Chapter 40
They hadn't busted through the gate like Admiral Hollings supposed they would. It had been left open, a welcome no one expected until the trio pulled up to the main house to find Adele pacing outside with a cellphone pressed to her ear. She was barking orders, waving at the car that just entered until the realization of its occupants made her drop the device.
It was Harm who hopped out first, practically flinging his tall frame out the back door. To Adele, he was the devil incarnate and a ghost she wasn't prepared to deal with ever again. "How many of those nine lives do you have left, Captain?"
Anger oozed out of him albeit measured and controlled. He quickly moved up the steps and didn't stop until his long fingers wrapped tightly around DeLong's wrist. "I've never hit a woman before but so help me if you don't tell me where she is-"
"Gone."
"What?"
"Sarah is gone, Captain." She easily pulled her hand out of his grasp. Just the mention of Mac's absence had weakened his resolve. "Gregory took her." Adele faltered a little only because she could no longer hide the damage her godson had done.
"Where?" Harm growled through gritted teeth but there was nothing else the Ambassador said as the high pitched wails of sirens came up the driveway.
Detective Connor watched the small caravan of vehicles and without asking rushed inside of Winfield house with Admiral Hollings in tow. Harm didn't follow and neither did DeLong. She stared at the Naval officer and frowned. "This feud between us has lasted too long."
"Where the hell is my wife, Adele?!" He reached for her again and wound up grabbing the front of her blood stained blouse. It was the first time he noticed the stain, its stickiness now coated the tips of his fingers. When the medics were satisfied she wasn't injured they rushed into the house. "What the hell happened?"
"Everything you believed could." Adele was rarely vulnerable and never unsure how to proceed. She had plans, answers and always a backup in place should all else fail. This time, there was nothing but the surety that if Rabb found her precious Gregory, her godson would be killed. "I'll tell you where he went but you need to promise me you won't kill him."
"Fuck you. I can't make that promise."
"Do you want to find her? Time's running out."
Harm felt like a match had been struck and placed on a river of gasoline. The flames were licking at him, threatening to reach its source for a cataclysmic explosion. "Fine, I won't kill your godson."
She motioned to the car he'd rode in, a top of the line Mercedes belonging to Admiral Hollings. "Biggin Hill airport. It's about an hour away - my plane is a beige Gulfstream. His plan is to fly to France."
He hurried towards the car hoping to catch up. From what Harm knew about planes, it would take a while to fuel and get some sort of flight plan ready. He had time and though it was dwindling, a little of it was better than nothing. "Captain! You need to know - Gregory is armed."
Harm didn't bother asking how a firearm had been acquired but kept that nugget of information in the back of his mind as he guided the car past the emergency vehicles and sped towards the airport.
Mac considered jumping from a moving car the same way a heroine might in an action movie. Drop and roll, wasn't that what she once heard a stuntman say? Although she doubted a stunt car was moving at full speed and with her luck, she'd break a bone then find herself immobilized on the side of the road. She was quickly running out of options.
Vukovic she could take. The gun he held meant little given how poorly he handled himself. It was the guard at his side that Mac was weary of. The man was all muscle, a head taller than her and built like a humvee. She tried studying his movements, finding a way to conquer his strength by getting him off balance. The Marines had taught her well and her own private foray into kickboxing made her lethal. It was all about timing and she would be damned if that little pissant and his goon was taking her out of the country.
For some reason, she knew Harm was searching for her. He was following but she couldn't trust that he'd make it on time nor did she want to be the damsel in distress. She also didn't want him getting shot and with the state of Vic's crazed mind, that was a given.
So she sat in the back pretending to be a little worse for wear during the tense ride where the full weight of his manic behavior manifested itself. He kept rambling in bad French and what little Mac understood was like he was counting. None of it made sense but as the signs pointing towards the airport came at them with greater frequency, she might have panicked a little.
It made her breathe heavily and sweat profusely. For the life of her, Mac just couldn't understand what was so special about her to be placed in such a predicament. "Greg, we don't have to leave, I like it in England. We can stay here."
He twisted in his seat, practically oblivious to the cars coming towards them as they drifted into the opposite lane. "You never called me that before."
"Things change." Mac saw the car coming at them but, thankfully the guards' will to live was enough to have him pulling the steering wheel until they were back in the correct lane. "We're never going to make it anywhere if you keep driving like that."
Vic chuckled and steadied the car so that it remained between the lines of traffic. But instead of slowing to the posted speed, he pressed harder on the accelerator. "Does this scare you?"
"Yes." She admitted as he watched her through the rearview mirror. On purpose the man swerved and nearly dropped the car into a ditch. Mac wasn't wearing a seatbelt and the way her body flailed across the back seat made Vukovic laugh. "Stop it! You'll kill us all."
"You're right and I don't want that." He sighed and kept his eyes on the road, slowing until they were just above the speed limit. "Do you think people can change, Sarah?"
"Yes, if they want to."
"I want to. I want to change for you. I want you to love me."
Mac could have entertained his fantasies but, from her dealing with Coster a lifetime ago, agreeing wasn't going to help. "I don't love you."
"People change. I'm counting on that." He said solemnly and Max noted how he gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles went white. "I'm counting on you loving me."
"That will never happen."
"We'll see."
The Biggin Hill airport appeared a half hour later but the sound of small aircraft overhead had been a sign they were getting near. The runway was not visible from the road. From all the private homes which lined the main road and the canopy of trees, the runway was not visible.
A large sign designated the point where the car was to turn that led up a driveway that ended at a building housing the control tower. Vukovic made a left and continued down a small road that ended at a large airplane hangar.
Inside two men were waiting in a seating area which had the appearance of an upscale lounge. Plush sofas, heavy armchairs and a small area with coffee and snacks made up the waiting area. It was the last place Vukovic wanted to be. He concealed the pistol within his pants pocket and warned Mac to not do anything stupid. "Captain Bauer?
The taller of the two stood first and although each man sported a traditional pilot uniform of white dress shirt and black slacks, Bauer had an extra stripe on his epaulet. "And you are?"
"Lt. Commander Gregory Vukovic. This is Mr. Marshall from diplomatic security and Marine Colonel Sarah MacKenzie. We're all part of Ambassador DeLong's envoy."
The captain glanced between the trio knowing that the last time the Ambassador flew anywhere was with a significant amount of security. For this trip, the flight plan was a last minute venture planned with utmost discretion. He figured the woman wanted some quiet time away but intuition told him otherwise. "Where is the Ambassador?"
"Held behind, unfortunately. Her directive was for my colleagues and I to wait in the aircraft until she arrives." Vic leaned in and conspiringly whispered, "You know how she is. If we're not ready to go, I'll never hear the end of it."
Bauer chuckled, "Heads will roll, for sure. Follow me."
They walked through the large waiting area and then through a single door which led into a massive hangar. Various small planes and three jets awaited, the prettiest of all was a sleek Gulstream painted in beige with copper accents.
"She still needs to be pushed back and fueled. It'll take a while to file a flight plan."
Mac's sigh of relief was almost audible. The Universe had granted her a little more time and like a good Marine, she already scouted multiple ingress and egress options.
"Why isn't it ready?" Vic growled knowing the longer it took to get the pilots in the plane, the more of a chance he had to get caught. In retrospect she probably should have shot and killed his godmother. He just couldn't. The woman had been an integral part of his life since he was a child. So what if she didn't understand his need to possess the woman at his side. Eventually, she'd come around and they'd be happy again.
"Commander, this was last minute. We arrived ten minutes before you did. Planes don't simply take off, sir. There's weight checks, fuel to be ordered and sumpted. ATC won't-"
"Yeah, well. Not today." There were little employees in the hangar and most were too busy to notice that someone had produced a pistol. "I need us airborne now."
The trip felt endless as the road winded past various homes and tree lined streets. It was a simple drive to Biggin Hill, an airport Harm was familiar with due to a rental company he used a time or two in order to get additional flight time.
It wasn't like flying his beloved 'Sarah' but, he managed and being up in the sky with any airplane was a gift he always appreciated.
The small airport had various hangars, few that he was familiar with. Instinct told him the large building at the left of the runway made the most logical place to house those kinds of jets.
He was close and getting closer but reciting every prayer he knew did nothing to calm him. Harm was seeing red, contemplating murder and though he wasn't the type to welch on a promise, this one was impossible to keep.
The idea of killing Vukovic that night in the bar flashed through his mind more times than he could count. The dirty things he'd called Mac along with details of rape still made him sick to his stomach. He would have gladly spent the rest of his life in prison even if it meant sparing her this madness.
"Damnit, move!" He was driving faster now, swerving around other vehicles as controlled as possible. Trying to calm his racing heart was impossible but he wouldn't risk an accident, not when he was minutes away.
He finally made the last turn towards Biggin Hill on a street that had much more traffic than he wanted. There was no way to go around, no shortcuts to take ans as he heard planes taking off he prayed it wasn't too late. With the heavy foliage around the airport it was hard to see what aircraft had left when he desperately searched the skies hoping not to see the Ambassador's private jet.
Considerations were made to leave the car and run but his body was still too mangled and he knew he'd never make it. So he waited, inching up a little more and more as the other vehicles gave way and the airport entrance became fully visible.
Despite the weapon and his endless threats, getting the jet mobile still took a lot of time. It didn't help that Vic's first course of business was to put a bullet through the co-pilot's chest, a sign of aggression that gave him the best results.
The pilot was moving faster, working through a checklist that would get them airborne quicker even with limited fuel. It was enough to get into French airspace, he knew but not ideal should the plane malfunction somehow.
At the rear of the plane, Vukovic was strapping Mac into one of the plush leather seats, using another seatbelt he'd cut to bind her hands. "I could kill you." He reminded her by palming the pistol he'd set on a table between the seats.
"Then be a man and do it. I'm not afraid of drying." And she wasn't and hadn't been for years. A bullet to the head was far more agreeable than hearing him babble any longer. "Just make it quick, you and your boyfriend are giving me a fucking headache."
She was referring to Vic's goon, Marshall, who was currently worried about his testicals that she'd kneed when he got close enough. It had dropped the man like felled timber and might have given her room to escape if her stupid ankle hadn't rolled on something or other. She was tired and she was pissed so when Vic tried to tighten the belt at her waist, her forehead made contact with his nose.
Mac heard the crack and delighted in how her captor fell backwards with his hands covering his face. Yeah he might just fly her out of England but she was determined to make his life a living hell during their trip. "Hurts, don't it?"
"You fucking bitch!" Vic hadn't yet recovered and he didn't need to. Anger was enough to fuel his body forward. He wound up out of instinct and stuck Mac's beautiful face as hard as he could with the back of his hand. And then he hit her again, a sucker punch to the midsection that had her gasping for air. "Got anything else to say, Ma'am?"
She spit out the blood which collected in her mouth and made sure to aim his way. "Fuck you."
Vukovic's instinct was to raise his hand again but before it could come down to hit her, a call from the captain had him hurrying to the front. "What is it?"
"That. It's blocking the taxiway." Bauer pointed at the Mercedes which was stopped across the road he needed to use in order to reach the runway.
"Go around it!"
"We can't do that. These wheels won't move on the grass." Bauer slowed down the taxiing airplane much to Vukovic's chagrin. He tried to grab the yolk but only managed to send the aircraft into a ditch where it eventually stopped moving. "Give it speed."
"Sir, we can't! You'll destroy the landing gear."
Pointing a gun at the pilot worked, somewhat but the stupid plane still wasn't moving much to get out of the grass and onto the runway. "What about one of those tow things? Marshall, get out and find one!"
The burly man did as told but once the door opened, he was met with one pissed Navy Captain. Harm moved on blind hatred when he swung the 9 iron he'd procured from Holling's golf bag in the truck. The first blow was to the stomach and it doubled the larger man over so badly that he fell from the steps down to the ground. A second hit knocked the man out.
Without thinking, he rushed into the fuselage and stopped only as a crack from a pistol momentarily deafened his ears. His head spun and for some reason there was a sharp pain on the upper part of his left arm that made him drop the golf club.
"No! Don't shoot him!" Mac yelled as she kicked Vukovic and swept his legs from under him. It forced his second shot to miss Harm but, unfortunately, perforated the thin wall which separated the rest of the fuselage from the bridge. The bullet hit the pilot, slumping him over the controls. The engines groaned and forced the stuck plane to lurch suddenly.
Vukovic didn't expect the uncontrolled movement and couldn't brace himself. He fell onto the seat across from Mac, leaving his right hand exposed. With one firm kick, she knocked the weapon away and then slammed her heel into his gut. "Harm, hurry!"
Before reaching Vukovic, Harm's eyes focused solely on Mac. Her hands were tied together with a seatbelt that was clearly cutting off circulation. Then there was the bright red mark on her cheek, a split lip and bloody nose - all the indications of assault that fueled his rage. "You're a dead man."
"Screw you, Rabb!" A bout of foolishness gave Vukovic the courage to attack. He reached for Harm's bleeding wound and dug his fingers into the broken flesh. It made the aviator wince but when Vic's fist met with his jaw, the adrenaline pumping through Harm's veins hit a fever pitch.
Harm busted Vukovic's already broken nose and then slammed his fist into his gut. The Captain took hold of his subordinate's shirt and held on as blow after blow came. Blood splattered on his face and feel of bone breaking made for an intoxicating combination Harm wanted mote of. He would kill Vukovic with his bare hands and finally provide closure for all of the women he assaulted. He would kill Vic just because he dared to put his hands on Mac.
Only someone was pulling him away. Mac's voice cut through the haze in his mind and his arm was suddenly too weak for him to raise any longer. "Harm, stop. Please stop, he isn't worth it."
He did once a final swing caused his arm to flail. Harm was exhausted, worn out and as the adrenaline rushed out of his body, the pain returned. His arm burned and his ribs ached but there was just enough energy left to unstrap the seat belt wrapped around Mac's hands and take her outside.
Mercifully, the engines died, sputtered to a complete stop from the lack of fuel. The plane was finally silent as they sat side by side on the tarmac. In the distance a symphonic echo of sirens neared as did the distinct sounds of a helicopter's rotor blades. "The calvary is coming."
Harm's fingers gently traced the mark Vic left and then raised her chin to take a better look. "He hit you."
"He shot you." She swept his hands away and took off her jacket, using the cloth as a makeshift bandage to staunch the bleeding. His arm hung awkwardly and Mac noticed the bandages. "News said you were killed."
"Nearly was. Sonofabitch sent someone to kill me. It was my idea to tell the press I died hoping Vic would tip his hand. Guess it worked." Harm groaned as she held his arm tighter. "Easy, Marine."
"We need to get you to a hospital."
"No objections here." He took one last peek into the fuselage and was satisfied that Vukovic was still unconscious. "I would have killed him for you."
"I know."
"Why didn't you let me?" It would have finally come full circle starting with that night at the bar. He lamented not getting in a few more good licks.
"Because you're not a murderer. You don't need the weight of a senseless death on your shoulders. Besides, just think of all the fun Vukovic will have when he's locked up." Mac grinned at the thought, it was actually a pleasant one and given the mountain if charges along with allegations of sexual assault, the man would spend the rest of his life locked up.
"You don't think DeLong will intervene?"
"No." She shook her head. "Not this time."
Mac was right, Harm knew because to continue rising through the ranks meant disassociating herself from any person that meant trouble. It was a little sad to think that such a woman had championed for her godson so zealously only to be let down by his actions. He would never like the Ambassador and would always see her as a bitch but there was a little empathy. "I'm tired, Mac."
"I know." She pulled him close and brought his head onto her shoulder. "They're getting closer." The ambulance was already on the runway and from the recently landed helo, she could see Admiral Hollings and a woman in a suit. "Rest, my love."
"Are you staying with me?"
"Yes, forever."
"Good because, I'm gonna pass out now." And he did, just as emergency personnel arrived with a gurney.