Sleeper Cell Super Boxset (26 page)

“Sorry, partner,” Diaz said, taking a few steps closer. “You should have just stayed out of it. I thought that when Moringer suspended you for the first time, you would have lain low, but you just kept pushing. You dug your own grave on this one.”

Cooper took a step back, her peripherals scanning for anything she could use or anywhere she could run. “What happened to the witness?”

“Oh, he’s here,” Diaz answered. “Unfortunately, he was killed by a rogue agent and his body tossed into a trunk just before the highly dangerous, recently suspended agent Cooper killed herself after downing a fifth of whiskey.”

A piece of glass crunched under Cooper’s boot as she continued her trek backward. “How long, Diaz?”

“Working for Perry? A couple years. The money was just too good to pass up, and all I had to do was spread some rumors about my partner.”

Cooper stopped, the wind seemingly knocked out of her. “You? It was you who started those?”

“It was easy enough with how many times you’ve been undercover and how you rub everyone the wrong way in the department.”

The weight of Cooper’s pistol sagged in its holster, and she cursed herself for not keeping her guard up. “Perry won’t last forever, Diaz. He’ll be stopped, and when he is, anyone who’s been associated with him will have a cell right next door. You think he’ll give a shit about you once all this is done?”

“By then, I’ll be on a beach in the Mediterranean, sipping on a cold drink. I’m not sticking around for whatever that psychopath has planned, but you can bet your ass it won’t be good. I’ve got enough money to go anywhere and do anything I want.” Diaz pulled the hammer back on the pistol and placed his finger on the trigger. “Turn around, Cooper.”

“What? Can’t do it while you look me in the face?” Cooper felt her heel step into a patch of dirt. Less than ten feet away was a cracked door to one of the buildings. All she needed was two seconds. “At least have the balls for that, Diaz.”

“And you wonder why nobody ever liked you.” Diaz took a step forward, and Cooper kicked up the dirt, flinging it into Diaz’s eyes. He fired blindly, and the shot grazed her arm, but she managed to make it to the door regardless.

“You bitch!” Diaz fired wildly into the building, the bullets easily penetrating the old wood.

Inside, splinters and dust erupted from each shot as Cooper sprinted through the building, ducking low and using one hand to clutch her shoulder while the other held her pistol. She felt the warm, sticky blood between her fingers and didn’t stop running until she made it to the opposite end of the building, where she took a moment to examine her arm.

The gash ran at least an inch and a half across her biceps, but the bullet had only grazed her, never actually going through the muscle. For that she was thankful. She ripped off a piece of her shirt then wrapped the cloth around the wound tightly.

“Cooper!” Diaz’s voice echoed through the building, along with his slow, methodical footsteps. “Don’t drag this out.”

Cooper peeked around the corner, listening to where his voice was coming from. The echo was so bad in the building that he sounded like he was coming from everywhere. She dashed across one of the hallways and into another room, which boasted a dirty window that looked out onto the rest of the building’s surrounding floor.

“You can’t win, Coop. Give it up.”

Diaz finally appeared around the corner of the hallway, and she crouched low, half hidden behind the wall and the smudges of the window. She crept over to the door, listening to the footsteps thump closer, waiting for her move. Then, with the backs of Diaz’s legs and feet in sight, she jumped from the door and placed the gun to the back of Diaz’s head. “Don’t move.”

Diaz held up his hands, along with the gun, and Cooper snatched it from him and tucked it into her belt at the back of her pants. “Think about this, Cooper. Perry already knows who you are. You won’t be able to stop him, and neither will your boat captain. But it’s not too late for you to come aboard. We could use you. Pin everything on Moringer. We could do it.”

“Shut up.” Cooper kept the gun to the back of Diaz’s skull and patted him down. She finally found a phone and flipped it open. It had a signal, and she searched through the recent numbers. There weren’t any she recognized.

Diaz tried to turn around, but Cooper forced him to keep his eyes in front of him and his hands in the air. “You move, and I kill you.”

“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.