The Pallbearers

Chapter 56

I came awake when I heard Vicki outside yelling.

All hell was breaking loose in the living room.

I exploded out of bed, still half asleep, but somebody lunged into the bedroom, and I walked right into a sharp left hook, my third trip to the canvas in five days. When I struggled to push myself up, I got kicked in the head.

I could barely see my assailant because it was dark in the room, but from his gargantuan shape it looked like Chris Calabro.

As I went down again I saw Alexa being pulled out of the room by Kimbo Sledge. She was struggling to get free so he hit her. I lunged up to attack him, but with my collection of injuries and broken arm, it was a slow, lumbering charge, and Calabro ended it with a karate kick to my stomach.

I was quickly secured with plastic snap cuffs then dragged into the main room of the suite, where all six of the fighters from Team Ultima were standing over four of the five of us. Seriana was the only one missing. I had no idea where she was, but was praying she'd use her combat skill, and whatever she'd brought in that canvas duffel, to change this outcome.

I took a quick survey of the others' injuries. We all had our hands cuffed. Sabas had lost a tooth. Vicki had an ugly bruise forming on her jaw. Alexa looked dazed as she was pushed clown on the sofa beside them.

Calabro threw me to the floor at Rick O'Shea's feet.

"Chris, get them out of here," O'Shea ordered. "I'll go through this place and find out what they've been up to."

I looked at the table clock. It was 6:00 P. M. We'd only been asleep for a couple of hours, but everyone had been so tired, we hadn't heard them come through the patio doors.

We were pulled outside. An electric golf-course maintenance vehicle with an enclosed metal flatbed was parked right by the edge of the patio. The roll-up back door was open, and we were pushed roughly inside and forced to sit on the floor. There was barely enough room for the four of us as we were jammed inside. The door was slammed closed and latched. Ten seconds later we were on the move.

"I'm sorry. My fault," Vicki said. "I was 011 watch. I didn't see them until it was too late."

"It's nobody's fault," I said. "Does anybody know where Seriana is?"

They all shook their heads.

"She said she was going to outpost, whatever that means," Vicki said.

We sat huddled in the small enclosed vehicle with our shoulders and knees touching as the little electric maintenance truck whizzed across the grass. Finally, we bounced up over a curb and were back on pavement.

We rode for about five more minutes before the truck pulled onto the grass again, slowed, and came to a stop. A minute later, the rear door was unlatched and pulled up. A flashlight was trained on us.

When my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw Jack Straw. He was standing just outside the truck, smiling at me.