He started to move to his gun on a table about five yards away but stopped when he realized he’d never reach it. Not enough time. He glanced back at the intruders and braced himself, preparing to go hand-to-hand with them. Both wore black wet suits, dripping on his rug. The first person through the doorway ripped off a black neoprene hood.
Alena.
The next person was much bigger, a giant of a man carrying another person over his right shoulder like a sack of flour. Motionless flour.
Alena held up her hand as if to silence him. She placed her index finger across her lips. The giant carried his burden into the bedroom and threw it on the bed. Gerrit moved closer and saw the person sprawled on the bed was chalky white.
They just dumped a dead man on his bed.
Gerrit edged toward the coffee table to arm himself.
Alena silently motioned for him to remain quiet. She snatched up a pad of paper and began writing. Once finished, she held it up for him to read. Kane ordered you killed. They are listening. This house is set to blow at any moment. Follow us into the water-now.
She motioned for her partner to leave through the glass door before turning back to him. Waving her hand, she beckoned him to follow her. He balked as he saw them exit. A moment later, Alena stuck her head through the doorway and mouthed the word please, urgently signaling him to leave.
Reluctantly, he followed. Worst-case scenario, his house would be blown to bits. Best-case scenario, Alena was wrong and he would get really wet. The only thing he risked by going with them was he might wind up with a cold. If he stayed…
He scooped up Bones and dashed toward the door. Slinging the dog out into the lake, he dived in and began paddling. Bones paddled alongside him-not heading back to shore. Good. He followed Alena and her partner through the water, spotting the silhouette of a blacked-out motorboat about one-hundred yards away.
He got about twenty yards offshore when night turned to day in a flash. Gerrit glanced back and saw a huge, fiery ball where his home once stood. The concussion hit as the blast swept over him. He felt a secondary heat wave microseconds later, debris raining down on him.
He saw parts of his house falling from the sky. Then blackness.
Chapter 19
A roar of an engine woke him up and he started shaking. He found himself struggling to breathe. Alena held him in her arms, her warmth warding off the chilly night. He tried to get his bearings.
She glanced at two others on the boat. “He’s awake. Get us out of here.”
He tried to sit up but felt woozy, pain knifing through his brain.
She pushed him down. “Stay still. You got knocked out and almost drowned. Just rest for now.”
Bones edged over and licked his face. The dog was a survivor.
The motor craft’s bow rose in the air when the motor roared to life. They must have dragged him to the boat. “What happened?”
Alena looked back toward where his house had been. “They rigged your place to blow up on command. A chunk of your house must have struck you in the head. We have to get you out of the area before others come.”
He lay back for a moment, her arm cradling his head. “Who are you people?”
She looked over her shoulder again. “Be patient and we’ll tell you everything. Right now, you need to disappear while there’s still time.”
He tried to raise himself again, but the exertion almost caused him to pass out. “I’ve got to get something I shipped from Vienna. I need to get to it tonight.”
Alena shook her head. “We’ve got to get out of the state. Immediately.”
Once again he tried to sit up. He almost threw up. “I’m not going anywhere until I get my hands on that package. It must not fall into Kane’s hands.”
She let out a breath, obviously annoyed. “Okay, then we get you to safety. Agreed?”
He nodded and lay back down.
As they drew closer to the far shore, the vessel’s engine cut back and the boat feathered alongside a low-lying pier, a black Suburban parked on the wood dock. Alena reached inside her wet suit and withdrew a set of car keys. The vehicle lights came on briefly and the doors popped open when she pressed a button.
Alena’s hefty partner lowered himself next to her, and they lifted Gerrit to his feet. She put one of his arms around her shoulders. “Move slowly.”
He felt dizzy, light-headed. He was in no condition to argue. They eased him onto the wooden pier and into the backseat of the Chevy. Another man operating the boat pushed the vessel away from the pier before disappearing into the blackness with a roar.
As they pulled away in the vehicle, Alena-sitting in the front passenger’s seat-turned toward him. “Tell us where to go.”
He gave directions as they left the lakeside and headed for the outskirts of Seattle.
The man cringed as Kane’s voice screamed over the phone line. “I told you idiots not to move until I gave the order.”
He glanced at his partner next to him in disbelief. “We did not set the charge off. I am sitting right here with the transmitter turned off. I never got a chance to use it.”
“Well, it did not blow up by itself, you imbecile. Did you guys screw up setting the charge?”
“Sir, it just blew up. I can’t tell you anything more.”
“Any witnesses?”
“Not that we can tell. Saw a boat out on the lake, but as soon as everything blew up, the boat hightailed it out there.”
“Who was in the house.”
“Just O’Rourke. The woman left a few minutes before everything went up in smoke.”
“You still have someone on her?”
“Yeah. They’re bumper-locking her as we speak.”
“So she failed?”
“Uh-huh. She said the guy would not change his mind.” The phone line remained silent for a few seconds. “Sir, what do you want us to do?”
Kane’s voice came back, low and terse. “Clean up the mess. You know what you have to do. And take care of the other matter as soon as you leave the area.”
“His partner?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you? Clean up loose ends and get out of the state. Now!”
The man heard the line click and the connection die. He pocketed the phone and turned to his partner. “Let Bravo-Two know to move in and take care of business. We’ve been ordered to clear out and head to our second objective. The boss has a team coming in to shadow the investigation.” He pointed with his chin at the smoking heap of wood and twisted metal below.
Sirens began to wail in the distance. “Here comes the cavalry. Better late than never.” He chuckled as he dumped everything back into a black drop bag. “And we’re out of here.”
Chapter 20
Gerrit’s body felt like he’d gone fifteen rounds with a heavyweight champion. Head pounding, he eased himself from the backseat of the Suburban and tried to stand. The other two quickly shed their wet suits. They emerged from both sides of the vehicle wearing blue denim trousers and dark shirts. His legs felt weak, and his head throbbed like a madman beating on a set of drums.
“Let me help you,” Alena said, rushing over. She put his arm over her shoulder and supported him as they walked toward the house. He heard the dog’s nails clicking on the concrete.
Tall, scraggly weeds and dry grass in the front yard advertised what this building represented-a dwelling abandoned by foreclosure. An under-the-table agreement between the police department and certain rental agencies allowed detectives to use selected residential housing to put up protected witnesses or give informants a place to crash during short-term sting operations. This was one of those places he and Taylor stashed Gregori before the ferry shooting.