Eddie fell out of the car and rose to his knees. “You okay?”
“No.” Raider looked up the embankment to see Josh and Jonny P peering down. “We have to get out of here.”
Eddie tried to stand and ended up bent over, heaving out air. “Jesus.” He gestured to the cop in front. “He can identify us.”
So could Wolfe, who’d been left behind, but apparently Eddie wasn’t thinking clearly. Raider staggered to his feet and opened the front door. Force was hunched over the steering wheel, bleeding from the back of his head. Oh God. Was he alive? Nausea rippled through Raider’s gut. His hand trembled when he reached for the pulse point on Force’s limp wrist. Slow but steady. How badly was the agent hurt?
Raider drew the gun from Force’s holster, and shoved him as gently as possible across the seat. Then he pressed the barrel against the seat near Force’s ass and squeezed the trigger. The sound was deafening. He turned and slammed the door. “Took care of him.” He looked up the long slope to the road. “We have to run. Now.”
Eddie turned and stumbled over a rock, landing on his face.
Raider limped to him, grabbed his arm, and hauled him to his feet. “They’ll be looking for this guy. We just killed a cop, Eddie. Run.”
Eddie started to climb. They helped each other, balancing on rocks and downed trees, falling several times. Eddie heaved and moved to puke, and Raider grabbed his biceps and shook him. “Don’t throw up here. Can’t leave any evidence.”
Eddie sucked it down and trudged up again.
Finally, they reached the road.
“We don’t have much time,” Josh said calmly as Jonny P opened the back door and urgently gestured them inside.
Raider’s vision hazed, turned red, and then hazed again. He helped Eddie into the car and then fell in himself, his entire body aching like one pulsing bruise.
Josh peeled out, heading away from the town. “How bad you hurt?”
Eddie coughed. “Not bad enough to stop.”
Raider shut his eyes and put his head back, taking inventory. How badly was Force hurt? Where the hell was Wolfe? Were they working with the local cops? This was about to go seriously south, if Force couldn’t get the story straight. The news would have it soon. Everything inside him wanted to return and help Force get to a hospital. The guy hadn’t regained consciousness even a little. “I have serious concerns about your organization,” he murmured, trying to stay in character.
Eddie shifted his weight, moving the seat. “What the hell does that mean?” he wheezed.
Raider opened one eye, and morning light nearly cut his brain in two. “We go on a simple mission, and I end up killing a cop. I’m not impressed.”
Eddie clapped him on the shoulder, and pain exploded down Raider’s torso. That shoulder was definitely out of joint. “Yeah, but now we’re in bed together.” His smile revealed bloody teeth. “You get me a hundred million dollars, and I’ll show you how easy it is to clean it. For fifty percent, of course.”
“Twenty,” Raider countered, his lungs struggling to work.
“Forty.”
“Thirty, and that’s my final offer,” Raider said, his body seizing in pain.
Eddie held out a hand. “Deal.”
“Good. Drive me closer to a real town and let me out. I need to set the plan in motion.” If he lived through the next couple of hours. “I’ll be in touch.”
Eddie grinned. “You have until tomorrow suppertime. Then I send Jonny and Josh after you.”
* * *
Angus Force came to with blood sliding down his face and pooling on the seat of the cop car. His vision was blurry and his body oddly numb. Silence surrounded him and then sound came rushing in with the force of a tidal wave.
“Angus.” Wolfe leaned over him. “Dude. Any neck or spine damage?”
“I don’t know.” Angus reached for the steering wheel and pulled himself to sit. The world spun, and his bones clattered against each other. He huffed in pain and sat for a moment. “Concussion for sure.”
“Yeah. I got that.” Wolfe clamped both hands on Angus’s shoulders and hauled him from the damaged vehicle. “Can you stand?”
Angus fell back against the car. His ass burned. Had Tanaka shot him in the butt? “Give me a minute.”
