The Phoenix Encounter Read online

  “Yes.”

  “And the baby?”

  Robert’s heart began to pound. He was aware of the revolver he’d slipped into the waistband of his jeans pressing against the small of his back. He stared at the other man, strength for strength. “My son.”

  The lieutenant raised his hand and touched Lily’s cheek. Anger joined the chorus of adrenaline and raw nerves and sang through Robert. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily jerk away from the other man’s hand and prayed she would hold her tongue.

  Easy, Lily. Don’t give them a reason to kill us, he thought.

  “Your wife is Rebelian?” the lieutenant asked.

  “French, like me,” Robert answered.

  A cold smile touched the other man’s mouth. “She looks familiar. I could swear I’ve seen her before.”

  Lily shot him a look cold enough to freeze hell. “I’ve never seen you in my life,” she fired off in rapid Rebelian. “I’d remember a face as ugly as yours.”

  The rest of the men burst into raucous laughter.

  Robert squeezed her hand hard.

  The lieutenant glared at his men, and they immediately fell silent. He looked at Lily, his eyes glinting in the glare of the spotlight. “Your wife doesn’t seem to like soldiers,” he said.

  “She doesn’t like anyone.” Robert shrugged. “Not even me.”

  The men laughed again, but when the lieutenant didn’t join in, they fell quickly silent.

  “Women should have more respect,” he said. “Maybe my soldiers could teach her a lesson in respect. They’ve been away from their wives for a very long time.”

  Cursing silently, Robert eased Lily back a step, slowly maneuvering himself more solidly between her and the men. The woods were only a few yards away. If someone started shooting he wanted her to have a straight shot at their only escape route. All she had to do was scoop up Jack and run like hell. With luck, Robert could hold the soldiers off long enough for her to get away.

  “We’ve got a long journey ahead of us,” Robert said. “If you need some food or inoculations for your children, I can give them to you.”

  “You got any whiskey?” one of the men shouted in Rebelian.

  The lieutenant spat something in Rebelian Robert couldn’t quite translate. A beefy man with a bald head and shoulders the size of a Mack truck jumped from the jeep and approached Robert. Without warning, he drew back and rammed the rifle butt into Robert’s stomach.

  The air left his lungs in a rush. Pain streaked through his abdomen. Robert retched, tasted bile at the back of his throat. Vaguely, he was aware of his legs buckling. Of Lily shouting his name. He dropped to his knees, expecting another blow at the back of his head, and tried desperately to get oxygen into his lungs.

  An instant later the bald man tore the backpack from his shoulders, opened the flap and dumped the contents onto the ground. Robert stared at the contents, glad he’d had the foresight to stash his high-tech equipment in the fanny pack strapped around his waist.

  “You can take the inoculations,” Robert gasped. “They’re yours. Use them for your children. There are antibiotics, too.”

  He felt Lily’s hands on his arm. She knelt beside him, her eyes wide with fear. She reached for him, but the lieutenant pulled her roughly to her feet. “My soldiers think you need a lesson in respect.”

  “My son is sick,” she said. “Please. W-we just want to take him to the hospital.”

  A cruel smile whispered across the lieutenant’s face. An instant later, he grasped a handful of Lily’s hair, yanked her toward him and crushed his mouth to hers. She lashed out with both fists, but he was holding her too close for her to get any leverage, and her efforts were in vain.

  Raw fury sent Robert to his feet. Three of the other soldiers moved closer, their hands restless on automatic weapons. Robert knew he and Lily were outgunned and out manned ten to one. But there was no way in hell he was going to let this escalate. He’d die before he’d let that son of a bitch turn his soldiers loose on Lily. All he needed was a distraction. Hold on, Lily, he thought. I’ll get us out of this. Just stay cool.

  A moment later, the lieutenant released her. Lily stumbled back, breathing hard, and spat on the ground. “Bastard,” she said.

  The lieutenant smiled. “Ah, such disrespect.” He glanced at his men. “I think there’s enough of her for everyone.”

  The men stared at them, their faces hungry and cruel, a pack of wolves facing down a much smaller prey.

  Robert leaned forward, feigning pain and clenching his stomach, all the while easing his right hand toward the fanny pack at his waist.

  The lieutenant reached into a breast pocket and removed a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he handed it to Lily. “I’m afraid your little charade is over, Lillian Scott,” he said.

  Lily stared at the tattered sheet of paper in her hand, terror streaking through her as her face stared back at her. Vaguely, she was aware of the paper rattling as her hands began to shake. Her legs followed suit, then suddenly her entire body was trembling violently. Never had she imagined in a thousand years that DeBruzkya would take things this far.

  Heart pounding, she raised her eyes to the lieutenant. “Let my son and this man go free, and I’ll go with you,” she said.

  “You’re in no position to bargain.”

  She shuddered when the lieutenant’s eyes swept over her, lingering on her breasts. “One hundred thousand American dollars.” He licked his lips. “General DeBruzkya must want you very badly. I wonder if you’re worth that much.”

  “You touch me, and DeBruzkya will kill you,” she said.

  “Maybe I just want a peek at what has the general tied up in little knots.”

  Lily withheld a shudder. She’d been in tough predicaments before and she’d gotten out of them alive. She would get out of this one, too. If she only had a plan…

  The lieutenant brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I’ve always liked red hair on a woman,” he whispered. “A woman like you could do a lot for the morale of my men.”

  Her heart was pounding so loudly she could barely hear him. But she knew what he wanted, and the thought revolted her. “My son is very sick. He needs to go to the hospital. Let both of them go and I’ll…go with you.”

  “You’re going with me anyway. Why should I bargain with you?” He looked at Robert, then at Jack. “What are they worth to you, my lamb? What will you do to protect them?”

  Lily stared at him, knowing his kind and hating him. She’d met too many men like him in the years she’d been in Rebelia. Men who were cruel and violent and evil.

  “They’re worth everything to me,” she said.

  “Everything?” When she wouldn’t look at him, he put his hand beneath her chin and forced her to look at him. “Everything?”

  She wasn’t exactly sure what he was asking, but she knew she didn’t have a choice but to agree. Just as she knew this was going to cost her. That it was going to change her life. Change all of their lives. “Yes,” she said, hating the quiver in her voice.

  “Good girl,” he said. “Oh, yes. Good, good girl.” Never taking his eyes from Lily, he snapped his fingers at one of his soldiers and motioned toward Robert. “Give him back his satchel and send him on his way.”

  Lily closed her eyes. Relief warred with terror. She couldn’t imagine Robert walking away and leaving her but prayed that if he had to choose between her and Jack he would do the right thing and choose Jack, that he would protect the baby first and above everything else.

  She gave the lieutenant the best go-to-hell look she could manage. “If you hurt them, I’ll make sure DeBruzkya kills you.”

  She thought she saw a flash of fear in the lieutenant’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly she couldn’t be sure. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the soldiers thrust Robert’s backpack at him.

  “Hit the road,” the soldier snarled, then turned a lascivious stare at Lily. “We have business to attend.”

  She wanted
to look at Robert but wasn’t sure what it would do to her emotions, what it would do to him, so she didn’t. She heard Jack fussing when Robert picked him up off the blanket, and her heart broke. Take good care of my son, she thought, wondering if she would ever see him again, and felt the hot burn of tears in her eyes. She tried hard to block the thoughts, but they swirled inside her brain, cutting her like shrapnel, making her bleed until she felt she’d been bled dry.

  Summoning her courage, she looked at Robert and found his eyes already upon her. He had the backpack slung over one shoulder, Jack cradled in one arm. Her heart stumbled in her chest at the sight of him with her son—their son—and regret seared through her.

  She thought about the gun strapped to her thigh. She knew it wouldn’t be enough in a firefight, but it might buy them some time. She would wait until Robert had Jack safely out of sight. Then she would take out the first man who touched her and deal with the consequences when the time came.

  Lily couldn’t believe it was going to end like this. Couldn’t believe after everything she’d been through, she was going to die at the hands of DeBruzkya’s soldiers. She thought of Jack, and her heart shattered.

  She had to touch him one more time. Had to look into his blue eyes, kiss his tender cheek, smell his baby scent. Turning abruptly away from the lieutenant, she rushed to Robert and reached for her son. It gave her pause when Robert quickly handed him over. She held her baby close and let her tears fall. Around her the soldiers sat in their jeeps and smoked cigarettes and pretended not to watch.

  “Stay cool and follow my cue,” Robert whispered in French.

  Lily glanced at him over the top of Jack’s head. Robert stared back at her, and she thought she’d never seen a man look as dangerous as he did at that moment. The hairs at her nape prickled. And suddenly she knew he had no intention of walking away. The thought terrified her because there was no way in hell he was a match for a dozen heavily armed soldiers. What could he possibly be thinking?

  She watched, puzzled, as Robert pulled one of Jack’s bottles from the bag. Looking awkward and shaken, he withdrew a small prescription bottle from the fanny pack, twisted off the top and tapped several small metallic tablets that were about the size of a watch battery onto his palm.

  What on earth was he doing?

  The lieutenant had taken notice and was watching Robert closely. “What do you have there?”

  Robert smiled sheepishly. “Ulcer,” he said, rubbing the place on his abdomen where the rifle butt had been rammed.

  The lieutenant snarled in disgust. “Your life has been spared at the cost of your wife’s honor. A real man would have died for her. Get out of here like the dog you are.”

  Robert twisted off the bottle’s nipple and dropped several of the tablets—a top-secret tool, courtesy of ARIES—into the milk. Abruptly, he tossed the bottle at the lieutenant. The lieutenant caught the bottle, then stared at it with annoyance and surprise. “What the hell is this?”

  “Payback,” Robert said and ducked.

  The lieutenant’s eyes widened an instant before the bottle exploded.

  “Run!” Robert shouted to Lily in English.

  The concussion of the blast struck her like a fiery fist. Lily was so stunned that for a moment she couldn’t move. She watched in amazement as the lieutenant reeled backward, cursing in Rebelian, howling in pain.

  “Go!” Whipping a revolver from the waistband of his jeans, Robert took aim and fired. One of the soldiers fell. The others scattered like ants, shouting, raising their weapons. The rat-tat-tat of an automatic weapon pierced the air.

  Wrapping her arms around Jack, Lily ran headlong toward the line of trees a few yards away. When she was halfway there, a second explosion rocked the night. Lily looked over her shoulder in time to see a plume of smoke rise from the nearest jeep. Flames shot from one of the tires. Several of the soldiers were doubled over and coughing violently.

  Robert was a few yards behind her, running like a sprinter. Behind him, the lieutenant had fallen to the ground, his uniform charred and smoking. Lilly watched in horror as he rolled and came up with a pistol aimed directly at Robert’s back.

  “Look out!” she screamed.

  Robert’s gaze met hers, but he didn’t stop running. She saw fear in his eyes, felt the same fear grip her. A shot snapped through the air. Robert jolted, but he didn’t slow. Knowing she didn’t have a choice but to defend herself, her child and the man who’d probably just saved both their lives, she slowed her pace, lifted her skirt and tugged the tiny chrome .22 caliber handgun from its holster at her thigh. Twisting in midstride she fired four times in quick succession.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw the pistol fly out of the lieutenant’s hand. She reached the line of trees a moment later and burst through the low-growing brush. She ran blindly, branches clawing at her face, roots grabbing at her feet like frantic fingers. She ran until her lungs threatened to burst, until her legs quivered with exertion. Then Jack began to cry and a terrible new fear crept over her.

  Terrified that he’d been hurt by a stray bullet, she stopped and looked at him. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she ran them over his little body. “Hush, sweetheart. Everything’s okay. I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek. “Shh. Mommy’s here. Everything’s okay, sweet baby.”

  But Jack wasn’t having it and squealed even louder.

  Lily couldn’t blame him; she felt like crying, too. She could still feel the hot sweep of horror. Still see the terror on Robert’s face. She had no idea how he had managed those explosions, but he’d gotten them out of what surely would have been a deadly situation. For that, she would be forever thankful.

  “Robert?” she whispered into the surrounding darkness. “Are you there?”

  The only answer came in the form of her labored breathing and the cries of her son. Around her the forest pulsed with nocturnal life. She wasn’t sure how far she’d run, but she could no longer hear shots or see the fire through the thick trees.

  “Robert? Wh—”

  She yelped when a dark silhouette stepped out from behind a nearby tree.

  “I’m right here,” he said.

  Pressing a hand to her stomach, she uttered a silent prayer. “Thank God you’re okay.”

  “Are you hurt?” he asked. “Jack?”

  “We’re fine.” She looked at Jack. “Shaken up and scared, but we’re—”

  He didn’t wait for her to finish, but walked over to her and reached for Jack. Lily’s first instinct was to hold her son tight and not let him go, but something in Robert’s eyes stopped her. His hands trembled as he unbuckled the carrier straps. An instant later, he released the boy and gathered him into his arms. Lily watched, awestruck and moved, as Robert closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against Jack’s. He didn’t say a word, but she saw the emotion overwhelming him, and only then did she realize that in the last days something profound had occurred between father and son.

  “That was close,” he said a moment later.

  “Too close.”

  Robert was shaking violently. His face was pale. A sheen of sweat coated his forehead.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I’m fine.” As if realizing how he must look, he loosened his grip on Jack. “Give me the carrier. We’ve got to keep moving. Put some distance between us and DeBruzkya’s goons.”

  Something in his voice warned her not to argue. She eased the straps from her shoulders and passed the carrier to him. He passed Jack to her, then quickly adjusted the straps to fit his larger frame and slipped the carrier over his shoulders.

  “Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that?” he asked as he reached for Jack.

  “I didn’t.”

  “I saw you shoot the pistol out of the lieutenant’s hands.”

  Lily shrugged. “I was aiming for the tires on the jeep.”

  “Terrific.” He strapped Jack into the carrier. “Okay, big guy. Let’s make s
ome time.”

  Standing on her tiptoes, Lily draped a blanket over Jack’s head and over Robert’s shoulder. “Maybe he’ll sleep once we start walking.”

  Robert looked over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the darkened forest. “DeBruzkya’s soldiers aren’t going to give up. We need to cover some ground very quickly.” He glanced at the compass in his hand, then started forward. “Let’s go.”

  Uneasiness prickled up her spine as Lily fell in beside him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you had a bounty on your head?” he asked.

  “I didn’t know.”

  “That could complicate things at the hospital.”

  “All I care about is Jack. I don’t have to be there for him to get treat—”

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight,” he growled. “Next thing you’ll have the entire Rebelian army after you.”

  Because she wasn’t so certain that wasn’t already true, she didn’t say anything. “Those explosives you used. I’ve never seen anything like them.”

  “They’re relatively new. Used for personal protection. Last resort kind of thing. I figured that situation qualified.” He frowned at her. “Keep walking.”

  The realization of how things could have turned out shook her. “If you hadn’t been there—”

  “I was.” Robert regarded her with steely eyes. “It’s over.”

  Before realizing what she was about to do, she crossed the distance between them and pressed a kiss to his mouth. He stiffened for an instant, then his mouth relaxed against hers. Before the moment turned sexual, she pulled away. “Thank you.”

  He raised his hand to wave off her thanks, but she stopped him. “I mean it, Robert. You saved my life. You probably saved Jack’s life, too. I can’t tell you what that means to me.”

  He stepped back, looking a little stunned, watching her like a big male cat that had just been cuffed by a much smaller female. “I think I know,” he said.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance and the moment was broken. Hefting Jack’s carrier higher on his abdomen, Robert looked around. “We’ve got to keep moving. The soldiers aren’t far away, and I would imagine they’re pretty pissed off.”