The Project 01 - White Jade

expecting anyone? "
    " No. "
    " I heard a car. "
    " I did, too. "
    He moved over by the window , but couldn't see anyone . T he rocks hid whoever was there. A car motor stopped . D oors closed softly.
    He pulled the .45 from his holster. " We ' ve got company. Get the book. "
    Selena put the book in its box and the box in a bag she pulled from under the sink.
    " What ' s out the back door? "
    She brushed a hair away. " There ' s a path down to the river. It goes by the entrance to the mine. "
    Carter remembered houses in Afghanistan and Iraq, full of death waiting in every room.
    " I don ' t like being inside the house . There ' s no place to go. Whoever it is can ' t be here for a good reason, or they 'd just drive to the front. They would have seen my truck , so they know someone ' s here. I think they ' re after that book. "
    " How would they know we were here or where the book was? "
    " I don ' t know. But I don ' t want to stick around and ask them. You game for a run? "
    " To the river? "
    " Right. That way they have to come at us through the grass and I can see them. They can see us too, but that ' s better than being trapped in here. I ' ll cover us. "
    He opened the back door . A brown, grassy slope led down to the river.
    " You go first, you know the way. I ' ll be right behind you. Let ' s make it to the other side of the hill and take it from there. Ready? "
    She nodded.
    " Go! "
    She took off. Nick f ollowed. Selena was fast and he was glad he ' d kept in shape. He looked back and saw a man raising a weapon.
    He dove and pushed Selena sprawling into the dirt just as the intruder fired a long burst. Uzi, he thought . H e aimed for a body hit and squeezed off two shots. The shooter stood for a second and then crumpled into the grass.
    As he pulled Selena to her feet, a big man step ped around the corner on the front porch. Nick fired and the man ducked back out of sight. They began running again. The chattering sound of an Uzi came from the house. A man with a pistol ran from behind the house and fired three quick shots that streaked by in a whisper of heated air . Carter we nt into shooter ' s stance, two hands, aim, take a breath, squeeze, fire. Two rounds, the .45 bucking back in his hands. The man went down screaming.
    They ran. Another burst of automatic fire kicked up dirt behind them . Seconds later he heard three pistol shots and sensed the rounds pass by . They reached the hillside . He saw th e opening to the mine , crossed off with old boards. Past the hill were open fields and the flatness of the river bed. There was no cover.
    " Head for the mine, " he yelled.
    Selena turned, arms pumping. They reached the entrance and he kicked in the boards. They entered the mine.
    It was cool in the tunnel after the hot June sun outside. Fallen rocks from the ceiling littered the floor. Selena put her hands on her knees and bent to catch her breath. The plastic bag with the book in it was clutched in her hand.
    " What do we do now? "
    " We ' re too close to the entrance, " he said. " We'll move back. Anyone comes to the front, I shoot him. "
    They went deeper into the tunnel until the light began to give out. A large, empty ore cart sat rusting on tracks vanishing into the blackness of the mine. In the dim light they couldn't be seen from the entrance.
    " How many are there? " said Selena.
    " At least three . T wo of them are down. Maybe just one more. "
    Carter thought about their situation . Tactical assessment. An old habit.
    " W e ' re outgunned ," he said. " They ' ve got automatic weapons. How about you get inside the cart . T hat way you ' ve got good protection. "
    " What about you? "
    " I ' ll get behind the cart. That will give me a shield and I can move around if I need to. "
    " How do we get out of here? "
    " We wait until dark. That ' s a couple of hours from now. Then we sneak out . Best I can think of at the moment. "
    Selena climbed into the cart and peered over the edge. Carter watched the tunnel entrance and thought. He ' d fired twice at the first man, once at the big man on the porch and twice at the second man. Five rounds. His H-K held fifteen plus one, so t hat meant he still had eleven in his pistol . He had a spare magazine , so another fifteen. Not a lot, but so far it had been enough. It would have to do.

Chapter Fourteen

    The sound of Li ' s Uzi behind the house and two loud reports from a large pistol had sent Choy to the end of the porch. He 'd started past the corner when