Suddenly, Maddock appeared, carrying Angel on his back.
“Let’s move!” he shouted. He slowed long enough for Angel to hop down, and the three of them headed for the open gate.
Corey took control of the security system,” Bones said, “but who knows how long he can keep it?”
“Just lead the way.” Maddock was clearly winded from the run, but he kept pace with Bones, as did Angel.
“Take the dagger,” Maddock said to Angel. “Press the butt to activate the cloaking mechanism. Don’t argue. Just stay close and, if it comes to a fight, don’t get in our line of fire.”
To Bones’ surprise, Angel did as Dane said without a word of complaint. Moments later, she vanished. Bones thought he’d never get used to that. It was too creepy.
As he ran, he ejected his Glock’s magazine, which was nearly spent, and replaced it with a fresh one. He had a feeling he was going to need it.
“The cameras just shut off,” Morgan said. She clicked the mouse a few times, but nothing happened.
Locke circled around behind her desk, grateful for the distraction. They had discussed his failures at length, and he had grown weary of the conversation. He knew he was still useful to Morgan, but she was very unhappy with right him now.
“It’s probably your computer,” he said. “Try shutting it down and restarting it.”
The computer was in the process of rebooting when he realized they had greater problems than a frozen computer. A loud popping sound came from somewhere in the distance.
“Are those gunshots?” Morgan rose from her chair, a little slower than normal, and tapped a button on her phone. “Jacob, where are you?”
No reply.
“Jacob, can you hear me?”
Still no answer.
Locke heard another rapid burst of gunfire, and then all was eerily quiet. He hurried to the window and looked out. The forest was alive with dragons. They charged out of the woods or launched from the trees, all headed for the castle. What the hell was going on?
Then he spotted three dragons hobbling across the lawn. They had clearly been injured. But by whom? He knew immediately.
“We’ve been infiltrated by Dane Maddock.”
Bones led them through a series of twists and turns, moving deeper into the heart of the castle. They made their way without encountering resistance but, when they reached the underground garage where Bones had left the truck, Morgan’s men were ready.
A torrent of bullets zipped through the space where Dane’s head had been only a moment before. He hit the ground, rolled, and came up firing. One man went down, but the other retreated into the truck’s cargo bay, took up a defensive position, and continued firing. Dane cursed. It would take time to dig this guy out— time they didn’t have.
He was about to tell Angel to give him the dagger when a single shot rang out. Seconds later, a stunned-looking Corey appeared at the back of the truck. He dangled a pistol loosely at his side. He looked at them in stunned amazement.
“I got him.”
“Hell yeah!” Bones shouted as they dashed for the truck. “I’m driving.” He ran to the left side of the cab and cursed when he remembered he wasn’t in America.
Dane took the wheel and fired up the engine while Angel joined Corey in the back. Tires squealed as he stepped on the gas and the truck peeled out of the garage. In the rear-view mirror, he saw a body go tumbling out— the man Corey had shot. As they barreled down the long drive, Dane was pleased to see the security gate standing open. Corey’s hack had done the trick.
He was not pleased, however, to see armed men barring the way, and others dashing across the moor in hot pursuit. Modron’s grounds suddenly resembled an upset anthill. Shots rang out, and bullets pinged off the sides of the truck. Bones returned fire, sending the attackers diving for cover. Up ahead, the gate guards leveled their weapons at the oncoming vehicle…
…and went down in a heap.
Matt and Willis had entered the fight. They now turned their fire on the rest of Morgan’s security force. Surprised by this new development, many of them retreated, while others went down, never to rise again. At the gate, Dane slowed down so Willis and Matt could climb inside.
They continued firing at the remaining security guards, keeping them at bay. For a moment, Dane thought they were home free, but then a new threat reared its head. A group of riders on motorcycles shot down the drive and fell in behind the truck. As they gained on the vehicle, they drew weapons and began to fire.
Dane yanked the wheel hard to the left, then back to the right, zigzagging across the road.
“You’re making it kind of hard for us to shoot back!” Bones shouted. He leaned out the window and fired off a shot at the pursuing motorcycles.
Dane glanced back and had to laugh as folding tables came flying out of the back of the truck and tumbled across the road. Angel and Corey must be unloading the remainder of the cargo. The motorcycles scattered, one rider losing control and skidding off the road.
One biker managed to skirt the flying furniture and accelerate past Matt and Willis’ line of fire and, as he drew even with Dane, he raised his weapon. Before he could pull the trigger, Dane kicked the driver’s side door open, sending him tumbling off the road. Behind them, the tables kept flying, followed by chairs. Two more bikers crashed and another fell to gunfire. After that the pursuit melted away. Dane turned to Bones and managed a grin.
“We did it. Now, call Tam and tell her we’re ready for a pickup.”
Locke stopped his bike on the side of the road, dismounted, and went to check on his men. It galled him that Maddock had gotten away, but a squad of men on motorcycles stood little chance against men who could aim and fire from the back of a truck. He also had to admit that pitching the tables and chairs onto the roadway had been resourceful, and it had been the girl who had done it.
For a moment, he considered following them on his own, but the appearance of a helicopter landing atop a tor farther up the road told him he’d missed his chance.
He smiled, in spite of the grim circumstances. He hadn’t lost them entirely. As long as the girl remained alive, he could track their every move.
Chapter 33
“Nice boat.” Dane admired the sleek lines of the cabin cruiser Tam had secured for them. The helicopter pilot had dropped them at the coast, not far from Bodmin, where one of Tam’s agents, a tall, dark haired man who introduced himself as Greg, had been waiting for them. They were now headed north along the coastline.
“Glad you like it. Your boy, Jimmy, came through for us about two minutes after you jumped. He’s got a location for the map Avery found, and he’s working on something else that I’ll tell you about after you finish the next job.” She tilted her head and looked thoughtfully up at the cloudy sky. “He’s pretty good. You think he’d come to work with us?”
The word “us” gave Dane pause. He still wasn’t accustomed to the idea that he and his crew would soon be working for Tam.
“Doubt it. He’s not the type, but I think we could count on him for some freelance work here and there.”
“You don’t give classified information to a hired hand, Maddock,” Tam sighed. “Lord have mercy, I’ve got so much to teach you.”
Dane smiled, leaned against the bow rail, and gazed at the dark water up ahead, feeling the cool salt spray on his face and breathing deep of the sea air. He thought of Angel, down below, nursing her wounds, and Avery, who had narrowly avoided capture just the day before. Was it worth risking their safety just to track down a treasure?