Primary Valor Jack Mars (miss read books TXT) 📖

She hadn’t moved,but she didn’t seem fazed in the least. She didn’t even glance down at the deadmen. Her eyes were hard and cold.

Luke walked toward her.

She gestured at his shoulder.

“You’re shot. You better get thatlooked at. We wouldn’t want you to bleed to death.”

The woman’s eyes were a startlingshade of green. They went with the dress she was wearing. She was not tall. Shewas thin, and very pretty, middle-aged, maybe fifty. She stared at Luke withthose eyes. Something about them made her seem as if she wasn’t real. Adifferent race, a different species.

“They told me there was anexplosion in the cabana. I thought I’d better come down here and check it outmyself.”

Luke put his remaining pistol toher forehead. It was Bowles’s gun.

Her eyes never wavered. “You’llnever get out of here alive.”

“Elaine Sayles, I presume,” Lukesaid.

She nodded. “Of course. And youare?”

Luke shook his head. “No. I’m herefor Charlotte Richmond. You’re going to take me to her. You start now, or you’redead in two seconds. I won’t even count them.”

“Surely you wouldn’t shoot awoman,” she said. “Look at me. I’m unarmed.”

“I don’t care,” Luke said. “If you’rehere, you’re complicit. It’s open season on complicit people.”

She hesitated.

Luke jabbed her forehead with thepistol. She winced at that.

“Last chance,” Luke said. “I’m outof time, and so are you.”

Something had changed in her eyes.She believed him.

“Follow me,” she said.

* * *

“Stay behind me, sir,” thebodyguard said.

There was a security area on thefirst floor, the closest thing this home had to a panic room. It was a suite ofrooms, with double-paned bulletproof glass, concrete reinforced walls,reinforced ceilings, its own dedicated generator, food and water to lastseveral weeks, and satellite communications.

The entrance to the area wassealed by an old bank vault door. Once closed, it was next to impossible toopen or breach. The area was fireproof, bombproof, and was rated to withstand aCategory 5 hurricane. There was one door to the outside of the house, which ledto the parking lot and the small fleet of armored, four-wheel-drive SUVs. Thatdoor, double steel, flush with the outside walls, could not be opened from outthere, and provided a last escape hatch, should all else fail.

The problem, which Darwin had notconsidered until this moment, was that the security area was two floors belowhis private apartment. Getting there in a crisis… well, he was discovering howfraught that was. A hurricane was one thing, but this was an invasion.

A group of seven came down thestairs from the private apartment, and moved along the wide hallway on thesecond floor. There was Darwin himself, the tallest person in the group. Therewere the three girls, 11, 17, and 21. And there were three big, stern-facedbodyguards. The men were doing their jobs.

Two men walked in front, at eitherside of the hallway, guns out and pointed down. The third man walked in themiddle of the hall. Darwin walked directly behind his broad back, the girlsfollowing along behind him. He hadn’t gotten the chance to show 21 the error ofher ways tonight, but that was beside the point now.

She had brought this upon him,whether she meant to or not. These people, whoever they were, were attackingbecause of her.

They would be beaten back, andonce they were…

BANG! BANG!

The lead man on the right, and theone on the left, both fell to the floor. Darwin saw a cloud, a spritz of blood,exit the back of the man on the left’s bald head before he fell. The girlsbehind him screamed. The man in front of Darwin froze into a crouch, his gunpointed up the hallway in front of them.

The men on the floor were notmoving at all. Pools of blood were forming around their heads.

“Darwin!” a female voice screamed.Darwin recognized that voice instantly.

He squatted behind the lastremaining bodyguard in the group, his hand on the man’s back.

At the far end of the hall, twopeople appeared. One of the people was Elaine. She wore the shimmering greendress that he liked so much. There was a man behind her. He held a gun pointedat her head, and stayed low to keep Elaine’s body in front of him. He was hardto see back there. He was using Elaine as a shield.

“Can you kill that man?” Darwinsaid to the bodyguard.

“Only if I shoot Elaine first.”

The man over there was big. Hewore all black. His face was painted black and dark green. He wore a black cap.It was impossible to say anything about him. He was close to Elaine, one glovedhand around her throat, the gun to her head with the other hand.

“Darwin,” Elaine said. It soundedlike she had a lump in her throat. Darwin had never heard her sound like thatbefore.

“Shut up!” the man said.

Darwin found himself unable tospeak. He crouched there, behind his bodyguard, his voice failing him. Heshould take charge here. He should…

“Sir, what do you want to do?” thebodyguard said. “Should I take the shot?”

What was he asking? Should he killElaine so that he could kill this other man? Was he insane? Darwin and Elainehad been together for more than twenty years. But Darwin couldn’t speak. Hecouldn’t answer the question.

If the bodyguard killed Elaine,and then killed the intruder, Darwin would be safe, for the moment. Maybe hecould just shoot Elaine and get her out of the way, but not kill her. It wasimpossible to discuss that possibility in this moment, though. There should bea policy, but there wasn’t one. This had never been anticipated. He would leaveit up to this man, this hired help, to set the new policy for himself.

“Charlotte Richmond!” the intrudercalled. “Come here, Charlotte. Your mother sent me to get you.”

Darwin heard 21 gasp behind him. Darwinglanced back at her. Her eyes were huge. She was still wearing the sheernightgown. Even in this extreme moment, she looked beautiful.

“Come to me,” the man said. “It’sall right. Come to me, Charlotte.”

Darwin wanted to keep her. Hewouldn’t let them take her. He reached out and grasped her around her thinwrist.

She tried to pull away, but heheld her tight.

“Bite him!” the man said. “Justbite him.”

“21,” Darwin said. “Don’t youlisten.”

The girl bent over and put hermouth