Falling(60)

All he could do was nod his head. Something in him had changed. “You’re right,” he said finally. “You are. But does it change my mind?” He laughed and looked around at his surroundings, shaking his head vigorously, a bit maniacally. He pointed to the detonator. “Your little trick was cute. And your little mind games are cute. But you’re forgetting that I’ve still got a bird in the hand. I’ve still got the kids.”

Carrie’s body went cold.

“And that means—I don’t need you.”

Faster than she could react, Sam reached behind himself and produced the gun, leveling it at her head.

Without even thinking, she flipped up the plastic safety on the detonator and moved her thumb to the button.

A gun fired. Seagulls flew into the night sky.

Sam buckled, blood spurting from the gunshot wound in his left thigh. Screaming, he fell to his knees, the gun dropping at his side.

Carrie kicked at it, the weapon sliding across the sandy asphalt out of reach. Spinning, she saw a young man in a bulletproof vest scrambling down the hill toward them.

“FBI!” he screamed.

Squealing tires cut through the scene. Carrie whipped around to find two black SUVs speeding into the parking lot toward the moving van.

Sam took off, running awkwardly down the beach, sand flying, a trail of blood left in his footsteps.

“I’ll get him,” the FBI agent called out to her as he tore down the beach. “Go!”

Taking off at a dead sprint for the van, Carrie ripped at the vest’s Velcro. Freeing herself, she stopped long enough to set it down carefully on the asphalt, laying the detonator beside it. She raised her arms to identify herself as a nonthreat for the armed agents who were pouring out of the vehicles around the van.

“He needs help!” Carrie screamed. “The other guy. They’re down the beach. Hurry!”





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT


THE SOUND OF A DISTANT gunshot from the other side of the screen hung in the air of the cockpit. Bill and Ben leaned forward, desperation seizing them both.

“Mommy!”

With a hiss, Bill ripped off his oxygen mask. The chances that enough gas had leaked under the door to hurt him was minimal—and in the moment he didn’t care. Bill clutched the sides of the laptop. “Buddy. It’s okay. I’m here,” he said.

The boy’s wet sniffles filled the cockpit. “Mommy. Mommy, please.”

Something slammed against the van. The children screamed and the pilots jumped.

“Scott! Mommy’s here,” said Carrie’s muffled voice. “Babies, Mommy’s here.”

Sounds of metal striking metal came from outside the van, the screen jiggling in response to each blow. Both Carrie and Scott were screaming until suddenly the van doors flew open and yellow light flooded in. A blurred figure jumped into the van, kicking the phone and obscuring the camera’s view.

“It’s okay,” Carrie said over and over as she wept. “It’s all going to be okay.”



* * *



The suspect had a head start but he was wounded and Theo was the faster runner.

Theo holstered his gun. No matter what happened, Theo could not shoot while they were both moving. The man was covered in explosives. Chasing him down the beach, Theo closed in little by little until he was close enough to touch him. With a final burst of speed, he leapt onto the suspect’s back, the man collapsing under the weight as they both tumbled to the ground. White sand flew into the air and stuck to their skin as the men grappled for control despite each of their physical limitations. Arms and legs thrashed in a blitz of blood and pain.

The suspect rolled into Theo to deliver a punch, leaving his own stomach exposed. Theo saw the opportunity and jabbed his elbow into the man’s torso, the blow striking the suspect’s gut right below the ribs. The man doubled over with a grunt.

Out of the corner of his eye, still far in the distance, Theo saw the backup agents running toward them, the headlamps on their helmets jostling light all over the beach.

Rolling onto his back, Theo pulled the man on top of him, wrapping his left leg over the suspect’s waist. Slipping his left foot under his right knee, Theo locked the suspect’s body into place before wrapping his arms in a figure-eight around the suspect’s neck. The suspect was immobilized in a rear naked chokehold before he even knew what was happening. The suspect swatted at Theo’s arms, but beyond that he couldn’t move.

Theo’s sling must have come off completely at some point in the fight, but he hadn’t noticed. A cool numbness had replaced the incessant throb of pain he’d felt in his arm all day, and he assumed he was in an adrenaline-fueled state of shock.

The backup agents were getting closer, but as they approached, Theo could see their drawn guns.

“Don’t shoot!” Theo screamed.

He squinted in the beams of their bobbing headlamps.

Distracted, Theo didn’t notice the suspect grabbing at the sand. With a full hand, the man threw it into Theo’s face, blinding him. Theo blinked furiously while swinging his arms around, trying to feel for the suspect.

“Get on the ground! Get on the ground!”

The shouts of the other agents echoed closer, almost there.

“Hold!” one of the agents screamed over the rest, just as Theo sensed them beside him. Backup was here and the suspect was outnumbered. But the panic in the agent’s voice told Theo that something was very wrong.