Page 96 of Cold Light of Day

“You.” Brown addressed Nguyen. “You stay with him. If he tries to escape, shoot him.” Then he looked at Grier and shrugged. “It’s all I can offer.”

“Can we get this over with?” He continued to hold Brown’s gaze.

“Lead on. You’d better give me something before it gets dark. I don’t want to hike these woods at night.”

Afraid of Bigfoot?“Then we’d better hurry.” Grier pushed through the door that now hung on one hinge. If he survived this, he’d have to pay for those repairs. He almost laughed at the simplistic thought—wouldn’t he love to return to everyday life?

Brown marched behind Grier, holding a gun at his back. Autumn was behind him, and Kresky held a gun on her as they hiked.

God, what am I doing? Where am I going?

He had no plan, really, except to try to escape and save Autumn. No matter what he did, she was there in the middle. He’d tried to buy them time. He wanted to lead them to where he’d hidden the USB drive, but other lives would then be in the line of fire. He hiked in the opposite direction of where he should be taking them.

God, forgive me.

Autumn, forgive me.

He heard a scuffle and a grunt behind him and expected a shot to the head per Brown’s warnings. He whirled around.

Autumn had knocked Kresky out and taken his gun, which she now aimed at Brown, who pointed his gun at her. Since Grier’s hands remained cuffed, he had few options. He rushed Brown, slamming him into a tree, and the impact knocked the gun from Brown’s hand. The rogue agent elbowed Grier in the face, sending blinding pain through his skull.

Grier had imagined this moment for far too long.

Pain would not stop him.

Brown scrambled away from him, and Grier knocked into him from the back, sending them down an incline. They rolled apart but kept sliding.

Grier dug his hands, his fingertips, into the wet ground, stopping his fall before he hit a tree.

He sucked in a breath, but his heart still pounded.

Brown.

He glanced up. Around. There.

Brown lay unmoving against a large boulder, his neck at an awkward angle. His lifeless eyes were open.

Grier started forward, stunned at the fact that Brown was gone for good. He dug around in the man’s pockets until he found the keys to the cuffs. Then after a few failed attempts, Grier released the cuffs from his wrists.

“Grier!” Autumn shouted.

Something in her scream sent a chill racing through him. He slowly turned and looked up the hill.

Another man held her now, a gun to her head.

Deputy US Marshal Flanders, or was it? Grier hadn’t seen him since the helicopter ride.

“Give me the money, or I kill her. You have three minutes to tell me where it is.”

“I have to show you! I can’t tell you. You’ll never find it.”

“Then I guess she dies.”

“No! Wait...wait!” Grier scrambled up the hill. Something about this guy... he’d bided his time, waiting until the others were all out of the picture. Brown and his men, as well as Knap. Had Brown been clueless that Flanders was waiting for the right moment to act? As Grier’s aunt used to say, “There’s no honor among thieves.” Did Flanders know that his competition, Mateo, was in town?

God, I’m not in control. I was never in control. Please, help me to do good. Help justice win today.

A bark resounded in the woods. Two dogs barked, getting closer.