In several places, the ground elevated to the point where he had to get down and belly crawl, slithering forward a few inches at a time. The earth was rocky, too, and several times a jagged stone stabbed at his knees and hands.
His muscles started aching, especially his legs and abs. While he kept in good shape, it had been a long time since Sean had done anything this grueling.
Four minutes in, he'd only covered about seventy-five yards. He'd have to hurry if he was going to get to the area he believed the shooter was hiding. Of course, there was the possibility the sniper had moved. It's what Sean would have done if the circumstances were reversed. Sure, he never wanted to give up a good spot, but if you took a shot and missed, it was imperative to get moving.
Based on the proximity of the two shots the gunman already took, Sean figured the shooter had no plans on leaving until all his targets were dead.
He slowed his pace with twenty seconds left on the clock and crept forward, focusing on making sure his movements were silent. As far as he could estimate, he was within twenty to thirty feet of where the sniper had taken the other shots.
The sun was completely gone in the west. The dark sky to the east began sparkling with stars and a crescent moon in the distance. Sean waited, crouching like a predator about to pounce. He didn't know the exact position of the shooter. As soon as Tommy flashed his light, that would change. Sean just hoped he hadn't misjudged things.
Something shifted in the dirt about twenty-five feet away. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, like a shoe grinding on pebbles in the dirt.
The next second, a searing bright flash burst through the area from fifty yards away. There was a quick movement, and then the shooter fired.
Chapter 18
The muzzle erupted in a burst of flame. It was farther away than Sean had anticipated but still within the general area he suspected. He moved forward toward the silhouette that now stood against the starry backdrop. The long barrel of the rifle remained motionless, pointing out toward where the flash had come just a moment ago.
Sean closed the gap fast, keeping low as he rushed at the target. The shooter suddenly swung his weapon around, aiming right at Sean. The American dove to the ground and watched as the gunman's weapon suddenly jerked upward as he fired. The round sailed harmlessly into the night.
The sniper shook his head and grabbed the back of his skull with his free hand. He kept his senses enough to spin around and locate the person who'd thrown the rock at him.
Sean used the moment.
He lunged forward and plowed the man in the back with his shoulder. The shooter grunted and dropped his weapon. Sean felt his own gun dangling in the holster, but he didn't dare fire the weapon. Adriana was there in the dark somewhere. A stray bullet could hit her. This fight he'd have to win with his fists.
The gunman rolled over and swung at Sean's midsection. Sean straddled him for a moment. He slugged him with a right and then a left. The shooter's face was broad. In the pale moonlight, Sean could see the guy was strong — the type that hit the gym five times a week just because he enjoyed pain. The third punch was caught by a strong fist. The man's fingers wrapped around the back of Sean's hand and pushed it back.
Sean desperately threw a hammer fist. The gunman caught his wrist and squeezed with a vise-like grip. Sean felt himself struggling to push back. Then, with a big heave, the shooter kicked his legs up and caught Sean in the upper back with a knee.
The blow sent a deadly surge of pain through Sean's spine. He grimaced and felt his muscles weaken for the briefest of moments. The next thing he felt was his body being tossed through the air as the shooter flung him across the open space.
He landed in one of the nearby bushes, breaking little branches that scratched his skin on his drop to the ground. He winced again and tried to roll over, but the gunman gave no respite.
The man stalked over to the American. He started to reach down to grab Sean by the foot when another rock struck the man in the back of the head. He wavered for a second and then turned around. Adriana stood at the edge of the clearing in a fighting stance. The gunman's right eye twitched as anger coursed through his veins. He charged her with no warning, running full speed at the woman who'd just delayed his kill.
Sean reached for his pistol, but it wasn't in the holster. It must have fallen out in the struggle. He scrambled to his feet, desperately looking for the weapon.
"Honey?" he said. "Shoot him."
It was too late. The assassin surged at her with a roar. Her right hand whipped forward again at the last second, flinging another stone at the big man's face. The projectile struck true, hitting the attacker squarely in the nose. Now the shooter's size worked against him, and his momentum carried him forward even as his head rocked back. He lost his balance and tripped — knees skidding on the rocky soil.
Adriana coiled to the side and then unleashed a swift roundhouse kick to the side of the guy's head. The top of her foot made a sickening sound against the man's skull just above the ear. He fell sideways, still grabbing at the wounded nose with one hand and covering the new wound to his head with the other.
She didn't wait for him to recover.
Adriana leaped into the air, bending her feet underneath her body and leading with her knees as she fell. The kneecaps drove deep into the gunman's back. He gasped at first and then started coughing hard, desperate to catch his breath again. Adriana spotted a rock sticking out of the ground a few inches from the shooter's head. She grabbed his thick black hair and smashed the man's skull against the stone.
The gunman's body went limp. She released his hair and let the head drop to the ground.
Sean had scrambled his way out of the bush and rushed over to aide Adriana, but she'd already finished the job.
He noticed his pistol lying on the ground and picked it up. "Thing isn't supposed to come out of its holster that easily." His comment was more for his own benefit than hers. He motioned at the unconscious gunman. "You think he's dead?"
Adriana pursed her lips as she evaluated. "No, I don't think so."
"If he's still alive, he's gonna have a massive headache tomorrow." He checked her over. "You okay?"
She laughed and raised a dubious eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm fine. But you look a little beat up."
"That's what happens when you get your butt kicked." He stepped closer to the shooter and bent down. A quick search of the man's pockets only produced a thousand dollars in cash and a car key with a remote entry device."
"No ID?" Adriana asked.
"No. But he had to get his car somewhere. Only question is where he would have parked it."
Sean pressed the unlock button on the fob. He didn't notice anything right away, so he hit the lock button and spun around. That's when he saw the yellow lights flash another hundred yards or so away. The car was nearly invisible, especially in the cover of night. The gunman clearly wanted to stay as low profile as possible.
"We should check it out, see if there's anything else that might help us solve this whole case."
"Yeah, but what about him?" Adriana jerked her thumb back toward where the man's body had been just a moment before.
Now he was gone.
"What the?"
A dark silhouette jumped out of the shadows, lunging toward Adriana from behind. Sean shoved her out of harm's way as the big man plunged a knife down over his shoulder.
The blade missed Adriana's shoulder by inches. She rolled to the ground from the force of Sean's push and got up to see the knife that almost caught her off guard.
The gunman's momentum carried him at Sean. Keeping his balance, he reversed the attack and slashed the knife's edge upward to rip Sean's abdomen, chest, and throat in one deadly move.