“That’s what happens when you go up against a professional,” Val told him as he pitched forward.
These guys were used to hitting soft targets in India. Welcome to America, asshole.
“I take it I can say there is only one left?” Trigger asked.
“Yep,” Val said as she scooped up the assailant’s gun.
One more to go.
“You should be looking for the gas inlet,” Trigger said. “It should be on the far eastern wall.”
“Why?”
“A bomb placed there would do the most structural damage to the mall.”
“Got it,” Val said. It was nice to have a double-degreed MIT graduate on the payroll. For such a staunch young Republican, Trigger certainly knew how to think like a terrorist.
Val headed for the east wall, checking around each cylinder before she stepped out. Her right arm tingled as the nerve came back to life. Still, Val carried her acquired gun in her left hand. Not ideal, but what could she do? She couldn’t risk a single millisecond in nerve delay.
Ducking around the last cylinder, Valentine identified the bomb before the bomber. Damn, the thing was big and complicated. The man, though? Average. To think—this scrawny little guy could kill how many innocent victims?
And as the timer ticked down from 5 minutes, he didn’t even have the cojones to die with his victims. He wasn’t a suicide bomber. They had set a time delay, just as they had in India. The Taliban had realized that they were running out of willing young suicide bombers. If they kept blowing up their followers, they would be out of business pretty darn quickly.
Hence the new wave of time-delayed terrorist bombs.
Did the guy know his associates were already dead? Did he realize he was next? Apparently so, as he spun around with a gun pointed at her.
“Drop it,” Valentine ordered. “It’s over. My backup is on the way.” More quietly, she added, “Right?”
“Bomb squad, FBI, and local police are en route,” Trinka confirmed.
Good. She hated to lie to terrorists.
“Arrogant American. We might die, but so will your pig countrymen.”
Valentine thought of the little old woman manning the donation bucket. “Only if you can hold me off for more than five minutes. Your companions didn’t last five seconds.”
That got the guy’s eyes twitching, as he scanned right and left. Apparently, he had hoped that he had some backup coming, as well.
“Put it down and you’ll live,” Valentine offered.
The man snorted, though. “So that I can go to Gitmo? I don’t think so.”
This was not good. They were at a standoff, and the guy might not have started the day in suicide mode, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t switch into it any moment. Valentine didn’t feel like dying today.
So instead of shooting, she used her less-than-obedient right hand to unlatch her belt. With a snap, she whipped the snakeskin leather off her waist. The terrorist took a step to the left, blocking the bomb with his body.
“What is this?”
Valentine snapped the leather again, flinging it toward the man’s gun arm. It coiled itself around his wrist.
“Is this some game to you?” the terrorist demanded.
With her thumb, she pushed the belt’s tongue all the way back. With a single spark of electricity, the fibers in the belt realigned. And, much like an anaconda’s myofibers, began to contract.
“Guess we’ll see,” Val replied, as the man’s face contorted. His fingers turned a dark pink as the circulation was cut off.
He must have realized it was only seconds until he would lose his grip on his gun, as he charged forward, squeezing the trigger. Val stood steady, though, as the shots went wide. She put three bullets in his chest, then one in his forehead, just in case he was wearing a vest. Val started taking pictures of the bomb before he even fell to the ground. She was no bomb expert. Luckily, though, they had one back at Langley.
“Trigger, what do you think?”
‘That is a big bomb,” he said.
“Yes, I got that much. Am I going to have to cut a wire?” Val asked. “Because if I do, I have to go get my knife out of a guy’s chest.”
“No, no,” Trigger said. “That is a collapsible circuit. If you try to disable it, it will detonate.”
“Okay, then what are we going to do?” Val asked.
She watched the digital timer speed down from five minutes.
“The bomb squad is ten minutes out,” Trinka added, as if reading Val’s mind. The young woman did want to work out in the field one day. Val was glad to see her starting to think like a field operative.
“So it’s just me and no time to evacuate,” Val summarized. “Trigger, got anything?
“The timer is the weak link,” he said. “Do you see a fire extinguisher?”
Valentine glanced around, finding the object in question. “Got it.”
“Fire it at the timer and timer only.”
“And if I miss?”
“We and everyone else at the mall will know about it.”
Great. She grabbed the extinguisher, pointed it to the wall, and sprayed it. These things weren’t exactly precision devices. Getting a feel for how wide the foam would spread, Val turned back to the bomb.
“Here it goes.”
Val got down low on the floor, ripping her nylons, and aimed the hose up, trying to catch the timer from the bottom, sparing the rest of the bomb. Or, at least, that was the theory.
The canister in her hand got cold, really cold, as the timer frosted over with white foam. Val had to reach out and wipe the screen clear to make sure it had stopped. There it was, frozen at four minutes, three seconds.
Not bad for a run to the mall.
“We’re good,” Val announced.
Trinka and Trigger whooped in her ear. Val switched off her mic as she turned to the corner of the room. “You could have helped out, ya know.”
Ukav stepped out from the shadows. “But to see you in action is, how do you say it? Poetry in motion?’
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she asked.
Ukav only grinned slightly. He was far too seasoned to actually tell her. She could guess, though.
“How much do you want to bet that this bomb was made from Russian parts?”
“I am not a betting man,” Ukav said.
“Did you fund this attack?” Valentine asked him.
“Russia does not engage in terrorist activities,” Ukav said, puffing out his chest. Which was a little hypocritical, since Putin was suspected of killing his political opponents with ricin.
“But you do pay protection money,” Valentine stated. It was a new ploy by terrorists to extort money from countries in exchange for a guarantee they wouldn’t be hit by attacks.
Ukav shrugged. Which was the spy equivalent of an emphatic ‘yes.’
“India is your ally,” Valentine said. “Yet your ‘protection’ money paid for those attacks.”
“So you can see why this is so awkward,” Ukav replied.
Awkward was an understatement.
“I can’t let you take the bomb,” Valentine said. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“I’d prefer to head home for Christmas dinner.”
“I’ll give you a ten-minute head start.”
Ukav’s grin spread into a full smile, his usually severe features softening. “I won’t need it.”
The man melted back into the shadows and was gone.
“Everything okay, Valentine?” Trinka asked in her ear.
Valentine reengaged the mic. “It’s all good. And let Trigger know the belt actually worked.”
“I told you!” Trigger exclaimed.
“You know I only wore the damn thing because it was so cute,” Valentine replied.
“Which is why I made sure that it was fashion forward,” Trigger explained.
Good to know that the kid could go from the CIA over to Calvin Klein if he wanted to.
* * *
Valentine rushed up to the toy store to find the woman who had been in front of her at the front of the line. The police had finally arrived, and she had turned the crime scene over to them, since she officially had never been there. They would credit some mall cop with the discovery. Time to get back to her real mission. Val elbowed her way back into the line. The man behind her tsked.
I just saved your life, Val thought, but how could she ever say it?
The woman in front of her grabbed the three bags from the counter, leaving her little girl hanging, literally hanging from her mother’s neck. Kids. The girl hadn’t wanted to be held, and now that her mother’s hands were busy, she couldn’t get the little girl off of her.
With fond memories of her own girl at that age, Val walked up to the counter and purchased her Baby Gaga doll. Val didn’t quite get why this toy was all the rage. She guessed that the fact that each time you squeezed the baby, a Lady Gaga song played which was the attraction. You could also upload your own playlist, as well. What a little girl needed with this feature, Val wasn’t quite sure.
Taking the bag, Val headed for the exit. There was the little old woman again, ringing her bell.
Val walked up to her and handed her the bag. “Here’s a donation.”
The woman accepted the bag, and when she pulled out the doll, her eyes widened. “You could get a thousand on eBay for this.”
“I know, but I want to give it to you.”
“I thought you had a daughter?” the woman asked.
“Had,” Valentine said.
Her husband and little girl had been killed in a terrorist attack over six years ago, although at times like this is felt like six days. She honored her daughter’s memory each year by buying a gift, then giving it to the underprivileged. “I just want someone who really needs it to have it.”
“I will deliver it personally.”
The thought of some little girl’s beaming smile as she opened the doll helped take the edge off the grief. “Thanks.”
Val headed toward the door. Opening it, she was blasted by the frigid winter wind. She didn’t mind.
Because, you know what? It felt pretty good to have saved Christmas.
Be on the look out for the first full-length novel of the Spies in Stilettos…My Lethal Valentine, February 14th, 2015
The best way to find out about new releases is to sign up to subscribe to my Amazon Author page here….
AFTERWORD
Thank you so much for going on this romp with Nami, Dillon, Nick, Callum, Shalie, Tonaka and Quax!
It was fairly easy for me to write Nami’s part since I no longer swim in the ocean any more either. Why?
One fine morning I was out in the water, boogie boarding, waiting for a wave when my legs got knocked out from under me and I was thrown upside down in the surf (so I could also write Skinny’s part very accurately). When I finally got myself upright I found a seal riding the curl looking back at me.
There was a moment when a look crossed his face, like… “Crap, that’s not a seal!”
I figured if a seal could mistake me for a seal, I was in trouble and never got into the water after that!
If you did enjoy the story, I would ask you a big favor and have you go back to Amazon and please leave a review. Indie Authors live and die by their reviews!
I’d also like to ask that if you find any typos/errors to please contact me directly. Even though this and all of my books have been put through a gazillion rounds of edits, we are all just human. It really helps if you catch anything to email me at [email protected]
Remember by purchasing this collection now, you are entitled to the complete collection at no additional charge!
Please be sure to have your “Auto-Updates” turned on in your Amazon.com account, This function is under “Manage Your Kindle” and you just hit the button that says “turn on Auto-Updates.”
Once you opt in for auto-updates, you can just sit back and relax while you wait for the next book to upload. How awesome is that?
Also if you feel like a new book has been added to the collection and your Kindle doesn’t automatically update, just go into your “Manage Your Kindle” and scroll through your books. If a new book has been uploaded to the collection, there should be a button next to the Apex Predator Series that says “Update Available.” Hit that and the collection should update manually.
Remember even if you don’t have a Kindle and read on an app, these techniques should work equally well.
As always, if these procedures don’t work, don’t hesitate to contact me directly at [email protected] and I will get you a file ASAP!
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Want more of Nami and her gang? You don’t have long to wait. The conclusion to the Apex Predator series, The Shayu Situation will be out in the Fall of 2014. Don’t worry, there will be way cool sharks and robots to contend with along with plenty of fun!
Can’t wait until then? Check out the next section for more thrills!
Other Works by Carolyn McCray
The Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Series - Our Future. Our Fault.
For fans of Jurassic Park, Mad Max, and Hunger Games come the next great thriller series from Carolyn McCray, the #1 bestseller in Men’s Adventure, Action Adventure, Mystery/Thrillers, Techno Thrillers and War.
The future is bleak indeed as the scant human survivors of both global warming and a nuclear winter must fight for their survival against the most improbable of enemies.
Praise for Our Future. Our Fault…
“The only thing I knew about this book was that it was going to have dinosaurs in it and it was going to be great! Ms. McCray did not disappoint! A book like no other. It brings the past and future together and let's throw some humans together and you've got another great book to read! Dinosaur books are not exactly my favorite to read, but I found myself not wanting to put my kindle down until I found out what happened. Action through the whole book with a whopper of an ending! Never expected that! Can't wait to read the next book of this series.”
Candice
Amazon Reviewer
“Carolyn McCray has come up with another interesting story. Robots, dinosaurs and man all trying to survive on the same planet. Could it get any better; can't wait for the sequel!”
Bjrcook
Amazon Reviewer
“I have no idea what kind of whacked-out imagination it takes to come up with a story line like this, but I wish I had one! McCray does a fabulous job drawing you into the story, making you believe some pretty unbelievable stuff! And her research is impeccable. A must read. I can't wait for the sequel!”
Peter M.
Amazon Review
If you enjoyed Mad Max, Hunger Games, or Divergent you are going to love Neo-Jurassic!
Included in this collection are (these will download immediately upon purchase):
Tipping Point
the prequel short story to the Our Future, Our Fault Thriller Series
Neo-Jurassic
the first full-length thriller in the series
Syns of Our Fathers*exclusive to the Our Future. Our Fault Collection
the bridge short story between 30 Pieces of Silver & Havoc
To be included in the collection Fall 2014 at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. Just be sure to have your autoupdates turned on so that the books download automatically to your Kindle (follow this link to the Afterword to learn how).
Cretaceous Crisis
the adventure filled full-length sequel to Neo-Jurassic
Natural Selection*exclusive to the Our Future. Our Fault Collection
the bridge short story between Cretaceous Crisis and Mesozoic Maelstrom
To be included in the collection Early 2015 at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. Just be sure to
have your autoupdates turned on so that the books download automatically to your Kindle (follow this link to the Afterword to learn how).
Mesozoic Maelstrom
Final book in the Our Future, Our Fault trilogy
New Avalon*exclusive to the Our Future. Our Fault Collection
the “wrap-up” short story to the series
Plus BONUS Material included right now!
Hacked
the prequel short story to the #1 techno-thriller, Encrypted
Ambush
The prequel short story to Carolyn’s bestselling series, The Betrayed
Rogue Spear
The prequel short story to the highly anticipated new Nuclear Proliferation Thriller series with a special appearance by Brandt!
My Dangerous Valentine
the prequel short story to the upcoming new series, Spies in Stilettos
To buy the Our Fault. Our Future Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Series, click here.
* * *
The Betrayed Omnibus Series – Carolyn’s extremely controversial historical thriller series
Have you read the entire Betrayed series? From the prequel short story, Ambush to the post-Shiva EXCLUSIVE short story Mayhem?
Want them all in one place? Check out The Omnibus Collection - it is a $19.00 value for just $9.99!!!
Praise for the Betrayed series…
“Carolyn McCray’s 30 PIECES OF SILVER proves that Dan Brown’s crown is up for grabs. Part minefield and all roller-coaster ride, here is a story as controversial as it is thrilling. Hunker down for a long night, because once you start reading this book, you won’t be putting it down.”
NYT Top Ten Best Seller
James Rollins
Devil Colony
“With twists and turns galore the pace of Havoc never slows down, you are propelled along like an avalanche. Havoc is an accomplished thriller. I sort of hate to use the word “interesting” which sounds like a book report, but this novel IS interesting as well as being a great read.”
P.B.Sharp
Amazon Reviewer
The collection includes the ENTIRE first cycle of the series…
Apex Predator Thriller Series Collection (Including the blockbuster new shark park thriller, Salechii) Page 70