Page 84 of Raven's Curse
Kash pushed out a rough breath. “Chase. Brother we’re out of time.”
“I’m almost through. You three go.”
“We’re not leaving you.”
“We’ll never make it to the far side before that train hits the truck and the force blows the wreckage all the way down the track. Once she’s free, I can head toward the train — beat it to that signal platform. Get in front of the explosion and ride it out.”
Zain scoffed. “Are you insane? We’ll jump together.”
Chase kept cutting, looking over at Zain. “She won’t survive the fall, even into water. Go. We’ll be okay.”
Kash grabbed another knife, started sawing. That train bearing down on them, everything shaking from the strain. The fibers frayed, bits falling off before the line gave, the ends landing on the seat.
Chase scooped Greer into his arms, dragged her across the seat. “Go.”
Zain shook his head. “Royce won’t let you walk away, and if we jump, you won’t have backup.”
“I can handle Carver. That platform’s barely wide enough for me and Greer. We won’t all fit. Go.”
The train filled the horizon, the entire bridge rocking. Some of the ties cracked, the weight shaking a few of the support beams free.
Kash hooked Buck’s arm, took him over the edge before the man could argue. Zain gave Chase a hard stare, then jumped, the impact sounding a few seconds later.
Chase got Greer clear, juggled her against his shoulder, then hauled ass, taking the ties two at a time as he headed for the small platform twenty meters away.
The freight car loomed closer, sparks shooting out from the wheels, that high-pitched whine like a siren’s scream. He slipped on one of the slats, nearly fell before palming the next tie — shoving off.
He hit the last few meters running full out, that train only seconds away from sweeping past the platform. He scooted right — skimmed along the edge — nothing but thirty feet of air cushioning his fall if he tripped. The car clacked, meeting the platform as he pushed off, skirted onto the tiny square a second before the train raced past, barreling toward the truck.
No time to celebrate as he hit the deck, covering Greer as the freight car slammed into the truck. The pickup exploded, metal and glass shooting into the air, the trestle rattling like bones in a drum. The platform trembled, nails popping loose as more support beams cracked and fell.
Fire erupted down the line as the car jumped the track, grinding down the ties, chewing a chasm in the wood. The front end fell through, hanging precariously from the rear, dropping a chunk of the structure into the water.
Chase held on, shielding Greer from the raining debris, the river smashing the frame below. The platform tilted, dropping twenty degrees before catching on one of the beams — stabilizing.
Greer moaned, her eyes fluttering a bit before she drifted off, head lolled to the left, skin paler than before.
He pushed onto his knees, staring at the wreckage when Carver walked onto the deck, arms thrown wide, his shrill laugh echoing down the river.
Royce picked his way along the remaining ties, stopped halfway, shaking his head as he played with the detonator. “Wow. Talk about a comeback. I gotta say. I didn’t think you could pull it off.” He cocked his head to one side. “If only you’d been this motivated five years ago.”
Chase positioned Greer across the ties, then stood. Blood stained his clothes, pieces of wood and metal poking through the fabric. “It’s over Royce. No collars, no bombs. Just you and me, and my team’s already rallying.” He pointed to the unit in the other man’s hand. “That detonator’s useless.”
Royce laughed. “I never said it was hooked up to Greer or Buck. Those were more for show. A distraction of sorts. This one…” He waved the small box. “I rigged the entire bridge to go, one support beam at a time.”
“So, that’s your Plan B? We all die?”
“You left me to die once. I wasn’t leaving anything up to chance, this time.”
“I never wanted to leave you behind. That missile strike took us all out. I would’ve died, too, if Rhett hadn’t dragged my ass back to the chopper.”
“You never should have left us in the first place. You saw the blood. Heard Dalton’s breath rattling through his chest. And Rios…” Royce shook his head. “He was dead before the strike even hit.”
“What about Dalton? Is he mulling around here, too, like Hodges? Is he the real mastermind?”
Royce stilled, his left eye twitching, some of the color draining from his face. “He isn’t a true believer. Never saw the light — never earned his salvation. He’ll never be free.”
Chase edged forward. “Are you implying he’s still alive? Back in that compound? Did you leave him there to die?”
