Apocalyptic Visions Super Boxset (73 page)

“What about shooting me when you’re looking at me, huh?” Diaz asked. “What happened to that, Coop?”

Cooper spun him around, the lines on her face twisted with the dirt and grime that she’d collected over the past few days. “I don’t have any qualms about shooting a corrupt agent.” She kept the pistol aimed at his forehead. “Where’s the real exchange happening?”

Diaz remained silent, but then Cooper increased the pressure on Diaz’s forehead with the end of the pistol. “The old boat dock where the captain arrived when we got that call. That’s where they’re meeting.”

The phone rang, and Cooper’s eyes flitted to it long enough for Diaz to make a grab for the pistol, twisting her arm as she fired randomly into the wall. Diaz shook the pistol loose then jammed his elbow into her face, causing her to stumble backward.

Cooper reached around for the pistol on her back, but Diaz was already on her, knocking it down before she had a chance to aim. He then lunged for the pistol on the floor, but she quickly followed, landing on top of him, and spun him around, bringing her fist into the bridge of his nose, which sounded with a loud crack upon contact. Blood gushed from Diaz’s nostrils and flowed down his lips and chin. He blocked the next blow Cooper tried to land then twisted her off, and the two rolled over one another.

Elbows, knees, shoulders, and heads banged against the hard concrete as Cooper and Diaz fought. The fatigue was wearing Cooper down, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to keep it up. The burn in her muscles reached a fever pitch, and Diaz got the upper hand with a quick strike to her throat, which choked the air out of her.

Diaz had his hand on the gun, and before he turned, Cooper reached for the pistol that she’d dropped earlier. By the time he turned around, she’d fired off five rounds into his chest. He collapsed on his side, blood pouring from the five holes in his shirt as his grip on the pistol loosened.

Cooper dropped the gun. She was hyperventilating. She clutched the wall, the ground, tried to push herself up, but couldn’t get the jelly out of her legs. “Christ.” She shut her eyes hard, gathering her thoughts and what strength she had left.

If Dylan was going into the exchange alone, then he wouldn’t stand a chance, and with a dead agent on her hands, as well as the one witness who had actually seen Perry himself gone, Cooper’s only hope was to get to Dylan. And she had to hurry.

***

Dylan checked his watch incessantly, but each time he did, time seemed to crawl to a halt. He pulled the pair of binoculars to his eyes once more and scanned the marina. The docks were completely empty, and the parking lot was in the same shape. The police tape was still up from the investigation.

Mark kept a steady hand on the ship’s wheel, while Dylan was preoccupied. “He’ll show up, Dylan. Remember, he wants this just as bad as you do.” The old man’s words attempted to be reassuring, but Dylan found little solace in them.

“Keep us close to the peninsula. It’ll give us a good barrier if things turn south.” Dylan checked his binoculars one more time then watched a car pull into the parking lot, then a second. Dylan gripped the binoculars tighter, the plastic casing creaking from the increased pressure. He waited for someone to get out of the vehicle, but once the cars were parked, no one moved. They were going to wait until he showed.

Dylan tossed the binoculars aside and descended into the cabin. He gathered up the nuclear computer chips but left the one item that Perry had asked him to collect personally below deck. He loaded the revolver along with some extra rounds and tucked it into the back of his pants. He caught his hand shaking when he flung the strap of his pack over his shoulder. He squeezed it a few times, trying to calm the nerves wreaking havoc on his body.

Don’t give him what he wants until Sean is safe. Dylan repeated that to himself over and over like a mantra until the tremor in his hand stopped. When he came out of the cabin and stepped onto the deck, Mark already had the small raft waiting for him.

“Water and rations are in the cooler.” Mark gestured toward the back, his voice rough and throaty. It got that way whenever the old man tried to hide his emotions. “Wasn’t sure really how much to give, but you’ve got at least two days’ worth. Just in case it gets bad.”

Dylan wrapped the old man in a hug, being mindful of the stitches around Mark’s stomach. “Thank you. For everything.”

Mark clapped Dylan on the back and nodded. “If you’re not at the spot by nightfall, I’ll head to the police like you said. I’ve got everything written down in the statement verbatim.”

Dylan lowered himself into the rickety canoe, and it wobbled back and forth. He grabbed the oar and started paddling, cutting through the light chop on the bay. Dylan figured Perry would assume he would arrive by sea, so he kept a watchful eye for any ships in the distance. So far, the coast was clear.

It took nearly an hour to make it to the south of the marina. Dylan tucked the canoe under the cover of bushes and left it. He kept his feet as light as he could on the way to the docks, still being mindful of whoever could be close by. Perry wouldn’t take this meeting without taking precautions, and Dylan kept a lookout for any men he may have stationed along the shoreline to watch for him.

Dylan emerged from the brush next to the marina and stepped out onto the parking lot. The moment his foot hit the pavement, the men in the two sedans opened their car doors. Perry was among them, getting out of the back seat, and Dylan froze near the edge of the lot, waiting for his son to show. “Where’s Sean?”

Perry nodded to one of his men, who then pulled Sean out of the car. His mouth was taped shut, and he had restraints around his wrists. “Your son is here, alive, and in one piece. Now, where are my computer chips?”

Dylan peeled the bag off his back and lifted it into the air. “This is half. You’ll get the other half when both my son and I are safe, far from here. I’ll send you the coordinates where you can pick them up.”

Perry smiled and walked past his guards, closer to where Dylan stood. “But what about the rest of your family? I think you would want to trade for them as well.”

A cold shiver rippled through Dylan’s body, and his stomach felt like it dropped to his feet. His mouth went dry, and his face turned a pale white. Perry couldn’t have the rest of his family. Evelyn had left, along with Mary and Peter. He was bluffing.

Perry gave another nod to one of his men, and when Evelyn was pulled from the second car, the bag in Dylan’s hand dropped to the pavement. Dylan stumbled forward then reached for the revolver around his back, cocked the hammer back, and aimed it right at Perry.

The terrorists immediately drew their weapons, but Perry quickly held up his hand, stopping them from firing. “You’re playing a game you were never equipped to handle, Captain. You’ve had your moment, but now it’s time for you to end this nonsense.”

The henchmen huddled both Evelyn and Sean together. They shivered, and Dylan heard moans cry out from the gags over their mouths. This couldn’t be happening.

“So.” Perry clapped his hands together and walked back over to Evelyn and Sean. He stood behind them and placed one hand on one of each of their shoulders. “Which one do you want first? Or I’m even willing to make an exchange for all of them at the same time. That, of course, would be more preferable. But you’re the one running the show.”

Even if Dylan handed over everything he had, he knew Perry wouldn’t hold up his end of the deal. He looked out to sea, hoping that Mark was already on his way to the pickup location. He knew what Evelyn would want him to do. “You give me Sean now, and I’ll give you the other half of the chips when I’ve put him somewhere safe.”

“Safe.” Perry echoed the word like a parrot. “That’s all you think about. It’s what everyone’s world revolves around. Safety. None of you have any idea that it’s an illusion. You fear the unknown and shriek and cower at anything that doesn’t fall into your routine.” Perry crouched low, pretending to be afraid of some imaginary creature, then regained his composure. “Your life, despite everything you do to keep yourself safe, can end at any moment. A car accident, a criminal, a plane crash.” He stopped and made sure that Dylan could see him. “A storm.” A smile curved onto Perry’s face, and he tousled the top of Sean’s head, messing his greasy hair. “Does your middle child ever ask about his older brother, I wonder? What happened to him when he and his father were out to sea?”

Dylan took a step forward. “Shut up! Give me my son, and you get what you want. The drop-off for the second half will work the same, only you’ll give me Evelyn on that exchange. Now let him go!” Each time Perry’s hand grazed Sean, Dylan felt knives cutting into him. “That was the deal, Perry. And even if you kill all of us now, my partner will be making a beeline to the nearest police station and telling them everything about you. And whatever you hoped to accomplish will have been for nothing.”

Perry’s mocking smile vanished, and he gripped the top of Sean’s head more violently. “And your family will remember how you failed them again. You will lose yet another son, and then your wife, and then I will find your daughter and kill her as well. You are no man, Captain. You cannot protect your family, you cannot stop what I’ve set into motion, and you will not beat me. Do you understand? I will win. You will lose. There is no other outcome!”

Before Dylan could reply, gunshots thundered from behind him, and he dropped to the pavement. Perry’s henchmen immediately returned fire into the direction where the shots originated. With his stomach still flat on the ground, Dylan squeezed the trigger of the revolver, adding to the chaos around him, hitting one of the terrorists in the chest, before he jumped behind the cover of the trees.

Dylan looked through the bushes and saw his son thrown back into the car, but Perry had taken his wife and put a gun to her head, using her as a human shield. The gunfire stopped, and when Dylan tried to step out from behind the cover of the trees, a hand yanked him backward, and he was suddenly staring down the barrel of a pistol.

“Don’t move,” Cooper said, her finger on the trigger.

“Wrong move, Captain!” Perry’s words echoed from across the parking lot, while Cooper pressed the gun hard to Dylan’s forehead.

“You don’t understand what you’re doing,” Dylan said, his breathing violent and short. “They’re going to kill my family for this.”

“Not unless you still have those computer chips,” Cooper answered.

Dylan tried turning his head to look around, but Cooper forced him to keep his eyes on her. She pulled him to his feet and slammed him back up against the side of the tree. The pressure from the gun on his forehead felt like it was going to cave his skull in. “Let me go.”

“No,” Cooper said. “Last time I trusted you, I ended up getting shot at. You shouldn’t have tried to do this alone, Dylan. It was a dumb decision.”

Perry’s voice boomed again. “Last chance. If I can’t convince you to come out, then maybe she can.”

Evelyn’s scream was the first thing Dylan heard, a series of nonsensical words. Dylan managed to finally turn enough to see Evelyn in the parking lot. Her hair was wild and the skin around her mouth red and raw from the tape that Perry had peeled off. “Just save Sean, Dylan. Save him.”

Dylan watched the tears stream down her face, and her head cocked to the side from the pressure of Perry’s gun. Dylan struggled against Cooper’s hold. “Perry! You let her go! Now!”

“Make a move, and I’ll have thirty agents here in no time, Perry,” Cooper said, adding to the threats.

“Ah, Agent Cooper, I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from Diaz. I’m sure it was hard to gun down your partner, but I’m pleased to see that at least not everyone in the DEA is worthless. I should’ve tried recruiting you instead.”

Dylan saw his revolver near the edge of the pavement, where he’d dropped it on his run for cover. He could make a dash for it, knock Cooper down, and try and make a run for Evelyn. Even if he died, Sean still might live, Perry using Sean as his last bargaining chip once it was revealed who and what he was. No. He’d still kill Sean, complete with a smile on his face when he did.

“The chips, Captain. Now!” Perry said.

Cooper pulled Dylan’s face back to hers. “Dylan, listen to me. This isn’t the way to go. We can still get your family back, but the moment you give up your bargaining chip, they’re dead, and so are we.”

“I still have half of them with Mark,” Dylan replied. “Perry still won’t have all of them.”

“But it’ll be too late by then! He’ll still have enough to kill millions, and you don’t think he won’t? There’s a better way, Dylan. My life is on the line just as much as your family’s. Let me help you.”

“You have to the count of three,” Perry said. “One!”

Dylan squirmed against Cooper, shoving his hand into her face, forcing her to drop the gun to use all the strength she could to stop him. Both fell to the ground, rolling over one another, each trying to get the upper hand, the fatigue of struggle burning in their weary muscles.

“Two!”

Perry’s words sounded like gunshots firing into the air. Dylan kneed Cooper in the stomach, and he dug his hand into the dirt, clawing his way forward until Cooper grabbed him by the leg and pulled him backward. He kicked at her violently, catching her in the chin, and scrambled forward, the gun in sight, with Perry and Evelyn in the background.

Dylan watched Perry mouth the word three, but couldn’t remember hearing it. The only sound that filled his ears was the gunshot that killed Evelyn. He watched the explosion of the bullet exit the side of her head and her body drop to the ground then looked up to see Perry’s smile as Dylan wrapped his fingers around the revolver, aimed, and repeatedly squeezed the trigger, bullets flying from the barrel and connecting with the sedan that Perry had climbed into.

The terrorists alongside Perry fired back, a blanket of lead aimed for Dylan. He tried rising to his feet, but Cooper had grabbed hold of his ankles, pulling his feet from under him, and dragged him backward into the cover of the trees. The click of the hammer signaled that the revolver was empty, and the only sound that echoed from Dylan once the bullets were gone were his screams.