Without Warning

by Lynette Eason

  “Yes, there’s something. I’m really praying we get the chance to figure out exactly what, because I don’t think Martin’s plan includes Daniel coming out of all of this alive.”

  Daniel stared at the man who’d once been his friend. Betrayal cut deep. Katie was right. He’d been way too trusting. “You okay, Riles?”

  “Peachy. Except for the bomb sitting above my head, the bomb strapped to Martin, and this wire wrapped around my neck. Other than that . . .”

  Her spunkiness relieved him. He could still hear the fear in her voice, but she was going to put up a good fight. Her last sentence registered. A bomb. He looked closer, still keeping Martin in his peripheral vision. He could see the deadly weapon strapped to the column just above the kids’ heads. Great. He knew Katie was listening. He just hoped the bomb squad was on the way. And Martin had a bomb on him. Not good. God, I think it’s time we started talking again. He made sure his fear wasn’t registered on his face. He’d get them out of this one way or another. “Steve?”

  “Oh sure. ‘Peachy’ sums it up pretty well, Mr. Matthews.”

  Good. While he could hear the fear in the kid’s voice, Steve wasn’t a wimp. Although considering his circumstances, it would be understandable.

  Only now he had to block them from his mind. He had to focus on Martin. “You going to search me?”

  Martin licked his lips. “You have a gun on you?”

  “No.”

  “Really? You came in without a weapon. You’re a liar.” He turned the gun on Riley’s head. “You want to get rid of it?”

  “I don’t have a gun, Martin.” He kept his tone even. He pushed back his jacket so Martin could see the empty shoulder holster. Then he turned and lifted his jacket. “Nothing in my waistband.” He pulled his slacks up. “No ankle weapons. Come pat me down yourself.”

  “And give you a chance to use that karate stuff on me? No thanks.”

  Daniel ground his teeth. He’d been hoping Martin would move closer. “Just, why? At least tell me that.”

  “Because you’re sitting on a gold mine.”

  Confusion flickered. “That doesn’t tell me a whole lot.”

  Martin let out a laugh that didn’t sound completely sane. Nevertheless, the man knew exactly what he was doing. He gestured to the back wall. “Underneath your restaurant, man, are all kinds of artifacts. Where do you think I was getting them?”

  Daniel didn’t move as the light went on for him. “You were digging them up here and planting them down by the Congaree River site.”

  “Exactly. Now give me the coin before the cops get here.”

  “What makes you think the cops are coming?”

  “Because I know you. And I know you’ve got at least that bodyguard woman outside. I’m guessing the cops are on the way.”

  “As long as you have hostages, they’re not going to risk doing anything.”

  “Exactly. Now the coin.”

  “First I want answers.”

  Martin jabbed the gun at him. “And first I want the coin! Hand it over!”

  “I don’t have it.”

  The man’s face went red and without turning his body aimed the gun at Riley and Steve. “Your call. Who do I shoot first?”

  Steve sucked in a breath and Riley squealed. “Uncle Daniel, let me—”

  “You’re not going to shoot anyone,” Daniel said with a calm he was trying to feel. He shot a look at Riley and prayed she’d stay quiet. “I mean I have the coin, but I wasn’t dumb enough to bring it with me. It’s my only bargaining tool, Martin, surely you understand that. As soon as we’re away from here and Riley’s out of danger, I’ll take you to it. It’s close by.” Daniel thought Martin might just start shooting. “Why show me the coin in the first place if you were just going to steal it and sell it?” he asked in a desperate attempt to distract the man.

  Martin sighed, the gun lowering slightly. He moved to the door to peer out. “What?” The change of topic seemed to confuse him.

  “You were planning on selling it all along. Why show it to me?”

  Martin scowled. “Because I always seem to be on the losing side of life. I finally had something worthwhile and I wanted to show it off a bit. Stupid, maybe, but—” He shrugged.

  “And then you lost it when you tried to kill us at the North Lake restaurant by crushing Quinn’s car with the backhoe,” Daniel said softly.

  “Let’s go!”

  “I’m not leaving without giving Riley a hug.”

  “No hugging. Let’s go.”

  Daniel stood his ground. “I know you plan to kill me when you have the coin, Martin.” Riley gasped and Daniel ignored her. “And that bomb isn’t there because it’s pretty. I’m giving her a hug. If you want to blow us all up and forgo getting the coin, well, that’s your decision.” He walked toward Riley and Martin backed up, the gun never wavering, but his frustration evident. Greed won out as Daniel felt sure it would, but his relief was almost tangible.

  “Keep your hands where I can see them,” Martin snarled.

  “Fine.”

  Daniel held his hands at his sides and walked over to Riley. He eyed the bomb even as he knelt in front of his niece. He leaned over and kissed her on the head, then placed his hands on her shoulders. “Make a scene,” he whispered.

  She started crying. “Don’t leave me, Uncle Daniel. Don’t let him kill us. Don’t leave!” The tears turned to sobs and Daniel didn’t think it was all an act. His heart shuddered at her distress.

  “Hey, Riles,” he said loud enough for Martin to hear. “It’s going to be okay.” His hands slid down her arms. “Which pocket?” he whispered.

  “Left.” She let out another sob. Without moving her head and neck, she tilted her hips to the right and his hand slipped into her pocket. “Please, Martin, please don’t do this!”

  Daniel palmed the coin and gave her one last fierce hug. “Be strong,” he whispered. “I’m not going far. Katie? You hear me?”

  “Loud and clear.” Her welcome voice came through the earpiece.

  “It’s up to you now.”

  “I’m ready as soon as you have Martin out of there,” she said.

  He hesitated and kept his arms around his niece, careful not to jostle anything explosive. “It’s the only way?”

  “Yes, the bomb squad’s been contacted. Officers will be following you to take Martin out at the first opportunity.”

  “What are you talking about?” Martin screamed. “You hugged her, now come on!”

  Daniel looked into Riley’s eyes. “You hear me?”

  Riley sniffed and swiped the tears on her shoulder. She met his gaze and nodded.

  “Enough!” Martin marched over and aimed the gun at Daniel. “I said move.” With his free hand, Martin reached into the front pocket of his cargo jeans and pulled out a device. His thumb pressed a button and the bomb above Riley and Steve’s heads beeped. “It better not be any more than thirty minutes away, because that’s all the time they have left.” He unbuttoned his shirt and Daniel sucked in a deep breath. Not only did he have a bomb to blow up the restaurant, he had one strapped to his chest. “And this one is for you.”

  [28]

  “He armed the bomb, Bree,” Katie whispered.

  The basement door squeaked open. Daniel appeared, Martin behind him. Martin had one arm around Daniel’s neck and a gun to his head. Daniel’s eyes connected with hers. He was going to let Martin get him in a car. So far Martin hadn’t spotted the earpiece in his left ear.

  Daniel held his hands where everyone could see them. Martin had his shirt undone and Katie could see the bomb taped to his chest. “Great.”

  “I see it,” Bree said. “Does he have a dead-man switch?”

  “Yes. Yes, he does. See his arm around Daniel’s neck? Look at his hand.” Bree groaned. “Daniel?” Katie called. She knew that Martin expected her to be there. She stepped into their line of sight. She’d already heard the conversation between Daniel and Riley, had heard Martin’s p
lans for Daniel, and knew there was a bomb in the restaurant and one attached to Martin’s chest.

  There would be no way for a sniper to get him without getting Daniel too. If a sniper took out Martin, he’d release the switch and whatever it was rigged to would go boom.

  Daniel held his hands away from his sides and let Martin direct his steps. “Back off, Katie. Stay with Riley.”

  “Shut up.” Martin shoved him toward his SUV.

  Daniel shook his head. He didn’t want her to try anything. She couldn’t see them, but she knew the snipers were there. The command center for this incident was set up somewhere nearby, but if she was just a passerby, she’d never know that either.

  She looked around. Where was the bomb squad? They’d been called as soon as she’d realized there was an explosive device involved. But she knew it could take them a while to arrive. She paced, gnawing on her lower lip. But this was Riley’s life at stake and that of her friend. The longer it took for the squad to arrive, the greater the chance of detonation. She couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. The bomb was ticking, according to Martin. She’d heard his last comment to Daniel. Thirty minutes. She glanced at her watch. Twenty-six and counting.

  “I’m going to have to go in, Bree.”

  “What?”

  “We don’t have time to wait on the bomb squad.”

  “You don’t have a suit. No protection, nothing.” Bree’s voice was low, concerned.

  Katie watched Daniel climb into Martin’s SUV from the passenger side. Martin nudged him on over into the driver’s seat, and then Martin slipped into the passenger seat and shut the door.

  “I know.” Katie blew out a breath. “I know. It’s not my first choice.”

  “This isn’t an action-adventure movie, Katie. You go in there, you could die.”

  “I know that too. But if I don’t go in and the bomb squad doesn’t get here in time, then Riley and Steve die. I can’t let that happen. I’m trained in this. I know what I’m doing.”

  Bree got on her phone. “I need the ETA for the bomb squad, Ry.” She nodded. Swallowed hard and met Katie’s eyes. “Twenty-five minutes. Yeah. Got it. Thanks.” She hung up. “There were two different bomb threats this morning. They’ve called for help, but . . . you heard. They’re twenty-five minutes out.”

  “Then get me a tool kit, I’m going in.”

  Daniel kept an eye on the dash clock while his brain ticked away on coming up with the best action to take against Martin. He knew they were being followed. Martin knew they were being followed and he didn’t seem to care. He held the gun with his left hand and sent a text with his right. Martin had deactivated the dead-man switch and set it aside, which meant he wasn’t ready to detonate it. Yet. An answering ping had Daniel desperate to know who he was conversing with. Daniel nodded to the detonation device on the dash. “How much range does that thing get?”

  Martin looked up from his phone. “We’re out of range with this one. I just want the coin and a head start and then you can leave.”

  Right.

  Out of range with this one. What did that mean? Daniel drove fast but with precision. He didn’t want to have a wreck and wind up setting Martin off. The fact that the man had strapped a bomb to his chest had Daniel scrambling for a plan B. His original plan had been to just get Martin away from Riley and Steve. “You sabotaged my airplane,” he said.

  “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. A moment of opportunity that I took a chance on.”

  “What if I’d decided to let Riley take the plane up? She doesn’t have the skills yet to land it like I did.”

  “That would have been unfortunate, but you would have been distracted and I would be gone.”

  Daniel slammed a fist against the wheel and Martin jerked. “Don’t you care about anybody but yourself?” Daniel hissed.

  “I used to. Before I got tired of being used and discarded. I decided it hurts too much to care about others. My last ex, she was pregnant, you know?”

  The news rocked Daniel for a brief moment. “No. I didn’t.”

  “I didn’t either until it was too late.”

  “For what?”

  “To stop her from killing our baby. She was already planning to leave me for another man and a baby would have been a decided inconvenience. So . . . she just got rid of it. Like it was a piece of trash to be thrown out.”

  Daniel sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry. That’s awful.” He truly did feel sorry for the pain of that situation, but Martin had taken things way too far. There was no room for negotiation in this. Riley’s life was on the line. Martin’s phone beeped again. He sent another text. Daniel could have landed a punch on the man’s jaw several times over at this point, but the bomb Martin wore held him still. He had to get out of this alive or Riley would never forgive him.

  “Where are we going?” Martin asked.

  “My house.”

  “You left the coin at your house?”

  “I did.”

  A slow smile slid across Martin’s lips. “I wondered if that’s where you would put it.”

  “You didn’t expect me to bring it.”

  “Not really. I had hopes, but I also know you pretty well. Where is it? Your safe?”

  Daniel’s jaw tightened. Was he really that easy to read? Then again, Martin didn’t realize he actually had the coin on him. He let Martin read his expression and interpret it as a yes. “Convenient. Getting me back on your turf, huh? Smart.” He sent another one-handed text, then pressed the muzzle of the barrel against Daniel’s head. His finger tightened around the trigger. “So what do I need you for now?”

  Daniel lifted a brow. “The combination?”

  “Hmm . . . and probably as a hostage. I know we’ll be followed.”

  “Yes. We will. But someone’s finger is on a bomb that can blow up my niece, Martin. I’m not going to try anything.” And he wasn’t. Yet.

  “Ah yes, well, actually, the bomb is set only on the timer now.”

  “Then why . . .” He paused. “You just wanted me to think someone was still in control of the bomb in the basement. Then where’s your accomplice?”

  Martin’s lips curled up. “You’re a pretty smart guy, I’ll let you figure it out.”

  Static sounded in his ear. And now he was out of range of Katie and her team.

  Katie stepped inside the basement door. She’d lost Daniel’s signal but knew agents were on his tail. Now it was up to her to get Riley and Steve out. The second detonator was out of range, so now she was just racing against the clock. The thought didn’t cheer her. Much.

  Her heart pounded a heavy beat inside her chest and she did her best to ignore it. She needed steady hands and a clear head. Daniel was counting on her. And so were the two strapped to the column with a bomb above their heads. She waited for the voice in her head to start screaming at her. Paul’s voice. “Help meeeeeee.”

  But it didn’t. Instead, her brother’s face flashed in her mind and she heard his deep baritone echoing the phrase he’d said so many times when he’d trained her. “You can do this, Katie.”

  Tears gathered and she forced them back. She needed to focus. And she was going to need help. Serious help. God, I need you here in this basement with your hands on mine, guiding me to do the right thing, make the right choices. Please help me. Her gaze met Riley’s. “You okay?”

  “Yes. For the next few minutes anyway.”

  Katie moved toward the bomb, registering the details, noting the placement, the detonator, the fact that she was going to have to defuse it without her tools. No X-rays, no handy little robot that didn’t bleed if it got blown up. She was being incredibly stupid. But what other choice did she have? No one else in the area had her skills, and if she waited much longer, they’d all be dead. “Okay, Riley. Let me just take a look, all right?”

  “You shouldn’t be here, Katie.”

  “Let me worry about that.”

  She glanced at her watch. Yeah, she needed to move a little faste
r. She studied the device. Cylindrical in shape. Just like the one that had been rigged to Daniel’s SUV. That helped. It looked like a pipe bomb, but probably held C4 like the other one had. She’d seen the X-rays. If this one was the same, she knew exactly what to do, so she should be good.

  Should be. Please God, don’t let this thing blow. And take care of Daniel wherever he is.

  She drew in a deep breath and reached for the screwdriver in the tool kit Bree had provided from the trunk of her car. Everyone had backed off when they’d learned about the bomb. Daniel was being tracked and she simply couldn’t worry about him. He could take care of himself. He could. Now it was up to her to take care of his niece. He’d entrusted Riley into her care, was relying on her expertise to defuse the bomb. “Bree? You there?”

  “I’m here.” Bree’s voice sounded close in the small device she had tucked in her ear. Her voice now took the place of Daniel’s.

  “I’ve got fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds,” Katie said. “You got that?”

  “Got it.”

  “Start counting down. Tell me when I’m at five minutes.”

  “Don’t let it get that close, please.”

  “Well, that’s the plan, but—”

  “No buts.”

  With steady hands, Katie began working on the first screw. Then the second. There was no containment vehicle to take this one to a safe place. She was simply going to have to take it apart. One piece at a time.

  [29]

  Daniel pulled to a stop in front of his house. Martin pressed the gun against Daniel’s temple. “Don’t try anything, you understand?”

  “I understand, Martin.”

  “Then crawl across and get out on my side.” Martin opened the door and backed out of the passenger seat, keeping the weapon trained on Daniel. A half-dozen different self-defense moves flashed through Daniel’s mind, but until he was sure Riley was all right, he wouldn’t try anything. Not yet. The person helping Martin might still be able to get back in range and set the bomb off early.