Free BRAINRUSH 02 - The Enemy of My Enemy by Richard Bard Page B

the mountainous peninsula. The vast expanse of the Pacific stretched out in the distance before him, sparkling under the morning sun.
    Jake dove the plane toward the coastline. As the airspeed passed through a hundred thirty knots, he felt a shimmy through the controls. The plane yawed to starboard as if it were out of trim. The sensation worsened as the speed increased.
    He eased off the throttle. The shuddering disappeared as soon as the speed dropped back to a hundred twenty knots. The gear had been damaged by the impact with the van and the undercarriage was probably a twisted mess. Under different circumstances, he’d do a fly-by at the tower or request the aid of another aircraft in the area to get a visual confirmation of the extent of the problem. Neither was an option. He’d have to assume the gear was toast.
    A flock of geese flew in a V-formation a couple miles off the coastline, heading south. Jake turned to follow them, mentally recalculating their ETA to the safe house in the Mexican desert. He wondered how the hell they were going to land with a busted gear.
    Marshall interrupted his thoughts as he reentered the cockpit. He placed a hand on Jake’s shoulder.
    Jake held his breath.
    “It’s Bradley,” Marshall said. “He took a slug in the arm. Tony said it went clean through flesh. He’s going to be all right.”
    The news brought a rush of relief that Jake felt to the bone. He allowed himself a brief smile.
    “Thank God,” he said.
    “I need your cell phone,” Marshall said. He held out a small plastic grocery bag as if he were trick-or-treating.
    Jake glanced in the bag. It held several phones, a couple of digital watches, and an iPod.
    “What’s the deal?”
    “Dude, isn’t it obvious? Battista and his assholes have been one step ahead of us ever since that creep tried to blow you to kingdom come yesterday. They’re tracking us somehow. If I had my scanning equipment I could tell you exactly how, but in the meantime we need to ditch anything electronic.” He shook the bag for emphasis. “So give it up.”
    Jake dropped his phone into the bag.
    “Watch, too?” Jake asked, flipping his wrist so the face of his ten-year-old, Air-Force-issued timepiece was visible.
    “No,” Marshall said, displaying his own Mickey Mouse watch. “Low tech is fine.”
    Tony stepped up behind Marshall. He filled the narrow space between cockpit and cabin.
    Marshall knotted the top of the grocery bag. Rather than attempting to maneuver around his big friend, he held up the bag.
    “You want to toss these?”
    Tony shook his head, his face tight. He turned sideways and Marshall squeezed past him. Tony sank into the copilot’s seat.
    “I tried Mel’s cell one last time,” he said softly. “All I got was voice mail.” His voice was strained, and worry lines shadowed his features.
    “Reception’s never good at the lake,” Jake said. “You know that.”
    “Yeah,” Tony muttered, staring blankly out the front of the cockpit. “I left another message. Told her to sit tight until we pick her up.”
    Jake cringed. He knew Tony expected the two of them to make a quick turnaround after they dropped everyone else off at the safe house.
    “Listen, pal. Your family’s going to be okay. Papa’s guys will be there soon to keep an eye on them.” He hesitated before continuing. “But we’re going to have a problem getting back there right away.”
    Tony’s head snapped toward Jake. Every muscle in his body seemed to tighten at once. “What the hell you talkin’ about?”
    Jake told him about the damaged landing gear. Tony pressed his palms against his eyes. His chest heaved from several deep breaths. It took a moment before Tony regained his composure and his military background took over. The two men spoke in hushed voices as they crafted a plan around the only viable option left to them.

 
     
     
    Chapter 17
     
     
    Torrance, California
     
    B attista considered the ten men before him. They kneeled