “And what’s that? Dying over and over again until the Regents decide our shelf life has expired?”
Chase raised the tip of the sword. “There’s dying, and then there’s dying bit by bit and praying for it to end.”
Then he met Marisol’s terrified gaze and nodded just a little. Bright woman that she was, she instantly went limpand flung herself toward the ground. The sudden movement broke Edgar’s hold on her and gave Chase enough time to close the final distance between them. He didn’t hesitate toshove the tip of the sword deep into Edgar’s already wounded shoulder. The other Paladin’s scream echoed through the small valley as blood gushed from the wound.
Chase offered Marisol a hand up off the ground while keepinga wary eye on Edgar.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Her voice sounded raspy, and he suspected she’d have bruises from the tight grip Edgar had had on her throat. That earned the other man a solid kick in the ribs. When he drew back his foot to give him a second dose of his own medicine, Marisol stopped him.
“That’s enough, Chase. Like I said, I’m fine.”
It wasn’t nearly enough payback forEdgar’s betrayal, but she was already upset. Besides, they had other problems to deal with. “We need to get packed up and leave. There was a helicopter flying around the area. Maybe they’re just doing another random sweep, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I found where Edgar here stashed both his rifle and this sword up on the ridge before approaching us. Maybe he hasn’t told them where we are, but wecan’t risk another night here.”
“But he’d been shot.”
Chase shrugged. “It was painful, but not fatal. They knew we’d be more likely to accept his story if we believed he was being hunted, too.”
He started to tug her toward the cabin, but she dug in her heels. “We can’t leave him bleeding on the ground.”
Chase gave the wounded man a disgusted look. “Don’t waste your time on him. He’ll healjust fine on his own.”
The stubborn woman wasn’t having it. “I can’t walk awaywithout doing what I can for him. I’m a doctor, Chase. It’s my job.”
By that point, even Edgar was looking at her as if she was crazy. At least he had the good sense not to complain when Chase released his hold on Marisol to not so gently yank him up off the ground.
“Get your ass inside before I finish the job Istarted.”
Edgar stumbled toward the cabin still trying to staunch the bleeding with his bare hand. Marisol ran ahead and was waiting for them with the bottle of scotch and yet another T-shirt to use as a bandage. Between the two of them, it didn’t take long to clean the wound and bind it. As far as Chase was concerned, it was a waste of good whiskey. When she was done, Chase tied Edgar’s handsand feet, securing him to the chair while Marisol packed up their gear. She stuffed their still-damp clothes into a plastic bag and grabbed the last remaining cans of food including the canned meat that she hated.
He gave Edgar’s bindings one last tug. “That should hold you long enough for us to get away.”
Then he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Marisol wasn’t listening. “Come after usagain, and you die. Period. No discussion. No regrets. No coming back from it.”
