The Edge Of Justice

The Edge Of Justice Chapter 21

Here's one more for you EoJ Fans! Hope you like it!“

Hi,” I hissed. “ My name is Ghost, and I'll be your reaper for tonight. Tell me what I need to know, and you live. Lie to me a single time and this shiny blade slides into your throat. Nod if you understand.”

He nodded frantically, and I smiled beneath my mask. “Good. Now for my first question. Neal has my family. Are they here?”

He tried to speak through my glove, but the words were muffled. “I'm gonna move my hand, but if you even think about yelling for help, this blade will be tickling your brain before you have a chance to draw the breath for it. Understood?”

He nodded again, and I slowly removed my hand from his mouth, and he began to pant slightly. “The girl and the woman, right?”

I nodded, and he continued. “About six weeks ago he was here, brought in two people, a girl and a woman, with black bags on their heads.”

Hope flared in my chest. “Are they still here?”

“No. They were only here for two days.”

The spark of hope sputtered and died,leaving behind a gaping hole that quickly began to fill with anger. “Where did they go?” I spat from between gritted teeth, pushing on the tip of the sai, drawing blood from his neck.

Fear showed in his eyes and he squirmed beneath me. “I don't know! Malcolm, inside the tunnels, he would know more! I'm just a guard!”

I believed him, and thumbed the small button on the back of my glove. The needle popped up, and I scratched his neck just below the ear. Twenty seconds passed by and he was out, so I stood and replaced my sai in its holster. “Stacey?” I asked the empty air, and she crackled to life in my ear. “I heard everything, Christian, and we're working on it. I'm not exactly sure who Malcolm is, but I should have more information for you before you enter the caves. For now, Prince says for you to keep moving, and secure the pathway.”

“Done,” I said, drawing a ninjato and moving back toward the door. A hand on Blaster's shoulder and we were moving up the path again. On silent feet we made it halfway up the path, Marines dropping off at regular intervals. We left them to handle the men in the alcoves, and we would hear the muted 'pop' of a silencer as they cleared the rooms. “Aren't even silenced shots usually louder than that?” I whispered to Blaster, who was leading us up the trail once we had dropped off the last Marine.

“If the caliber is larger, yes. They're using .22s as their sidearms. A lot quieter than a 9mm or a .45 and a lot less messy too. There's usually no exit wound, and a head shot is almost a guaranteed kill because the bullet fragments once it's passed through the skull and chews up the brain pretty nicely.”

“I like you guys,” I hissed.

“I'd say the same, but the jury's still out on you and your little knives, especially after that demeaning little display back on the ridge,” he chided. He froze just then, holding up a fist to stop us. We all went to one knee, and he turned around to face us. “The doorway is just ahead. Once more alcove, looks like two guys, and four more at the door. Ghost, take Adder and clear the alcove. You four,” he motioned to Hammer, Viking, Curly, and Blackjack, “with me. We're gonna take the door. Clean and quick.”

Viking removed a black cylinder from his netting vest and Blaster slapped his hand. “No flash-bangs, dammit. You wanna let the whole mountain know we're here?”

I peeked around Blaster's shoulder and came up with a better idea. “Wait. Blaster, send who you want into the alcove, but wait for me to move first. Let me handle the door.”