“Dead end, you bastard!” he cried.
But his pleasure was short-lived. Landvik either didn’t see or didn’t care, and drove the black car hard along the causeway, water spraying up from the wheels to either side in two wide fans. Crowley shook his head, stunned the man would take such a risk, and followed him. Crowley’s car was large and designed for off-road use, at least, but Landvik’s wasn’t. The water rose up faster, Landvik’s car sending up walls of spray to either side, but he kept going. The water curved up over the hood as well now, drenching the car, almost obscuring it completely. Crowley felt the drag of the ocean against his own wheels and decided not to risk his life any further. He stopped, hit reverse, and backed up as quickly as he could. The vehicle shifted and bucked uncertainly, then his tires rose back onto dry road. He watched in amazement as water slowly engulfed Landvik’s vehicle. The blue lights of the police cars filled the road behind and Crowley climbed from his seat into the pouring rain, arms held high to show he was not a threat. He left his stolen pistol on the passenger seat.
Landvik’s car slowed to a stop and the door popped open as the vehicle was lifted and turned by the tide. The man clambered out, still clutching the hammer, his face a mask of concentration and determination. He tried to swim for it against the rapid current. The last thing Crowley saw was the man’s blond head sinking out of sight beneath the churning waters.
Chapter 60
In a private hospital room in the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, a little over an hour from Lindisfarne, Cameron sat smiling in bed, post-surgery. A police guard outside his door was a formality, but they remained until all the details of the bizarre recent events could be ironed out. It was going to take a while for everything to be recorded and cross-checked.
Crowley sat one side of the bed, Rose on the other.
“So you’re going to walk okay?” Crowley asked.
“Yep. I’ve got some muscle damage, and apparently the bullet chipped my thigh bone, but nothing that won’t come good again with time to heal and some rehab exercises.”
“Seeing as you live your life behind a desk now, it shouldn’t matter anyway right?”
Cameron laughed. “Well, I did tell you I didn’t want to get shot. Maybe I should go back to my desk.”
“You only got shot in the leg. Halfway right.”
Cameron twisted a wry smile. “How come I got it? You got away scot free.”
“Not true! I was shot twice.”
“Two grazes, buttercup. Hardly worth even mentioning.”
“Are you two really comparing bullet wounds?” Rose asked, though her voice was amused. “Honestly, you boys are such clichés.”
Crowley pouted. “Cliché? Oof!”
“I will have to go back to my desk, though,” Cameron said. “If I want to keep my job. But I enjoyed our excursion all the same.”
“Me too.”
“You going back to the classroom?”
Crowley let out a soft laugh, shook his head. “It’ll be hard after this, but I need to keep my job too. At least for now. I have mortgage payments to make.” He looked over the bed at Rose. “And you in the museum?”
“Same. I’m glad all this is over. I’ll actually be glad to get back to work. It was exciting, in hindsight, but I’ve had enough excitement for a lifetime, I think.”
Crowley shrugged. “We’ll see. Excitement like this does tend to be a little bit addictive.”
“Is it over?” Cameron asked.
Crowley paused, thoughtful. “Well, Landvik’s body wasn’t found, or the hammer. Just his empty car. At least, that’s the official word from the police. Apparently it’s possible for currents to carry things, even cars, a long way. So it’s entirely possible his body and the hammer may never be found.”
“Or he may have escaped,” Cameron said. “With the hammer.”
“It’s possible. But either way, he doesn’t need Rose any more and presumably has no need to track us down again.”
“Unless it’s purely for revenge.”
“True, but Landvik’s not an idiot. A smart man would take his win and move on. But we don’t even know if he lived or…”
“Either way,” Rose interrupted, “for my own sanity, I’m declaring this whole thing over and done with. All of it. Finished.”
Crowley made a sad face, deliberately overacting. “All of it?”
Rose laughed. “Well, I could possibly be persuaded to see you again. If the situation were just right.”
Crowley grinned. “I’ll have to think of something.”
Cameron waved a hand in each of their faces. “Take it back to London, you two! Some of us are trying to recover from actual gunshot wounds here.”
They laughed and Crowley caught Rose’s eye over Cameron’s protesting form. She gave him a quick wink. He smiled. Maybe it wasn’t all over just yet.
Books by David Wood
Dourado
Cibola
Quest
Icefall
Buccaneer
Atlantis
Ark
Freedom
Hell Ship
Splashdown
Dead Ice
Liberty
Electra
Amber
Justice
Treasure of the Dead
Oracle
Changeling
Primitive
The Book of Bones
Blood Codex
Into the Woods
Arena of Souls
The Zombie-Driven Life
You Suck
Callsign: Queen
Destiny
Dark Rite
Primordial (forthcoming
The Silver Serpent
Keeper of the Mists
The Gates of Iron
The Impostor Prince
Books by Alan Baxter
Bound
Obsidian
Abduction
RealmShift
MageSign
Ghost of the Black
Dark Rite
Primordial (forthcoming)
About the Authors
David Wood is the author of the popular action-adventure series, The Dane Maddock Adventures, and many other works. Under his David Debord pen name he is the author of the Absent Gods fantasy series. When not writing, he co-hosts the Authorcast podcast. David and his family live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Visit him online at www.davidwoodweb.com.
Alan Baxter is a British-Australian author who writes dark fantasy, horror and sci-fi, rides a motorcycle and loves his dog. He also teaches Kung Fu. He lives among dairy paddocks on the beautiful south coast of NSW, Australia, with his wife, son, dog and cat. He is the author of the dark urban fantasy Alex Caine trilogy and many other titles. He won the 2014 Australian Shadows Award for Best Short Story and the 2015 Australian Shadows Paul Haines Award for Long Fiction. Visit him online at www.warriorscribe.com.