The Valley: A Lee Harden Novel, page 41
“If,” Marie interjected. “He sends all of them after us.”
“And how’s the team gonna exfil?” Abe asked from his rifle.
Lee spread his hands. “Obvious issues. He might not send the whole horde after us. If that’s the case, then the infil team’s probably SOL.” He avoided looking at the disappointment he knew would be on Sam’s face. “As for exfil, they’ll have to hump it to a rally point where the truck can pick them up.”
Gary cleared his throat. “And what about the folks running the ambush? What happens when the primals start climbing the walls after them? How are they gonna get out?”
“Yeah, that’s another issue,” Lee said. “But we might not need the ambush. We don’t need to kill all the primals in this place. We just need to get them out of the way. Primary objective isn’t to eliminate them—it’s to get Bea and get out.” He blew a big breath through pursed lips. “With all of that said, I don’t see this going down without significant loss of life.”
The ensuing silence held for an uncomfortably long time.
Then someone from the Redoubt said, “We can’t just leave her.” But they said it all forlorn and hopeless, like they knew they were caught in an impossible dilemma.
Lee couldn’t tell who’d spoken, but it didn’t matter. These words were for everyone standing around the truck. “I’m not trying to convince you to leave her. But if you’ve got any notions about all nineteen of us walking out of this alive, you can go ahead and banish that thought.” He looked around, meeting gazes that seemed to just now realize what they’d gotten themselves into. “There’s no plan in the world that’ll see us through this unscathed. So if you’re waiting for one to come along and make you feel comfortable, well…it ain’t coming.”
Seemed like a lot of the folks from the Redoubt were re-evaluating their choice to be here. Lee didn’t want to see them walk away from this, but he also didn’t want them heading in with delusions about their survivability.
Most people, when they think of risking lives and saving lives, they think it’s a numbers game. If you risk twenty lives to save one life, that’s alright, as long as none of the rescuers get killed. Or maybe if the one life they’re saving is an important figure. But when you come out and say you’re going to risk twenty lives for one life, and probably lose most of them, if you succeed at all…well, that doesn’t make sense to most people.
Lee could see them wavering. And he couldn’t blame them one bit. Because it didn’t make sense, not logically. Lee’s arithmetic was just a bit different. In his mind, there were higher costs than just the loss of life and limb. His younger self would’ve balked to hear it, but screw that pup. Lee’d learned a helluva lot, and his younger self hadn’t yet found out what it meant to be haunted by the things you’d turned your back on.
“Guys,” one of the older gentlemen in the group said, shuffling a dirty ball cap around on his head. Lee thought he knew what was coming. “I know we all felt bad for Bea, and we were willing to take on Horner and his men to get her back. That was when the odds were evenly matched between us and them. But I’m not sure—”
If he’d gone on any longer, Lee thought every single one of those people from the Redoubt would’ve turned their backs and walked away. But he never got the chance to finish, and they never got the chance to walk.
Because right at that moment, with every one of them most of the way off the fence they’d been sitting on, one of their sentries shouted, “Someone’s coming!” just as headlights blazed from down the road.
Chapter 40
Kat had made a big gamble. Actually, it was several gambles laid on top of each other. She’d seen the man Jax take off in the white pickup truck. It made more sense to her that they’d simply come for the young man named Sam. It made more sense to her that they’d simply return to the Redoubt.
But she’d gambled that they wouldn’t. She’d gambled that they’d go after Bea.
Why? Because of what Jax had done. Because he’d tried to stop Colin Horner from beating her. Because he was not the type of man to turn his back on people that needed him.
Or, at least, that’s what she hoped. And if she was wrong, she was pretty sure that Bran was going to die, because he’d already lost consciousness, and he smelled sickly and weak, like his body was on the verge of giving out.
So Kat was both shocked and elated when the headlights of the ATV splashed across the white pickup truck and the figures gathered around it.
And then came the next part of her gamble: Would they even let her approach? Or would they just start shooting? And even if they let her approach, would it do any good? They were not her friends. They were enemies. And it made more sense to her that they would just kill her and Bran. That’s what she would’ve done.
But if she wanted to save Bran’s life, throwing herself at their mercy was her only option.
The second she saw the truck, she stomped on the brakes. She saw the people around the truck turn and raise rifles, squinting into her headlights. She saw the two other people with rifles, kicked out to the sides a bit, clearly acting as sentries.
The ATV skidded to a halt in cloud of dust, and Kat leapt out, knowing it might be interpreted as aggression, but gambling yet again—would they give her time to talk before they started shooting?
Her feet hit the ground, and her hands came up, and she dredged a single word from her clumsy palette that she hoped would be enough: “Friend!”
In the sudden absence of roaring tires, Kat realized that several people were shouting at her all at once. But she couldn’t tell what they wanted her to do. Someone was yelling to shoot her. Another was yelling for her to get back, another for her to get down, and yet another for her to raise her hands, which was confusing, because they were already raised.
She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the muzzle flashes that would end her life, and screamed the word over and over: “Friend! Friend! Friend!”
As the last yell petered out in her throat, she heard the voice she’d wanted to hear.
“Hold fire! Hold fire!” It was Jax, and she opened her eyes in time to see him sliding down from the bed of the pickup and waving his hands at the others. “Stand down! Everyone stand down!”
She almost couldn’t believe it. Sure, she’d gambled on mercy, but it still flummoxed her to receive it. These people made no sense to her. They did not think like she thought. They were not the same type of creature. But she was glad they were the way they were, because she needed them.
Bran needed them.
She was tempted to think of Jax as stupid for his mercy. But he wasn’t. The second he’d succeeded in getting everyone else to not shoot her, he stepped front and center and raised his own rifle. It wasn’t an idle threat. She could see that his eye was centered on the optic, and she could see that the muzzle was clearly pointing right at her face.
“Kat,” Jax called out in a clear voice. “Listen to my commands and do exactly what I tell you or I will put you down. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Kat managed. Then, “Help. Please.”
“Don’t move. Keep your hands up. Keep your feet where they are.” Jax approached a handful of steps and stopped, about fifteen yards from her. His aim never wavered. “What are you doing here?”
Kat was very careful not to move her hands or feet. But she did twist her body just a bit, so she could nod at Bran’s slumped form in the passenger seat of the ATV. “Bran is hurt,” she struggled out. “Shot. Help. Please.”
“Marie! Jones! Sam!” Jax called. “With me.”
They’d only been a few steps behind, and now came abreast of Jax, rifles up. The other one with the big, black beard was in the bed, with a rifle set on the roof of the cab, pointing at her. “Got Kat covered!” the bearded man said.
Jax swiveled slightly, so his rifle was now pointing at the ATV. “Bran! Lemme see your hands!”
“He’s…” Kat tried to form the word unconscious, but it just wouldn’t take shape in her mouth. “Not awake.”
Jax looked back at her. “Kat, take two big steps to your left, away from the ATV.”
Kat did so, sparing a glance at Bran’s inert form. Was he already dead? She couldn’t smell him as clearly from here. Couldn’t tell if his chest was still rising and falling.
“Interlace your fingers behind your head,” Jax continued. “Now get down on your knees. Cross your ankles over each other. Now sit back on your heels. Do not move from that position. Lincoln, if she moves, take her out.”
“Got it.”
Then Jax and his teammates approached.
Jones and Sam moved to the driver’s side of the ATV, holding additional coverage on Kat in case she tried anything squirrelly. They trusted Abe’s aim, but it never hurt to have a few extra guns on something as dangerous as Kat.
Lee and Marie moved to the passenger side of the ATV. Lee splashed the slouched figure in the passenger seat with his weaponlight. It was definitely Bran. And he was definitely unconscious. There was a whole lot of blood, and Bran’s skin looked washed out.
“Got him covered,” Lee said, and Marie slung her rifle and ripped open the little side door.
She shoved two fingers into his carotid artery and looked sidelong at Lee. “What are we doing here, Lee?” she whispered.
“I don’t know yet. But I got an idea.”
“Be still my beating heart,” Marie grunted as she retracted her fingers. “He’s alive. Pulse is weak and fast. He’s lost a lot of blood.” She fixed Lee with a serious gaze. “You really wanna save this asshole after what he did to Sam?”
“Can you save him?”
Marie gave his wounds a cursory once-over. “Maybe. I don’t think he’s lost anything vital except for blood. He’s in shock. I can try.” Back to Lee. “You sure you want me to?”
“Not yet,” Lee said, then turned. “Sam, go to Marie.” Then he stalked around the front of the ATV. Kat knelt there, a few yards off from Jones. Lee stepped past him, took a glance to make sure he wasn’t blocking Abe’s shot, then lowered himself—somewhat painfully—into a squat.
Kat’s eyes were affixed on Bran, but when Lee lowered himself to her level, she swiveled them on him. There was something achingly human in them: Worry—not for herself, but for her friend. It struck him that she had to have known she might get shot rolling up on them like that. But she’d done it anyway. Because she had no place else to go. And she wanted to save her friend.
For a flash, she did not seem so much like a dangerous animal to Lee. In that moment, she was just another person, trying to save someone they loved. And that was something Lee could understand. That was something he could connect with.
But…Lee still had things that needed to be done.
“You want me to save Bran?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she answered, immediately. Then she added, “Please,” and it was so plaintive and desperate, that Lee couldn’t help feeling a little dirty about what he was about to do.
He nodded. “We’ve got medical supplies. We can try to save him.”
“Please,” Kat repeated.
Lee cringed inwardly and spat it out: “But you’re going to have to do something for me.”
She stared at him for a moment. Then looked back at Bran. Only mulled it over for a second before looking at Lee again and nodding. “Anything.”
Lee stood up, no more time left to waste. “Sam, get him out of the ATV. Marie, do what you can for him.” As Sam wrestled Bran’s body out onto the ground, and Marie ran for her medical pack, Lee stood over Kat, wondering if this was a boon or a curse. “Kat, we’re gonna help Bran as much as we can. I can’t promise you that he’ll live, but we’ll try everything we can. But now I need your help. I need your help to save someone else.” Lee looked unflinchingly into her face and extended his hand. “Can we trust each other?”
Kat stared at that hand for a long time, and it occurred to Lee that she wasn’t so much hesitating, as she was surprised to see this gesture rendered towards her. Who had ever asked to shake her hand? Who had ever even offered it?
Her eyes flitted back to his. “Move my hand?”
Lee had to smile. “Yeah, you can move your hand.”
She didn’t return the smile—it would have been terrifying if she tried—but she took her right hand from her head and clasped Lee’s with it. And damn, but she had a grip.
“You help Bran,” she said carefully. “I help you.”
And they shook on it.
Then Lee rounded on the others. “Change of plans, folks. Huddle up on me.”
Chapter 41
Sam had seen Lee shake hands with Kat, and he guessed that meant they were going to trust each other. But he was still immensely discomfited standing shoulder to shoulder with her in the bed of the ATV as it rumbled quietly along on its electric drive, straight into the dark streets of the Town.
He was trying to stay focused, but that’s really hard to do when the girl—Primal? Hybrid?—that had almost torn his throat out hours earlier was right next to him. He kept taking sidelong glances at her to make sure she wasn’t eyeing him like a pork chop.
He had to do it sidelong, because the NVGs were over his eyes. Through them, the small cityscape through which they traveled was a blur of pale greens and whites, the dot of his rifle’s IR laser creating squiggly patterns along the walls of buildings as they passed.
Lee was putting a whole lot of faith in a person that’d been their enemy not too long ago. And there was no guarantee that this would work. Just as Lee couldn’t guarantee Bran’s survival, Kat couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t be pulled apart by the first pack of primals they encountered.
But, as Sam had found in so many other situations…whaddaya gonna do? There were no better options. And even if there were, they couldn’t wind back time. They were committed to this one. No turning back. So you might as well nut up and shut up, cross your fingers and toes, and keep your head on a swivel.
Which, Sam thought, was something like faith.
Another glance at Kat. She stared straight ahead, both hands braced against the roof of the ATV. Sam was just about to look away when he saw something in her demeanor change. A tightening. A hardening. An intense focus of the eyes.
He whipped forward and immediately saw it. Called out, “Contact!” at the same instant that Jones called it from the front passenger seat.
“I see it,” Lee strained out from the driver’s seat.
“Slow,” Kat growled. “Go slow.”
About a hundred yards ahead of them was an intersection, dark traffic lights hanging low over the roadway. And on that roadway, three shapes were creeping out into the intersection, two on hands and feet, one standing erect.
“Uh, don’t we wanna go fast?” Jones said, his voice pitched a little higher than normal.
Sam, for his part, didn’t dare speak, because he knew it’d come out in a squeak. His heart was lodged in his throat, and his options were either to yell past it, or stay silent, so he chose to stay silent. Here’s where they’d find out if Lee was insane or genius.
“Slow,” Kat insisted. “Or they chase.”
The ATV decelerated.
Sam flicked the safety off on his rifle. His and Jones’s laser designators played over the three figures, Jones’s going to the erect one on the far right, Sam’s going to the far left. Every instinct screamed for him to start shooting. But he kept his finger off the trigger.
God, how slow were they going to go? This felt too slow. They were sitting ducks in this ATV. It’d take a grand total of two seconds for those three primals to pounce and rip them apart.
Sam’s target skittered to the other side of the road, so the ATV would have to pass between them.
“I don’t like it,” Jones warned.
“It’s gonna be fine,” Lee said, and Sam knew that if it wasn’t, they’d never have a chance to call him a liar.
Sam kept tracking the primal on the left. His heart was hitting so hard it was causing his laser designator to visibly jump to the beat of his pulse. His rifle was cross-body to Kat now, the muzzle right in front of her face, the target only a few yards off. Sam adjusted his aim to account for height-over-bore, and settled it as best he could on the primal’s hairline.
Its face snarled. Mouth full of teeth glimmering green in Sam’s NVGs. And everything about its posture told Sam it was about to jump, and his finger moved into the trigger guard…
Kat barked without warning, and Sam almost squeezed off the shot.
Everything changed in an instant. The snarling face suddenly hid its teeth. The tension of an imminent pounce went out of the creature and it relaxed back on its haunches, its eyes locked onto Kat, seeming perplexed.
Sam still couldn’t take a breath. Still didn’t dare to take his aim off the creature, but he had to, for the one second it took to bring his muzzle up and over Kat’s head, then continued tracking the primal as it passed behind them.
Kat seemed to give no notice to Sam’s maneuverings, and simply turned to the right, issuing the exact same throaty bark to the primals on the right. Sam wanted to turn and look, mainly because having his back to them was making his skin crawl, but he figured the bark had had the same effect, because no one yelled out, and nothing tackled Sam, and the ATV just went right on through the intersection.
“Hoooooooooly shit,” Jones breathed out.
Lee’s next words were transmitted, and Sam heard them in his earpiece: “First contact, no problems. We’re in. How’re things looking, Marie?”
Marie paused in her work just long enough to frown at nothing in particular, then key her radio with gloved hands slick with blood. “Well, he’s not dead yet, if that’s what you mean.”
Gary knelt beside her on the other side of Bran’s body, and glanced at her with momentary confusion until he realized she was speaking over the radio. He’d pretty much been chosen to assist her because he seemed nominally intelligent and did what he was told without too many annoying questions.
