Page 73 of Wild Sentinel

Scott brought the blowtorch even closer.

Brooke leaned as far back as she could. Finally, she said, "He's in a fortified bunker.”

"Where?"

"I can show you."

"Point it out on a map.”

"I can't. I'm directionally challenged. I know how to get there by car."

Scott’s skeptical eyes stared at her. "If you're lying to me, I will make it so painful and so drawn out, you will beg for mercy. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

Scott pulled the blowtorch away from her face. He moved back to the cart and set it down.

Scott walked back to one of the goons and said, "Take him and his friend out into the desert and kill them both. Bury the bodies."

43

With a black bag over my head again, I stumbled through the desert, hands cuffed behind my back. The sun blazed, and sweat misted my skin. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and my heart thumped.

They marched us a good way from the compound, weaving through shrubs, stepping over rocks. When we reached our destination, the thug kicked me in the back of my knee, and I fell to the dirt. My knee hit a rock, and it didn't feel good.

"You broke my fucking nose," Horseshoe said.

It was payback time.

Horseshoe cracked me in the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. The jolt rocketed all the way down my spine and sent me tumbling to the dirt. His boot found my belly multiple times.

The other guy beat the snot out of Jack. They were going to have fun before they killed us.

"Tough guy," I mocked when he took a breather. "Why don't you make it a fair fight?”

That earned me another kick to the rib cage.

"What's the matter, you afraid?"

Horseshoe pulled the black bag off my face and tossed it aside. He hovered over me, leaning in close, backlit by the blistering sun. "I ain't afraid of shit. Certainly ain't afraid of you.”

"Put your money where your mouth is."

Horseshoe hesitated a moment, then shouldered his rifle and took aim. "I'm going to end you right now."

I laughed. "I figured you didn't have the guts."

His finger wrapped tight around the trigger. Sweat dripped off his busted nose, and rage filled his eyes. They already had purple circles under them from my elbow.

After another moment of hesitation," he said, "Okay dickweed. Let's see what you got.”

He slung his rifle behind his back, moved behind me, and unlocked my cuffs. He backed away as I climbed to my feet.

We squared off against each other, and he tossed his rifle to the dirt. He still had a sidearm and a knife. He didn't get rid of those.

His friend stood nearby, aiming his rifle at me. The minute this started to go south for Horseshoe, his friend would shoot me. I had no doubt about it. But at least I’d get a few punches in before I went out.

His buddy yanked the black bag off Jack's face. "You want to watch your friend get his ass kicked?" he said with a grin.