Free Chief Distraction by Stella Kelly

Blythe asked frantically.
    “But they have Lou’s camera. Maybe they’ll
check. Lets try not getting shot by keeping mobile. We just have to keep
moving,” Mak instructed. It was as if he’d slipped into military mode,
no-nonsense and hard.
    “But…”
    “But nothing. We’re defenseless against
automatic weapons, Blythe. It’s no use. The last thing I want is to end up like
Lou. We have to run and hide. There’s no other choice. Lets move.”
    Blythe dropped the discussion and followed. She
knew she was of no use at the moment, like a lifeless rag-doll. She wanted to
curl up in the fetal position and scream. Mak pulled her to a halt once they
reached a rocky drop-off. They were forced to stop here and double back. The
only way forward was down toward the rushing water.
    “Stay low,” Mak said. He hunched and she
followed his lead willingly. The terrain was treacherous for a girl in high
wedges, but she didn’t dare complain. She dissolved into a fit of inward rage,
an undercurrent of anger consuming her every step. She wanted to physically
hurt the man who killed Lou. She wanted to get violent, the impulse juxtaposing
with fear and tension. Running for her life was a better option to
confrontation. It would keep her alive. Still, everything had changed in an instant.

 
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    Mak’s
mind raced. Whoever those men are, whatever their agenda, the outcome for he
and Blythe was clear. Sudden death. It didn’t look as if Lou knew them, so the
act was random and coldblooded. He’d heard the locals discuss Kahoolawe and
it’s history of smuggling before, but that possibility hadn’t crossed his mind
– until today. If a man was willing to kill an innocent bystander on a
whim, he had to be protecting something worth killing for. Something so
valuable, so secret, that the risks far outweigh the consequences.
    Could be drugs, or weapons of some sort.
Whatever it is, Mak knew the men would stop at nothing to kill whoever else was
around to witness their dealings. For now, he and Blythe were safe as long as they
stayed anonymous. Getting to higher ground and away was the number one
priority. Mak had to make sure they were undetected – as if they didn’t
even exist.

 
                      <><><>

 
    The
air was pungent with the smell of fuel, a slick trail of gasoline and oil snaking
from behind the docked powerboat. Tuan Pax, a stocky man with an emotionless
face, quickly untied the rope that held the boat to the dock.
    “And where do you think you’re going?” called
Don Blunt. Lanky and balding, he squinted in Pax’s direction. Blunt, the North
American go-to-guy and mastermind of the entire smuggling operation, held Pax’s
cold stare.
    “I didn’t agree to murder,” Pax spoke with
assertion.
    “We finish the job, leave the dead guy and get
on with it. That’s it,” Blunt ordered, cocking his gun for good measure. He
left no room for debate.
    “Sure, whatever you say,” Pax retied the loop
with hesitancy.
    “They’ll be here soon. Taipei’s a little farther
away than Hawaii, we’ll just give’em time.”
    The buff Al Sanders sauntered over to Pax and
Blunt, totally unfazed by what he’d just done – like shooting a man down
in cold blood was a daily occurrence.
    “Why’d you have to kill him and make things more
difficult?” Pax scolded.
    “Had to be done. No loose ends,” Sanders
grunted.
    Blunt admired Sander’s steely resolve. That’s
why he’d brought him into the fold in the first place. He was the meaty muscle
of the group. Sander’s had done some hard time for assault and battery and had
admitted to two murders that he’d never been caught for. It was enough of a
resume for Blunt to trust Sander’s capabilities.
    “What did the contact say?” Sanders asked a
short, middle-aged man leaning against a rock wiping his sweaty brow with his
forearm. “Hey, Roland, I’m talking to you. Wake up!” Sander’s slapped