The Hunted

61

Payne heard the quick, creaking footsteps of Waller and Haviland following behind as he ran down the stairs in the dim light, the small flower-shaped windows letting in what little light was coming from the streetlamps. He hit the lobby on the run, slammed through the front door, and jumped down the steps.

And came face-to-face with Scott Haviland.

How’d he get out here so fast? But in the instant the question popped into his head, it became a moot point as Payne dropped his head and left shoulder and plowed into Haviland’s abdomen with the skill of a running back. Despite his stocky build, the shocked agent was lifted off the ground and sent sprawling backward to the concrete.

Haviland let out an agonizing groan as his back hit the pavement, his Glock flying from his hand and landing a dozen feet away. Payne scooped it up on the run as if it were a fumbled football and headed down George Street, sprinting as fast as possible with a bum leg. His destination was not an end zone, but continued freedom — and another chance to link up with his wife.

As he ran by the National Bank of Fredericksburg, he slowed a bit, half-limping and half-running past a parking lot and a few brick houses. He cut right onto Charles and noticed the iron-gated entrance to the Masonic Cemetery diagonally ahead of him.

With the descending darkness and large-canopied maple and cedar trees blocking the light from the nearby streetlamps, the headstones would provide adequate cover from his pursuers.

He darted out into the street — but heard footsteps approaching from behind. He spun around, the Glock still in his hand, expecting to see Waller.

But in the dark street, he could only glimpse the vague silhouette of a man, a spark issuing from his weapon. In the split second that followed, Payne became aware of a burning sensation as he gulped a mouthful of cold air.

The intense, close-range explosion suddenly registered in his ears, ringing longer than the actual gunshot and continuing until he hit the pavement and lost consciousness.