Murdock's Last Stand by Beverly Barton

Author:Beverly Barton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2000-11-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Murdock led Catherine along the nearly deserted back streets and alleys of San Carlos. When a squad of Zarazaian soldiers swept through Tripoli Avenue, Murdock jerked Catherine into a doorway and motioned for her to go up the stairs leading to the second floor of a deserted building that had once housed a restaurant. She held her breath as General Ramos’s men marched by, their weapons drawn and ready for combat. As their boot steps echoed in her ears, Catherine reached the top of the stairs. Halting at the closed door, she grabbed the handle and found the door locked.

“This might be a good place to stay until dark,” Murdock whispered.

After setting her aside, he rammed his shoulder against the door. The force of his powerful body broke the lock. The door swung open, giving them a view of a long, narrow hallway. Catherine followed him down the corridor. He flung open three doors, checking the upstairs rooms for any occupants. Empty. Behind the fourth and final door at the end of the hallway, they found a small, partially furnished apartment.

Murdock flipped the wall switch. Nothing. Just as he suspected, the electrical power had been cut off—either when the building had been vacated or due to a citywide blackout caused by the rebel attack.

“This is better than I’d hoped,” he said. “A bathroom and a bed. We can clean up and get some rest before we head out.”

Bone weary and mentally fatigued, Catherine removed the M-16 from her shoulder, laid it on the floor and slumped down into the nearest chair. “Why do we have to leave the city? Why can’t you just hook up with the rebel soldiers and tell them you have a vital message for Vincente Sabino?”

Murdock pulled the curtains over the windows, protecting them from being viewed by anyone on the street below. He jerked the beret from his head and forked his fingers through his damp hair. “Because the rebel soldiers are going to shoot first and ask questions later. Any soldier worth his salt would. They’re in the middle of their first major attack on San Carlos and anyone crossing their path will be eliminated. And as far as my telling them I have a message for Vincente—they don’t know me from Adam. And unless we could find Manuel or Andres, both of whom I suspect have gone underground, we’d have no one to vouch for us. Besides, I’m not sure we can trust Manuel or Andres one hundred percent.”

“So our only alternative is what? Try to find Vincente ourselves?” Catherine glanced down at her scuffed heels as she stretched her legs.

Murdock’s gaze followed her. “Too bad that soldier’s feet were so big. You could have used his boots.”

She shrugged. “What are the odds we can get out of San Carlos tonight?”

“Pretty good, actually, if we can find some sort of transportation.”

“Like what?”

“Like a car.”

“How do you propose we get a car?”

“Later, when it’s dusk, I’ll go out and see what I can find.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.