by Brad Taylor. Copyright \u00a9 2019 by Brad Taylor. Excerpted with permission by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Chapter 1<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The road in front of me was empty. Just a narrow alley leading to the entryway I intended to penetrate. A fetid, cobblestone lane built centuries ago, it was dimly lit, with more shadows than light and piles of trash hiding what may lie within.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Anywhere else in the world I would have silently cheered at the luck, but here, in Salvador, it raised the hackles on my neck. Empty roads in Brazil were like hearing the wildlife in a jungle suddenly go quiet, all the birds and monkeys realizing there was a predator afoot.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I was in the historical section of the old capital city, with plenty of folks less than a hundred meters away at restaurants and bars, but nobody was walking down this alley. Meaning there was a reason for the lack of activity. It was counter-intuitive to anything I\u2019d felt before, where the bystanders were most often the threat. Crowds allowed camouflage for individual hostiles, like pickpockets, but more importantly to me, these prevented offensive actions by a team. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
There were just too many cameras and cell phones in today\u2019s world, devices that recorded an event no matter how careful one was, so an empty alley was the perfect approach for me, and yet, I\u2019d learned in my short time in Brazil that empty meant dangerous. For some reason, the humans here knew not to enter, an instinct that I should pay attention to. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Unfortunately, that was out of the question because a bad guy, my target, held my best friend\u2019s life in the balance. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I turned to Aaron, and said, \u201cThat damn alley is going to be trouble. I can feel it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
He knew what I meant. We didn\u2019t worry about the \u201ctrouble\u201d, per se, we worried about the mission, and whatever was waiting for us there could hinder that.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
He said, \u201cHey, we only have twelve hours before the clock is up. That\u2019s a blink of an eye for hostage rescue. We need to go tonight, or we\u2019re not stopping what the police have in motion.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I said, \u201cShoshona seems to think this is bad Ju Ju because of the monks. Maybe she\u2019s right.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
He chuckled and said, \u201cMy wife is a little off. Like you.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I nodded, but still hesitated, running through my options. He squinted his eyes and said, \u201cYou believe her. You think this is going to go bad because of what she felt.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I said, \u201cAaron, cut the crap. She\u2019s crazy all right, but sometimes she has a point. That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
He withdrew a Glock pistol, press checked the chamber and said, \u201cOne way or the other, we need to make a decision. And I think you\u2019re afraid of her saying \u2018I told you so\u2019 because of this alley.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I grunted a laugh and said, \u201cYeah, something like that. But you\u2019re right. Too late now.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I clicked my earpiece and said, \u201cKoko, Koko, I\u2019m about to penetrate. What\u2019s your status?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Koko was the callsign of my partner in crime, Jennifer, so named because she could climb like a monkey. She said, \u201cI\u2019m good. On the roof over the balcony. The OP is in position, and I have a clear shot.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cRoger all. Carrie, Carrie, you have lockdown of the front?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Carrie was Shoshona\u2019s callsign. Because she was bat-shit crazy just like the Stephen King character. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Ironically, the man I was working to save had anointed both of them with their callsigns. Which is why they were both willing to risk their lives to free him. They loved him as much as I did.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She came back, \u201cThis is Carrie. Front is secure. But I still think this is a mistake. We should not be assaulting a church. It\u2019s bad. Bad all the way around.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I looked at Aaron and said, \u201cYeah, I agree, but I don\u2019t get to pick where terrorists stay. I just wipeout the nest, wherever that ends up.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She said, \u201cIt\u2019s not the church itself. It\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I took that in, then looked down the alley. I said, \u201cYou want to help here? I think I have your bad feeling too.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She said nothing on the net. Aaron whispered, \u201cGood call. The front is facing the tourists. She\u2019s not needed out there. Get her in play.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Through a combination of means, we\u2019d tracked our target to the back of an old convent tacked on to a UNESCO world heritage site. Called the Sao Francisco Church, it had existed since the sixteenth century, with an ornate gothic fa\u00e7ade that now was the anchor of a square housing outdoor cafes and art galleries. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The front of the church \u2013 and the square it faced – was a completely safe place for tourists in the old capital of Salvador, but just outside the light, down the cobblestone streets we were on, the predators prowled, waiting on a stray lamb to leave the lights and laughter. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I took a look down the dimly lit alley, seeing the narrow confines of the ancient street snaking down the left hand wall of the church, reconsidering whom I was asking for help. I\u2019d left Shoshana to pull security within the crowds of tourists for a reason.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Off the net, to Aaron, I said, \u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s so smart. She\u2019s better protecting us defensively. Out front. Away from the action.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Aaron said, \u201cBecause you don\u2019t trust her offensively?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re damn right. She\u2019s a walking disaster. Better for Jennifer to do it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cJennifer\u2019s on the roof. Shoshona\u2019s perfect for this and you know it. Jennifer would be better as bait, with her blond hair and innocence, but Shoshana\u2019s the next best thing.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
He turned away for a moment, then looked me in the eye, saying, \u201cShoshana\u2019s a killer, but she\u2019s pure. She won\u2019t do anything if it\u2019s not warranted. Honestly, I\u2019m more concerned about you.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Aaron had seen what I was capable of, and he was hitting at the core of the mission. Could I maintain control? It was a good question, because in an earlier life, he\u2019d almost killed me, and in so doing, he\u2019d killed a friend of mine. The results hadn\u2019t been pretty. He\u2019d seen what I was capable of when I was walking the edge, leaning way over, and now I was operating in that same zone. Something he knew about. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I said, \u201cI\u2019m good. Don\u2019t worry about me. Just worry about the threat.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
He nodded, but I could see he wasn\u2019t convinced.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Shoshana came back on the net, whispering with an urgency neither Aaron nor I understood, \u201cYou feel something too, Nephilim?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Aaron grinned, and I returned it, holding up a finger before he got on the net. I said, \u201cYeah, but it\u2019s not because of some damn ancient church. It\u2019s because I can\u2019t get to entry. I don\u2019t want a gunfight. I need quiet, which means I need you.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cSo you want me to do what?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWalk down this alley from the back. Expose any threat that may prevent our entry.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She said nothing for a moment, then came back, \u201cThat\u2019s what you want? Me as bait?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Aaron\u2019s eyes widened, and I saw him reaching to key his mike, him saying, \u201cThat\u2019s not how to get her to execute.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I held up my hand again and beat him to the punch, saying, \u201cCarrie, this is the threat. This<\/em> is what I feel. And this is what I need.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Aaron and I looked at each other, and I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. Shoshana came back on and said, \u201cThis is Carrie. I\u2019m moving to the south of the alley. I\u2019ll be coming south to north. I\u2019ll have the light on my phone going.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I pulled out my cell, saw it was Jennifer, and realized she didn\u2019t want to talk on the open net. I held it up, then whispered to Aaron, \u201cTell Shoshana that all we need is to flush out any threats. We\u2019ll handle it. I don\u2019t need any crazy shit here. She just walks toward us until someone triggers. Or until she reaches us without a trigger.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Aaron nodded and I answered the phone, saying, \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Jennifer said, \u201cYou\u2019re going to let Shoshana loose in that alley, after you felt a threat? Let\u2019s back off. Attack a different way.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I saw a pinpoint of light at the back of the alley and said, \u201cToo late. She\u2019s in.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Jennifer said, \u201cThat\u2019s a bad call. She\u2019ll kill anyone who threatens her.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I said, \u201cIf it\u2019s the guys that we\u2019re hunting, I don\u2019t give a shit.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She said, \u201cPike, don\u2019t go there \u2013 \u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
And I hung up, watching the light. Not wanting to think about what I\u2019d just said. Not after what had happened to my friend. She knew where I was headed, because she\u2019d seen it once before. I knew it too.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The difference was I wanted it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The light bounced down the alley until it was abreast of our entry point, and Aaron and I began slinking down the lane, hiding from the streetlights behind us, stepping over the trash to avoid the noise. We closed the gap, both wound as tight as a tripwire, waiting. And it came.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Two men assaulted Shoshana from both sides of the alley, one from behind a dumpster and the other from a gap in the bricks.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
They slammed into her in a synchronized assault, and we took off running, reaching them just as they gained the upper hand. I saw one man cinch his hand into Shoshana\u2019s hair, then bash her skull into the cobblestones. The second had his arms wrapped around her legs, pulling out a blade that glinted in the moonlight. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThey were in total control, right up until we reached them. Aaron slammed his boot into the man holding her hair and I jumped on the man holding her legs. I caught a glimpse of their fight, and then was subsumed with my own.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
He began attacking me, attempting to hammer my face with elbows and fists, and then hit me with the knife in my forearm. I blocked the initial blows, returned them with my own, then felt the blade slice through my jacket, nicking my flesh. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The wound he caused split open the blackness, the anger inside me boiling out. I gave him everything I\u2019d bottled up over the last week. I abandoned my \u2018team leader control\u2019 and let the beast run free, looking for vengeance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I battered his face, trapped his wrist against his torso, the blade now useless, circled around his body and wrapped him up in my arms, pressing his head forward into his chest. He began frothing at the mouth, flailing his one good fist, and then gave up, dropping the knife and raising his other hand in an effort to surrender. It did no good. I wanted a release, and I worked to achieve it. I pressed him further, going deeper, until I felt his neck snap.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The sound split through the pain, jerking me out of my darkness. I let him sink to the ground, looking at Shoshana and Aaron. Both were staring back at me, Shoshana holding the other attacker in a joint lock, face down on the ground.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She said, \u201cYou were worried about me going crazy? What was that?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I shook my head, clearing the beast, not sure what I\u2019d done. I said, \u201cLet\u2019s go. Put him out.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She nodded, then asked, \u201cPermanently?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Because that\u2019s just how she thinks.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Not liking what I\u2019d just done, I said, \u201cNo. Not permanently.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She said, \u201cHe\u2019s Russian. He\u2019s not a common predator. He\u2019s here for you<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the first time, I noticed that the man I\u2019d fought wasn\u2019t from Brazil. I searched him, finding a passport from Saint Kitts. The same passport I\u2019d found on the Russian I\u2019d killed in Charleston. The one who had murdered my friend. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The blackness came rushing back.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
This is all tied together. And it ends now.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
She looked at me expectantly, and I closed my eyes, reliving the explosion and the charred body.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Shoshana said, \u201cPike?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I locked eyes with Aaron, and he didn\u2019t flinch, just stared at me, letting me make the choice. Not judging in any way.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
A part of me wanted to call Jennifer. Wanting someone to stop the slide I was on. She was the only one who could prevent it. I didn\u2019t. Like a junkie feeling the heroin, I enjoyed what I was doing. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I stepped over the edge of the abyss.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cKill him.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Excerpted from <\/strong>Hunter Killer: A Pike Logan Novel<\/em><\/strong><\/a> by Brad Taylor. Copyright \u00a9 2019 by Brad Taylor. Excerpted with permission by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n