The Porter Complication (Cari Porter Series Book 1) Read online

  “Let’s go out the back.”

  “And what if they have someone stationed out there, waiting for us to come out?”

  “But we can’t just stay here either.”

  Porter put her hand on her head as she prayed to think of a better solution. A diversion. That’s all she could think of. They needed to create a diversion. They needed to get the people outside moving in a different direction so she could see how many there were and to see their actual position.

  Then she thought of a new problem. Ammunition. She didn’t have any. All she had was the one gun she took off the agent at the motel. It was a Glock pistol that had a fifteen-round magazine. She couldn’t afford to get into a prolonged firefight. She couldn’t afford to waste shots. She had to make each one count. Suddenly a shot came ripping through the window, the glass breaking and falling onto the floor. Both Porter and Jeso put their hands over their heads as they dropped to the floor.

  “OK, here’s what we’re gonna do,” Porter said. “You’re gonna find something you can throw through one of those side windows. Make sure you stay down and out of sight.”

  “OK.”

  “Make it as loud as possible. I want them to think we’re trying to go out the side.”

  “What then?”

  “When I hear you, I’m gonna open the back door and slide out.”

  “Then what?”

  “You find a spot in here and hide and stay there until I get you,” Porter replied.

  “And what if…” Jeso didn’t even want to speculate on what might happen if Porter didn’t make it. But she knew that’s what he was implying. But it was a natural thought and didn’t bother her.

  “They’re after me, not you. If they get me, hopefully they won’t even bother to check in here. If they do, and they find you, you tell them I forced you to work on me against your will.”

  “But…”

  “Just do it. You do and say whatever you have to to get out of here, you understand?”

  “OK.”

  Jeso crouched down to be out of the line of fire from the window as he went into the kitchen area. Porter did the same as she went to the back door. There wasn’t much left in the kitchen these days, but there were still a few pots, plates, and glasses that Jeso could use. He grabbed the heaviest pot he could find, then went over to the window. It wasn’t quite as big as the one that just got shot out, but it was still a good size. Big enough for a couple of people to be able to crawl out of in an emergency.

  Jeso reached back with the heavy pot, then used all his strength to put it through the glass, breaking it into several pieces. It wasn’t totally shattered, so he continued chipping away at it until all the glass had fallen to the floor or the ground outside. As soon as Porter heard the glass breaking, she slightly opened the door. She was still lying on the ground, assuming that if anyone was back there, they’d be shooting at a higher target.

  There wasn’t much in the back of the building. It was mostly dirt. A few bushes and trees lined the rear of the property, along with what looked like a small retaining wall. The wall was made of brick, but it wasn’t big. Porter estimated it wasn’t more than three or four feet high at the most. There was a small hill on the other side of it.

  Porter didn’t see anyone moving out there. Either her plan didn’t work, and they didn’t buy them leaving through the other window, or nobody was back there to begin with. But she really didn’t believe that. Somebody was there. They had to be. Porter pushed the door open forcefully, hoping that would force a reaction. It worked. As soon as the wooden door started swinging, a shot rang out, pricking the door. A small piece of wood chipped off and flew into the air.

  The shot came from Porter’s right, though she still couldn’t see anyone. Still lying on the floor, she poked her head out a little further, realizing she was at risk of having it blown off. But it was the only way to see what was out there. She waited a few seconds, but still saw nothing. She lay perfectly still, patiently waiting, knowing something would materialize if she gave it a little more time. She was right.

  A few seconds later, she saw a man poke his head up above the brick wall about thirty feet away from her. But the man saw her too. He let loose, firing a few rounds at Porter, one of which whizzed past her, and another one that hit right in front of her, kicking up dust and dirt. She coughed as the dirt flew up into her face, waving her hand to clear the air.

  Porter pulled back a little so her head wasn’t exposed past the door as she contemplated her next action. Whatever she decided to do, she had to do it decisively, and she had to do it quickly. The one good thing she got out of it so far was that there was probably only one of them. At least in the back of the house. If there were more, they’d probably be bombarding her with bullets by now. But she still had to move. Staying in the same spot was not an option.

  Porter hopped up to her knees as she checked her weapon, then extended her left leg as if she were a short-distance sprint runner about to take off. She took a few deep breaths, then identified the spot she planned to run to. She rose, barely taking her knee off the floor, then bolted from the confines and protection of the building. Her feet kicked up dirt as she sprinted across the ground. The man thirty feet away from her stood up fully, exposing himself from the waist up, firing rapidly at Porter as she sprinted across the ground.

  With bullets flying all around her, some hitting the dirt, almost creating a dust storm, and some bullets streaking past her, Porter dove over the retaining wall once she got there. A few more bullets hit the brick wall, glancing off it. Without being able to see what the other side of the retaining wall looked like, Porter had no way of knowing she only had about an eight- to ten-inch spot to land on. After about ten inches, the ground sloped down at a pretty good angle.

  Porter launched herself like a gymnast, powering herself over the wall, though she hurled herself too far, landing on the ground right where the sloping began. She let out a groan, her injured shoulder screaming out in pain as she hit the ground. The agent that had fired at her ran over in her direction, knowing that she flew too far in the air and was sliding down.

  Luckily, Porter was able to grab hold of some rocks and tree roots that were intertwined with the ground, though it was a bumpy and painful slide, and she was only able to hold on with one hand, unwilling to let go of the gun in her other hand. Since the slope was about a forty-five-degree angle, her slide stopped after only a few feet. As she grabbed hold of some roots, she was able to pull herself up to another one. She kept her eyes looking up, expecting the other man to appear in her view any second.

  Porter stopped clawing at the ground as she thought she heard something. It sounded like someone running toward her. Still lying on the ground, she was perfectly still, aiming her gun at the top of the hill. She patiently waited for a target to emerge in her sight line. A few seconds later, that target became clear. The man shooting at her came running over to check on where she was, maybe thinking that she was planning on sliding down the hill to escape the situation.

  Just as the man came into Porter’s view, she fired three rounds, each of which found its mark. The man fell backwards over the retaining wall. Although Porter knew she hit him, she wasn’t sure if he was dead. She hurriedly climbed back up the hill, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. She knew if the man wasn’t dead, she might be if she took too long to get up there. Once she got to flat ground, she hopped over the wall, her gun still pointing straight ahead in case she needed to use it. She saw the man’s body lying on the ground, motionless. She kept her gun pointed at him in case he was playing possum. His gun was next to his body, and Porter kicked it away to prevent her from getting a nasty surprise. She wasn’t initially sure how many times she shot him at first, but now being up close, could see that she nailed him all three times. And all three were square in the chest. He wouldn’t be playing possum. He was stone cold dead.

  Porter picked her head up, ready to move on from the dead man lying in front of her. She had ba
rely gotten her eyes to the corner of the building when she saw the outline of another man standing there. Before she was able to move her gun around, the man opened up and fired at her. She felt a sharp and sudden intense pain at her side, her free hand instinctively covering where she had just been shot.

  Not wanting to stand there and have a gunfight in the open, Porter fell back over the wall, being careful to land on the flat ground so she didn’t slide back down again. She grunted, landing on her injured shoulder again, and also the side of her that had just been shot. Porter gritted her teeth, knowing she didn’t have time to wallow in pain. There was someone trying to kill her. She had to put the pain completely out of her mind.

  Porter quickly got to her knees as she breathed heavily, trying to take quick, short breaths. She turned her head sideways for a few seconds, sticking her ear out to try to hear where the other man was. She could hear nothing, though. Either the man was stationary, waiting for her to appear again, or he was moving quietly.

  Not wanting to remain in the same position, Porter started crawling on her hands and knees to move farther down the wall, taking extra care to make sure she wasn’t making any noises herself. She periodically looked up just to make sure the man wasn’t already standing somewhere, looking down on her. Once she got down to what she considered an acceptable distance from where she was, she settled on one knee again, ready to quickly rise over the wall and find her target before he found her.

  Before rising, Porter took a few deep breaths, ready to accept whatever came her way. She stood up, putting her elbows on the top of the wall for support, aiming for the corner of the building. But the man wasn’t there. She quickly spun around, looking to her right, then to her left. The man was still nowhere in sight, though. Porter quickly tried to identify any spots that the man could be hiding, but there really wasn’t much. He was either inside the house or had retreated back around the building. Or he was holding his ground just beyond that corner of the house.

  Not wanting to remain a target by just standing there, Porter dropped down to the ground again. Once again, she crawled along the base of the wall. This time, she wasn’t planning on stopping until she got to the end of it. That should have coincided with where the corner of the house was located. She crawled down to the end of the wall without incident. Once she got there, she peeked around the edge of it, seeing the corner of the wall clearly. The man wasn’t there.

  Porter turned her head around to make sure the man hadn’t gone around the house then hopped over the wall to come up behind her. He hadn’t. It was clear. She knew he was out there somewhere, just waiting for her to show herself. Maybe he went inside the house, she thought. Then, as soon as she appeared, he’d pop up at a window and take her out.

  She didn’t like it, but just as she did before, she couldn’t afford to just stay there without doing anything. So far, it only appeared to be two of them. But the longer she delayed, the higher the chances were of them having reinforcements coming. The more she thought about it, she figured that’s what the man was doing. Trying to keep her tied down somewhere so help could arrive.

  Porter turned around and looked down the hill. She had thoughts of just sliding back down until she got to the bottom. She knew she could make it all right; it was just a matter of where she’d go after that. Being out in the middle of nowhere wasn’t that strong of a strategy to her. And she’d still be on the run. Not that she wouldn’t still be otherwise, but at least if she could kill this guy waiting for her, maybe she could put some distance between her and whoever was after her. It’d be tougher to do that on foot and if she left this guy alive.

  Porter turned back to the house, knowing she had to make a move. She was going to have to blink first, since her opponent obviously wasn’t going to. The only thing she hoped she had in her favor was that the man might still think she was along the middle of the wall. She took a few short huffs, then darted toward the corner of the house. About halfway there, a shot came from one of the back windows. It wasn’t close to her, as the man was taken by surprise when she came from the end of the wall.

  The man was inside the house. He’d actually moved to the back door when Porter fell over the wall, hoping to get a better angle on her when she actually rose. He went inside and stood by a window to give himself better cover. It was the same man that Porter bested in the fight back at the warehouse. The same man that already shot her. Twice now. He hoped the third time would be the charm.

  Now Porter felt like she had the upper hand. Finally. Now he was the one who would have to show himself. He made a mistake in going inside.

  Porter peeked her head in through one of the side windows. He wasn’t there. The glass part of the window had been knocked out a long time before that, making it easier for Porter to go through. She quickly went through it, grimacing as her side scraped against the frame. She gritted her teeth, making sure she didn’t make any sound to alert the man of her presence, no matter how much it hurt.

  Once inside, Porter took a quick look around the room to make sure the man wasn’t already waiting for her somewhere. With it being clear, she slowly walked toward the opening to the next room, knowing she might run into her attacker at any second. She walked into the hallway that led to the back door and cautiously approached the area she believed him to be in. Porter came across the kitchen and ducked inside, just to make sure the man hadn’t changed positions. She saw Jeso huddled in a corner, trying to use an old wooden chair for protection, not that it hid him much. Then she got an idea. There was still one more window intact in the kitchen.

  “Wait a minute or two, then take out that window,” Porter said. “Just like you did with the other one.”

  “OK.”

  “Just make sure you duck and get out of the way afterwards. I don’t want you getting hit in the crossfire."

  She hoped the noise would make the man think she was entering through the kitchen and get him out into the open, where she could have an easier shot without putting herself in as much jeopardy. She retreated back to the other room she came in, standing by the corner, out of sight. If she jumped out from her position, she could have a good view of the kitchen entrance if the man fell for it.

  A little over a minute later, glass could be heard breaking, crackling to the floor. Porter peeked around the corner, allowing only half of her eye to be visible. She only had to wait a few seconds. Her target, believing someone was coming into the building, came flying around the corner from the back door, ready to unleash a lot of firepower at whoever it was.

  As soon as the man became visible, Porter emerged from her spot. She wanted to make sure she got to him before he went inside the kitchen and found Jeso, since the man would surely kill him. Just as the man got to the kitchen and was about to go in, Porter fired, nicking the man in the arm. He was stunned and stumbled backwards a little, though he was still in the fight. The man quickly regained his composure and aimed at Porter, but she had already fired another shot, hitting the man in the chest. This time he went down. He was fatally wounded and lying flat on his back, a few minutes away from perishing.

  Seeing that the man was still breathing, though probably not for much longer, Porter knew this might be her only chance for some answers. She rushed over to the man, kneeling beside him. The man looked up at her, wondering why she wasn’t finishing him off. He coughed, obviously in a lot of discomfort.

  “Who are you?” Porter asked. “Why do you keep coming after me? What have I done?”

  The man looked at her strangely, wondering if she was for real. “You don’t know?”

  “No.”

  The man let out a smile, though it was short-lived as he started coughing again. “You went MIA last week. They think you’re on the run.”

  “MIA? From whom?”

  “They’re gonna keep coming.”

  “Why? What did I do?”

  “It’s what you didn’t do. It’s who you are.”

  “Which is what? What didn’t I do?”
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br />   The man turned his head and closed his eyes for the final time. He was gone. Porter wasn’t getting any more answers out of him. Not that the answers she was getting made a lot of sense to her. She didn’t feel like she really knew much more now than she did. She wanted to just slump to the ground and cry. How long was this going to go on? Was she going to have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life? But she couldn’t. She wasn’t even sure if there were only two of them there. There could have been others around the building, though she assumed she would have run into them by now. Still, she couldn’t afford to be paralyzed.

  Porter stood up, then went out the back door and started searching to make sure nobody else was there. She looked around the perimeter of the building, the retaining wall, then went around to the front. She checked around the cars, even seeing the car the two now-dead men came in. She searched inside but found nothing of value or interest. Once she was satisfied that she and Jeso truly were by themselves, she went back inside the building.

  Before she did, though, she saw the bodies of Khayone of Boka lying out front. She knelt beside them, sorry for what happened to them, and said a few words to express her fondness for them. She would never forget their kindness in trying to help her. When Porter finally did go back inside, she saw Jeso standing by the dead man. He noticed Porter was bleeding again from her side.

  “Looks like you need more attention.”

  Porter wanted to laugh but just didn’t have the energy. “Seems like that’s a recurring theme for me.”

  “Let’s get a look at it.”

  “I don’t think we have time. We need to go.”

  “It would be a shame to make it through all this, just to die along the way due to blood loss or infection or something.”

  “I might have to take my chances. You heard him. There are more coming. We can’t stay here a split second longer.”

  Jeso finally capitulated to her request. “Fine. But once we’re a safe distance away, I will need to get you back on the operating table.”