The bullet ricocheted off the façade at the other end, missing the blond by more than a few feet. It didn’t matter if Han-Jae hit him or not. He just had to buy a little time. He ducked back behind the wall and looked down at the bleeding man.
“I need you to hold the center,” Han-Jae said. “Can you do that?”
The younger man grimaced but nodded. “Yes, sir.” He dragged himself up and propped his shoulder against the wall close to the opening.
“I’m going to give some support to the men on the side. Keep their leader from coming down the middle. We’re going to get out of this.”
Han-Jae had no intention of getting the injured man out alive. By taking a bullet to the leg, the guy had just become the sacrificial lamb. Han-Jae patted him on the shoulder and then ran around to the right side where Buzz-Cut was reloading a full magazine into his weapon.
“How many do you have left?” Han-Jae asked as he skidded to a stop.
“This is my last magazine.”
“I only have one left, too.”
“We need to find a way out of here.”
“Yes, but there’s only one way back to the car.”
Sirens whined in the distance, interrupting their conversation for the moment. “You’re thinking linearly. We can make it back if we loop around over here,” he pointed to the main sanctuary and then a forest running alongside both sections of the ruins.
“They’ll see us,” Buzz-Cut said.
“Not if they think we’re making a stand here.” Han-Jae stepped to the corner and stuck his weapon around the rock. He fired five successive shots at the approaching men and sent them scrambling to the front of the chapel for cover. He moved back behind the wall and looked at Buzz-Cut. “The only place they have for protection is the front wall. If they’re all hiding at the entrance, they’ll not see our retreat. Then we can lose them in the forest.”
“But if we run, they’ll pursue.”
Han-Jae shook his head. “Not if they think we’re still here.” He turned and looked at the wounded man by the wall holding his weapon at shoulder height, ready to fire.
“You’re going to leave him?” Buzz-Cut asked.
“We have no other choice.”
The two made their way back to the opening in the middle of the chapel and joined the younger man.
“We’re going to have to make a stand,” Han-Jae said. “Push hard up the middle. If they try to come through the door, kill them.”
The injured man nodded.
“We’re going to push around to this side over here,” Han-Jae said, pointing to the right. “There should be enough stonework inside for you to stay safe while we flank the enemy.”
He didn’t wait for more confirmation from his injured comrade. Han-Jae ran quickly over to the other shooter and filled him in on the plan. He’d kept his side clear, forcing the blond’s men to stay back at the front of the chapel.
“Understood,” Shaved Head said. “Just give the word.”
Han-Jae rushed back to the opening and nodded at the young guy. “Go.”
He didn’t question the order. He hobbled into the opening as fast as he could and crouched down behind a broken piece of wall. The blond poked his head around the entrance door again, and the young man fired two shots that ricocheted off the stone.
Han-Jae nodded at his other two men, who took off at top speed toward the main sanctuary. Han-Jae gave one last look at the injured man and then followed behind the other two.
He didn’t dare look back, knowing any sort of slowdown could cost him. If the ambushers saw where he and his remaining two men were headed, they would then be able to cut off their exit, an issue that was growing more and more possible every second the police closed in.
He reached the stone edifice and cut behind it to the left, pausing for a second where his men awaited further instructions. Han-Jae looked out straight beyond the remnants of the nearest wall.
“Right through there.”
The sirens grew louder for a moment and then started fading. At first, Han-Jae was confused. Then he realized no one had called the police here. They were going somewhere else.
He let out a short sigh of relief. “Follow me.”
He sprinted out of the opening as he heard more gunshots from the chapel. Han-Jae slowed to let his two men run by and looked back for a second. Two of the attackers had circled around behind the chapel and were going in through the back. He saw them take aim but didn’t watch as the men gunned down the injured comrade he’d left behind. He didn’t have time to watch. Lingering would lead to his downfall.
It was regrettable, Han-Jae thought as he ran ahead and disappeared into the foliage. He didn’t want to leave the young man behind, but he had no choice.
As he nimbly danced around trees, bushes, and large rocks, his mind drifted to his little brother.
Son Yoo had been a promising young soldier until he was taken down by a South Korean sniper. The bullet had pierced his heart and exited out his back. Death came so quickly; Son Yoo was gone before anyone could call for help.
There’d never been any report as to why the sniper had fired, or why he targeted Han-Jae’s brother. All Han-Jae knew was that any allies of the south or of America were his enemies, and he would do anything to destroy them.
His mind snapped back to the present as he almost ran into a low-hanging branch. He ducked beneath it and kept running as the men in front started to loop back around to the cars.
Off to his left, he no longer heard the sound of gunfire. Han-Jae figured the blond and his men would pursue to the main sanctuary. It’s what he would have done. The blond would find the area empty. Next, he would have his men fan out and search the property. By the time they got back to their vehicles, Han-Jae and his men would be long gone.
The only question was, where would they go next?
Chapter 26
Tommy’s phone vibrated atop the table in the corner of the pub. Sean was watching the news with the television muted, trying to see if there was anything about the Glastonbury shootout in the headlines. June and Adriana were discussing Adriana’s unusual hobby of tracking down stolen Nazi art.
Oddly, none of the television anchors said anything about the shootout.
“It’s the kids,” Tommy said after checking the caller ID.
Sean and the other two turned their attention away from the television.
“Hello,” Tommy said after pressing the green button.
“Hey, Tommy,” Alex said. “What’s all that noise in the background? Sounds like you’re at a bar.”
“We are. It’s a little pub in London. Figured a crowded place might be a good idea after the events of the morning. Luckily, it’s not their peak hours, so it’s not too loud. What did you guys figure out?”
In the car ride back to London, Tommy called his two research assistants in Atlanta and described the Chalice Well along with the problem they had in finding the original symbols.
It took a few hours for Alex and Tara to get back to their boss, but Tommy knew that was most likely because they were being thorough.
“It wasn’t easy to find images of that well cover. There was nothing in the search engine databases except the new one you described.”
“But…”
“But we were able to dig up some images from some of our other resources. Wasn’t easy.”
“What was it?” Tommy asked.
“I’m sending you the email right now. Several of the same images, plus a couple of different ones. Tara and I have no idea what they mean. Figuring that sort of thing out is your deal anyway.”