Time froze. Sydney struggled to draw a breath. No one and nothing moved, not so much as the breeze.
Then, slowly, the Viper teetered. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth, his eyes rolled back, and he fell, his knees folding like the bellows of an accordian.
In front of him, Amarja’s face went slack and she, too, crumpled. Within moments, a crimson pool was already forming around her lifeless body. The nine-millimeter slug cut through her like she was so much butter, piercing her throat and tearing half of it away before moving to its next victim.
Campbell smirked. "You’re not as smart as you think, old man. You’ve lost your touch. You’re an anachronism, a has-been." He fondled his gun like a lover, heedless that his late paramour lay dead, only a short distance from his feet. Sydney saw the madness now, watching as it rose in him like a desert storm, clouding his eyes and turning his face into a hideous contortion of humanity.
The Viper smiled, laughing, coughing weakly. "You’re a bloody fool, man. A dead fool. I’d like to see what’s left of your carcass after the Gural Nataz finishes with you, but it seems that is not to be. You see, I have an appointment...in... hell..."
A chill settled over Sydney despite the heat and humidity. The Viper stared into space, his vacant gaze a testament to the vessel emptied of its soul. "I guess maybe you really do reap what you sow," she commented softly.
"Very touching," Campbell sneered. "Now let’s move it. The boat is waiting."
"You’re just going to leave him there?" Sydney challenged. "Even here, don’t you think that a corpse in the middle of a runway will raise questions?"
"Does it look like I give a damn about any questions? Now move it!" He jerked his head to one side, indicating for her to walk.
With Campbell’s gun leveled at Nigel, Sydney had little choice but to comply. They were herded toward a military truck and into the back. When Claudia balked at climbing in, Campbell backhanded her. Sydney poised for a strike, but the gun was positioned such that it was simply too dangerous. She’d have to bide her time, as much as it galled her to do so.
To her credit, Claudia didn’t scream. The little secretary lifted a defiant chin to her assailant, fury blazed across her features. She sniffed in disdain when he offered her a hand up, instead pulling herself up and swinging a slender leg over the tailgate. Claudia scrunched into a corner, glowering. If looks could kill, Campbell would have been roasted over an open flame.
But when Nigel tried to climb in, Campbell grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. "No way, kid. You are my insurance that nobody plays any games. You ride in front with me. Anyone so much as peeps from the back, I shoot first and ask questions later."
Sydney’s heart plummeted. Any bravado she had was wiped out in one brutal stroke. After all they’d gone through, there was no question that Campbell would make good on his threat, and there was no way in hell Sydney would risk Nigel again.
End of Part Forty-One
Go to Part Forty Two.