Chapter 7 - MARCUS TAKES OFF THE MASK
Marcus no longer looked like a petty shooting-range supervisor.
No cheap smile.
No clipboard.
No jokes.
He held a pistol low against his leg.
“Toss the keys out, General.”
Harlan didn’t move.
Marcus raised the pistol.
“Don’t make me ask twice.”
Eli stared through the windshield.
“You work for Knox.”
Marcus smiled.
“Kid finally figures something out.”
Luis muttered, “I can take the two on the right.”
Harlan whispered, “Not with Eli in the car.”
Marcus walked closer.
“Laptop on the dashboard.”
Harlan placed the fake laptop where he could see it.
“Daniel alive?”
Marcus shrugged.
“That depends on what you call alive.”
Eli’s hand tightened into a fist.
Harlan noticed.
“Easy.”
Marcus pointed the gun toward Eli.
“You know what’s funny? At the range, I thought you were just some little scavenger.”
Eli stared at him.
“And I thought you were just an asshole.”
Luis snorted.
Marcus’s face hardened.
“Get out.”
They did.
Men searched them.
One pulled the gun from Harlan’s waistband.
Another found nothing on Luis.
The real evidence drive remained hidden inside the reinforced seam of Harlan’s jacket.
Marcus opened the fake laptop.
“Password.”
Eli answered, “Go to hell.”
Marcus stepped forward and slapped him.
Hard.
Eli staggered.
Harlan lunged.
Three rifles immediately pointed at him.
“Touch him again,” Harlan said, “and you better kill me before I reach you.”
Marcus smiled.
“That temper runs in the family.”
Eli wiped blood from his lip.
“You hit like my grandma.”
Marcus’s smile vanished.
Luis whispered, “Kid’s definitely Daniel’s.”
Marcus grabbed the laptop.
“We’re taking the boy.”
“No,” Harlan said.
“Oh, yes.”
“Knox asked for the evidence.”
“He also asked for insurance.”
Eli looked at Harlan.
For the first time, fear showed in his eyes.
Harlan hated Marcus for making him see it.
Marcus shoved Eli toward one of the SUVs.
“Move.”
Eli stumbled past Harlan.
As he did, his fingers brushed the general’s jacket.
Two taps.
Pause.
One tap.
Daniel’s old field signal.
Distract.
Harlan’s heart pounded.
Eli took two more steps.
Then suddenly dropped flat.
Harlan drove his elbow into the nearest gunman.
Luis struck another with his forearm.
Gunfire exploded.
Eli rolled beneath the SUV.
Harlan grabbed the fallen rifle.
Marcus fired wildly.
A bullet smashed a side mirror.
Luis shouted, “Go!”
Eli crawled out the opposite side and ran toward the trees.
Harlan followed.
Bullets tore bark from the pines.
They plunged downhill through thick brush.
Minutes later, they reached an old drainage tunnel.
Eli bent over, breathing hard.
Harlan grabbed his shoulders.
“You hit?”
“No.”
Luis appeared behind them.
Blood covered his sleeve.
“You?”
“Graze.”
Then a voice came from the darkness inside the tunnel.
“Dad?”
Nobody moved.
Eli’s face went pale.
The voice came again.
“Eli?”
May you like
He took one step into the black tunnel.
“Dad?”
