Читать книгу The Killing Grounds: an explosive and gripping thriller for fans of James Patterson - Jack Ford, Jack Ford - Страница 12

2

‘What kept you?’

Cooper was wired. And he could feel his eyes were wild with adrenalin as the truck sped and raced along the rough sand terrain. He broke into a smile which made him flinch as his parched, inflamed lips cracked further. He licked them in the hope of some relief. There wasn’t any. But damn, it tasted good. Freedom always did.

Levi Walker, a small stocky black man from Connecticut, with a cynical outlook on life, kept his eyes on the road as he spoke. ‘Oh, I don’t know, Coop, maybe a few thousand miles of sand. That, and the tiny matter of the Eritrean government.’

A woman’s voice came from the back. ‘More like deciding whether or not to bother getting your ass out of trouble… Again.’ Cooper swivelled round in the vehicle’s hard front seat, watching as she busily took off the chadri she’d been wearing. Grinned. Leant his well-built but battered body across the seat. Stretched over to the back where she was sitting. And landed a large kiss on her cheek.

Soft.

Warm.

Everything he hadn’t had for the past few weeks.

He said, ‘It’s good to see you too, Maddie… and you should keep that chadri, it’s a good look on you.’

Levi Walker burst into laughter. ‘Maybe I should take one home for Mrs. Walker. Save me having to look at her sour face across the breakfast table in the mornings.’

Cooper shook his head. He liked Levi. Always did. Always had. And he knew he couldn’t say that about a lot of guys. ‘Who wouldn’t have a sour face if they’d been married to you for the last twenty years? Beats me why Dorothy hasn’t thrown you out a long time ago… Oh shit, we’ve got company.’

Maddie span round and watched as a sheep lorry, driven by the prison guards, drove up behind them on the narrow mountain road, ramming into their tailgate and bucking them forward. She glanced quickly to her left; nothing but a crumbling sheer drop down to the hillside below. ‘Won’t this thing go any faster?’

‘I’ve got my foot right down on the gas! Our only hope is that their truck turns out to be slower than ours.’

Grabbing hold of the Heckler & Koch UMP 40 on the seat next to him, Cooper pulled back the folding stock. Leant his body out of the window. Began to fire at the truck as it continued to ram into them.

He shouted at Levi, ‘Keep it straight!’

‘I can’t! The road’s too bumpy. Too many potholes and any closer to the side, we’re going over!’

Without saying another word, and holding onto the truck’s roof handle, Cooper leant out of the window and began to fire at the truck behind as they veered precariously close to the edge.

The forty calibre shots ricocheted off the hood as Cooper struggled to get a good aim, as his hand shook and the truck bounced around.

‘Give it to me, Tom…! Now!’ Climbing over her seat, Maddie snatched the closed bolt weapon out of Cooper’s hands and pushed across the selector switch to fully automatic. ‘Hold on to me!’ she shouted at him over the sound of the racing engine. ‘And make it tight!’

Without waiting she pushed open the passenger door which swung out over the three hundred foot drop, and as Cooper held onto her waist she leant out over the deadly drop and expertly aimed and held her hand steady and cut out everything around her and closed one eye and aimed at the truck’s tyre…

Bullseye.

The front left wheel exploded into a mix of sound and shreds of rubber, and Maddie watched as the driver of the vehicle fought with the steering wheel as if he were driving a herd of wild horses. And as she pumped a last hail of bullets into the other tyre, the guards’ truck came to a screeching halt, millimetres from going over the edge.

Closing her eyes for a moment and breathing deeply, Maddie gave a last glance to the drop below and, helped by Cooper, carefully sidled back into her seat. Put on the safety lock of the submachine gun. Threw it down on the floor. Turned to Cooper and said, ‘You’re a total jackass.’

‘But you, Maddison, you’re something else and the best shot around and that’s why we all love you.’ He winked. Caught the look of incredulity on her face. And he knew her well enough to know she was pissed. Well and truly.

‘You think this is funny do you, Tom? None of this is funny. Not even close. I told you a long time ago that I’m not going through this crap again, you hear me? You could’ve been killed in that place and we could’ve all been killed just now. I thought you’d finished with all this. Remember? Remember your promises to stop this crap? But oh no. Suddenly you’re playing action hero again, whilst Levi and I put our jobs on the line – not to mention our necks – and it’s not over yet. We still have to get over the border. You really need to start growing up, because there’s a lot of people who rely on you.’

Levi swerved the truck, only narrowly avoiding hitting the carcass of a large goat lying in the middle of the road. ‘Seriously Maddie,’ he said. ‘Do this some other time. He’ll be wishing he’s back in Mai Edaga.’

Watching a fly hitch a ride on the truck as they weaved up the mountain trail, Cooper rubbed his head. Felt the tiredness beginning to hit. He’d barely slept for the past few days, partly because of the cramped conditions in Mai Edaga, but mainly because he hadn’t wanted to let down his guard.

‘No, it’s cool,’ he said. ‘Maddie’s right. It isn’t funny, but honey, you know it’s just our way to get through stuff. I’m sorry though, okay?’

Maddie, not interested in being appeased – not interested in anything Cooper had to say – snapped angrily. ‘That’s bullshit, Tom. Bullshit! You’re not sorry. You never are. But like I said before, I won’t be part of it anymore.’

‘Maddie, come on, I…’

‘No, Tom, I don’t want to hear it. I’ve heard it, too many times. But the worst thing is, I’ve fallen for it too many times, but you can bet your ass not this time.’

Cooper turned to appeal to Levi, who was driving hard up the mountainside, wanting to get to the Ethiopian border before night fall. ‘Levi, help me out here.’

‘Bro, you know I love you man but on this one, Maddie’s right. You know that. It’s some crazy stuff you got yourself into back there. We all know you’re good at what you do. The best. But… hell, I dunno, recently it feels like you’re always looking for the edge and you wouldn’t care if you fell off. I don’t know what’s happened. It’s like we’re back in the past. And they were bad days, bro. Real bad days. And I’ll tell you something else for free, I’m not looking forward to the crap we’ll get when Granger realizes we took off to come and find you…’

Levi ended his sentence with a whistle to emphasis his words, as was his habit.

Resigned, Cooper said, ‘Leave Granger to me.’

Changing gears and grinding the gear box, Levi shook his head. ‘Listen Coop, I know you’ve pulled me out of some near misses. Jeez, I probably wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you, but those days are over and I thought they were for you as well. We all did. I left the Navy to have a peaceful life, man, and apart from Mrs. Walker bitching every day, that’s what I get. I’m not looking for excitement, I’m looking to earn money and go fishing. Fishing and money. The only two things that matter. Everything else, especially women – sorry Maddie – is too much of a headache. But you and whatever’s going on, well it’s some kind of crazy.’

Maddie sighed, ‘I don’t get it, Tom, why make everything harder? Why do this after all this time?’

Cooper opened the tepid bottle of water Levi had passed him earlier. Drank it down. Didn’t seem to quench his thirst. Sighed. Knew he should have some patience. Because he got it. God knows he got what she was trying to say. Problem was, he didn’t want to hear it. Not now. Not ever. He said, ‘Christ, Maddie, can’t you just leave it? I’m just doing my job. That’s all.’

Red with anger and frustration and pain at not being able to get her words out properly, Maddie spluttered. ‘No. No you’re not. This has nothing to do with the job. We both know that. And we both know who it’s about.’

Levi took his eyes off the road to shoot her a hard stare. A stare which Cooper had no doubt he’d been practising for Mrs Walker. ‘Leave it, Maddie… She don’t mean nothing by it, Coop. We’re all upset.’

Tying back her long corkscrew brown hair in a tight ponytail, Maddie’s face was flushed. Red like a fever. ‘Yes I do mean something by it. Don’t tell me I don’t, Levi, and what’s more, don’t get into my business.’

Levi Walker, always hoping he and confrontation had parted company a long time ago, tried to smooth down the situation, though he couldn’t help thinking how scarily like his wife Maddie was when she had something bugging her.

‘Hey guys, listen. Let’s not get into a fight. It’s been a tough day and Cooper, you look beat. And although I know he’ll never say it, Maddie, I bet he had one helluva tough time in that detention center. We’ve still got a long-ass drive in front of us, but the sooner we get to the border, the better. The plane we chartered from Addis Ababa is thirty miles west from there. We’ll fly it back to the airport and then tomorrow there are three tickets with our names on. So it’ll be goodbye Africa, hello USA.’

Levi’s attempt at peace-making fell short of the mark for Maddie. Always did. Never got close.

‘Shut the hell up, Levi. I want Tom to admit it that the whole thing in Eritrea, it wasn’t about the job.’

‘Maddie,’ said Cooper. ‘Enough.’

‘You don’t get off that easily. It’s started again, hasn’t it? But what I don’t know is why… Come on Tom, I want you to admit this is about Ell… ’

Cooper’s voice raised. Shouted. Shot her down as he interrupted. ‘Don’t say it…! You hear me? Just don’t.’ He paused. Clenched his fist to stop the past pouring in. Turned away to watch the unfamiliar countryside speed by. But even after a minute, all Thomas J. Cooper could manage was a whisper. ‘Just don’t say it, Maddie… Levi, wake me up when we get there.’

Cooper closed his eyes. Goddamn it the woman drove him mad. But he supposed that was part of her job. It was what women did.

Like Levi, he’d known Maddie for over twenty years and all that time she’d never changed. Tough and strong and loyal and caring and intelligent as hell. Put most men he knew to shame. But that didn’t mean she didn’t get under his skin.

He’d met her on the first day of Aviation Officer Candidate School at the beginning of his military career. The three of them were all tight friends. Been through tough times, and looking back he knew it’d made them stronger.

Even when he’d left the military they’d kept in touch. Or rather, Levi and Maddie had kept in touch with him. But he hadn’t appreciated it. After the accident he wanted to be allowed to hide away from the world, so he could be consumed by his own grief. His own loss. His own guilt. But they hadn’t let him. Not even for a moment.

The job they were now in, that had been Maddie’s idea, when she and Levi’s commissions in the Navy had come to an end. They’d both joined Onyx, an aviation and marine asset recovery company, specializing in tracking down high value commercial and private boats and planes for banks, leasing companies and, on occasion, the US government. Stolen, involved in a crime, or left with payments outstanding, it was their job as investigators to find them and bring them back. From wherever. However. And from whoever.

He had known Dax Granger, the owner of the firm, even before the others had, and being an experienced pilot as well as having a SEAL background, he’d been ideal for the job. It had taken a while for Maddie to persuade him to leave fixing up his ranch in Colorado, which never seemed to get fixed, and five years ago he had succumbed to the pressure. Joined the firm. Got his investigator license, thinking it was all a bit of a joke.

But quickly he’d learnt there was nothing funny about it at all. The first job he’d investigated had been to track down a Learjet 60XR, the purchaser not having kept up with the repayments. It was a beautifully crafted plane. But what he’d found inside had been at odds with both the plane and the quiet splendour of the Tahitian island he’d traced it to. Inside were the bodies of three women. Raped and killed. The owner of the plane? Whereabouts unknown.

The local police closed the case before it had really opened. But the vision of the women had sat inside his head, and much to Levi’s and Maddie’s dismay and protestations and objections, he’d tracked down the women’s families to let them know what’d happened to their mothers, sisters, daughters. Because to him it was the not knowing which killed you.

The job paid well. But it wasn’t about the money. Not for him. Especially not at the beginning. For the first year of working for Onyx he’d found himself most interested in the investigations which took him to Africa. And he knew why. And eventually everyone else did too… It had given him the permission. The reason. The opportunity to keep looking. To keep searching for her.

God knows he wasn’t good at remembering the past. Or maybe it was more a case of not wanting to. Too many shadows. Too many memories hiding round corners, things not even a loaded gun could protect him from. So he kept on pushing forward. Not stopping. Not caring, but always hoping and wanting and needing to know he’d been right all those years ago when he’d believed she was still alive. Somewhere in this beautiful, dark yet dangerous sprawling mistress called Africa.

But then things had changed. He’d stopped looking for her. Not because he’d wanted to, but because it’d been the right thing to do. Or that’s what they’d told him. That’s what his therapist had told him. And he’d made promises. Vows. And he’d kept to them. Until now. Because now was different.

The days he’d spent in the hole in Mai Edaga, that was stupid. A mistake. Nobody’s fault but his own. He knew that. The rule was if you had no papers, or if international relations with the country were volatile, just find the plane and fly it the hell out without being seen.

Eritrea had ticked both boxes. No papers, and no international relations with America to speak of. But instead of leaving when he should have done, for the first time since he’d made the promise to stop looking, just over four years ago, he’d taken the opportunity. Broken his promises and headed south, hoping to speak to a tribe of the Rashaida, a nomadic Arabic-speaking people, living predominantly in scattered areas of western Eritrea, wanting to know if they knew anything. Seen anything. Heard anything… about her.

But he’d been spotted by authorities. Accused of being a political spy and thrown into the detention center with no access to anything even slightly resembling an American consul. But then taking such stupid risks came with consequences. Danger. He of all people knew that. And at times he thought he lived for that. It was one of the few things which made him feel.

He also knew that was part of his problem.

Although he hadn’t known how and when, he knew Maddie and Levi would track him down and come. As they’d always done in the past. And he owed them. Both of them. But especially Maddie, for more reasons than one.

Abruptly. Cutting through the silence of his thoughts, Maddie spoke, in the high-pitched tone which made it impossible for him to ignore no matter how much he tried. ‘You know what I don’t understand is why you want to go that little bit further? What are you trying to prove? You wanna see if it breaks? Well it does, Tom. It has. We all do eventually and you of all people should know that.’

Opening his eyes. Slowly. Cooper looked at her. Sighed real heavy. ‘Listen, I made a mistake, deciding to travel through Eritrea. Don’t make this about us, Maddie.’

Maddie shook her head. Her look of disappointment hitting him like an ice cold shower.

‘Don’t do that Tom. Don’t try to get me to back off. You’re right, I am making it about us because it is about us. About you. More to the point it’s about her… You know what Tom. Forget it. Just forget the whole goddamn thing.’