Sign of the Cross

— ’

Just then the Ferrari erupted, lighting the sky with a burst of flames that rattled their chests like a jolt from a defibrillator. Jones instinctively threw himself on top of Maria to protect her, and as he did, he found the composure to say, ‘I think now would be a good time, don’t you?’

Following orders, Payne walked over to Dr Boyd and picked him up off the ground, giving him a chance to whisper in his ear. ‘Stay very still… Things are about to get interesting.’

‘Silence!’ Otto screamed from several feet away. ‘No talkin’ to ze doctor.’

Payne nodded and placed his hand in the small of Boyd’s back. ‘Damn! I was just making sure he was all right. Show some compassion.’

‘Compassion?’ Manzak growled. ‘There was no compassion during the Crusades, so there’s no place for it now. Don’t you get that? This is a holy war, and to guarantee our triumph there must be no compassion.’

Payne lifted Boyd’s shirttail and grabbed the Beretta he had stashed in his belt. ‘But doesn’t that go against everything you’re trying to protect?’

‘You have no idea what I’m trying to protect! You probably think I’m fighting for Christ or some other fallacy. But I’m not. Those things have no meaning in my world, because I know the truth. I know what happened two thousand years ago. I know who the real hero is.’

Payne had no idea what Manzak was talking about but figured if he was in a talkative mood, the least he could do was listen. So he said, ‘Are you referring to the scroll? Hell, I know all about it. Boyd’s been so excited he’s been blabbing to everybody that he’s come in contact with. Hell, how do you think we found him so fast?’

Manzak’s face went pale. ‘Let’s hope that isn’t the case — for their sakes. I’d hate to see the death toll in this country continue to rise.’

‘Come on! What’s another exploding bus or two when you’re in the middle of a holy war? Just keep laying the blame on Dr Boyd, and you can keep your hands clean.’

‘Actually,’ Manzak said, ‘we’ve ridden that gelding long enough. Just to be safe, I think it’s time to put two new horses into the mix, a couple of Thoroughbreds with a history of violence. Personally, I think the press will find you and D.J. a lot more believable as cold-blooded killers.’

OK, now things were starting to make sense to Payne. They weren’t just recruited for their ability to track Boyd. They were handpicked because of their violent pasts, making them the perfect scapegoats for any bloodshed that happened during this case. A dead body here, an exploding car there. All of it could be blamed on them.

Of course, Manzak — or whatever his real name was — needed the backing of a powerful entity to make that happen. Someone with the resources to acquire classified data from the U.S. Defense Department, forge picture-perfect CIA credentials, and manipulate the world media. Someone who would never be suspected, no matter how violent things became or how deeply they were involved in this mess. Someone who was willing to take some awfully big chances because they were desperate and had everything to lose.

At that moment Payne decided there was only one organization in the world that had the power and the incentive to pull something like this off.

And they got their mail at the Vatican.

45

The metal squealed as Jones shoved his switchblade into the seam, a sound Payne couldn’t hear over the roar of the chopper’s engine. Once his knife was in deep enough, he wiggled it back and forth until the fuel tank popped open. The insulated cap came off next. And he was greeted by the overwhelming scent of aviation fuel until he took off his shirt and stuffed it in the mouth of the fuel tank. Not only would that seal the vapors inside, but he could use the cloth as the wick for his Molotov cockpit — Jones’s version of the original Russian cocktail. From there, all it would take was a single spark to do a hell of a lot of damage. With extra emphasis on the word hell.

Payne could see all of Jones’s actions in the background, although his adversaries couldn’t. He made sure of it by positioning Boyd and himself at a very precise angle.

‘So,’ Manzak taunted, ‘where’s your quick wit now? A minute ago you were teasing me about my clothes; now Otto shows up, and you’re completely silent. How disappointing.’

‘Don’t you worry. I’ll be taking some shots at you any minute now.’

‘Oh really? And what is it you’re waiting for?’

Several wisecracks ran through his mind. But instead of saying anything, he simply smiled and let the helicopter provide the punch line for him. The instant flame touched fuel, the chopper erupted, sending fire and metal in every direction. Payne used the tumult to his advantage, whipping out the Beretta from behind Dr Boyd and firing it at the biggest target he could find. His first shot ripped through Buckner’s collarbone about six inches lower than he’d been aiming. He adapted to the conditions and put his next shot through the bridge of his nose, shattering the back of his skull and spraying gray matter everywhere, including on Manzak’s face.

The sight and taste of Otto’s brain caused Manzak to panic. Instead of shooting back or fighting Payne like a man, he scrambled to his feet and tried to run away, an attempt Payne thwarted by putting a bullet into the back of his left knee. Just like that he crashed to the ground like a bat with a broken wing, an image that seemed kind of fitting.

In truth Payne was tempted to finish him off right there. Hell, it would’ve been easy, maybe even pleasurable. A quick shot to the dome and he would’ve been done. The only problem was all the questions that still danced through Payne’s mind. They needed to be answered before Manzak could be eliminated. That’s why Payne jumped on his back and frisked him for weapons, finding a knife and a SIG Sauer P226 service auto.

‘Hey, Dick! How ya doing? Not too good, huh?’

Manzak responded with a shriek that rose above the roar of the nearby flames.

‘That’s it, let it all out. You got a boo-boo on your knee, didn’t you? Well, you should’ve thought of that before you tried to blow up my friends. You see, that made me very angry.’

He screamed again, this time directing several vulgarities at Payne.

‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Curse it up. That’s always a good idea when someone’s pointing a gun at you. Oh, speaking of guns.’ Payne glanced at Boyd and noticed that he was sitting on the ground, half-shaken. ‘Hey Doc? Don’t even think about going for Otto’s rifle. I’ve got the peripheral vision of a housefly and two handguns to work with.’

‘Fear not. My hands are bound behind me in some kind of elaborate knot.’

‘That’s a Payne special. You aren’t getting out of that without a knife.’ Payne glanced at Jones and noticed him giving a thumbs-up. ‘You’re able to walk, aren’t you? Why don’t you stumble over to D.J. and ask him to cut you free? I don’t want to dull this blade before surgery.’

‘Surgery?’

Payne gave him a hard look, one that told him he should know better. ‘Sorry. Doctor/patient confidentiality. It’s between Manzak and me.’

‘Ah, yes. How silly of me. Perhaps it would be best if I left the operating room.’

Payne kept his eyes on Boyd until he reached Jones. At that point he was able to relax and focus on Agent Manzak, who was still writhing in agony underneath Payne.

‘You know, Dick, I almost hate to admit this, but I’ve wanted to hurt you from the moment we met. I don’t know what it is about you — maybe it was the way you blackmailed me into helping you or maybe it’s because you just blew up an exquisite automobile. Whatever the reason, I thought you should know I’m gonna enjoy every minute of this.’

Grinning sadistically, Payne showed him a stick that he’d found on the ground. It was no more than six inches long, yet it was the perfect size for what he was about to do.

‘I once talked to a POW who said the most pain he’d ever experienced in his entire life was from a simple piece of wood. Hard to believe, huh? But if you think about it, I’m sure you can imagine some vicious and barbaric possibilities for a stick like this. Can’t you, Dick?’

Manzak didn’t want to, but his mind naturally focused on the most horrendous things he could think of. His eyes being gouged out. His eardrums being punctured. His anus being violated by the world’s largest splinter.