Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig Read Free Book Online Page A

“What's going on? Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
    “He's been there since the attack. Just sit tight.”
    “Sit tight?” He spun the steering wheel and pulled onto Bhuleshwar Road, this time coming from the east. The attack. He meant the one that had hit the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower … and killed Chloe.
    Parked along the curb, he glanced up at the multi-storied building where the UCSD students had taken up residence. He glanced at the Laxmi Narayan Temple across the street. Would that the gods there actually did any good—at least for Shiloh right now.
    “Okay, he's got her in sight. Looks like she's going in.”
    “Ryan,” Reece worked to keep his voice calm. “If she goes in, she’ll walk into a trap.”
    “I know.”
    Reece stilled. Were they not listening? “She's dead if she goes in there.”
    “I know, I know. We’re working on it.”
    A dog with its tail tucked scampered across the road, skittering out of the way when a horn squawked at it. Reece lifted his thermal binoculars and peered through the lenses toward the building. A dozen or more signatures lit up the screen. He tossed them aside. There would be no way to find Shiloh in that crowd, not at this time of day with everyone gathering for dinner in the main lobby and café.
    Several men in suits jogged up the street from the south. In a city of white kurtas and khaki pants, this had the look of high-powered trouble.
    Reece reached for his Beretta. He popped the magazine out and cleared it. Double-checking the players, he returned the clip, chambered a round, and released the safety. An AK-47 rested under the arm of one man; another carried what looked like a carbine. A lot of firepower for dinner.
    From under the seat, Reece ripped free his Glock and did a press check. He opened his door and climbed out. Something far more sinister was going down. He’d pound the answers out of Langley when this was over.
    “Reece, what are you doing?” Ryan's voice wavered. “Your signal's moving—you’re moving.”
    “She's my target.”
    “Reece, stay out of this.”
    “Too late.”

    Scuttling across the lobby, Shiloh hugged the walls as she made her way to the stairwell. The people clustered near the front desk seemed harmless enough, but the two men near the east exit served as a warning not to stop.
    Sweat tickled her back as she took the stairs two at a time. When she rounded a corner and looked up, she propelled herself faster. Her floor. She exhaled and then slowed, listening. Scraping on the steps above pushed her back against the wall. Side-stepping, she covered the last few stairs and reached the landing for the third floor.
    “ Ye ! Come here! Down one more,” a voice shouted.
    Footsteps pounded overhead. Her gaze shot to the door. She jerked it open. Although she might be confronted in the hall, she had no choice. Getting trapped in a stairwell meant death—no way out. As soon as her foot hit the threadbare carpet, she paused and checked both ways. Clear. She sprinted to the right.
    Behind her, the door squeaked open.
    Shiloh darted into a closet marked Supplies. Palm against the wood, she eased the door shut. She swiped at the sweat on her forehead and upper lip with the back of her hand. Her shirt stuck to her back. Angry voices drew nearer. She tucked herself behind a tall stack of paper towel boxes in the corner.
    “ Tu kaay kela aahe ?”
    What did you do? Shiloh's heart skipped a beat. That sounded like Dr. Kuntz.
    “Tracking down your problem,” came another voice.
    “I have no problem, you infidel.” Definitely her professor—he loved that word! “If you had left her alone, she would be in our hands by now. Mess this up, Burak, and it's over.”
    “Do not threaten me, old man.”
    Shiloh squeezed her eyes. What was going on? What were they after? What did they think she knew? She couldn’t believe Dr. Kuntz was a part of this.
    “Meet me at the office in two hours. She should return by then. She’ll