Daniel climbed out of the SUV, and under Martin’s watchful gaze along with the barrel of the gun still pointed at his head, he strode toward the front door. From the corner of his eye, he saw a dark-suited figure slide around the corner of his house. The SWAT team was here. But they couldn’t shoot Martin and risk blowing Daniel up along with him. He glanced at his watch. Katie had ten minutes left.
“Did you lie?” he asked as he turned off the alarm.
“About?”
“The bomb and how much time is on it.”
“No.”
Daniel nodded. So it really was up to Katie. Leaving Riley had been one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do, but if it meant saving her life . . .
He looked at Martin. “You don’t smell like acetone.”
“What are you babbling about? Shut up and get the coin.”
“There was acetone in Jake’s car. I smelled it again at the restaurant when someone pushed a column over on us, then ran. But I don’t detect the odor on you. Who else is working with you?”
Martin’s eyes narrowed. “For your information, using a citrus-smelling soap gets rid of the odor quickly. I use it all the time. Now if I have to ask you again, I’ll just blow the door off the safe.” The steel in the man’s voice made Daniel take another hard look at his former friend. He was desperate. Completely and totally willing to do anything it took to get the coin and escape.
Daniel figured he had cops all around his property at this point. He waited for the phone to ring with the hostage negotiator on the other end. He also knew that Martin had no intention of negotiating.
He walked toward his office, his mind spinning. He really didn’t want to blow himself up, but he knew as soon as he handed Martin the coin, the man would be done with him.
As he stepped over the threshold into his office, the phone rang. He looked at Martin. “It’s for you.”
Martin simply walked over to the phone and pulled the plug from the back. “The coin. Open the safe and then step back. If you lift your hand to reach into the safe, I’ll shoot you. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.”
Daniel walked over to the safe. Movement outside the window caught his eye and he hesitated. He could see the hangar garage door was up. But who . . .
A small wire slid under his window and settled in the corner. So, they were listening. He glanced at Martin, who paced in front of the desk, his weapon held steady, the bomb still strapped to his chest. Daniel dropped his hand from the safe. Why didn’t Martin seem terribly concerned about the fact that there were cops now swarming all over his property? “I want to know about Riley and Steve.”
“What?”
“There are six minutes left. If they’re alive at the end of those six minutes, I’ll open the safe.”
Martin froze midpace. As far as he knew, Daniel had gotten him as close to the coin as he was going to get. With a low growl, he pointed the weapon at Daniel. “If I don’t have that coin in my hand immediately, I’ll forgo the six minutes and simply start setting the bombs off.”
Daniel turned away from the safe. “Bombs?”
Martin held his phone up. “Yeah, bombs.” He moved toward the window. Glanced out.
Daniel reached for the safe.
Katie removed the top of the canister and with steady fingers found the C4. She worked quickly, efficiently. Having seen the first bomb and how it had been rigged helped immensely.
“Katie?” Bree’s urgent voice came through her earpiece.
“Kinda busy here.”
“The agents weren’t able to get into the house, but one of them got a listening device inside. We just got word. There are more bombs in the building.”
She froze, but didn’t let her expression change. “All right. Well, right now, this is the only one I care about. I’ve almost got this. Just one more minute.”
“That’s about all you have. Actually you’re down to four. You need to get out. Now.”
Katie continued to work, staying focused, yet deeply concerned about the report of more bombs in the restaurant. How much time did she have? Thirty seconds later, she had the bomb defused. She removed wire cutters from her kit and cut the wire around Riley’s neck, then Steve’s. Riley pushed away the rest of the duct tape Steve had managed to undo and quickly released helped Katie go to work on his. If they hadn’t had the bomb to be worried about, they would have been able to get loose eventually.
“Go,” Katie said. “Go now. They’re coming, Bree.”
“We’re ready. Just get out.”
“Someone’s got to search for the other bombs,” Katie said, even as she hooked an arm around Steve’s waist and Riley did the same. They headed for the exit.
“Bomb squad just pulled in. They’ve got the dogs.”
Katie breathed a prayer of relief and bolted for the door as the first explosion ripped through the air.
[30]
“Hey! I told you no hands in the safe!” Martin swung the gun and Daniel tried to duck, but the end of the weapon caught him on the forehead. Pain flashed and he reared back against the desk.
“That wasn’t necessary!” Daniel winced. He reached up and felt the warm wetness on his fingers.
“It was necessary.” Martin breathed fast, a vein in his forehead throbbed. His hand now held the device that would detonate the bomb strapped to his chest.
“The coin’s right there. Front and center.” Daniel palmed the letter opener he’d left on his desk. If he could get him at the base of the skull, the man would drop and die quickly.
But the bomb . . .
He released the potential weapon. He simply couldn’t chance it. A fact Martin knew.
Martin still held his weapon steady when he turned. He’d placed the device back in his pocket and he held the coin in his left hand. “Finally,” he breathed. His phone dinged and he blinked, shoved the coin in his pocket, and pulled out his phone. He glanced at the screen and satisfaction crossed his face. “Time to go.”
“Go where?” Daniel swiped at the drying blood on his forehead. His head throbbed once again. He was getting really tired of headaches. “You don’t need me anymore.”
“Funny. Of course I still need you. Now we’re going to the hangar. We’re going to fly out of here.”
“Once you discovered Riley had the coin, this was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
“Well, I didn’t know you had the coin in your safe, but yes, we were going to wind up back here and on your plane at some point. This just makes things a little easier. So let’s go.”
And no matter how many officers or SWAT members were outside, no one was going to shoot Martin and take a chance on blowing him and Daniel up. On the one hand, that comforted him. On the other, it made him just plain fighting mad.
The first blast had taken most of the roof off the restaurant. Katie and the teens made it to the bomb squad van and the door slammed behind them just seconds before the next blast ripped through the air. The van shuddered and she went to her knees. Riley threw herself into Katie’s arms and held on. “Thank you.” Tears leaked from the teen’s eyes. Steve sat with his head against the side of the van, eyes shut. He looked pale and shaken. She couldn’t blame him.
The van moved, taking her and the others away from the scene. She slumped into the seat next to Bree. Sirens rang, fire trucks moved in. And all Katie wanted to know was—
“Where’s Daniel?”
Bree looked at her. “He’s still with Martin. Cops are all over his house.”
Riley flinched. “The house?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s where we need to go,” Katie said.
Daniel held himself stiff as Martin once again pressed the gun to his head and ushered him through the house, into the mudroom, and then into the hangar. He knew the SWAT members were there. Behind trees, on top of the hangar, everywhere. But they wouldn’t be able to see what was going on inside the house or the hangar at this point. He heard the thumping of a helicopter whirling above.
Daniel got a good look at the plane. The doors were open and the engine was running. “What—” Whoever had started the plane had done so before he and Martin had arrived. But who?
“Shut up.”
Martin still had a bomb strapped to his chest, which meant law enforcement hands were tied. His former friend shoved him slightly ahead of him toward the plane.
Once again, Daniel considered taking the man down, but he didn’t. “If you think I’m going to fly you out of here, you’re crazy.”
The barrel pressed against his ear. “We’ll see.”
Through the window, Daniel caught the eye of an officer peering in. He gave a slight shake of his head. The woman nodded, but didn’t lower her weapon, which she kept trained on Martin through the glass.
Martin spied her. “Back off!” Martin made sure the bomb was visible, but he didn’t need to. Each one of the officers knew it was there. “Back off!”
There was no way the woman could hear him, but she got the gist. She backed away slightly.
Martin let go of the back of his shirt. “Get in the back.”
Daniel glanced over his shoulder. Saw the officers ready to shoot. But they couldn’t. Frustration clawed at him, but already he was thinking how he was going to handle this. Martin hovered right behind him. Couldn’t put too much distance between them or one of the officers might shoot him.
“Wait a minute. What? The back?”
“You heard me.”
“You think you’re going to fly this thing?”
“Nope. She is.”
Daniel looked into the pilot’s seat and found himself staring his waitress, Sarah Durham, in the eye. And caught a whiff of the acetone he now associated with the person trying to kill him. “You?”
“Hi, Daniel.”
His lip curled. “What? No citrus-smelling soap available today?”
Sarah frowned her confusion and Martin snorted. “Let’s go.”
Daniel stared at her. “How’d you get in here without being spotted? There are feds all over this place.”
She smirked. “I simply got here before they did.”
Martin shoved him. “Get in.”
“Come on, Bree, I need an update. What’s going on? Where’s Daniel?” Once Katie, Riley, and Steve had been transported away from the threat of any more explosions at the restaurant, another officer had picked up Bree and taken her to Daniel’s house. Katie still sat in the back of the van with Riley and Steve. His parents were on the way.
Katie itched to get over to Daniel’s house herself but couldn’t leave Riley just yet. However, she’d promised to make sure Daniel was all right and she was going to do that.
“I’m on the phone with one of the officers,” Bree said. “Martin’s forced Daniel into the plane and it looks like they’re going to try taking off.”
“There’s a helicopter on the scene, right?”
“Of course. And newspeople are on it now too. Cops are everywhere, a perimeter’s been set up. But Martin still has the bomb strapped to him. Right now, all we can do is monitor the situation.”
“What if he gets in the air?”
“Well, we can’t shoot them down. We’ll have to get them where they land.”
Katie bit her lip. “What if they’re planning to cross the border?”
“Why are you asking questions you already know the answers to? We’ll alert the proper authorities and they’ll pick them up when they land.”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’m thinking out loud more than anything.”
“I understand. I’m hoping Daniel is able to come up with a plan to stop it before it gets that far.”
“I’m coming as soon as I can get there. Keep texting me updates, I’ve got a few calls to make.” She hung up.
“Is Uncle Daniel all right?” Riley asked, her voice soft. Scared.
Katie met Riley’s eyes. “For now.”
“Do what you have to do to get him home safe. Please.”
“That’s my number one priority.”
A knock on the back of the van pulled her attention from her phone. The back door opened and a woman and man stood there with anxious eyes.
“Mom,” Steve said. “Dad.”
“Are you all right?” the woman said on a sob.
“I’m fine.” Steve hopped from the back and his mother engulfed him in a stranglehold. Riley jumped down and she hugged her too. Then she pushed them back and looked them both over. “Are you really okay?”
“Yes.”
“But Uncle Daniel’s not.” She turned to Katie. “Find him, okay?”
“I’m just waiting on my ride.” A car pulled in beside the van. “And she just got here. Mrs. Patterson, will you keep Riley with you?”
“Of course.”
Katie hugged Riley and the teen squeezed her back. “You’ll have to go with the officers and tell them what happened. You’ll be in one room, Steve will be in the other. Just tell what happened and everything will be fine, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll call you, I promise.”
Riley nodded. “I’ll be watching the news.”
“And we’ll be making it,” Katie muttered. “And it’s going to have a happy ending.” She hurried over to Maddy’s car and climbed in. “Let’s go.”
[31]
Daniel sat in the backseat. And while his hands weren’t literally tied, he felt helpless. Sarah expertly handled the plane, and within minutes they were speeding down the neighborhood runway. Riley had obviously been an excellent teacher.
Martin and Sarah wore the headsets and were talking. He could understand some of what they were saying, but the noise in the cabin drowned out a lot of it. He pulled the backseat headset over his ears and caught the words “Mexico” and “black market” and figured they were going to sell the coin and the other artifacts they’d stolen from under his restaurant once they reached their destination. And he knew they didn’t plan to take him along for the ride. At least not much longer.
He also knew he was going to have to get himself out of this one way or another. A plan slowly formed, and he worked it over in his mind while they went back and forth about their plans for when they were rich.
While they were preoccupied, as soon as the plane was airborne, he reached back behind the seat and felt for the material that would tell him he’d found what he needed. Once he had the item in his grip, he pulled it over the seat and into his lap. Then slid it down so that it sat between his feet.
He kept his eyes on the two people in the front. Every so often Martin would look behind him. Daniel simply glowered at the man while mentally running through scenarios of escape. Only to hesitate because of the bomb. A bomb Martin still had strapped to his chest. Was he that unconcerned?
“Is that even a real bomb?”
Martin looked back and grinned. “Of course it is. As long as I’m wearing it, no one’s going to shoot at me. And as long as you’re in the plane, they’re not going to cause it to crash.”
True enough. For now. Then again, there might be a time when the authorities decided it was better to sacrifice one innocent life to save hundreds of others.
And what did Martin plan to do with Daniel once they’d landed?
The obvious. Kill him.
“Sarah, after everything I’ve done for you? Really?”
Sarah didn’t turn. “I’m sorry, Daniel, I really am. The money was just too good to turn down.”
“You were the one in the Jeep watching my house.”
This time she did glance back at him. “What?”
“The acetone that I assume you used on the artifacts. It was in the Jeep you climbed into to spy. My neighbor said it was so strong he had to have it detailed.”
“Oh. Yeah, I had brought a small piece to work on while I waited.” She smirked. “I didn’t want to be bored with nothing to do. I guess I’m so used to the smell now, I don’t notice it.”
“I never noticed it in the restaurant.”
“Of course.” That’s why she always smelled like . . . citrus. But why watch my house? What was the point?”
“To know how to get to the plane when we needed it.” She smirked. “I watched your house a lot.”
Sickness filled him. How had he not noticed? “And you’re the one who pushed the column over at the restaurant. We smelled it then too.”
“I’d sent her to look for the coin. Of course you had to show up,” Martin said. “Now shut up and let her fly.”
Daniel glanced out the window. The police helicopter followed at a respectable distance. Daniel waited. He was going to have to act and pray the bomb didn’t go off while he was still in the plane. Finally, Martin shifted and Daniel lurched forward and grabbed Martin around the neck. The man hollered and struggled against the stranglehold.
Sarah yelped and the plane jerked to the left. She righted it. “Stop it!”
Martin slammed the gun into Sarah’s lap. “Shoot him,” he croaked.
She raised the gun and aimed it at Daniel.
Daniel let go and ducked behind the seat. “You don’t shoot a gun in a plane!” Who has to tell someone that? But she wasn’t listening. It was either get shot or risk getting blown up.
Sarah had passed the weapon back to Martin, who turned it on Daniel. “You’re dead now. I was going to wait until we landed, but I can’t take any—”
Daniel lunged at Martin again and grabbed his wrist. Martin yelled, jerked his arm to the right, and pulled the trigger. The first bullet went through the window next to Daniel’s head. Wind rushed in, the noise deafening. Sarah screamed and the plane once again bucked, throwing him off balance.
But Martin still held tight to the weapon and Daniel refused to loosen his grip on Martin’s wrist. If he did, he was a dead man. Martin fired again. This time the bullet went straight into the back of the plane. Daniel scrambled to jerk the gun from Martin, but couldn’t get enough leverage to do it.
“Stop it!” Sarah screamed again. “You’re going to make me crash this plane!”
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