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  ‘What did you do to your father?’

  Rebus focused on a small spot on the horizon. ‘After Grace killed herself, I had to stay for the baby. The snivelling little runt squealed and screamed non-stop. My father wanted to kill him, but I wouldn’t let him. It was the only thing of hers we had left, so I hid Skink down the road with another woman who took pity on us. My father didn’t want another brat.’

  ‘My God. Skink is your brother?’

  ‘Nephew, half-brother. I don’t know. No one knows about this, not even Skink. Tell anyone, and I’ll skin you alive.’

  She placed her hand on his arm. ‘I’ll take that secret to my grave, my love. We’re in this together. What happened to your father then?’

  ‘I planned it for a week. I laced his drink with drugs then strapped him into a chair. I disembowelled him while he was still alive and strangled him with his own intestines. It was a beautiful revenge. I wiped his blood all over me and buried Grace in the backyard. No one will hurt me like that again. No one.’

  When he slammed on the brakes, the van shuddered to a halt on the corrugated dust road. Looking back, he screamed when he saw his boyfriend lying against the door, the top of his head ripped open, his eyes fixed in a dead stare of shock.

  ‘I want them all dead.’

  ‘We’ll get every one of them,’ Enyo said.

  ‘I will take my time with the Hooded Man. Like my father, he will pay for going up against me. Today he will die.’

  Enyo patted his shoulder again. Rebus looked across to her.

  ‘Rebus, you cannot focus on the Hooded Man right now. He has a strong following and will rally them against you now that you’ve killed one of theirs. Let’s head back to the truck and bury Luka before we do anything rash.’

  Rebus felt the tear in his heart. She was one of them. Skink was right. She would betray him. He reached to his hip and pulled the Sig 226. He aimed it at her head.

  ‘You will not stop me from my destiny. I am Rebus Maze, and I say what happens. I make the decisions. You are nothing but a filthy whore that I own. A sex doll for me to play with. Don’t ever tell me what to do again. The Hooded Man dies today.’

  Enyo’s eyes glowed, her jaw clenched as she leant forward and placed her forehead against the barrel of the Sig. ‘I’m your muse and confidant. I’m here to keep you alive and protect you from yourself. Make your choice. Kill me now, and you’ll have lost the only two people who never wanted anything from you, all in one day.’

  Rebus took a breath. He blinked a few times then looked forward as one of his generals approached in a van, stopping next to his window. Rebus placed the Sig on his lap and waited for a second. Anger flared through him. Spinning left, he pistol-whipped Enyo with such force that she slunk down in the seat, out cold. He wiped the sweat and tears from his eyes with his naked forearm then lowered the side window.

  ‘Glad to see you’re okay, sir.’

  ‘Attack that enclave and kill them all. Every last one. Bring me the body of the Hooded Man, if you have too. I can still get the bounty on his skinned body. Twenty grams of cocaine to the team who brings me the blood-soaked jacket of the hooded bastard. A kilogram for the team that brings him to me alive.’

  ‘You not coming with us?’

  ‘No, I must bury Luka.’

  Chapter 13

  University Medical Centre, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA – 2043

  The metal wall shuddered then clanged like a thousand church bells. Above the main gate, the men who stood guard were jarred to their bones with most dropping to their stomachs. Gibbs went down on one knee, lowering the SA80, with its attached grenade launcher, to the ground in front of him. The enclave residents had built saw-tooth-like crenulations that they could shoot between, or duck behind if they were taking on fire.

  A yellow and black fireball lifted up the side of the enclave wall and rolled up into the air, dissipating with a blackened roar. Gibbs pushed his SA80 through the gap between the makeshift merlon, tracking a small group of men hiding behind a slowly moving fusion van. They had set the stricken van on fire and were trying to park it up against the metal gate. A squeeze of the trigger sounded the pop of the grenade as he sent it on its way, exploding against the side of the van and killing four of the soldiers on foot. Gibbs slid the launcher barrel to the side to expel the spent shell. Sliding another grenade in, he scanned the attackers for Rebus’s vehicle. It was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Incoming,’ Smithy shouted from his left.

  Another explosion rocked the wall. Gibbs fired again at the van to neutralise the rest of the men. The revving of a battle truck to his left caught his ear as the large machine began turning parallel to the wall. Small ports in the side of the reinforced truck fell open, and barrels were pushed through, yellow flames spitting out as they fired tracer rounds.

  ‘Smithy, sort that truck out,’ Gibbs said.

  A Roadster appeared through the roof-hatch with a long-barrelled flamethrower. Gibbs raised his weapon, but the man fell forward as one of Smithy’s men took care of him. Smithy fired a short burst of rounds into the canisters on the man’s back, causing fuel to leak into the truck. A distant pop of another grenade launcher saw the man eviscerated, then the fuel caught on fire and spread to the interior. The rear hatch flew open and screaming Roadsters spilt out, pushing and pulling at each other to flee the flames. Easy pickings for even the enclave’s amateur snipers.

  Gibbs changed the magazine in the SA80 and continued firing at the men hiding behind the parked vehicles that littered the narrow approach to the main gate. Black smoke from the burning vehicles obscured their view a little as a warm wind came in from the left. Looking to his right, he could just about make out his son, white hair flicking in the wind, his body rocking back as he fired repeatedly. Too fast to be effective. Gibbs took a few steps to his right and placed a hand on Stuart’s shoulder.

  ‘Slow down, Stuart. Make every round count.’

  ‘But, Dad, there are so many of them, and they’re all coming at us.’

  ‘Slow your breath and pick one target. Track him if he runs between vehicles or puts too much of his body above the van. Aim for the neck, arms or leg areas. Most don’t have body armour there.’

  Stuart adjusted his aim.

  ‘Do you have one in your sights?’ Gibbs asked as another grenade exploded high up on the perimeter wall.

  ‘Yes.’

  Gibbs placed his hand on the boy’s back and felt his breathing slow, and then stop. The shot rang out, and Gibbs saw a man fall to the side of a van. Stuart looked back with a smile on his face, his eyes wide.

  ‘I got him, Dad.’ Gibbs smiled and pulled Stuart backwards by his body webbing. ‘What are you doing? I can get more.’

  ‘You there, take the young man’s place,’ Gibbs shouted to one of the men stationed at the back of the perimeter wall, waiting to step forward if someone got wounded.

  Gibbs and Stuart knelt at the back of the wall-walk, a narrow area constructed with wood and scaffolding that allowed people to walk the entire length of the wall without being visible to the attackers. Toby hopped over to them on his three legs. Stuart had nursed the dog back to health after he was shot, so he was the dog’s real owner. He stopped next to Gibbs and licked Stuart’s face. Gibbs pushed the dog away, and he rolled onto his back, waiting for the belly tickle.

  ‘Let me get a few more.’

  ‘This is not a hunt for sport, Stuart. You’ve taken your first life, and I want you to stand back and think about it for a little.’

  ‘Think about what? They’re attacking us.’

  ‘You understand that you only kill those who are out to hurt your family and friends. You also need to remember the man you have just killed might have a wife and child waiting for him back home. You may have deprived them of a father.’

  Stuart opened his mouth and then looked back at the gap in the wall.

  Smithy approached them in a crouched run. ‘Everything okay here, boss?’

&
nbsp; ‘Did Mom ever kill anyone when you fought together? She was the leader of the resistance after all.’

  ‘She killed plenty,’ Smithy said. ‘Gibbs, they’re pulling back all but two of the battle trucks. You think we should keep at it?’

  ‘Make sure they all retreat,’ Gibbs said.

  ‘Do you think that Mom would be proud of me?’

  ‘Your mother despised killing and wouldn’t be proud of anyone who took a life and enjoyed it. She would be prouder of you if you never killed anyone at all,’ Gibbs said.

  ‘But we’re at war, so it’s expected of us, isn’t it,’ Stuart said.

  Gibbs looked up at Smithy who was smiling. He patted Stuart on the shoulder.

  ‘And what about Maddy? The gang lord will have to pay for killing her. It was cold-blooded murder. We did everything he’d asked and did the swap. He should be punished for breaking his word.’

  Gibbs felt nauseous when he remembered that Stuart had witnessed Maddy’s death. ‘Rebus will get what is coming to him, but we may not be the ones to seek out revenge on him. Someone else will get him. We might not be the one to dispense justice at this time.’

  ‘So there’s no revenge for Maddy?’

  ‘Revenge has killed many people in worse ways than Maddy died,’ Gibbs said.

  Stuart glared at him then stood up and walked towards a ladder that led down inside the enclave.

  ‘That was a bit harsh, mate,’ Smithy said. ‘You seriously suggesting that we’re not going to avenge Maddy? She was his first crush and a heck of a good kid. You know she saw us as her family?’

  ‘Of course, we’re going to kill the fucker for Maddy. I just wanted to bring the lad down off the killing high as fast as possible. You and I went through months of military training preparing us to take lives. He has not been trained, so I want to shield him from it as much as possible,’ Gibbs said, picturing the ashen body of the girl he’d let down.

  ‘Have you looked over that wall recently? You can’t shield him from that. He’s a young man and has had to grow up faster than either of us ever did.’

  ‘I know we both had tough childhoods, but I want him to get used to it at a pace that we can control.’

  Smithy shook his head and looked back over the wall. ‘They’ve retreated, and it looks like they are going to regroup. Go and fetch him. We need every man here.’

  ‘I’ll make the final decision about my son, thanks, Uncle Smithy.’

  ‘That’s right and don’t forget it. You need to focus on our boy and get your head in the game. Did you even notice he was calling you Dad back there and not Gibbs?’

  Gibbs felt his heart jump as he scanned the group of men nearby.

  Chapter 14

  Outskirts of Maryville, Tennessee, USA – 2043

  ‘You’re playing a treacherous game, lady,’ Enyo said, looking back at the painted, athletic figure in the long mirror. The broad white line that went from her forehead, down her face, around her chin and between her breasts was fading, and she pulled up a chair to apply more white paint. Rebus’s voice could be heard lecturing his staff, his high-pitched voice filtering through the screen-covered windows. Adjusting the feathers in her hair with black fingerless leather gloves, she picked up her thick wooden staff and bounced it on her hands. The weighted balance told her the hidden knife was still there. It had accounted for three scrotum sacks in its time. Men who thought they could take what they wanted.

  Stepping into the sweltering heat, she adjusted the machete scabbard that was strapped to her back. ‘Rebus, dear. Why have you brought us out here into this particular dust bowl? It plays havoc with our skin.’

  Rebus was sitting on a wooden chair with twin teenage boys waving large sheets of perspex to cool him down. He was shirtless and barefoot, his feet resting on two male prisoners who were lying on top of one another in front of him.

  ‘Come here, my fuckbunny. Enjoy a little pampering while we wait,’ he said, as he kicked out at the two men beneath his feet. ‘Get some sheets and fan my dear Enyo.’

  Enyo smiled at him then looked across the dry river bed below them. A dust devil gusted along the flat white sand, drawing closer to three men digging a waterhole. As she sat down on the small stool near Rebus, the prisoners moved in behind her and started fanning. She waved them away, and Rebus smiled and lifted his feet for them to resume the position as a footrest.

  ‘Do you think they’ll find water here?’

  Rebus looked back at the men. ‘Many of these riverbeds have underground reservoirs beneath the bone-dry surface. I’m told that some even have running rivers below the surface. We keep digging as we go. The odd one yields good water, and we’re getting low on drinking water in the mobile tanks.’

  A dry cough to their right announced the arrival of Skink who’d walked up the small path to their position. ‘That’s a bit of climb, Rebus. Why did you park all the way up here?’

  ‘So I can check up on what you idiots are doing. Things haven’t been going well for us, now have they?’ he said, shifting positions as he turned towards the little man. ‘If you did fewer weights on your upper body and worked on your legs more, you could easily walk up a bloody hill.’

  ‘It’s just the men were wondering what you’re doing up here.’

  ‘All great warrior leaders know about the advantage of getting high up in battle. What do you want?’

  ‘Two generals are waiting to show you something. They won’t tell me what.’

  ‘Let me guess. You tried to beat it out of them?’

  Skink fidgeted and shifted his stance, looking down to the ground. Enyo’s grip tightened on the staff. She bit her lip as a strange emotion came over her for the little man. Had knowing about his personal strife softened her view of him? ‘I can see the men being brought up the hill behind you. They seem to be bleeding. Did you do that, Skink?’

  ‘So what if I did, bitch? They failed to do what Rebus asked,’ Skink said, staring at her. She glared back and felt the anger starting to rise.

  ‘The generals have failed you, Rebus. The Hooded Man still lives.’

  ‘Let me be the judge of what they’ve failed to do.’

  ‘I got them to clean themselves up first,’ he said.

  ‘You’re doing a good job, Skink.’

  Skink grinned from ear to ear, nodding as he pulled at his trouser pockets. Enyo frowned and felt jealousy replacing the sympathy. Skink caught her scowling at him, and he laughed, flashing his middle finger at her.

  Enyo jumped to her feet and slapped one of his ankles with her staff, bringing it upwards as she hooked his foot and sent him forward in a faceplant. She jumped back, her knees bent to lower her centre of gravity.

  ‘You dirty bitch,’ Skink screamed and pushed himself up into a squat. Enyo kicked out, landing a forceful blow on his chest. He rolled back over his head. ‘Arrrgh, I’m going to kill you.’

  The staff struck him across the jaw, sending the overbalanced man onto his side. Jumping forward, Enyo jammed the thick end into his throat. Bulging eyes looked back up at her. She felt the little lizard clawing at her foot and the staff. She had to assert control over him. He was Rebus’s brother but needed to know his place.

  ‘Leave him, Enyo,’ Rebus said. ‘Must you two constantly be at one another’s throats?’

  She felt her anger cool. Rising to her feet, she walked backwards away from the little reptile. It was unwise to turn your back on this creature. ‘Sorry, lover. I cannot stand him sometimes.’

  ‘While I understand that you must both fight for my attention and the right to be my number two, you have to be more tolerant of one another. In light of the secret I told you in my moment of weakness, I want you to stop being so hard on him.’

  She bowed, trying to quell the anger inside.

  ‘Let my generals through, Skink.’

  Two tall men dressed in dark combat pants, black boots and 38 street Roadster biker jackets walked forward, eyes swollen and blood dripping from noses and split lip
s. Their eyes flicked from the ground up to Rebus and then across to her. Enyo had slept with one of them a long while back. He cried after they had sex and told her that he loved her. No wonder these men could be dominated by her.

  ‘Well, gentlemen. What news do you have for me?’ Rebus said.

  The men looked at one another. A nod of the head from one forced the other to take a step forward. ‘I have a recording one of the scout outriders filmed while he was checking on a competitor drug run.’

  Rebus nodded to Enyo. She walked to the man she’d slept with and grabbed the large-screened phone. Walking back to Rebus, she gave it to him and kissed him on the lips. They all needed to be reminded of the hierarchy of things. Looking up, she saw movement in the riverbed.

  ‘Rebus, those men are waving up at us.’

  ‘Skink? What signal are they giving? Have they found drinking water, or is it water for the fusion reactors?’

  Skink walked past them in a wide arc and looked down the bank. ‘Fusion water.’

  ‘Okay, then. Get the tanks and pumps out there. We’ll have to stay here a little longer,’ Rebus said. ‘Now what’s on this recording that I must see?’

  Enyo stood next to Rebus and watched the recording of NAG trucks and vans driving past. The convoys were being led by a van driven by a muscular African American man, with a shaved head. Rebus looked up at her and then at the generals.

  ‘Are these genuine NAG soldiers?’

  ‘We believe so, sir,’ the general said. ‘One of our ex-NAG men recognised the captain leading them. I believe the black man you see on there is the Bounty Hunter.’

  ‘No,’ Rebus shouted, looking at the phone. ‘That means they know where the Hooded Man is.’

  Enyo looked at the screen again. ‘Yes, he is the Bounty Hunter they all talk about.’

  Skink walked over. ‘How the hell would you know?’

  Enyo bit her lip for a few seconds, tapping her finger on her staff.

  ‘That’s the van he drives. The buffalo skull on the front is a bit of a giveaway. Anyone who has their ear to the ground will know that it’s him.’