The Swords of Babylon

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT

Not long after Zak Block cleared customs, Hayden and Kinimaka heard the wheels of their private jet squeal and rumble as they hit Hawaiian asphalt. Kinimaka mumbled a little prayer when they landed, not in lieu of their safe landing, but for returning safely again to his homeland. The aircraft had passed close to Diamond Head on its final approach, giving the two SPEAR agents a brief glimpse at the ongoing operation inside the depressed cone. Hayden contacted the local agents and captains in charge whilst in flight, ensuring they would be ready for action sooner rather than later, and smoothing over the inevitable rough corners.

Kinimaka stared out the window as the jet taxied in. “Mixed feelings.” He touched the window. “Good to be back, bad to be here. Know what I mean?”

“Implicitly.”

“You think Cayman and his buddies will switch on that device?”

“If they do, we will stop them.”

“Sure. We ain’t never faced a bad guy we can’t put down.” Kinimaka, seeing they were still alone, at least for the moment, placed an arm around her, conscious not to transfer its full weight to her. “And then maybe we’ll get a break.”

Hayden turned and kissed him. “Sounds good to me. This damn job’s becoming more intense than even I imagined. Good job we have Romero and Smyth on board now. We may even tie down a bit of vacation time.”

“They say Hawaii’s good this time of year.”

“Really?” Hayden squeezed his knee. “I never would have guessed. You don’t want to see Kono? We could spend a few days in LA.”

“Hold that thought.” Kinimaka clicked his tongue. “My sister and I should have at least one thousand miles of air between us when holding a discussion. Especially one where she tells me her plan to come see Mom again.”

“She ran away,” Hayden remembered. “It was a long time ago, Mano. She’ll have changed.”

“She broke Mom’s heart and didn’t care. I remember. We didn’t know… anything.”

At that moment, the co-pilot popped his head around the cabin door. “Hey folks, you’re clear to disembark. Usual fast track checks in the terminal, then a car will be waiting to take you to the base.”

Hayden surprised Kinimaka by kissing him once more. “Don’t worry,” she said, even more stunning up close. “It will work itself out.”

She rose, grabbed her pack and strode down the aisle. Kinimaka hurried after her, a little bedazzled, then realized he’d forgotten his own pack and had to run back. They clattered down the juddering airplane steps and entered the terminal, greeted by a blast of cool air.

Kinimaka cast around, saw the relevant booth and headed straight for the stern-looking man seated inside. Once they had presented their papers, the two were ushered straight through to the central concourse, the inner hub of Honolulu International. Kinimaka stopped to view the high-ceilinged, wide, airy space, basking in the sunlight that streamed in through the windows.

“Ahh,” he said. “I’m relaxed already.”

Shops stood to either side as the pair made their way toward the exit. A DFS Galleria and a Kona Brewing Company, the latter offering one of his favorite brews — the legendary Fire Rock Pale Ale — the sight so appealing he actually began to drift in that direction.

Hayden turned to him and spoke with a hint of warning. “Mano—”

Masked men burst through the doors in front of her. The car they had all piled out of idled at the curb in the public drop-off area, doors flung wide. Kinimaka counted five men before he yelled a warning and tackled Hayden around the waist, dragging her behind an artful display of Maui Divers jewelry exhibits. The leader of SPEAR tumbled ungainly across the floor and ended ass up as the bullets started to fly.

Glass shattered around them, showering down over their bodies. Hayden yelped as a sharp piece sliced the seat of her pants.

“Fucker got me in the ass!” She unholstered her Glock and disengaged the safety, dropping as low as her body would allow. The terminal erupted with noise, screaming and yelling, and the sound of an alarm. People scattered in all directions. Children were dragged into shops or lifted and shielded by parents’ bodies before being tucked out of sight. Luggage slid and tumbled across the floor.

The masked men advanced slowly. More shots rang out and an airport security guard twisted and fell. The front window of DFS Galleria exploded into tiny shards. The sound of crying rose above the braying of the alarm.

Kinimaka took a fleeting look and fired off a shot. It went wide, but gave the invaders pause. Two dropped to their knees, covering. The other three peeled off around the side of the Duty Free. Hayden fired, her bullet hammering into a wall millimeters above her target’s head.

“What is this?” Kinimaka hissed. “Is this for us?”

“I don’t know,” Hayden said. “But it’s sure holding us up.”

More airport security guards ran along the concourse. Hayden waved them to safety, showing her badge. She turned to Kinimaka. “They’ve taken a defensive formation,” she observed. “A bit of mayhem, then digging in. I’m not liking the look of this, Mano.”

“Agreed. I’m too big to hide behind this pillar much longer anyway.”

Hayden switched her position, coming around the other side of the display cases. For half a second her enemy was in her sights. She fired and he fell, gun clattering across the polished floor. His companion didn’t flinch, but trained his gun on her, then let loose a hail of lead on full auto.

“Shit!”

Hayden literally had nowhere to go. The deadly stream started at the exhibits, destroying them, and swung slowly in her direction. She hurdled a pile of glass, but came up against the side of a shop window. The flow of bullets drifted inexorably closer.

Kinimaka fell on his stomach, gun out in front and held in both hands, firing, but the shooter was hidden from him, his body blocked by a three-foot tree planter. Men fired back at him, their shots skipping off the floor three inches to the right of his body. He rolled back to safety, opening his mouth to shout—

— then saw Hayden shoot out the bottom of the glass window. Fragments cascaded like little bits of diamond, catching the sunlight, and Hayden dived right through them, rolling into the shop as the lead river blasted past.

Kinimaka let out a sigh of relief. He heard the shooter changing mags and rose a little to take advantage, but another shot pinned him down. This was a good team, working for each other, but they couldn’t do this forever. The airport guards and cops were assembling down toward the Diamond Head concourse, quite a group. He looked toward Hayden and saw she was trying to convey a message.

Hand signals. No phones necessary. She was going through the back of the shop and aiming to take them by surprise. Kinimaka nodded and surveyed the shop to the other side. The Duty Free was open plan, different to all the other shops, and might not have a back exit. If he tried and failed he’d be stuck. Beyond that was a Starbucks.

Hmmm…

It was in the hands of God. Kinimaka exploded out of hiding, sprinting across the exposed area in seconds, and hurled himself forward as shots began to track him. He hit the ground hard, rolled, and came up again, barreling past a couple who thought it prudent to crouch down in the middle of the concourse, before running into the coffee shop. An easy chair gave him the bounce he needed to lift off and clear the counter in one. A barista, kneeling behind the display cabinet, squealed, making him jump and shout back. The space behind the counter was narrow, the stockroom further on crammed with boxes, syrups and metal shelves full to bursting. He flew past, listening hard, hoping Hayden was waiting. A cascade of white plastic lids toppled off the shelves in his wake. At last. He reached the end and spied a door.

Thank you Great Kahuna, he thought. Then he paused, collected his wits and pushed.