by Juno Rushdan
Aiden took her by the hand, leading her into the glass underwater tunnel of the Great Mayan Reef, which was set off to the side. No one entering the aquarium could see them. Surrounded by water that cast an azure glow over them and sea creatures from moray eels to stingrays swimming by, he backed her up against the glass wall and pressed his palm to her face. “Find a discreet spot outside to keep watch. I’ll go set up and prepare upstairs.”
The Amazon Rainforest Exhibit on the second floor was the best site to face Walsh. It was a contained area that was currently closed for repairs, and there were two ways to access it. One was farther down the corridor, beyond the Mayan Reef and to the stairs. The other, more obvious, route was through the main section of the aquarium to the stairs that led to the upper-floor exhibits.
“I don’t like separating,” Charlie said.
“Devlin might come. He’ll use guerrilla tactics. If you keep watch outside, you can let me know who’s headed my way.”
“If I see Devlin—”
“Stay away from him.”
She’d do whatever was necessary to cover Aiden’s back. If Devlin showed, he’d have to go through her first before she gave him an opportunity to get the drop on her man. Hers.
“Devlin is dangerous,” Aiden said, probably reading the bullheaded look in her eyes.
“So am I. You can’t take on an entire team alone. We’re partners. Don’t try and sideline me because I’m a woman or because you love me. We only win if we do it together.”
Reluctantly, he said, “All right. But if you see Devlin, don’t follow him. Come straight to the exhibit. We’ll deal with him together.”
She put her palm to his chest, stared into his deep brown eyes, finding her center. “Do you have any bad feelings?”
He nodded, his lips pressing tight like he didn’t want to say more.
She wasn’t going to push him. “Be careful.”
“Always. You, too.”
Charlie had no clue what was going to transpire once Walsh arrived in the next few minutes, but she’d promised herself to tell Aiden, every single day, what he meant to her. “I love you.”
He lowered his head and kissed her, hard, quick. “See you soon.” With that, he was off.
Taken aback, Charlie snatched his wrist and pulled him into the dim blue light. “Hey, Mr. Romantic, aren’t you going to say it back?” Weren’t couples supposed to do that? Exchange mushy sentiments before separating and running into danger.
“After,” he said. The single, steely word was his promise to her that they’d get through this, that this wasn’t their last chance to share what was in their hearts.
Oddly enough, it filled her with hope. “After.” Another peck on the lips, and she let him leave.
She watched him take the entrance to the Rainforest Exhibit through the Mayan Reef and head past the sign that read Closed for Repairs.
Outside, she found a spot on a bench under a large shade tree, facing the river. The position gave her lines of sight to anyone approaching the entrance from the south or north and was partially concealed by a closed kiosk.
She put in her wireless earpiece. “One, two, can you hear me?” she said, doing a comms check.
“Loud and clear,” Aiden responded. “I’m all set up. It’s quiet in here. I think they moved the birds for whatever maintenance they’re doing. Fish are still in the tank. Hey, did you know that a school of piranha can strip the flesh from a one-hundred-pound capybara in under a minute using razor-sharp teeth?”
“No, and neither did you until you read that on a sign.”
Useless fact, but the viciousness made Charlie think she needed that same ferocious survival instinct.
She’d never had anything in her life as precious as Aiden’s love. They had a chance at a future together, and she was going to fight like hell to keep it.
They needed a four-man team for this. Something Devlin had and they lacked. Hopefully, Enzo was doing his part. If an army of thugs showed up at the aquarium, they’d have to retreat and regroup.
At three o’clock sharp, a text came in. Charlie opened the attachment, finding a picture of Edgar Plinski at the south side of the aquarium, as they’d instructed.
Edgar was pale, with horror-filled eyes and puffy cheeks, looking as if he was on the verge of a breakdown. They must have put him through the wringer.
Charlie sent the exact location for the meet.
Amazon Rainforest Exhibit. Second level.
A man she recognized from Devlin’s group photo approached from the east, alone, and went inside.
“Albatross is here, and a scout just entered, checking the place out. One of Devlin’s.”
“Roger,” Aiden said. “I’ll contact Garcia. Tell her to get over here ASAP.”
Devlin’s scout would do a thorough sweep, making sure it was clear of feds and cops, and that nothing suspicious stood out.
By the time Garcia arrived, the meet would be underway, and it’d be too late.
The scout must’ve been satisfied, because a few minutes later, another goon appeared with his hand locked on Edgar’s arm, dragging him toward the entrance.
Walsh followed at least ten paces behind them, carrying a briefcase and looking way too cocky, like this scenario was a foregone conclusion for him.
“Two SWAT operators and Albatross and Walsh are headed your way.”
“Got it,” Aiden said. “Don’t rush in. Play it cool. Make sure there are no surprises coming up on my six.”
“Okay.” Tension rippled through Charlie, but she forced herself to appear relaxed, like a tourist enjoying the day.
Then everything changed.
From the corner of her eye, she saw them. Not a squad of armed thugs. Something worse.
Devlin and one of his buddies, lean and mean with a goatee, rounded the corner from the north side in a furious stride. They were out for blood.
She swore under her breath.
Stopping at the employee entrance, Devlin rang the bell and pounded on the door with a fist. A staff member opened the door.
Devlin flashed his badge, shoved the kid aside and bulldozed his way in along with the other guy.
A rush of dread, cold as liquid nitrogen, shot through her. “They’re inside,” Charlie said. “Devlin and another.”
“Wait for Garcia. She’s mobilizing. She’ll be there in ten minutes. Stay outside.”
Panic flipped to fury. Like hell she’d sit outside while they killed Aiden.
She had one advantage. With the wig, they didn’t know what she looked like. She could get close and do damage before they even realized it was her.
“You could be dead in ten minutes. I’m going after Devlin.”
She’d do anything to protect Aiden, and everything in her power to keep them both alive.
* * *
AN EERIE SPARK of awareness had trickled down Aiden’s spine the minute he’d sent the text to Walsh about meeting at the aquarium. Someone was going to die today.
Now Charlie was rushing off to handle Devlin and one of his SWAT buddies alone.
And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. His chest squeezed with stark fear.
Impulsive, hotheaded, gorgeous woman! You better stay alive and not get hurt.
They’d waited too long, fought too hard, to lose each other.
She was smart. A fighter. A dirty fighter. Devlin had probably better watch out, he told himself, seeking a shred of solace.
One of the crooked cops wearing a ball cap entered the exhibit, scanning the area that was created to resemble the rainforest.
Aiden kicked the empty backpack at his feet out of his way.
Once the cop spotted Aiden standing on the Tree-Top Loop, a wooden bridge that connected two canopies with a small covered pavilion at one end, the cop moved to the bottom
of the left staircase and stopped.
The position in the Tree-Top Loop gave Aiden enough camouflage from the pavilion to prevent him from being an easy target and a bird’s-eye view of the entire exhibit, along with both exits.
Walsh sauntered in carrying a briefcase, with a smug smile on his face. Behind him Albatross shuffled in, his head hung low.
The other dirty SWAT officer, who had outdated sideburns that Elvis wanted back, held a gun pressed to Edgar’s temple.
“Here he is as promised, and the money.” Walsh held up the briefcase and opened it, revealing bundles of cash. “Where’s the flash drive?”
“Are you all right?” Aiden asked Edgar. “Did they hurt you?”
“He’s walking and talking,” Walsh said. “So he’s fine.”
Sweat trickled down the side of Aiden’s face from the steamy jungle atmosphere as he raised an eyebrow. “Well, I haven’t heard the talking part yet.” For all he knew, they’d cut out the man’s tongue.
“Tell him.” Walsh poked Edgar in the cheek.
Wincing, Edgar recoiled. “I’m fine.” His voice was low and hoarse, like he’d been screaming and lost it.
“I want a closer look at him before any exchange. Bring him up here.” Aiden waved them up the right set of stairs.
As Edgar limped up the steps with Sideburns behind him, the other man set a foot on the left staircase.
“No.” Aiden drew the suppressed Beretta he’d stolen from Devlin and pointed it at him. “You and Walsh stay there. Just them.”
Edgar and Sideburns continued walking. The others stayed put.
Aiden backed up, drawing them in to where he wanted, without the gunman feeling crowded, threatened. Shifting to the side, Aiden guided them to move clockwise, ninety degrees. Right where the proverbial X marked the spot.
Sideburns held the back of Edgar’s shirt collar with one hand and leveled the gun at his head with the other.
Looking over Edgar, Aiden noticed his eyes were bloodshot and swollen, and he kept swallowing in a weird way, like his mouth was sore. Hundreds of tiny red marks covered his face, throat, hands.
Were those bug bites?
Aiden had a plan to keep the conversation going until Garcia arrived. Edgar’s current state was the perfect thing to pursue and draw things out, but every second he wasted stalling was one more second that Devlin had to kill Charlie.
“Where’s the flash drive?” Walsh asked.
In his peripheral vision, Aiden caught the one wearing the ball cap slip his gun from his holster and creep up the left staircase, one slow step after another.
“Set the briefcase on the ground,” Aiden said, tracking the progress of the one moving. By the time Walsh did as he was told, the other man reached the midway point on the stairs.
Precisely where Aiden wanted.
They were always going to try to close in around him. No warnings or threats were going to stop it, only delay it. So he had to prepare for the inevitable.
With the lush jungle environment, leafy tropical plants and verdant vegetation, it was easy to miss all the items that Aiden had hidden.
He let the guy take one more step. Then Aiden pulled the Smith & Wesson from his waistband with his left hand, aimed at the booby trap and pulled the trigger.
The portable fire extinguisher taped to a pole and concealed with palm fronds exploded in the guy’s face. He shrieked and slipped backward down the stairs.
Aiden dropped to one knee—anticipating Sideburns would refocus the barrel of his gun away from Edgar’s head toward the threat—and took aim in his direction. Edgar instinctively cowered, his hands covering his head, arms in front of his face as Aiden fired again.
With a loud pop, a second extinguisher exploded, sending a cloud of dry white chemicals bursting through the air around the pavilion.
Sideburns screamed, throwing an arm up to cover his face.
Aiden coughed from the particles in the air but had turned away to avoid getting any in his eyes. He reached out and pulled Edgar to the ground, getting him out of the way, and shoved him into the corner.
A bullet hit a nearby wooden post. Walsh was firing at them.
“Stay down, here,” Aiden said to Edgar. Then he jumped up and threw a side kick into Sideburns’s chest.
The blow drove the thug backward, the momentum carrying him over the rail of the pavilion into the piranha tank below.
Aiden launched himself down the right staircase, spraying a volley of suppressive fire from the 9 mm with the silencer.
If Walsh had gone left toward the stairs leading to the Mayan Reef, he would’ve got away without a scratch on him. Instead he ran in the direction in which he’d come, back toward the other exhibits on the second floor.
Aiden aimed and fired. Not at Walsh. And he was out of fire extinguishers. His bullet hit a cluster of paint ball grenades. The yellow liquid color sprayed in multiple directions, making the floor slick.
He could always count on Charlie to get creative in a pinch.
Running, Walsh couldn’t get any traction in his fancy shoes and slipped around like he was trying to walk on ice.
Aiden punched him in the face, knocking Walsh to his butt, and kicked the gun from his hand.
A bullet struck a tree beside Aiden’s head. The one in the ball cap had recovered, but the chemicals from the extinguisher had messed up his eyes. His aim was off.
Aiden returned fire.
The guy ducked and hit the stairs, going for Edgar. Heavy footfalls pounded up the right staircase, followed by more gunfire.
Leaping into action, Aiden rounded the corner and saw Edgar making a run for it across the wooden bridge and down the steps on the left side of the room. Aiden popped off a round, clipping the gunman in the leg.
The man dropped onto the stairs.
Staying on him, Aiden bounded up the steps, but the guy rolled onto his back. At that distance, a blind man could’ve shot him.
Aiden darted to the side at the right moment, avoiding a hot slug to the chest. He stilled and controlled the squeeze of the trigger. One shot to the wrist, forcing the man’s fingers to open and drop the weapon. The guy howled, clutching his wounded arm.
Pulling out a zip tie, Aiden flipped the guy onto his stomach.
Edgar kept going. Darting down below, he scooped up the briefcase full of cash and took off running.
“Wait, Edgar!” Aiden called as he disappeared down the stairs toward the Mayan Reef.
Walsh was up on his feet, gun back in his hand, and hot on Edgar’s heels.
Aiden yanked the man’s arms behind his back and got his wrists and ankles restrained with zip ties. Then Aiden was up, on the move, again.
But as he ran down the stairs, he realized he had to make a choice.
Go after Edgar and Walsh. Or find Charlie.
Everything that they’d gone through—running from the law, taking on gangsters, going toe-to-toe with dirty SWAT officers to clear their names—would be in vain if they lost Edgar. Their careers, their future, would go down the drain.
His heart throbbed with immediate resolution. There was no choice.
* * *
CHARLIE FINALLY SPOTTED one of Devlin’s men in the Gulf of Mexico Exhibit. The area was dimly lit so visitors could clearly see the seventeen-foot-deep, 400,000-gallon tank with sharks and other marine life, and a quarter-scale replica of an offshore oil rig.
The exhibit was stunning and at the same time alarming. Darkness shrouded the corners, black pockets like ominous voids. And there was still no sign of Devlin.
The man with the goatee was headed toward the Great Mayan Reef.
Was Devlin in front of them already, at the Amazon Rainforest Exhibit?
Or was he lurking somewhere behind her?
She took another furtive glance over her shoulder. Nothing but
a family strolling toward a different exhibit in the opposite direction. Charlie pulled out her baton. The steel was well-balanced and heavy-duty.
The expandable rod would allow her to make physical contact while giving her a twenty-six-inch buffer zone. That might not be much, but when it came to a 200-pound man throwing a punch, those two feet of safety distance felt like ten.
She squeezed the rod in her hand, keeping her head on a swivel.
Timing the meet to coincide with the movie in the theater next door had worked. The place was fairly empty now compared to this morning, and the darkness seemed to have swelled as the number of people wearing bright-colored clothing dwindled.
The employee entrance opened in the middle of the aquarium. Devlin could be anywhere. She hoped she found him before he got to Aiden.
Goatee spotted something, picking up his pace as he reached into his jacket for his weapon.
With a quick flick of the wrist, the telescoping baton extended to full length. She swooped up behind him and whacked his gun arm twice, stopping him from drawing his weapon.
A couple in the vicinity gasped and ran for the exit.
Then Charlie went for the startled man’s legs, hitting him behind the knees, bringing him to the floor. Hard.
He looked up at her, snarling. “You bit—”
Another strike to his face silenced him. She kicked him to the floor facedown and thrust her knee in the middle of his back.
Setting the baton on the floor, she pulled out zip ties and bound his wrists behind him.
“Charlie, where are you?” Aiden asked over comms.
She went to toggle her earpiece as a shocking blow to her head sent her spinning off the man and the black wig went flying. Charlie crashed into the wall.
A follow-up kick to her gut had her doubled over in pain.
Dazed, she swung out with a fist on pure instinct, but her attacker laid her on the floor with a leg sweep. As she sucked in for air, trying to breathe through the pain, he dropped on top of her, and she stared into Devlin’s hateful eyes.