Maxwell Cain 2: With a Side of Vengeance Page 8

  Max leered. “I didn’t hear them chanting your name up there, Andy.”

  The crime boss’ face went from red to purple. He reared back his foot to kick Max’s cage, but thought better of getting too close to the hardened killer.

  “I’m gonna see to it you die screaming, Cain.” Andy thrust his finger at Max, then at Hank and Johnny as well. “All three of you are going to die wailing in agony because of this insufferable attitude. Why won’t you just lay down and die?”

  “Why don’t you just kiss my ass?” Max sneered. “My job is killing bastards like you, Andy. How many slaves you got in this place?”

  Andy’s gaze turned confused. “On my whole island? I don’t know.”

  “So,” Max mused, “we’re on an island, huh?”

  Andy grimaced, then bared his teeth at Max. “You’ll die in the arena tomorrow, Cain. What does it matter how many slaves I have now? Some will die, and I’ll buy replacements. Who cares?”

  “People aren’t objects for you to pick up at a market,” Max roared.

  Andy smirked. “Yes, they are. Do you have any idea how many women I bought just this month? When I’m done here with you, I’m heading back to my bedroom to spend time with a whole pile of them.”

  “Do you feed them well to pretend you’re hung better than an ant?” Johnny asked from his cage behind Andy.

  The crime boss purpled again and spun around to glare at the resurrected hitman.

  “Ha!” Max guffawed. “Good tag team, man.”

  Johnny shrugged and grinned. “Just felt right.”

  “And just who the fuck are you?” Andy demanded.

  Johnny rested his elbows against the bars in a casual stance. “I’m Johnny Legion. The Johnny Legion. Antonio Lombardo used his doctors to bring me back. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll set me free and let me get back to my boss.”

  Andy looked skeptical. “Even if you are the true Legion, you’re in my power now. You’ll die in the pit tomorrow with Cain. I’ll bury you out back in the mass grave for used-up slaves.”

  “You miserable bastard.” Max slammed the bars. “You can’t just use people like this and get away with it. I won’t allow it.”

  Andy smirked at him. “What you’ll allow is immaterial. Tomorrow night I’ll watch you die in the pit and my guards will toss you in your final resting place. Maybe I’ll have them kill and toss in that slave girl you liked so much so she can join you in death.” A look of brief confusion flickered across Andy’s face as he tapped his chin. “If I can remember which one that was. A brunette, right? Ah, well, they all look the same. You won’t know the difference, because you’ll be dead.”

  “I’m gonna kill you,” Max growled.

  Andy shrugged. “Why? Why this hate? Why did you attack my business so forcefully that I had to capture you to make you stop?”

  “Because it’s my job,” Max said.

  “A paycheck?” Andy asked. “I could have paid you more to leave me alone.”

  “Not a paycheck,” Max said. “I don’t do this for cash. I’ve done this work for free. Getting paid now is just bloody icing on the death cake.”

  Andy looked genuinely confused. “Why, then?”

  “One word: Justice.” Max pointed at Andy. “Men like you create endless suffering and pain for those huddled in your dark shadow. Men like me are called to rise up and stomp you into the ground so the masses get to see the light again.”

  Andy grunted. “A personal crusade. How futile. Don’t you know how the world works?”

  “I do. For now. Don’t you know how the story ends?”

  “Spare me your tired fairytales of final judgment,” Andy scoffed. “I had expected better than this, but in the end you are a boring simpleton who refuses to accept the world as it is.”

  Max looked past Andy to meet Johnny’s gaze. “The world is broken because evil men have built their towers to shape the world for their own selfish gain. When we tear those towers down to rubble, this world will work the way it’s meant to. All we need is enough hands to do the work.”

  Johnny held his gaze for a few heartbeats, then looked away. Max caught Hank smiling at him before the Reaper leader looked back at Andy.

  “Foolish,” Andy said tiredly. “How utterly boring.” He turned and strode to the steel door, looking deflated, but he turned back after knocking. “You’ll die tomorrow, Cain. Guess that makes it your judgment day. Make your peace before my judgment falls on your head.” The door opened and Andy turned to walk through.

  As the crime lord walked away, Max shouted after him. “I’m always ready for my judgment, Andy. Make yourself ready for yours.”

  Chapter 16

  Girl Talk

  In a bare concrete office, Kate and Nick stood before a massive screen filled with the image of a business-like blonde woman in a black military uniform with a severe ponytail and slick glasses with frames on the bottom and exposed glass on the top. Kate thought she looked like a model playing the role of a prim schoolteacher. The gorgeous woman gazed dispassionately out at them as she answered the video call. “Major Elizabeth Stone here. How can I help you?”

  Nick saluted. “Warrant Officer Nick Sharpe, ma’am. We’re calling to request assistance.”

  Kate finally remembered to salute. “Sergeant Kate Valentine.”

  Major Stone’s gray eyes gazed impassively at them through the television. “Assistance requests are handled by your local CDF supply depot, which for you would be –”

  “They sent us up to you, ma’am,” Kate cut her off. She realized she’d probably made a mistake when Nick winced, but she didn’t care. They’d wasted enough time, and every second counted. She took a step toward the screen. “We’ve got an emergency and we need more than our local depot is willing to send us.”

  “Your emergency is not our problem, Sergeant. I’m looking at your cell’s file and you’re already using the depot’s transport helicopter and pilot for missions. You’ve reached your monthly cap on new supplies.”

  “Ma’am, our team leader has been kidnapped.”

  Major Stone arched one immaculately sculpted eyebrow. “Captain Cain has been abducted?”

  Kate nodded emphatically. “Yes, he was taken by the Blood Sparrows. Johnny Legion was there as well.”

  “Johnny Legion is confirmed dead,” Major Stone stated flatly.

  “Yes, but he was there. I IDed him with my own two eyes.”

  The schoolmarm officer appraised Kate for a moment. “Assuming your intel is entirely accurate and you weren’t deceived, this changes nothing. You were given an allotment of money to secure your own safe living quarters as well as your base. If Captain Cain was taken, the fault lies with his own security arrangements.”

  Kate balled her hands into fists. “We weren’t expecting a dead hitman to rise from the grave and attack us in my apartment. Nor did we expect an entire army to assault us at the same time.”

  “Then you should have.” Major Stone stated calmly. “Going forward, factor unexpected problems into your calculations.”

  “That does nothing for Max now!”

  “You are already at your monthly cap,” Major Stone repeated in her flat tone. Kate couldn’t tell if the woman was annoyed, bored, or a robot. “Your cell is only three months old. If you wish to expand your monthly allowance, secure more bounties and prove your worth to the CDF.”

  “We don’t have time for that! They may kill him!”

  Major Stone shifted her eyes to Nick. “Warrant Officer, is hysteria common among your team?”

  Before Nick could answer, Kate cried out, “We’re getting married in a few days!”

  Major Stone’s expression didn’t change, but she shifted slightly in her chair. “You and Captain Cain? Ah, yes, I see here in your file that you were romantically linked prior to induction into the CDF and a special allowance was made for fraternization. In that case, you have my condolences.”

  Kate gestured frantically. “Please, don’t give me condolences, give me help. I need to rescue the man I love and I can’t do it alone.”

  Major Stone’s eyebrow twitched, but her voice remained flat. “That is… unfortunate. I am truly sorry, but your cell is at your monthly cap and I lack the authority to increase that cap without adequate prior results.”

  Kate shook her head bitterly. “I can’t accept that, Major. I love him. I will never abandon him. I’m going in whether you help me or not, even if it means I’m underequipped and outgunned. I don’t care. I have to save Max, even if I die in the process. Isn’t there anything you can do?”

  Major Stone’s eyes looked just a touch uncertain, and her full lips pursed. “I… Sergeant, I can’t just…”

  “Please,” Kate begged. “I have to rescue him. Do you know what it’s like to sit and wait while the man you love is in danger?”

  The Major’s austere expression finally cracked. She sighed and relaxed her sculpted brows. “Actually, Sergeant, I do.”

  Kate’s heart leaped in her chest. “And if he needed you, what would you do to rescue him?”

  Major Stone pursed her lips again. “I’d stop at nothing. Nothing would get in my way.”

  “Right!” Kate exclaimed. “I’m going in for a full assault on Andy Wong’s private compound, and I need whatever assistance I can get. Can you help me?”

  The Major furrowed her delicate brows. Then her eyes softened and she dabbed at the corner of one painted eye with a crisp white handkerchief. “This is just like a romantic movie.” She composed herself and looked back at Kate. “I can’t adjust your monthly budget. But I can temporarily expand your overdraft allowance.”

  Kate furrowed her own brow. “What does that mean?”

  Major Stone smiled slightly. “It means you can plunge yourself into debt and pick out gear normally beyond your reach. You’ll pay it back in hefty installments which will impact your future missions until you pay it back, and your local supply depot will likely chew out your warrant officer for being irresponsible with your budget.”

  “I don’t care,” Kate cried. “I’ll pay any price to save Max!”

  Nick sighed. When Kate glanced at him, he looked resigned but nodded his approval.

  “Spoken like a true romance heroine,” Major Stone sniffed emotionally. “I understand. I’d do the same for my man.”

  Kate clenched her fist triumphantly. “Women in love have to stick together. Thank you, Major.”

  Major Stone nodded resolutely. Her eyes gleamed behind her stylish glasses. “If I may make a suggestion? You’re already going for broke, so you may as well get the most bang for your buck. My advice is to pick up a couple of these.” A window appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen displaying a piece of equipment along with a hefty price tag that made Nick gag.

  The bright image glittered like twin stars in Kate’s wide blue eyes as she stared at the Major’s suggested purchase, and a slow smile spread across her face. “Oh yes, Major. That’s perfect.”

  Chapter 17

  We’re Busting Out of This Joint

  After a quiet night of stale bread, hotdogs, and fitful sleep, Max was roused by the guards unlocking his cage door. Without speech or ceremony, they seized hold of him and dragged him from his straw pile, doing the same to Johnny and Hank. The three gladiators were marched down the tunnel and shoved out into the sandy arena, with the iron portcullis crashing down behind them so fast it scraped Max’s heel.

  The same crowd from the night before cheered, their echoing voices ringing in Max’s groggy ears. Interspersed with the audience were a few guards in red fatigues armed with automatic rifles. Max shook off his mental cobwebs and strode toward the center of the arena with Hank and Johnny flanking him. There in the sand stood three longswords and three wooden shields, the same as Max had used during the mass battle versus Roman soldiers where Keel had been slain.

  “What’s the plan?” Hank asked as he hefted his blade. On Max’s other side, Johnny Legion did the same. Max kept a wary eye on the brute in case he went back on his word, but as agreed the resurrected killer made no move to run Max through.

  Max drew his own blade and plucked up one of the wooden shields, then turned to face Andy’s empty platform. He spoke softly so only Hank and Johnny would hear him. “We kill everything Andy throws at us. We’re the toughest sons of bitches on this island, and if we stick together and watch each other’s backs we’ll get through anything. The moment the battle is done or we get a big enough lull in the action, follow my lead.”

  “Got it,” Hank said.

  “It’s your show, Cain,” Johnny growled. “Don’t screw it up.”

  Andy walked out onto the platform, his long red coat flaring dramatically in a fan-generated breeze. The assembled courtiers packing the stands thundered their approval with stamping feet and screaming cheers. The crime boss raised his hands and gestured at the men in the pit. “Did I not promise you swift resolution to our little saga? Today, Maxwell Cain and his crew meet their end in glorious battle.” He grinned down at Max. “Is this not what you begged us for last night, Cain?”

  Max glowered up at the crime lord and let his hate-filled eyes do the talking.

  Andy shrugged and seated himself on his throne. He lifted his remote and waved his hand languidly. “Let’s get the killing underway.”

  The enemy portcullis lifted with a rattle and a clank. Twenty more of the Roman soldiers rushed out into the sand, carrying swords and shields the same as Max and his crew. It was the same number of foes they’d faced when they had nine gladiators working together. The portcullis crashed shut to deny any possible escape.

  “Circle up,” Max called. Johnny and Hank swiveled to place their backs together with Max, swords and shields overlapping in layers of defenses as they formed a protective ring together. The enemies circled them as they approached, forming a second ring of gleaming steel pointing inward like teeth in a great maw poised to swallow the three men.

  With a cry, the enemy soldiers rushed Max, Hank, and Johnny. Max parried a blow aimed at his head, then blocked a second sword with his shield. The blade scraped on his wooden barrier and he shoved upward, deflecting the blow toward the ceiling. With his longsword he thrust forward, piercing the second attacker’s throat. The Roman soldier fell backward in the sand gurgling as blood pumped from his carotid artery. His fellows ignored him as they stepped over his thrashing body to slash at Max.

  The next swordsman thrust at Max’s face. He turned the blade with his shield but not fast enough. The sharpened point sliced a burning line across Max’s cheek, spilling blood down the side of his face. The crimson fluid dripped from Max’s jaw as he thrust with his sword, disemboweling his attacker.

  Two more attackers sprang forward into the empty spaces. The killing circle was so small that all twenty men could not get at them at once. Max breathed a prayer for that small mercy even as he realized it meant he’d grow more exhausted as he faced waves of rested foes.

  The third swordsman slashed at Max, cutting him across the forearm. The wound wasn’t deep but it hurt, and the pain caused Max’s fury to boil over. He bashed the soldier in the face with his shield, sending him reeling. He couldn’t follow through with the kill because the foe’s companion thrust at Max’s chest, attempting to skewer him. Max stepped backward to avoid the strike and bumped into Hank, causing the big man to miss a slash of his own. His blade scraped off an enemy shield and he growled absentmindedly at Max for the intrusion.

  Max chanced a glance over one shoulder to check on Johnny. The hitman cut and slashed with gruesome strength, cleaving through enemy defenses with mighty swings. But as he cut down one soldier, another enemy darted in with a thrust at Johnny’s exposed side.

  Max adjusted his shield and absorbed the killing blow, turning it at the last moment. The blade slid harmlessly in front of Johnny’s face, filling the hired killer’s vision for a brief moment and causing his eyes to widen in surprise. He spun and cut down his would-be murderer, then glanced at Max with genuine surprise in his eyes.

  Without speaking, Max turned back to his own defenses. He blocked a slash, parried a thrust, blocked a second slash, then thrust with his sword, taking an enemy in the throat. His boots splashed in the bloody swamp forming at his feet. Enemies had to climb over their own dead comrades to reach him, and when he cut down the newcomers, they formed an even taller hill of dead. The corpse circle around the three gladiators formed a fairy ring of carnage with Max, Hank, and Johnny at the center, their hair and clothes soaked with enemy blood.

  At last, the final soldier fell with a gurgling cry. All twenty soldiers were dead, and Max and his crew stood triumphant in the center of the arena. The crowd screamed themselves hoarse in ecstasy as the coppery stench of blood filled the air.

  Still slumped casually on his throne, Andy smirked and raised his remote again.

  “Follow me,” Max shouted at his companions. “Do as I do, and don’t let go of your swords!” He dropped his shield and charged toward the nearest wall, screaming and cocking back his arm to throw his sword into the crowd. Hank and Johnny did the same, their cries mingling with his own.

  Up on the wall, the audience shrieked and drew back from the edge, fearful of the deadly projectiles.

  Andy sat bolt upright and hurriedly punched one of the buttons on his remote.

  Max felt the magnetic force try to rip the sword from his hand. He clasped the hilt with both hands and held on for dear life as the tremendous force lifted him into the air. His charging momentum caused him to swing forward as he rose, and in less than a heartbeat he was already ten feet above the wall. He let go of the sword hilt at the peak of his swing and hurtled into the audience.