Alicia landed on her back. Jack was almost here, but through a haze of pain she saw Baker slam the clip home and raise the pistol with both hands. Jack wasn’t going to make it. Baker was going to get a point-blank shot at him. She thought of Thomas’s gun, but it was back inside the cabin, too far away…

Alicia closed her eyes and screamed as she heard three shots in rapid succession… from directly behind her.

She opened her eyes and saw Baker falling away as Jack slammed into the place where he’d been standing. She turned and saw someone crouched in the cabin doorway, leaning on the door frame.

Thomas.

He looked ghastly. The doughy white of his face made the blood trickling from both corners of his mouth seem so much redder. The pistol hung loosely at the end of his limp arm.

As she watched, he seemed to deflate, seemed to shrink within his clothes as he slumped to the floor.

Baffled, Alicia crawled over to him.

“Oh, Thomas. Thank you, Thomas. But…” She had to ask. She’d never known him to do anything for anyone. “Thomas, why?”

“Don’t you know?” he said in a voice bubbling wet with blood. “You’re supposed to be so smart. Don’t you know?”

“Know what?” She was almost afraid that she did.

“Those were the worst years of your life. But they were the best of mine.”

He coughed up a dark red clot, and then his body stiffened as the light went out of his eyes.

Alicia reached a hand toward him. She’d never thought she could touch him, but now she had to.

She smoothed his hair and began to cry.

12.

12.

Jack bounced off the door and dropped to Baker’s side. He held Barlowe’s Special Forces knife to his throat as he pulled the pistol from his limp fingers. He saw Baker’s glazed, staring eyes, checked his throat for a pulse. Dead. Three .32s to the side of his chest had done it.

Jack knelt there and sucked air deep into his blazing lungs, then he stood and leaned against the door. His left thigh flamed and throbbed with pain, more so when he bent it.

He watched Alicia crouch over her brother in the doorway, and heard her sobs. He wasn’t crazy about the idea, but he probably owed Thomas his life. And it didn’t look like a debt he was going to get a chance to repay.

That had been close…

He heard a groan from inside. He stepped past Alicia and found Kemel writhing on the floor.

“A doctor,” he moaned. “Please… get me to a hospital.”

“The only place you’re going is outside,” Jack said.

He grabbed the back of Kemel’s collar and dragged him toward the door. The Arab howled as he passed Alicia.