Jessie looked up from her rifle scope. “Any sign of Lynch or Stevie?”
“Not yet.”
“I won’t take a shot until we see them. We don’t want to give away our position any sooner than we have to.”
Kendra nodded. Jessie made perfect sense, but she felt a sharp pang as she watched them load the robot onto the helicopter. It was sad to see that broken and inert pile of metal when she remembered how strong and clever the robot had been only a short time before. “Still no sign of Lynch and Stevie.”
Jessie cursed. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to. It’s scaring me.” As Kendra watched, all the gunmen piled into the helicopter. “None of them are going back into the bunker.” A chill went through her. “Does that mean . . . ?”
Jessie finished the thought for her. “Lynch and Stevie may not be alive in there.”
Kendra knew it was true, but she was still sick with anger and pain to hear Jessie say it aloud. “I’m not ready to believe that. I won’t.”
“I know.” Jessie reached out and blindly grasped Kendra’s arm in comfort. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Kendra said. “Just help me make it all go away.” She was shaking. Trying desperately to see a way clear to doing what they both thought was impossible.
CHAPTER
16
Dekker cast a glance back over his shoulder. “It looks like almost everyone else has boarded. I’m afraid our time together here has come to an end.”
“You’re just going to leave us down here in this tomb?” Lynch asked.
“Oh, no. You will continue to be our guests. We’ll just be moving our party to a different venue. You’ll have a front-row seat to our plans for Archie.”
The mere mention of Archie made Stevie flush with anger again.
Dekker pulled a long knife from his belt scabbard. He moved over to Nolan and crouched next to him. “You’ve already served your purpose by bringing your daughter and her marvelous creation to us. Thank you, Dr. Nolan.” He menacingly held the blade in front of him for a long moment before reaching downand cutting the duct tape binding Nolan’s legs. “And that entitles you to join us for the festivities to come.”
Lynch could easily read the situation. They wanted to keep Stevie in case they needed help with Archie for whatever purpose they had in mind; they could torture or even threaten to kill her father to make her cooperate. Lynch, as far as he could tell, was totally expendable. They could kill him right now just to show they meant business. Hell, it’s what he might do under the same circumstances. So he had to make his move soon or he’d be useless to Nolan and Stevie.
Dekker stepped back and gestured toward the passage with his assault rifle. “After you, Nolan.” He inclined his head mockingly to Lynch. “And you, Mr. Lynch.”
Nolan was trying to struggle to his feet. Stevie grabbed her father around his waist and helped lift him to a standing position. With Dekker and his two gunmen prodding them along, they stepped through the opening, where the helicopter’s blinding searchlight was fixed on them. The engine’s roar throbbed in their ears.
BLAM-BLAM-BLAM!
Three gunshots rang out from the hillside beside them! Lynch shielded his eyes to see that three bullets had cracked the helicopter’s front windshield. He could just make out the forms of Jessie and Kendra on the grass a few yards away, firing at the helicopter. Thank God they were still alive.
Another shot! But the bulletproof glass was holding so far.
BLAM! Another shot. This one landed directly in front of the pilot. Still the damn windshield held.
Lynch recognized a man leaning out of the helicopter’s side door and barking out orders. It was Hans Bremmer, who hadbeen present and helping Dekker inflict unspeakable pain on him just days before.
Another shot rang out, and Bremmer took a hit to his upper arm. He fell back into the helicopter.
Dekker and the gunmen, distracted by the shots, slightly angled their guns away.
There would never be a better chance than this, Lynch thought. He grabbed one of the gunmen’s rifles and shot him in the face with it. Before the other two men could react, still another shot rang out from the hillside and blew away the back of a gunman’s head.
By now, Dekker was almost all the way to the helicopter. He turned and aimed his gun toward Lynch, but a barrage of gunfire from both Jessie and Kendra riddled his body with bullets. He screamed and staggered and then fell to the ground, blood pouring from his abdomen. There was no question that he was dead. The pilot didn’t hesitate; a moment later, the helicopter flew off into the night.
Lynch immediately whirled back to Stevie and Nolan. “Are you okay?”
