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  Wade and Matt climbed out of the jeep while keeping their weapons on the guys. Corbin switched directions and aimed his gun at Jackie then looked around the group.

  “Everyone drop your weapons, or I’ll shoot the Commander’s daughter,” he announced boldly.

  Bogart twitched while grinding his teeth. Beck cast looks at the guys, indicating for them to drop their weapons. All reluctantly tossed their weapons to the sand, although seemingly in calculated positions as if coordinating an attack. Darth continued to snarl at Corbin. Gil snapped his fingers to silence the dog. Once their weapons were down, Corbin moved his gun away from Jackie. Without warning, he fired three shots into Zack, catching him in the chest with at least one, and knocking him to the sand. Jackie cried out. The guys stared with horror at their fallen man. Darth again snarled and barked viciously but awaited the command to attack.

  “You bastard,” Bogart cried out and was about to lunge for Corbin.

  Corbin turned the gun back on Jackie while grinning at Bogart. “Try it,” he snarled.

  Bogart stopped himself and looked at the others for some secret signal that didn’t seem to come. Gil again snapped his fingers at Darth, silencing him. He then gave the dog another signal. Darth lay on the sand and awaited further orders.

  “It was nothing personal,” Corbin announced while grinning. “I just wanted to make sure the wild card was out of play, that’s all.”

  “I told you he wasn’t dead,” Wade scoffed while approaching and collecting rifles from the captured team. “The bastard just refuses to die.”

  “Maybe if you’d done your job,” Corbin snarled back at Wade.

  “I did enough,” Wade lashed back. He looked at Beck and smirked. “The first week of Zack’s pills did help his concussion, but the second bottle was a special concoction of mine. I can only imagine the hallucinations he must’ve been having while tripping. Honestly, I figured he’d completely lose his mind and eat a bullet, but he somehow held it together.” The doc casually shrugged it off. “It all worked out though. We got what we needed. He was destabilized just enough to throw him off his game while chasing shadows and keep him out of our way.”

  Darth crawled on his belly a few inches at a time getting closer to Gil’s jeep until he finally disappeared behind it.

  “Out of the way for what?” Beck demanded. “When we came to see you, you had no idea we’d end up on this island protecting Giovanni.”

  Darth trotted behind the jeep, waited at the rear bumper, and then kept low while slipping behind Kirk’s ATV. He again remained hidden then darted behind the totaled jeep just past Valerie’s lifeless body. He disappeared beneath the jeep.

  “No, I never suspected you’d put your lives on the line for a lowlife mob boss like Giovanni, but Giovanni was Matt’s hit,” Wade informed them. “You and your team were ours. It was the perfect opportunity. Corbin and I lured your team here to isolate and kill you. Your girlfriend and her creepy stalker gave us the perfect scenario. After I heard what you said in my office waiting room, I knew I could use that little pervert to lure you here. Especially after I arranged the break-in at Sal’s mansion. I left just enough clues for you to chase after your girlfriend, fearing for her safety. Naturally, your team would follow you with little resistance.”

  “How’d that work for you?” Beck snapped while raising his brows.

  “You’re too stupid to figure out you’re already dead,” Corbin remarked.

  “Not dead yet,” Beck informed him then looked back at Wade. “What was the price to betray us, Doc?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself,” Wade replied. “Not nearly as much as Matt was willing to pay for the hit on Giovanni, but it was enough to make it worth my while.”

  “Who was footing the bill?” Gil demanded.

  “You’d be surprised,” Corbin replied while chuckling.

  “Story time over,” Matt snarled, becoming irritated by his accomplices. “I know the two of you have your own agenda, but we need to get out of here. We need to kill Giovanni and cover our tracks.”

  “Killing Giovanni is of little consequence now,” Corbin remarked. “Beck’s little bitch killed that sniveling brat of yours. You’ve got nothing to gain from killing him. His men will just hunt you down for nothing.”

  “How dare you speak of my daughter--?”

  Corbin aimed his gun at Matt and stared him down. “Don’t try me, old man. I’m not stupid. I highly doubt you’d pay me for the hit now that you have nothing to gain. You mean very little to me at this moment.”

  “Enough,” Wade lashed out, becoming angry with his partners. “First things first. We need to make sure Zack is really dead this time.”

  “You probably should have thought about that five minutes ago before you started monologuing,” Beck announced while folding his arms across his chest as he grinned. “Zack’s not the only one who knows how to play dead.”

  All three men looked back at the totaled jeep. Monroe was gone, leaving only a small amount of blood in the sand.

  “Son-of-a-bitch!” Corbin glared at Wade and waved his gun around. “Find that bastard!”

  “Oops, lost another,” Beck casually announced with a look of humor on his face.

  They looked to the sand where Zack had fallen. He was also gone. Wade lunged for Jackie, positioned himself behind her at a safe distance to prevent her from striking, and aimed his gun at her.

  “I’m aware of your talents,” Wade snarled at her. “One sudden move and I’ll shoot you.” He looked around, although he didn’t see any sign of Zack. “You hear me, Zack? I’ll kill her if you try anything!” No one moved. “Jackie and I are taking a little walk to that helicopter she has hidden around here. Anyone follows and I’ll kill her.”

  “Then who’ll fly you?” Gil asked with little reaction. “You can’t fly a helicopter. Only Jackie and I can. Let her go, and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

  Wade laughed with apparent humor. “Nice try, hero,” he announced. “Something tells me she values her life more than you value yours. She foolishly thinks she has something to live for. I’ll take my chances with her.”

  “Zack’s less likely to tear you apart over me,” Gil informed him. “You may want to consider that before you point a gun at her.”

  “Thanks, but I’m good,” Wade remarked.

  Corbin stared at him with surprise and attempted to walk toward him. Wade aimed a second gun at Corbin.

  “You’re double-crossing me?” Corbin snarled with anger.

  “Don’t be so surprised,” Wade remarked. “You’d do the same in my position.”

  Wade forced Jackie away from the guys on the beach. They watched her gradually disappear with little reaction, almost as if they assumed she’d figure it out on her own. Bogart was the only one itching to react.

  Beck casually turned and eyed Corbin. “Your friends are dropping like flies,” he remarked. “Don’t worry about your friend, the doc. He’ll be dead before they reach the helicopter. Zack may be crazy, but Jackie’s a conniving rattlesnake. My money’s on the girl.”

  Matt nervously clutched his gun and looked around for signs of Zack or Monroe. He seemed spooked by every sound. Corbin felt compelled to stare down Beck while keeping his gun trained on him.

  “That game doesn’t work on me, Beck,” Corbin remarked. “We’re cut from the same cloth. We’re the same.”

  Beck shook his head. “No, Corbin,” he replied. “We’re nothing alike. My friends can’t be bought. Yours turn on you the moment things go sideways.”

  “I still have Matt,” Corbin informed him then looked where Matt had stood. He was gone. Corbin appeared surprised and looked around. “Matt?”

  When Corbin looked back toward the demolished jeep, he saw Monroe casually leaning against it with a semiautomatic aimed at him. Darth sat by his side and panted happily. Monroe threw a blood-covered Bowie knife into the sand. He looked at Corbin with little emotion.

  “Someone forgot to frisk the d
og for weapons,” Monroe announced then sneered with annoyance. “Can we get on with this little gunfight? I’m having a really bad day.” He managed an unsettling smirk. “I mean, not nearly as bad of a day as your friend, Matt.” Monroe casually flicked his foot behind him and kicked Matt’s head across the sand. He stared at Corbin without blinking. “Not worth losing your head over though, right bro?”

  Corbin barely flinched. Without warning, he fired a shot at Beck, nearly clipping him, and jumped over the smoldering jeep. The guys took cover and prepared for a gunfight. The sound of several approaching jeeps caught their attention. Corbin laughed from the other side of his overturned jeep.

  “Looks like my men regrouped,” Corbin announced, humored by the change of events. “I don’t think this is going to end the way you were thinking it would.”

  Several jeeps flew onto the beach and skidded to a stop. A dozen men jumped out of them armed with shotguns. Sal and the other wedding guests approached while cocking their pump action shotguns. The men with shotguns surrounded the jeep and aimed their weapons at Corbin. He tossed his gun aside and frowned while raising his hands in the air. Beck saw Sal and laughed softly as he approached.

  Sal grinned at Beck while resting the shotgun against his shoulder. “Thought you could use some additional backup.”

  “Thanks, Sal,” Beck announced then looked at Bogart and Kirk. “Go fetch Jackie.” He raised a brow, smirked, and casually shrugged. “If Zack’s in a mood, let him have the doc. It’s good therapy for him.”

  Bogart and Kirk ran after Jackie and Wade.

  Chapter Forty-two

  Jackie walked along the path and veered left, luring Wade away from the helicopter. She wasn’t about to make it easy on him. Wade eyed the area then laughed softly.

  “Nice try, Jackie,” he announced, “but I’m not your average idiot. The only clearing around here is to the right, heading back toward the beach.” He motioned her right with his gun, keeping just out of kicking distance.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked while heading right. “You were friends with my father and his team. They trusted you. How could you betray them?”

  “I thought we already covered this,” Wade remarked. “Simple greed, Jackie. While other doctors were getting specialist degrees, I was serving our country. By the time my tour ended, becoming a general practitioner was all I was qualified to do, despite all the surgeries I’d performed.”

  “I thought your surgeon’s license was revoked,” she remarked without looking back at him. She saw blood on some plants as they passed. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. Blood? She assumed Zack had been wearing his vest. Was it possible his injury was serious? “I heard you’d screwed up a few simple surgeries because you couldn’t handle the stress.”

  “Seems we both did our research,” he remarked. “When Corbin came to me with this golden opportunity, I couldn’t pass it up. I needed the money. I had to get out of nowhere Colorado. I had to get away from gout, migraines, and warts.”

  The helicopter came into view. Jackie scanned the area, searching for signs of Zack without giving his position away. It took a long time to learn his invisibility technique. She didn’t see any sign of him. Wade was a little less confident now as they approached the helicopter. He kept a watchful eye out for Zack, expecting him to appear from under some rock. Jackie saw blood on the open aft-side door and held back her concern. It was possible she was waiting for a secret signal that wouldn’t come. Wade noticed the blood as well and scanned the area. He leaped alongside the opening with his gun aimed inside just far enough away to avoid having it removed. The helicopter was empty. Jackie suddenly realized she was on her own and yet she was more frightened for Zack than her own safety. When Wade was convinced Zack wasn’t hiding in or around the helicopter, he motioned her into the pilot’s seat.

  “Time to go,” he announced firmly.

  Jackie was hesitant, but she climbed into the passenger seat before sliding into the pilot’s seat, allowing Wade to slip in next to her. She flipped a few switches and prepped the helicopter. Her heart pounded with each passing second Zack didn’t appear.

  “So not only don’t you get your payday,” Jackie announced, stalling for time, “but now you’re on Giovanni’s hit list.” She then considered the comment. “Providing Matt and Corbin survive, they won’t be exactly happy with you either.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Wade informed her. “Corbin’s yacht was just a failsafe in the event something went wrong. Matt has a luxury yacht at his private dock in Columbia. What Corbin didn’t realize is that’s where Matt stashed our fee. I just need to reach that yacht before anyone knows the job went sideways, and I can disappear a very wealthy man. No one will ever find me.”

  “Zack will find you,” she replied with little emotion. “He’ll find you, and he will kill you.”

  “Zack’s dead,” he replied simply. “He would have been here to rescue you by now. Don’t think I didn’t notice the blood as well. Eventually, death finds us all. Zack was living on borrowed time for years.” He indicated the windshield. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go.”

  Jackie frowned and eased the helicopter off the ground. Her mind was working in overtime now. She needed to plot her escape. Wade knew to keep the gun just far enough away that he could still pull the trigger before she could take him down. Now that she was piloting the helicopter, she had less opportunity to react and tighter quarters. That left her two options. She could risk waiting until they landed in Columbia to make her move, which is probably when he intended to shoot her, or crash the helicopter and kill them both. Her thoughts strayed to Holden. He’d be brokenhearted to lose her. She then came up with a third, secret option. It was risky, but it had to work. As she lifted off the ground, Bogart and Kirk ran into the clearing and watched the helicopter pass overhead with horror. Zack’s wet jacket fell to the ground only a few feet from them. Kirk picked up the jacket and sniffed it, making a face. It was soaked with gasoline.

  Bogart stared at the jacket then looked back at the helicopter. “Oh, hell no,” he muttered. “What are we going to do?”

  “She’s heading straight through the center of the island,” Kirk announced. “If we break a few speeding laws, we can meet her at the cliff.”

  “The cliff?” Bogart asked and suspiciously eyed Kirk. “What makes you think she’s heading for the cliff?”

  “Because that’s the only chance she has to bail,” Kirk replied. “She’s going to need backup. Let’s go!”

  They turned and ran back down the path.

  †

  Jackie flew the helicopter over the center of the island in no particular hurry. Wade glared at her several times while keeping his gun aimed at her from the far side of the helicopter.

  “No one’s going to rescue you,” he informed her. “Mind picking up the pace?”

  “You may think you know my guys,” she informed him. “You may even think you know me, but you know shit about helicopters. This piece of shit is older than Satan.” She eyed the gauges and appeared slightly surprised then hesitated. “And we’re low on fuel. If you want to make it to Columbia, we need to conserve fuel or we’ll end up in the ocean.” She cast a look at him. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like dying today.” She then muttered, “These things go down like a lead balloon.”

  Jackie again eyed the fuel gauge. It continued to drop, which she knew wasn’t right. The craft pulled slightly to the right. She allowed her eyes to shift without turning her head to attract attention. That sort of pull wasn’t wind drag. She’d had guys jumping from helicopters and riding the skids during enough flights to know when someone was climbing around outside the moving helicopter. It was Zack! It had to be! He’d undoubtedly been well hidden beneath the helicopter and cut her fuel line. That he didn’t make any sort of move before takeoff told her he was without a gun and possibly sustained enough of an injury that he couldn’t take on an armed man holding a hostage. The thou
ght scared her, but she knew now she had to continue with her original plan. She’d fly low enough to the cliff so she could bail just before the edge and risk Wade shooting her. The clearing and the cliff were coming into view. She felt another slight pull on the right, indicating Zack was again moving. The fuel light came on along with the warning alarm. The sound alerted Wade.

  “What’s that?” he demanded.

  “That’s the fuel indicator,” Jackie informed him. “We need to set her down and refuel in the next ten minutes or she’s going down whether you like it or not.”

  “You said the fuel was low, not--”

  Wade stopped mid-sentence and turned around with his gun aimed. Zack punched him in the face. Jackie struggled to control the helicopter as the two men fought for control of the gun. She caught a glimpse of blood soaking through Zack’s shirt low and off to the side. She thought he’d taken the shots to his chest, but she must have been mistaken. He’d been shot once beneath his special vest jacket. Judging by the blood running down his hand, he also took a shot to his upper arm as well, leaving him with less strength than usual. As they struggled for the gun in Wade’s hand, both men punched each other, attempting to win the struggle.

  Jackie tried to ignore the gun close to her face and circled the area just before the cliff, hovering over it. She needed to set her down. Wade pulled Zack into the front with him. Zack nearly struck Jackie with his booted feet as he landed on top of her passenger. Jackie again struggled with the controls, his actions causing her to spin the helicopter slightly, bouncing it off the ground. The fuel light continued to flash and the alarm wailed its dire warning. The gun fired, striking the control panel. Sparks flew and the helicopter controls jerked in Jackie’s hands. She no longer had control.

  She fought to keep the craft from leaving the safety of the clearing before the cliff. She saw flashes of the ocean below as the craft spun in a circle. It bucked and jerked in her hands while the two men continued to punch one another while wrestling in the seat alongside her. One or both men kicked her several times while struggling. The helicopter continued to pull against her while spinning nearly out of control. The best she could do was keep it from pulling down to the right. Jackie attempted to set it down, but it pulled sharply, insisting on going down on an angle. The rotors nearly hit the ground. The moment she kept it straight, it again spun in circles.