Chapter Six
Rescue
Bolting out of Orin Travis's office, Vin ran down the empty hallway towards the parking lot where he left Alex in Chris's Hudson.
Behind him, Vin heard footsteps running after him and didn't need to look over his shoulder to see it was Chris Larabee. As it was when the young lieutenant played surrogate father to him during the war on the Western Front, the leader of the seven was not about to shirk his responsibility now Vin was an adult. Their connection, forged in blood and combat, had solidified into a friendship that was more than just family or brotherhood. It was almost symbiotic.
Vin knew destiny was playing them on a cosmic turntable where his place in the scheme of things would always be at Chris's side.
Just like the connection he felt to Alex. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he felt it. Seeing her shifted the cools sands of his reserve, where most of his feelings remained hidden. Emerging from it was a heart beaten into submission long ago, suddenly finding reason to reach for the light. When she kissed him, that tiny neglected corner of himself, containing dreams not even his friends knew about, came alive. When Vin left her, he felt as if for the first time, everything in his universe was finally whole.
"Vin!" Chris called after the young man, once he told the others to remain behind with the Professor, now they understood the danger the man was in. Besides, the police would soon descend on them and they were going to have to give statements about their part in tonight's incident. The sharpshooter was running down the hallway, headed towards the first set of stairs to take him to ground level. Vin didn't look back and Chris knew he was in the grip of a single-minded pursuit that would tolerate no interference until he reached his destination.
Chris had no idea what transpired between Vin and William Styles's daughter tonight, but one thing was clear, she had definitely gotten under Vin's skin.
In some ways, Chris was almost glad to see it. It was not lost on him the younger man's hesitation around the opposite sex. Oh, he could talk to them alright, he wasn't a complete social misfit but Chris did notice his reluctance to approach them on a romantic level. Even though Vin had turned many a lady's eye during their adventures, he never seemed to take advantage of it the way Buck did. If anything, Vin always seemed shy around them as if he didn't think himself worthy of their notice. Which was ridiculous since Vin Tanner was one of the most capable people he knew.
Then again, considering the course Vin's life had taken, perhaps it was not such a mystery after all.
During the war, Vin's introduction to the subject of the opposite sex involved witnessing his older comrades partaking in the company of the ladies occupying the numerous bordellos, along the Front. From what Vin had told him, after escaping the authorities when they returned home, Vin's refuge with the Navajo existed on something of a knife's edge. Kojay, the old Indian tracker who took him in and raised Vin alongside his own son, Chanu, fought to keep him on the reservation when the rest of the Navajo were ambivalent about allowing a white child in their company. On that basis, Chris doubted they would have tolerated Vin consorting with their daughters on any level.
By the time Vin joined the Texas Rangers he had become so accustomed to being alone, he simply did not have the inclination to sow his wild oats as any young man his age was apt to do. Then again, Vin was such an idealist despite his unflappable manner implying cynicism, Chris believed there was every chance he was a romantic too. It would not surprise Chris in the slightest if Vin was simply biding his time waiting for the right girl to come along.
And perhaps tonight, she had.
When they reached the manicured lawns surrounding the museum, the blare of sirens could be heard over the murmur of survivors outside the building. The front of the museum resembled the floor of a triage unit, with injured people being attended to by loved ones as they waited for the ambulances to arrive and take them to proper medical help. They were seated on the steps and lying across the grass, their fine, formal wear stained with blood as their faces showed the shock and confusion of tonight's horror.
Chris ignored the scene for the moment. There would be plenty of time to take it all in when the authorities arrived when he and Vin surrendered themselves to the police for questioning. As it was, the red strobe of police cars stabbed his eyes through the night and Chris knew they had only a few minutes before the law arrived. Turning back to Vin, he found the younger man at his Hudson and was kneeling on the ground next to it.
Lying against the tar was a lady's purse and an open box of sugar babies, the candy spread across the road like marbles.
Vin was staring at them hard and for once Chris couldn't read the inscrutable expression on his face. Picking up the purse, Vin looked almost afraid to touch it and when he looked up at Chris's arrival, his blue eyes were dark.
"She's gone," he said bitterly. "They took her."
"We'll get her back Vin," Chris placed a hand on his shoulder. "Count on it."
The sharpshooter did not speak. Instead, he reached for his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief she had used to dry her eyes. Pressing it to his lips, he took in the slight scent of her perfume still clinging to the fabric. That maddening scent had been all around him when he kissed her.
"Yeah," Vin said quietly. "We still got a date."
Lying against the floor of the car, Alexandra Styles could hear the roar of the engines as it sped away from the museum and tried not to let the fear overtake her. The two men in the back seat of the vehicle had slipped a gag in her mouth shortly after they wrestled her into it. Not long after, her hands were bound behind her back. So far, they made no demands of her, only barking at each other in their odd oriental accents, wearing clothes more appropriate for a Valentino film. Because she lay beneath the seats, she couldn't get a far enough glimpse through the window to see where they were going and this only heightened her fear even more.
No one knew they had taken her. No one except maybe the young man whose jacket she was still wearing. She thought of him with his soulful blue eyes and felt a pang of disappointment at not being there in the car when he returned. She lowered her face to her shoulder and brushed her skin against the fabric of his jacket. She could almost smell a faint trace of his cologne and for some reason, it comforted her. Perhaps, he might wonder where she had gone. Would he try to find her, if he did? Would he care enough to try?
A secret part of her hoped he would.
The time seemed to stretch as she lay on the floor of the car, until she knew they were a good distance away from the museum, which only increased her anxiety because that meant she could be anywhere now. What on Earth did they want with her anyway? She was no one, just a fourth-year medical student, one most people considered coloured because her mother had been Indian. Sure, she had money because daddy left her with a sizeable inheritance, probably intended to see her through college and beyond. Did they want money? If it meant staying alive so she could meet Vin for that drink, she'd happily pay it.
A shift in gear told Alex the car was going to slow and no sooner than she heard the soft click of the gear stick locking into place, the rumble of the engines dropped an octave as the vehicle came to a stop. Through what little she could see through the window, the night sky and hear the chirping of insect life beyond the car offered no revelations about their destination. There was no other sound and where she was appeared to be devoid of any other voices. The possibility she was being taken somewhere remote to be killed, or worse, drove her to near panic.
When the car doors opened and the men inside the car climbed out. Alex debated whether she ought to fight to remain in the vehicle. It felt much more merciful than what might happen to her once she was outside, at the place they intended her to be. She had no chance to consider the matter further because the door opened near her and Alex was dragged roughly out of the vehicle by both men who set upright her on her feet.
Alex prepared to give them a fight when suddenly, the realisation of where she was made her freeze in her tracks.
She was home.
Inside the Hudson, Chris, Vin and Buck were speeding towards the home of William Styles, who had moved into the area some years ago after his daughter had gone to medical school. While they had fully intended to wait around to be questioned by the authorities, the abduction of the girl had Vin chomping at the bit and Chris knew if they didn't act immediately, the younger man was going to do something stupid. Besides, it made sense wasting no time going after her. If Chris's understanding of the situation was correct, they had abducted her for only one reason and that was to retrieve the Pillar she had in her possession.
The Professor invited Alex to the party tonight because he wanted to tell the girl about the possible danger she was in, now William's Pillar had been passed down to her. However, the possible threat had become a terrifying reality and Orin feared now she was in their hands, they would not hesitate to employ the most brutal methods to get what they wanted. Voicing that fear had been enough to send Vin into a state of panic and the rest of the seven were rather surprised by how a chance meeting with Alex Styles had affected Vin so deeply.
Meanwhile Chris had concluded that neither Orin or his rather irritating daughter were safe either. If the Erran were willing to act so openly tonight, there was no telling what lengths they would go, to get the Heart and the Pillar still in Orin's hands. Thus, Chris left Josiah, Nathan, Ezra and JD to keep watch on Orin and Mary, while they headed south to Santa Fe where William had set up a medical practice in recent years.
"Chris, what are we going to do once we get the girl and the Pillar?" Buck Wilmington who could never stand silence asked as he sat in the backseat of the car, tired of watching the night rush by his window or the foreboding mood of tension gripping them all. The ride so far had been steeped in grim silence with Vin saying nothing as he rode shotgun next to Chris, who was doing the driving.
Buck didn't know who this girl was but she had certainly done a number on the second youngest member of the seven, if the intensity of Vin's worry was any indication. Buck only hoped they got to her before any serious harm fell upon the lady. The way Vin was looking right now, Buck didn't think he could stand it.
In some ways, Vin Tanner was very much like how Chris used to be before the fire took Sarah and Adam. It was probably why Chris had taken to the kid during the war. They were so much alike. Buck didn't want to see the effect on Vin, if this girl was taken away from him before they had time to mean something to each other. No one wanted to see history repeating itself on Vin, the way it had with Chris.
"I'm not sure," Chris answered Buck, grateful the pilot had chosen to break the silence. Even though they were only fifteen minutes away from their destination, he could see the slight ticking of Vin's jaw, indicating the young man was bristling with impatience. Sitting on his hands was driving Vin crazy and Chris knew it wouldn't take much to set his powder keg emotions alight. "These sons of bitches are patient and brutal. They've been waiting literally for decades for the Heart to appear, they're not going to stop until they get all the pieces together and find the Tablet."
"So, what do we do?" Buck asked. "Find it ourselves?"
Chris had considered the idea. More than considered actually. Getting their hands on it would certainly shift the Errans' focus off the Professor and the two women, but that would mean drawing the cult's obsession and Chris wasn't certain that was a solution. "We could do that. I mean the whole purpose of this thing is to get the Tablet. If we got our hands on it first, stashed it someplace they could not..."
"You smash it so it can't be used." Vin stated suddenly.
Chris threw a glance at Vin while Buck merely stared at him in shock. They had been hunting antiquities for so long they had developed a certain respect for the artefacts and its history, beyond the monetary value. Hearing Vin talk about obliterating one was jarring.
"Vin..." Chris started to speak, aware of the heated emotions driving the younger man when Vin cut him off.
"I ain't saying this because of Alex," Vin explained himself, his eyes still fixed on the road ahead. "I'm saying it, because this is the only way to keep the Erran from coming after her and the Professor. It ain't just an artefact to them Chris, it's their way of unmaking the world. They believe it and we've seen how crazy people get when it comes to their religion."
Chris couldn't argue that point. They had crossed the world these last four years and what people were willing to do for belief was a terrifying thing to behold. Hell, there were people in this country who believed handling snakes brought them closer to God. Yeah, Chris knew what Vin was trying to say. As long as the Tablet existed, the Erran would never stop hunting for it.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Chris remarked tossing Buck a glance. "Right now, let's just get to the girl."
According to Orin, William Styles had moved to Santa Fe four years ago after his daughter Alex had left their native New York for medical school. Perhaps wishing to be closer to his oldest friend in his later years, the eminent doctor had taken up a position at the local hospital and bought himself a modest estate in the small community of Seton Village. As Chris noted the remote surroundings, the former soldier had to wonder if Styles had chosen the location to hide away from the Erran.
Approaching the estate, they saw a multi-storied house of Spanish-Mexican architecture, surrounded by walls of stone fencing. However, through the gap of the entry, they saw the gates were splayed open and despite the late hour, there was light pouring out of the windows. Running the engine low as they neared the driveway, they saw two cars parked one after the other near the path leading to the front door. Since Styles lived alone and Alex if she lived here, was out, there was no reason for there to be callers at this time of the night.
Bringing the car to a halt as near as they could to the gate, without being seen by the estate's intruders, Chris, Vin and Buck climbed out of the car and armed themselves sufficiently, anticipating trouble. With no other homes in the area and very little traffic, the sound of the night could be heard clearly. Beyond the chirping of unseen insects in the desert shrubbery, the occasional nocturnal critter emerging for the nightly foraging, there was little sound. At least until they got closer.
The minute they made their way up the long cobblestone driveway, the sounds of breakage shattered the night. Voices were chattering excitedly moving throughout the house, their footsteps overlapping the sound of furniture falling over, or screeching across the floor and more objects breaking. Chris wished JD was here because the words being spoken by the intruders were not of a language he understood. The kid would have figured it out in a minute.
"They're looking for the Pillar," Buck remarked quietly as he held the Remington in his grip, scanning the line of yucca trees and the garden flanking the right side of the driveway, with its shrubbery of Mugho Pine, Butterfly Bush and other native flora.
"Yeah," Chris nodded in agreement, wanting to reach a window so he could see how many of these bastards they were dealing with. Clearly, they hadn't found the artefact yet, judging by the annoyance he could hear in their voices. Frustration was capable of crossing any language barrier.
Suddenly a voice cried out through the night in words they understood immediately.
"Let go of me!"
Chris had only to glance at Vin to know immediately, it was Alex.
His name was Adashir Shah and from the day he was born, he was raised to rule.
The Empire he would carve for himself had long ago faded into the desert sands of time but as his father and mother had raised him to believe, death was not an ending and empires could rise again. Claiming lineage to the Sassanid kings of the past, he had taken up the mantle left to him by his father and the generations before him, to unleash the god Erran and let him remake a better world, one freed of white colonialism and decadence.
Standing in front of the woman before him, he took note that she was exquisitely beautiful and brushed his fingertips on her cheek as two of his men held her tight, one with an arm locked around her throat, while the other holding a blade to her ribs. When Shah touched her, she squirmed hard, trying to escape his fingers. He found her resistance made him want her more, especially when he saw the tuxedo coat around her shoulders. Knowing she belonged to someone else, made her forbidden fruit that was so much tastier.
"No one is coming to save you," he said as he stared into her frightened eyes. "Give me what I want and I may make the next few years pleasant. Give me any trouble and you'll die her tonight."
"I don't know what you want!" Alex burst out in fear, not at all liking her two choices and at present, what he considered pleasant, Alex suspected may be a living hell.
"The Pillar!" He snapped, grabbing her hair and pulling her face to him. "Where is the Pillar? Your father has been most efficient in hiding it. Where is it?"
"The Pillar?" She stared at him in shock. That ghost story her father always told her? While she knew he had an interest in Arabian folklore and collected artifacts, the Pillar was not one of them. "He doesn't have it."
A sharp blow against the cheek made Alex's head swim, and she felt the skin of face flare in pain. "Of course he has it! He and his friends raped my land to get it! Now tell me where it is, or I'll have these men do the same!"
"I swear," Alex started to sob as she saw the leer on the faces of the men keeping her subdued. "I don't know where it is! He never told me!"
He raised his hand to strike her again when suddenly a gunshot rang out and the Erran standing next to Alex with his blade, jerked back violently when the back of his skull exploded outward. Blood and brain mattered splattered across the bust of Louis Pasteur sitting on the edge of her father's desk. Uttering a terrified cry of horror as Shah spun around, Alex looked over his shoulder and felt the voice die in her throat as she saw Vin Tanner taking aim at the doorway, preparing to fire again. Across the house, more gunfire erupted.
Emboldened by the sight of him, Alex sank her teeth into the arm locked around her neck and bit down hard enough to ensure she tasted blood. Her captive swore loudly and shoved her forward and it was with some satisfaction Alex saw an imprint of her teeth that would make any dentist proud.
"Alex get down!"
Dropping to her knees, she saw Shah starting to turn around, attempting to grab her when another bullet fired, this one so close Alex thought she felt it over her head, struck the Erran behind her. She saw the spread of blood across his chest before he collapsed on the floor face first. His death compelled the man the others called the Shah to take cover and before he could use her for a hostage, Alex scrambled away on her hands and knees. She took refuge behind the oak desk with every intention of staying put until the shooting was done.
Shah could see the new arrival at the doorway preparing to take aim and judging by the gunfire he could hear across the house, guessed the rest of his men were similarly engaged. He himself was not armed. What need of it was there when he had his men around him. Yet as he saw the both of them lying dead across the floor, realised a hasty retreat was necessary. Glaring at the girl who had crawled out of reach, Shah turned his attention to the window closest to him.
Without hesitation, he ran for the window with gunfire chasing his every step and threw himself against the glass. A sound of breaking wood and shattered fragments followed him out of the room, into the cool night air beyond. He landed hard on the grass outside, his body feeling the cuts of glass against his skin as he rolled across the ground, trailing glass and broken pieces of wood. Shah got to his feet, not waiting to see if the shooter would come after him, choosing instead to dust himself off before heading towards the cars in the driveway.
Shah regretted leaving his men to their fates but the cause was more important and his survival was its survival.
