She wanted to ask more questions. Goose saw that in her face.
“Baker,” he reminded her. Then he was gone, double-timing through the night to find out what Remington wanted, hoping that his secrets were still hidden from the Ranger captain. Goose knew that Remington couldn’t deal with everything Goose already knew and was beginning to suspect.
Crossroads Shopping Center
Columbus, Georgia
Local Time 2225 Hours
Joey stood frozen like a deer in headlights.
“What you two boys doing in my store?” the Asian man demanded again. He looked at the pry bar Joey held and shook his head. “You boys no good boys. You thieves. That why I sleep in back of shop. I know thieves come here, try to steal. But I have gun.”
Nausea swirled through Joey’s stomach and he thought he was going to throw up.
“You boys keep hands where I can see them,” the man ordered.
From the corner of his eye, Joey saw that Derrick had his pistol up and was pointing it at the shop owner. “Don’t, man!”
“I’ve got a gun,” Derrick said. “Just put your gun down and nobody will get hurt.” His hands trembled violently.
Joey wondered if Derrick had even thought to take the safety off, but he knew for a fact that Derrick was going to get both of them killed.
“No!” the old man shouted, swiveling his gun on Derrick. “You put gun down or I shoot you!”
“Don’t,” Joey pleaded in the calmest voice he could. It wasn’t very calm, he knew, because his words sounded scratchy and thin even to his ears. “He won’t shoot you, mister. The gun’s probably not even ready.”
“You put gun down!” the old man yelled. “You put gun down right now!”
Over the old man’s shoulder—the movement slowed down as time dragged because Joey’s senses were spinning so rapidly—Joey saw Zero step out of the darkness. Zero’s face caught part of the bluish cast thrown off by the TV that was once again showing a story about Megan Gander. He looked like a swimmer surfacing out of the shadows, like something evil that had stepped into view.
“I kill you!” the old man shouted. “You put gun—”
The cannonlike reports of Zero’s .357 Magnum blew away the old man’s voice. All of the shots struck the man. Joey saw his frail body jerk with each impact.
The gun fell from the old man’s hands. Then he stumbled forward, crossing the short distance to Joey. Blood dribbled from his mouth and coated his chin as the television glow caught his face. In two more staggering steps, the man grabbed Joey’s shoulders and held on tight. Then his knees buckled and he fell. His grip remained tight and he almost pulled Joey down with him. Joey bent, barely remaining on his feet as the man hooked his fingers into his jacket.
The old man stared at Joey, and his eyes looked sad and scared, like he couldn’t believe what had been done to him.
Zero stepped forward and kicked the man’s arms, knocking his hands from Joey’s shirt. Roughly, Zero grabbed Joey’s neck and pulled him into motion. “Get moving,” Zero ordered. He cursed and shoved at Joey until Joey headed out of the shop at a dead run. Derrick ran at his heels.
Dropper, Maxim, RayRay, and Bones fell in with them, all of them racing for the receiving door that led out into the alley. They didn’t stop until they reached the Cadillac.
Joey slammed into the Cadillac and nearly fell over. Then the nausea swirled up inside him and he stayed bent over, throwing up so hard that he got light-headed. Spots spun in his vision.
Bones cursed, breathing hard from running. “What happened?” he demanded.
Zero stood there with the .357 Magnum in his fist. “I killed a guy in there. Had to. He was going to blow these two jerks away.”
“You killed somebody?” RayRay asked in disbelief. “The police are going to be looking for all of us. We’ve got to get out of here.”
“You didn’t have to kill him,” Joey said, somehow finding the strength and conviction to stand and face Zero. “He didn’t shoot Derrick or me.” Joey was angry and scared, and he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Everything that had happened was so unfair. “I don’t think he was going to shoot us.”
Zero stepped up into Joey’s face. “I say you’re wrong. I say I saved your life.” He cursed and called Joey names. Without warning, he slapped the pistol across Joey’s face hard enough to knock him to the ground.
Blinded by the pain, almost knocked out, Joey pushed himself up to his hands and knees. He sucked in a breath and tried to block the agony. Before he could recover, Zero kicked him in the ribs and knocked the breath out of him, then reached down and took the 9mm from Joey’s jacket pocket.
“You’re stupid, Joey,” Zero said, holding up the gun for display. “You didn’t even try to use this on me. You don’t have what it takes to survive. You had a gun when that man ‘fronted you in the store, too. You should have blown that guy away, not waited on me to come save you. When the aliens get here, they’re not going to want a weakling like you as their ambassador.” He stomped Joey mercilessly.
Joey felt two of his fingers break as he tried to protect his head during the vicious beating. He rolled onto his side and pulled into a fetal position.
Finally, exhausted or maybe realizing the police might arrive at any second, Zero stopped. He breathed loudly, cursed some more, then ordered Dropper and
