I Spy a Dark Obsession

“Point taken. And although they lack experience, they have a good positioning around the house. There’s one stationed on each corner. The other eight are spread in a rough circle on the outer perimeter of the property. Take them soundlessly if you can, and if the worst happens, have your NVGs on so you know who the fuck you’re shooting at. Closer to the house you might not need them, since the area is lit, but that’s your call.”

Blaze wouldn’t wear the goggles, Michael knew. He claimed they screwed with his field of vision. Everyone else took a pair and Michael fixed his in place, then palmed his gun. They started off, and when they reached the edge of his wooded property they began to fan out. Blaze stayed about thirty yards to his left as they stepped as quietly as possible through the foliage. Until now, Michael had never realized that the wooded area that gave him privacy also provided cover to his enemies. When this was behind them, he’d have to see about thinning out some of the trees.

To his right, a soft grunt sounded and he looked to see one of his agents lowering one of Dietz’s flunkies to the ground. His men knew countless ways to kill with their bare hands, in the proper situation. One down, eleven to go.

Well, twelve. Counting Dietz, the bastard.

Eventually they’d spread out enough that he could only see Blaze, but as they reached the edge of the trees and came to the sculpted lawn, the continued silence meant the op was going as planned. It might even have gone flawlessly… had he not stepped on a branch that gave with a loud snap, alerting the soldier twenty yards ahead to his presence.

The man spun and opened fire. Michael hit the ground, cursing as bullets pelted the scant cover around him. Propping himself on his elbows, he returned fire and took the man down, but the damage was done.

Gunshots erupted all around the perimeter, an all-out battle now.

Taking off in a sprint, keeping as low as he could, he began to fight his way to the house.

Fifteen

Bastian’s face throbbed and blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. He was running out of insults to hurl at Dietz as he tried to stall for time. Any minute, the asshole was going to put a bullet in his brain and be done with it. If only there were a diversion. He needed a split second with the man’s attention focused somewhere else, and he’d make his move.

“Do what you want to me, but Michael’s going to kill you for this,” he taunted. “He’s going to fillet you like a stinking fish.”

“Shut up.”

“Just sink his knife in and watch your eyes pop out of your head—”

“Shut the fuck up!” he snarled.

Another blow whipped his head to the side and he thought, This is it. I’ve pushed him too far and now he’ll kill me. Dietz’s face was twisted into an ugly mask as he slowly raised his arm.

Just as gunshots split the air from somewhere outside.

Dietz spun in surprise at the noise, and Bastian launched himself from the chair without even thinking twice. He tackled his enemy and they crashed onto the coffee table, rolled to the floor.

“Katrina, run!” he yelled. She did, and he hoped she didn’t look back.

Half on top of Dietz, he pinned the man with his weight and struggled to wrest the gun from his outstretched hand. But Dietz bucked, knocking him sideways, and jammed the gun between them. Panting, Bastian grabbed his arm and fought for control of the weapon. When the tide began to turn in his favor, the bastard used his free hand to slam Bastian’s head into the floor, twice in rapid succession.

Stars glittered in his vision and Dietz’s weight was gone. He was sure the man would shoot him now, but heard footsteps instead. Blinking, he realized the man had fled.

Katrina!

Pushing to his feet, he staggered to the dining table, where he’d discarded his shoulder holster with his weapon in it. If only he’d had it on. But, then, Dietz would have taken it.

Weapon firmly in hand, he ran, heedless of the pain in his leg, in the direction his nemesis had gone, out the front door. Into hell.

Flashes of gunshots punctuated the night. Ahead, Katrina was racing across the lawn, toward the relative safety of the trees. But she wasn’t going to make it — Dietz was on her heels.

Bastian ran, shouting.

“Katrina, run!”

Heart tripping, she did, with one goal in mind: getting help for Bastian. Bullets flying meant Michael was here, and she had to find him.

Outside, however, she paused at the bottom of the steps. She couldn’t run out into the middle of the battle like an idiot. Breathing hard, she peered into the darkness around the perimeter of the house, beyond the area illuminated by the security lights. She listened to the gunfire, noting where the sounds were coming from. Much of it was happening to the sides and rear of the property, it seemed.

There was nobody close to the house, so she figured the men Dietz bragged about had gone to meet the threat of Michael and his agents. Seizing the opportunity, she struck out across the lawn in a zigzag pattern, going from tree to tree. Pausing first, then continuing on.

She’d gotten about a third of the way to her destination when she looked over her shoulder and saw Dietz barreling out the front door, weapon in hand. He flew straight for her at a full-out run, exercising none of the caution she had in crossing the open space.

With a frightened cry, she shot from her hiding place in a deadly foot race she knew he was winning. Footsteps pounded behind her and then his heavy weight slammed into her back, driving her into the earth. She couldn’t stop her skid, barely registered the sting in her hands and knees before her forehead smacked the ground.

And consciousness faded away.

Michael saw them, and his heart stuttered.

Dietz was after Katrina, bearing down on her. Michael ran, but he wasn’t close enough to stop the bastard from catching up, taking her to the ground. Where she lay unmoving.

The man was lying on top of her. Michael couldn’t shoot without the risk of hitting her instead. So he sprinted the remaining distance and launched himself at Dietz in a flying tackle, just as the man started to rise.

He hit hard, and his gun went flying as they struck the ground together. Grabbing Dietz’s shirt, he drew his fist back and delivered a punishing blow to the monster’s face. A satisfying crunch of bone and a scream from his enemy were music to his ears, and he struck again.

“I’m going to fucking rip your lungs out, you son of a bitch,” Michael hissed.

“You’ll try.”

Dietz rallied, pushing up, and rushed him. Bowled him over backward, got in a few good licks to Michael’s ribs. He grunted, aware the man had lost his gun, as well, and was glad. A fair fight, then, if there was such a thing.

A fight to the death.

They rolled over the earth, punching and kicking, each trying to gain the upper hand. Michael almost had him — right up until the man aimed a well-placed kick to his stomach, laying him flat on his back. Dietz pounced, and the speed with which he wrapped his hands around Michael’s throat left him stunned.

“Now who’s going to die?” The face above him was stark with madness, the grip unbreakable.

Michael tried. Every self-defense trick he knew, to no avail. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.

“Good-bye, Ross.”