“Interesting,” Mercer said, but he hadn’t keyed the mic when he said that last part, so Keo assumed it was meant for him. “Why are they heading back to Texas?”
Good question, Keo thought, but he said, “Tell him to back off and return to the island.”
“I can’t do that.”
Keo jammed the gun harder against Mercer’s chin, and the man grunted. Travis and Olsen reflexively took a single step forward, fingers tightening around their weapons’ triggers. Jasper, on the other hand, remained where he was.
Mercer held up a hand. “It’s all right, men. Back up.”
Travis and Olsen obeyed instantly, stepping back until they were standing side-by-side with Jasper again. The big man had never taken his eyes off Keo, and his rifle hadn’t wavered even an inch.
Keo turned his focus back on Mercer, but not before slipping just a little bit farther behind his human shield. “Tell the pilot to back off now.”
“And I told you, I can’t do that,” Mercer said. “You know how this has to work, Keo. Your life for the Trident. There is no other way this can end. I told you there was going to be a price to pay.”
“What guarantees do I have that you’ll keep your word?”
“You have just that. My word.”
“I don’t trust the word of a madman.”
“Says the man who snuck onto an island with the sole purpose of murdering someone he’s never met.”
“You don’t have to have met someone to know they need killing.”
“You’ve done it before, I take it.”
“More times than you can count, pal.”
“I don’t know, Keo; I can count pretty high.”
“Sir?” Cole said through the speakers. “What are your orders?”
“Good question,” Mercer said. “What are my orders, Keo? Or let’s put it this way: If Cole doesn’t get any response from me in the next few minutes, will he follow through with my initial orders or completely disregard them and return home? Before you answer, keep in mind that he doesn’t know who is onboard the Trident at this moment. As far as he’s concerned, it’s an enemy boat, and I’ve already given him authority to shoot it out of the water.”
Keo listened to Mercer’s heartbeat — not hard to do with the man pressed up tightly against him, their bodies touching back to front — and waited to hear the slight increase. Except there was none. It was perfectly flatlined. If Mercer was even a little bit anxious or scared, Keo couldn’t detect it, which was a hell of a feat because he was almost certain he could hear one of the soldiers in front of him actually hyperventilating.
“Sir,” Cole said through the speakers, sounding slightly concerned by the lack of response, “do I proceed with the initial orders?”
“The man is getting anxious, Keo,” Mercer said. “What should I tell him?”
“Tell him to turn back,” Keo said.
“Give me one good reason why I should.”
Lara, Keo thought as he let the gun swivel against his trigger finger until the muzzle was pointed away from Mercer. He released his grip on the older man and Mercer stepped forward, then calmly turned around and took the Sig Sauer before removing the M4 slung over Keo’s back.
The soldiers in the room with them relaxed and lowered their weapons slightly, but not entirely.
“The pilot,” Keo said. “Turn him around.”
Mercer put Keo’s handgun into his front waistband and handed the carbine over to Jasper, then keyed the microphone. “Cole, turn around and come back to the island.”
“Sir?” Cole said, confused.
“Mission’s over. Come home.”
“Roger that, sir.”
“So I was right,” Mercer said, this time to Keo. “You’re part of the Trident’s crew.”
“Would you have let him do it?” Keo asked.
Mercer didn’t answer him right away. Instead, he walked over to the row of communications gear and put the microphone back down in its reserved slot, then calmly swiped at a small film of dust on one of the screens.
Finally, he looked back at Keo and said, “It’s hard to make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”
“Collateral damage,” Keo said.
“Collateral damage,” Mercer nodded.
“And now?”
“And now, nothing. If Riley wants to take his people and leave, then good riddance. I need men and women who are dedicated to the cause. Bringing them back would just infect the others.”
“You’re going to let them go. Just like that.”
“I’ll keep my word. I’m not going to pursue them. But if they should cross my path again, then that goes beyond the perimeters of our agreement, do you agree?”
Keo nodded. “I do.”
“Good.” Mercer looked over at his soldiers. “It’s been a long night, and we’re all tired. Take Keo to the beach and shoot him in the head and give him to the ocean.” He focused on Jasper when he added, “I want it to be fast and painless.”
“Yes, sir,” Jasper nodded back.
Olsen and Travis grabbed Keo from behind while Jasper drew his sidearm and held it at his side.
“A bullet to the head, huh?” Keo said to Mercer.
“You surrendered your mission to save your friends,” Mercer said. “I respect a man with that kind of conviction.”
“That makes one of us.”
Mercer ignored the insult and nodded at his men then turned around, effectively dismissing all four of them.
“You can’t win,” Keo said. “You’ll just end up killing a lot of people, but you’ll never be able to win. Not this way.”
“We’ll see,” Mercer said without bothering to turn around.
Olsen and Travis tightened their hold around Keo’s arms, and one of them (maybe Olsen) grunted, “Come on, man, make it easy. It’s over.”
“Who’s fighting?” Keo said, and relaxed his arms against their grips.
He caught the two of them exchanging a surprised, then suspicious glance when he didn’t fight back. He could have told them he had no intentions of resisting, that he had already decided there was no point. It wasn’t like he had any places to escape to even if he could get out of the Comm Room in one piece. There were two more waiting outside (and the unarmed woman), and as soon as someone fired a shot, the entire island would be on high alert. Not just the ones already awake, but everyone.
Besides, Mercer had, against all odds (because Keo was ninety percent sure the man was lying through his teeth) kept his word and let the Trident go. And if he was to be believed, he would continue doing so unless some bad stroke of luck had Lara and the others crossing his path again.
In many ways (maybe in all the ways that mattered), the night hadn’t ended so badly after all. Sure, he’d come here to kill Mercer and avenge Jordan and failed at both, but he had ended up saving Lara and the others onboard the Trident instead. They were his friends. He’d spent a lot of time with them, long enough to know that he liked them. So, in terms of accomplishments, he had to admit he was definitely coming out ahead.
He must have been smiling as they led him to the door, because Olsen, to his right, said, “You look pleased with yourself.”
“Going for a swim, boys. I’ve always loved the water,” Keo said, and smiled even wider.
“Guy’s crazy,” Travis said from his left.
“Keep him moving,” Jasper said, his footsteps heavy behind them—
Bang! Bang!
Gunshots. Two of them, coming one after another, and less than a second apart.
Then someone screamed. A woman. Followed by footsteps fading fast.