The Gates of Hell

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

The Big Island of Hawaii is so-called to avoid confusion. Its real name is Hawaii, or Hawaii Island, and it is the largest island in the United States. It is home to one of the most famous volcanoes in the world, Kilauea, a mountain that has been continuously erupting since 1983.

Today, on the lower flanks of its sister volcano, Mauna Loa, Mano Kinimaka and Alicia Myles, along with a team of America marines, set about ousting a parasite that had become attached to the island’s consciousness.

They broke through the outer perimeter, shot dead dozens of the Blood King’s men and stormed the large outbuilding just as the guards released all the hostages. In that same moment there came the throaty roar of vehicles accelerating away behind the building. Alicia and Kinimaka wasted no time racing around the side.

Alicia stopped in dismay. “Damn, the twats are escaping.” Four ATV’s were speeding away, bouncing around on their outsize tires.

Kinimaka raised his rifle and took aim. “Not for long.” He fired. Alicia watched as the last man fell and the ATV rolled quickly to a stop.

“Wow, big guy, not bad for a cop. C’mon.”

“I’m CIA.” Kinimaka always rose to the bait, much to Alicia’s continuing pleasure.

“The only three letter acronyms that matter belong to the British. Remember that.”

Kinimaka muttered something as Alicia reached the ATV. It was still running. Simultaneously they both tried to take the front seat. Alicia shook her head and pointed at the back.

“I prefer my men behind me, mate, if they’re not underneath.”

Alicia revved the engine and peeled out. The ATV was a big ugly beast, but it ran smooth and bounced comfortably from bump to bump. The big Hawaiian slipped his hands around her waist to hold on, not that he had to. There were handles back where he sat. Alicia grinned and said nothing.

Ahead, the fleeing men realized they were being pursued. The passengers on two of them whirled and fired. Alicia frowned, knowing it was beyond impossible to hit anything that way. Amateurs, she thought. Always I seem to be fighting amateurs. The last real battle she’d had had been against Drake in Abel Frey’s citadel. And even then the man had been rusty, hindered by the trappings of seven years of civility.

Now he might be a different prospect.

Alicia drove cleverly rather than quickly. In short order, she had brought their ATV within an acceptable shooting range. Kinimaka shouted in her ear. “Gonna fire!”

He squeezed a shot off. Another mercenary screamed and bounced badly into the dirt. “That’s two out of two,” Alicia cried. “One more and you get a blo—”

Their ATV struck a hidden mound and veered crazily to the left. For a moment they were on two wheels, tipping over, but the vehicle managed to gain its balance and crash back to earth. Alicia wasted no time in opening the throttle to shoot it forward.

Kinimaka saw the ditch before she did. “Fuck!” He shouted “Hold on!”

Alicia could only increase her speed as the wide, deep ditch came up fast. The ATV flew over the gap, wheels spinning and engine roaring, and came down on the other side scrambling for purchase. Alicia banged her head against a padded roll-bar. Kinimaka held her so tight he prevented both of them being flung around and, by the time the dust settled, they realized they were suddenly amongst the enemy.

Beside them, a black ATV spun in the dirt, having landed badly, and now trying to get itself straight. Kinimaka leapt without thought, barreling right into the driver and knocking both him and his passenger off the vehicle and into the churned dirt.

Alicia wiped dust from her eyes. The ATV with the single occupant picked up speed in front of her, but was still within range. She scooped up her rifle, aimed and fired and then, without needing to check, swiveled the sight to where her Hawaiian partner struggled in the dirt.

Kinimaka dragged one man through the dirt. “This is my home!” Alicia heard him growl before he twisted and broke his adversary’s arm. When the second man came rushing at him, Alicia laughed and lowered the rifle. Kinimaka didn’t need her help. The second man bounced off him like instructions bounce off a four-year-old, making no impact whatsoever. The man hit the ground and Kinimaka finished him with a full-face punch.

Alicia nodded at him. “Let’s finish this.”

The last ATV was struggling up ahead. Its driver must have been hurt in all the bouncing around. Alicia rapidly began to gain ground, now a little disappointed at the ease in which they had retaken the ranch. But at least they had saved all the hostages.

If there was one thing she knew about the Blood King, it was the fact that these men here, these so-called mercenaries, were the dregs of his crew, sent here to hinder and distract the authorities. To divide and conquer.

She slowed as she came closer to the last ATV. Without pause, without even holding onto the steering column, she fired two shots and two men fell.

The battle that had barely begun was over. Alicia stared into the distance for a minute. If everything went as planned, if Mai and Hayden, and Drake and the others, survived their own parts of the battle, then the next battle could well be her hardest, and her last.

Because it would be against Mai Kitano. And she would have to tell Drake it was Mai who had killed Wells.

In cold blood.

Kinimaka patted her on the shoulder. “We should be getting back.”

“Ach, give a girl a break,” she murmured. “We’re in Hawaii. Let me stare into the sunset.”