“Because he’s been doing the Sensei’s bidding for nearly two years, Mac, and you know as well as I do, following orders becomes a habit,” Craig said with disgust. “We’ve both seen that.”
“So back to where are your missing seven men, Norton? They didn’t even break radio silence when I blew up your weapons stash. And there was still one vehicle in camp.”
“Jesus,” Norton muttered.
“Spit it out,” Mac said. Norton said nothing more. Mac studied the sick expression on his face.
“You think they’re dead,” Mac said slowly. “Why?”
“Because nothing else explains the radio silence, does it, Pete?” Craig said coldly. “You think our shooter out there took out your men before heading after us.”
“We didn’t hear shots,” Mac said.
“Using a suppressor?” Craig asked.
Mac shrugged and nodded. Could he have done it back in the day? With the proper equipment, sure, he conceded. Hell, he had done it back in the day. In a different country. Mostly.
Didn’t matter right now, he thought, except that it spoke to a highly skilled shooter out there. That might matter. And maybe, they weren’t dead, just secured somewhere? But he doubted it. He had thought this felt like a cleanup operation. He’d just been wrong about which group Sensei wanted to clean up.
“So, if I take out the shooter, you can get the vehicle running and head out of here?” Mac asked, reverting to more immediate issues.
Craig rocked his hand, maybe yes, maybe no. “I think so,” he said. “We can probably push the sucker back onto the road. Hell, we can run on a bad tire in this snow for a ways. Then change the tire when we get back on the main road out of here. Probably our best option. But that means you’ve got to get that shooter. Or at least chase him out of here.”
Mac nodded absently, thinking about the problem. And thinking about the number of people that had to be crowded into one vehicle. If he got the bastard, he expected he was going to have to hike out. He looked at Kevin considering. “Kevin, you with me on this?” he asked.
“Me?” the young man asked startled. He was checking over the other men. He’d managed to get the one man in the center of a huddle to get him warmed up a bit. While Mac had managed to get wet — wetter — than the others. And he was the least dressed for it.
“Norton’s shot, and I don’t trust him anyway,” Mac said sourly. “Craig? He’s the only one those clients will listen to — other than Sensei, which means they’re not trustworthy either. And they’re hopeless, as you must have guessed by now. So, I could go out after the shooter by myself, but these guys are going to get the SUV out of the ditch and head out. And they’re not going to wait for me, because it’s a full rig as it is. So that means I’m hiking out of here. And you’re the best bet I have of making it out alive.”
“I thought you told that guy Rand to wait for you?” Kevin protested.
“That was a long time ago,” Mac said. “And he’s got a job of his own to do. He’ll catch up with Ken, I hope, and Ken’s going to need his help. And he’d damn well better keep Angie safe.”
“Out is a long ways from here,” Craig said slowly.
Mac didn’t say anything. He was actually planning on circling back to the sheriff’s camp and that rig they’d left there. Hope to God, his desire to get rid of the weapons hadn’t damaged it. But they’d still be better off to ride the storm out there. But he didn’t trust Craig enough to tell him that, and he most certainly didn’t trust Norton or the rest of these yahoos.
“My problem,” Mac said briefly. “Kevin?”
Kevin shook his head once. “You aren’t going to make it without me,” he said. “But shooting a man? I don’t think I could. And doubt I’d hit him if I tried.”
“What the hell are you doing as a deputy reserve if you can’t shoot at a man?” Norton demanded.
“I told you when I signed up! I think we need to do more search and rescue!” Kevin shouted at him. “And instead? You’re out here shooting at people? And you’re yelling at me?”
Craig’s eyes crinkled with amusement, and Mac looked away before he’d start laughing and not stop. “Kid’s got a point, sheriff,” Craig murmured.
“OK, then,” Mac said, still trying not to laugh. He fingered the strip of cloth in his pocket and remembered what it was. And he smiled. Craig jerked away from him.
“Jesus, Mac,” Craig muttered. “What did I do to deserve that look?”
Mac didn’t answer. He thought about the fluorescent strip and how to put it to use. Then he took a deep breath. “OK, then,” he said. “Listen up you all! Here’s how this works. I’m going after the shooter. You’ll hear my shot. Wait for a 30 count. If there’s no return fire? You push that vehicle out of the ditch, and pile into it, and head down the hill. You’re not on the right road, so you’ll need to backtrack?” He looked at Tim who nodded. “Tim will be the navigator. Then you head out of here. Find Rand at Ken’s place. He’ll take it from there. Make sure you introduce Norton here to Rand personally. You hear me, Tim?”
“I know Rand,” Norton said disgustedly.
Tim looked at the sheriff he’d admired so much just hours ago, and then back at Mac. “I hear you,” he said. Craig watched the exchange with narrowed eyes, but didn’t say anything. Mac nodded.
“OK, then,” Mac said to Craig. “You get these guys out of here, and I’ll come have
