“Just over four minutes.”
Nathan clicked his radio and kept going, wishing it were darker on this street. When he reached the side yard of Karen’s house, he made an all-out sprint for the front door. Its jamb splintered, it lay wide open.
Just inside, he crouched. It was impossible to hear anything over this awful noise. If Mason had discharged his pistol, Nathan ought to be able to smell a trace of it. So far, he didn’t.
He took a few seconds to turn off the alarm using a master code. When the noise ended, his nerves settled. That damned racket was beyond hideous. Outside, the spotlights remained on.
From somewhere inside, likely the kitchen, he heard Karen’s landline begin ringing. That’s our company calling to see if the button was accidentally pressed. For now, it would have to wait.
He held still for a moment longer, listening for any activity. If Karen were lying dead in here, a few more seconds wouldn’t matter. One thing was certain: Karen’s skull wasn’t as thick as Toby’s. If they’d double-tapped her like Mara, she’d be gone.
“Harv,” he whispered. “I’m inside; stand by.”
His radio clicked.
Staying low, Nathan advanced to the kitchen’s threshold. The octagonal island loomed like a mausoleum. Light from the rear yard’s floods reflected off its granite countertop.
He looked to his right, down a dark hall, then back to the kitchen. “Karen, it’s Nathan. Are you in here?”
The cabinet door burst open, and Karen flew out with a small semiauto in her hand.
“Karen, your finger’s on the trigger!”
Tears streaming down her face, she dropped the gun and wrapped Nathan in a bear hug. He could feel her small frame trembling and understood the terror she’d just experienced. Being in a tight, dark space without knowing what’s happening outside could fray even battle-hardened nerves.
“Harv, Karen’s okay, but I haven’t cleared the house.”
“On my way.”
“Holly, keep eyes on the street. Let us know if any of those sirens get closer.”
He heard his radio click.
Karen’s vise-like grasp hadn’t loosened.
A few seconds later, Harv ran through the front door and assumed a defensive position, aiming his Sig down the dark hall.
“Karen, wait here; we’ll be right back.”
“Please don’t leave me alone.”
“Stay behind us.” In a two-man lineup, he and Harv worked their way down the hall, clearing all the open doors. Convinced the intruders were long gone, they returned to the kitchen.
“Did Mara call you tonight?” Nathan asked.
“No, she sent a text. She said Toby saw two men get murdered, and she was really freaked.”
“Is the text still in your phone?”
“No way. I erased it. She said not to text her back, so I didn’t.”
“Can you remember what it said? Did it contain any names?”
“No. It just said what Toby saw.”
This confirmed the intruder was Mason, and Karen was lucky to be alive. He’d never know why Mara made such a costly error in judgment by sending that text to Karen, but it no longer mattered. What was done was done.
“Grab an overnight bag; you can’t stay here.”
“Who broke into my house? Was it the murderers?”
“Yes.”
“Were they going to kill me?”
“You’re a loose end. Mara told you what Toby witnessed.” He looked at Harv, then put a hand on her shoulder. “Karen, I don’t know how to tell you this . . . Mara’s dead.”
“What!” Her face went slack with shock, then changed to anguish.
“I’m really sorry. Whoever killed Mara tried to kill Toby too. He’s still alive, but he might not make it.”
She covered her face and began crying. “She was pregnant . . . they were getting married.”
He didn’t know what to say. “We need to get you out of here. The killers might come back any minute.”
“What about Cindy?”
“Call her from the road. We’re leaving.”
“Nathan, I don’t—”
“I promise to answer all your questions, but now isn’t the time. Pack enough stuff for a couple days.”
She didn’t move.
“Karen, your life’s in danger.” He added command tone to his voice. “We’re out of here in sixty seconds. Start packing.”
That did the trick. Wiping tears, she hurried down the hall.
“I’ll check the backyard,” Harv said.
Nathan radioed to Holly and asked for an update.
“A few dogs have started barking and more lights are coming on.”
“Bring Harv’s car up and come in dark.” His radio clicked.
Nathan’s thoughts returned to Toby and Mara. Her death felt like a punch to the stomach. How could Mason be so cold? Aside from the hideous injustice of it, something else bugged him, something about the incendiary device Mason planted in Toby’s car. Why do that? It didn’t make sense. If he didn’t want any attention drawn to the area, torching Toby’s car didn’t accomplish that. Clearly, Mason believed Toby and Mara were dead, so maybe he wasn’t concerned about how quickly the bodies were discovered. Nathan shook his head. How many people survived two bullets to the head? Subsonic rounds or not, it seemed as though a guardian angel had visited Toby’s apartment.
Beyond the sliding glass doors, he saw Harv using the TI to sweep for warm bodies.
“We’re clear back here,” Harv said. “I’m gonna check the front yard.”
Nathan clicked his radio.
The nagging question wouldn’t go away: Why torch Toby’s car?
Her face streaked with tears, Karen returned with a small suitcase.
“Holly’s here,” Harv reported. “We need to get outta here. I hear sirens closing.”
“We’re coming out.” He took Karen’s free hand. “None of this is your fault. I’m really sorry you’ve been pulled into this. I’ll have one of our security guards watch your house until we fix your door. The important thing is that you and Cindy are safe, and we’re going to protect you. We’ll hide you at our cabin on Mount Laguna.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Come on, let’s go.” He escorted her outside to Harv’s sedan and opened a rear door for her. From the sound of the sirens, they didn’t have more than thirty seconds. “Holly, you’re driving. Let’s go.”
With Karen and Harv in the back, Holly pulled away from the curb and executed a Y-turn.
Karen didn’t react when Nathan introduced Holly as a federal agent. Karen was far too distraught to care.
“Where are we going?” Holly asked.
“Back to Toby’s apartment. I want to make sure the EMTs have him and find out what hospital they take him to.”
“Nate, we need to contact our call center and let them know there’s no emergency at Karen’s house.”
“Yeah, good idea. I heard our dispatcher calling. We also need to assign a security guard to watch the house.”
“I’ll take care of that right now.”
“I want you to think about Mara’s message one more time,” Nathan told Karen. “Did she text anything else?”
“Only that Toby was in the shower. She didn’t want him to know she’d texted me . . . I can’t believe she’s dead.”
He reminded her to call Cindy and warn her about returning to the house.
Nathan saw Holly shift her weight upon hearing a third woman’s name. Holly’s initial reaction to Karen had been . . . what? Suspicious? No, that wasn’t the right word, more like cautious. It was clear Holly sensed something deeper was going on. He didn’t want to tell her that Karen, and her . . . escorts, had once been under his protective umbrella. He hadn’t been a pimp b
y any definition of the word, but he’d watched out for them, protected them. Seeing Karen had triggered old feelings. Like Mara, she was strikingly beautiful. Long, dark hair flowed across a . . . well-defined chest. Half-Hispanic, half-white, Karen got the best of both. She’d once substituted for Mara, and it had been an amazing evening, one he’d never forgotten.
Holly had to be wondering if he’d ever had a relationship with Karen. Like Mara, there was no way to pretend he and Karen were mere acquaintances. Despite Holly’s empathy, he felt tension in the car.
He was about to say something when he suddenly realized what was bothering him. “Toby’s car had a tracking bug in it.”
“Yeah,” Holly said. “That would explain a lot. They torched the Sentra to destroy it. They would’ve seen his movements and the corresponding time stamps. That’s how they knew to come after him.”
Harv ended his call and spoke to Karen. “We’re all set. We’ll have a guard watching your house in twenty minutes. I missed what you guys just said.”
Nathan filled him in.
“Of course,” said Harv. “Toby calls in sick around the same time as the murders, and he lives within a mile of Hickman Field. They get suspicious, check the data, and he’s blown.”
Nathan nodded.
“So they torched his car because it’s faster and safer than trying to remove the bug in a hurry.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Karen asked, ending her call to Cindy.
“We think they put a GPS transmitter in Toby’s vehicle.”
“Who are they?” Karen asked.
“Battle-hardened killers. Just knowing about them puts your life at risk. Do you understand?”
Karen nodded.
“And if you tell Cindy any of this, her life will be in danger too, just like yours.”
“I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
“How much do you know about Toby’s work?”
“Mara said he’s a security guard.”
“The murderer is Toby’s boss, Tanner Mason. He’s chief of security at BSI.”
“His boss tried to kill me? Because of the text?”
Nathan took a moment to update Karen on what Toby told them. He also told her that BSI was a huge private military contractor with a small army of personnel. He hoped the information would further convince her to keep everything secret.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“We’re still figuring that out, but our highest priority is to protect you and Toby.”
Karen nodded again, her eyes distant.
Holly didn’t drive as fast as Nathan had on the way over to Karen’s, but she made good time getting back to Toby’s neighborhood.
Harv said, “Mason has to know he’s just created a link to BSI. It won’t take the police long to determine Toby worked there. SDPD is going to be contacting BSI soon, maybe even tonight. At which point Mason will learn that Toby’s alive. They’ll also want to talk with Toby, assuming he’s conscious. I think it’s a foregone conclusion Mason will find out he survived. We should post a plainclothes security guard outside his room at whatever hospital he ends up in. Actually, maybe two guards.”
“We could do that too,” Holly said.
“You’d have to disclose your awareness of everything. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“At this point, I’d prefer it,” she said.
“Let’s hold off a little longer on your end. In the meantime, we’ll get three of our best men assigned to the hospital.”
“We’ve got company,” Holly said, turning onto Toby’s street. Just behind them, a police cruiser sped around the corner. Its light bar flashing and siren wailing, it raced past them into a multitude of red, blue, and white stroboscopic lights lining the entire length of the street. Every type of first responder was present. Several dozen people stood on the sidewalk with umbrellas, watching the action.
A two-man firefighter team hosed the Sentra, producing a column of steam. Half a block ahead, the street was blocked by a California Highway Patrol cruiser. No doubt the other end was equally impeded.
Holly slowed to a crawl.
Nathan used Harv’s field glasses to focus at the base of the stairs, but he didn’t see any activity. It probably meant the paramedics had already loaded Toby.
“Turn around, Holly. We don’t want to be questioned at that CHP roadblock.”
Harv pivoted to look out the rear window. “Nate, one of the ambulances is leaving in a big hurry. That could be Toby’s ride.”
“If he’s conscious, we need to talk to him before they anesthetize him for surgery.”
“That won’t be easy,” Harv said.
“I should have a brief window before the staff calls security on me.”
“If you’re talking about busting into the ER, you’ll be caught on camera for sure,” Harv said.
“I’ll risk it. Holly, can you follow the ambulance at a safe distance without being too obvious?”
“If I violate a few traffic laws.”
“We’ll pay our penance later.”
“It’s going in the right direction for Sharp,” Harv said.
Holly handled the sedan like a pro. Burning through red lights was easier with multiple sets of eyes watching for cross traffic. Nathan and Harv kept calling “clear” as Holly approached intersections.
“Good driving,” Nathan told her.
“Thanks, but I’d feel better if the roads weren’t wet.”
“You’re doing fine.”
“It’s definitely heading to Sharp,” Harv said.
The streets were deserted except for a distant set of taillights in front of the ambulance. It looked like some kind of minivan.
“That guy should pull over,” Holly said.
“Probably a drunk,” Nathan muttered. “You know what they say about drivers out at this hour . . . I think he sees the ambulance; he’s moving over.”
“How much farther is the hospital?” Holly asked.
“About a mile.”
“The ambulance crew must know we’re following them.”
“They do, but they can’t do anything about it.”
“Nathan, that guy just pulled away from the curb, right in front of the ambulance.”
“I see it.” As they closed the distance, he realized the minivan wasn’t a minivan.
It was a silver SUV.
“Punch it, Holly. That’s Mason!”
CHAPTER 16
Mason activated his radio. “We’ve got the bus in sight.” The headlights behind the ambulance were too far away to be a factor. “We’ll make our move when it slows for the next turn. Darla, you copy?”
“Affirm.”
“Pull in behind, and keep it from backing up.”
“I’m paralleling your position one street over. I’ll be at the next intersection in ten seconds.”
“Holly, when was the last time you executed a PIT maneuver?”
“Not since the Crusades were in Jerusalem.”
“I’m sure it will come back to you.”
“I’m supposed to be on vacation.” Holly stomped the accelerator. “What if that’s not Mason?”
“We’ll offer an apology and exchange insurance information.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
“You can do this, Holly. You don’t have to hit with a lot of force, just a lateral bump. The road is wet, and there’s no one else around. You should match Mason’s speed or be moving slightly faster when you make contact.” Nathan saw her tighten her grip on the steering wheel.
“This is what . . . a $100,000 vehicle?” she asked.
“Harv?”
“More like one twenty.”
“Great.”
Nathan reached down and pulled his Predator knife.
“What’s that for?” she asked.
“Air bags,” Harv said flatly. “They might deploy. It depends on the g-force of the impact.”
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” she said.
Nathan sat up as straight as he could and forced his back against the seat. “Stay behind the ambulance for as long as possible, then make your move when I give the word. If the ambulance stops, I’ll get out and prevent Mason from approaching it. Switch places with Harv.”
The ambulance grew in size as Holly raced toward its rear bumper.
“Here we go, Holly. Be smooth on the wheel. Now!”
She maneuvered the big sedan into the left lane and sped past the shrieking ambulance. Its driver honked, the sound shifting frequency like a passing train.
She braked hard, and yelled, “Everyone hang on!” She swerved to the right and clipped the rear bumper of the SUV. The impact produced a metallic bang, but it didn’t jar them too violently.
Karen cried out.
The air bags didn’t deploy.
In perfect form, the SUV began a tail slide. The driver tried to recover, but not in time.
“Hot shit, Holly! That was textbook.” Nathan looked behind and saw the front end of the ambulance dip. “The bus is slowing down. Get ready to switch places with Harv.”
Mason saw headlights appear out of nowhere.
“What the hell’s that idiot doing?”
He realized too late what was happening.
The impact wasn’t violent, but it worked.
He fought to keep the SUV from spinning, but lost the battle. His world turned into a carnival ride. He stomped the brake to slow his forward momentum, but even that was too late.
Mason clenched his teeth as the SUV—moving backward—jumped the curb and plowed through a hedge into a commercial center. Mason thought things might be okay until they slammed into a parked car. Their velocity went from forty miles an hour to zero in less than a second. It felt like he’d been sucker punched as the back of his skull smashed the headrest.
At the same instant, two explosive cracks assaulted all his senses.
For a split second, he was in Afghanistan; then his mind registered the air bags had deployed. A noxious odor like burned plastic filled the compartment.