cluster of trees on the left. After the turn, the city beach and one or two multimillion-dollar homes were the only things along the water.
A makeshift shack proclaiming to sell lobsters and shrimp was up on the left near their turn.
“This is it, right?” Sophie asked.
“Yes. . . . Shit,” he muttered as he watched the satellite image on-screen. What looked like a cigarette racing boat was moving fast toward the city beach. Exactly where Vargas and Chadwick were headed. He couldn’t allow them to get on that boat, especially since that particular type was known for being able to outrun the Coast Guard. “Speed up, Soph.”
“Don’t call me Soph anymore!” she snapped, her voice sharp as she pressed harder on the gas.
“What’s going on? And don’t say you’re fine because you’re obviously not. You can’t shut me out like this.”
She snorted.
“I’m not a mind reader. . . . Wait, follow where the road curves.” He looked back at the screen and ran through scenarios. “When we near the entrance to the city beach parking area, speed up until we pass it, then pull off about thirty yards down.” As he watched, the vehicle Vargas was in slowed and turned into the city beach parking lot. Well, parking lot was a bit of a stretch. There were about ten spaces drawn out in a badly paved area. He couldn’t see that much from the satellite view, but he’d been there before. After most of his undercover operations, he usually spent his downtime fishing and vacationing in the Keys.
With the exception of a house half a mile down the road and another house a mile down from that on the point, mangrove and palm trees surrounded the area. He’d have plenty of cover.
Though he wanted nothing more than to grill Sophie until she told him what the hell was going on in her head, he called Wesley. If he didn’t stop Vargas, he’d never get to talk to Sophie again. Or it would be from behind bars.
“Are you seeing this?” Jack asked the second his boss answered.
“Yeah. That boat is tearing through the water. Do not let them get on.”
“Am I authorized to use deadly force if necessary?”
“If you can’t bring them in alive, you have to take them out. We can’t risk either of them escaping.”
“Understood. . . . Park here.” Jack pointed to a stretch of grassy area but kept his eyes trained on the computer.
The vehicle had parked, but only one person got out. The images weren’t crystal clear, but he could see one of the men walk around to the passenger seat and pull a body from the vehicle. One man dragged the other toward a cluster of trees—with difficulty—then only one individual emerged. Jack couldn’t be sure, but his money was on Vargas being the one still alive. Chadwick had nothing to gain by killing Vargas.
Jack moved the computer to the backseat, then turned to face Sophie. “I’ve gotta go. Stay here and wait for me. If anyone comes up to the vehicle, drive away and don’t look back.”
She opened her mouth as if to argue, then snapped it shut and nodded.
Jack pulled out his SIG and after a brief scan of the area got out of the Jeep.
“Be careful.” Sophie’s soft words cut through the air as he shut the door. He paused for a brief second but didn’t turn back before rushing into the underbrush.
That speedboat was either very close or already on the shoreline. He dashed through the mangrove trees at full speed, ignoring the snapping branches and leaves hitting him in the face. When he neared a clearing on the beach, he stayed hidden in the shadows and bushes. The boat he’d seen on the satellite was cruising full speed toward the shore, ready to beach on the white sand.
Jack guessed Vargas was hiding under some sort of cover until the last moment possible. At least that’s what he’d do if he was in the man’s position. Jack glanced down the stretch of beach, thankful it was deserted. The few times he’d visited, there had usually been one or two kite surfers, but there was no wind today so the place was dead. Using the trees as cover, he inched his way closer to where the parking area joined with the beach.
As soon as the boat hit the sand, Vargas appeared from a cluster of mangroves. Jack hated revealing his position, but there was no other choice. He couldn’t wait for backup to arrive.
Weapon drawn, he rushed from the trees. “Stop where you are!” Moving across the sand was difficult in shoes, but Vargas was having the same problem.
He stopped midstride to look at Jack, then looked back toward his escape. He had twenty feet to go.
The two men with the dark sunglasses in the boat shifted slightly, so he continued shouting. “A chopper and the Coast Guard are on their way. Leave now and we have no problem.”
The men hadn’t made any sudden movements, so he’d bet his life savings they had guns in their hands. Only their heads and shoulders were visible above the dash. As they glanced at each other, the faint sound of a helicopter rent the air. They spoke for a few seconds, then reversed as if they were in a Super Boat race. The twin-engine speedboat was gone in milliseconds, leaving a raging wake in its path. Water and foam lapped against the shore.
Jack guessed it was the mention of the Coast Guard that changed their mind.
Vargas still hadn’t moved, though Jack was sure he had a gun tucked in his pants. The movement wasn’t overt, but Jack saw his hand twitch. He was almost a hundred percent sure Chadwick was dead, but he paid close attention to the parking area using his peripheral vision. “Don’t even think about it, Vargas. You’re coming back with me.”
A large vehicle out of the corner of his eye momentarily distracted him. For a split second Jack thought it was the Jeep he’d stolen. Before he could react, Vargas reached for his weapon.
Vargas swung his arm up, gun in hand, and Jack fired twice. The loud pops thundered, echoing loudly along the coast. The weapon dropped from Vargas’s hand as crimson liquid spread out like a river across his chest, lapping and twisting as it covered his entire shirt. The man hit the ground knees first, then fell onto his face.
The sound of squealing tires pulled him out of the funnel. He turned to see a Jeep—thankfully not the one Sophie was in—tearing out of the lot. No doubt whoever that was had already called the police. Even though he was sure Vargas was dead, he checked his pulse and retrieved the man’s weapon.
He’d left Sophie alone far too long. Once he was sure Vargas wasn’t breathing, Jack sprinted across the pavement, only pausing at the entrance to scan the road in both directions. His heart rate tripled when he saw the dark green Jeep still parked about thirty yards north.
When he was a foot from the driver’s-side door, she opened it and jumped out. “You’re okay?” The words came out hoarse and scratchy and her eyes were red and glassy.
“I’m fine. It’s all over.” He wanted to take her in his arms and bury his face in her neck, but he kept a little distance.
She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the seat. “Will I be able to see Hannah soon?”
“Of course. She’s probably still being debriefed.”
“Good.” She stared at him for a long moment, then looked down at her feet.
He could hear a chopper in the distance and knew he should call Wesley, but before she was debriefed— and he was possibly arrested—they needed to talk. “Will you please tell me what’s going on?”
Her shoulders lifted noncommittally, but at least she looked at him. “Thank you for saving my life, Jack.”
“I don’t want your fucking thanks! I want you,
“It’s not about that.” Her pretty lips pursed into a thin line as she watched him. “I just realized we feel differently about each other.”
The chopper was getting louder now. Since they couldn’t land on the beach, they’d probably land in one of the empty lots across the street.
She took a step closer and placed a gentle hand on his chest. “I understand you had a difficult choice to make, and in my head, I get that you had to choose catching Vargas over saving me.”
