Blood Vengeance

CHAPTER TEN

Drake became aware that he was crawling through the wreckage, looking for his cell phone. In another second, Dahl was there with him.

Drake swiveled his head, believing he couldn’t feel any worse, but suddenly became heart stricken as he looked into the Swede’s face. “Your… your kids?”

Dahl swallowed hard. A cop came up to them and ordered them to get up. A man dressed in an army uniform backed him up. One look at the two men’s faces and both officials backed away.

Dahl breathed low. “They’re fine. So’s the wife. Special Forces are with them as we speak, taking them out of the country.”

“Thank God. Ben’s… dead. So are Sam and Jo. Fuck me.”

Dahl sat down hard, deflated. “The Blood Vendetta. Kovalenko must have reactivated it. Do you think he escaped this morning?”

“Shit. I do now.”

Dahl glance around the devastated restaurant, taking in the haunted eyes of a dozen law enforcement officers looking back at him. “This is like the scene of a national disaster. Nobody knows what’s happening.”

Drake looked up. “If Kovalenko is free, it’s only gonna get worse.”

Dahl flipped his phone open again. “Where the hell are Hayden and the others?” Desperately, he hit the speed dial.

“Try everyone,” Drake said. “Try—” Suddenly he shot up. “Fuck!”

“What is it?”

“Alicia!”

Drake dialed and held the phone close, certain that he couldn’t handle another tragedy. When the familiar crazy-ass tones filled the phone with life he felt utter relief.

“The Drakester! What the fuck do you want, man?”

Again, he went through the story. “You need to get the hell out, Alicia. Leave and run, right now. All of you.”

“That bastard Kovalenko ordered all that? I wish I was with you right now, Drake. I really do.”

“Don’t worry. Just get to safety. And stay off the radar and out of contact, Alicia. We don’t know how far Kovalenko’s claws reach this time, but you can bet your arse it’s pretty damn deep.”

“I always bet my arse, Drake. And I’ll do it again now. We’re out of here, and once we’re safe I’ll come to you.”

“No. Don’t—”

“Fuck you.”

The line went dead. Drake closed his eyes. He couldn’t think about that right now. Alicia would do as she pleased no matter what he said. For once, he allowed Dahl to help him to his feet and take charge without comment.

“There’s an RV point near the hotel.” The Swede pointed to the building where President Coburn had been in the throes of an after-dinner speech. “We need to go there now. I just heard something about the President.”

Drake stared. “No.”

“It’s not good.”