“Have you ever went after a suspect in the woods?”
I slap my cheek, killing a mosquito. “No, the last suspect had the courtesy to stay in the city.”
“So, what’s our plan when we find Drake?”
“Assuming we don’t end up dead, our plan is to get to him before the CIA does. He’s the only one who could help us burn these assholes to the ground. If they kill him, we got nothing.”
He taps me on the shoulder and points to a pile of trampled leaves. “Blood.”
“Looks like we’re headed east,” I state.
“Devi, I’m really am sorry for throwing you like that.”
“Listen, Jason. If you feel that bad about it when this over, you can buy me a drink.”
He lets out a half chuckle. “I can do that.” His jaw tightens. “I know we need Drake alive, but I can’t get the image out of my head of him carving up my wife. I have dreams of my little girls screaming in terror just before they died.”
I stop and turn to him. “Look, I get that their loss is ripping you apart on the inside, but you have to know killing Drake only helps them bury their secrets.”
He lowers his head, glowering. “These assholes murdered my family, and you want me to still behave like a cop.”
“Yes, I do! Look, if you want revenge, real revenge. Stopping them from killing Drake and getting his testimony before a judge is how we do it. Now come on, we’re burning daylight.” We continue walking.
“What happened to Drake’s sister?”
“Feds put her in WITSEC.”
We come to a lake with lily pads floating on the surface and a massive tree growing in the middle of it.
Damn, the blood trail ends at the bank.
I glance around the bank and notice a blood trail runs along the bank and leads to a wooden bridge. “This way.” I gesture to the bridge. I spot bloody handprints on the railing of the bridge; we follow it till it leads us to a hiker’s trail where we see droplets of blood going down the path. The blood leads us to the edge of a tree line overlooking a clearing with high grass.
We kneel at the edge of the tree line, and I look through a pair of binoculars and spot a black Sedan and an SUV each has four people inside. A grey-haired man steps out of the cabin with an entourage of assholes armed with SMGs. “Jason, zoom in on this and record it.”
“You got it,” he says, pulling out his smartphone.
I guess smartphones have their uses.
“Who is that, Devi?”
“That’s the CIA director.”
“Damn, we have stepped in it.”
“Yeah. Here’s what we’re going to do you’re going to call the cavalry and then we will advance once we confirm Drake is here.”
He nods. “Understood.”
I scan the area and spot Drake in the cabin tied to a chair, and Munroe handcuffed to a chair on the porch with an Uzi pressed against her head. Her shirt is soaked with blood from the gunshot wound to her stomach.
“Sullivan, I’ve located David Drake and Munroe. I have eight armed assailants holding them hostage. Sir, I got the CIA director red-handed. My location is in the Flatwoods area just north of Morris Bridge. Hurry, I don’t think they have long.” He nods. “Copy that, sir. He turns to me. “Back up will be here. We’re looking at twenty minutes.”
“Shit! These assholes will have killed Munroe and Drake by the time they get here, thus leaving us with a cold case.”
His eyes fill with rage. “Just say the word, Devi.” his voice strangled with anger.
“Hey, remember what I said?”
“Devi, all I can promise you is I will try.”
“That will have to do. Besides, we may just end up dead.”
We keep low using the high grass as cover and get to their rear so we can hit them from behind. We crouch down in some brush I lean in and whisper to him. “I’ll take out the agent holding Drake hostage. You kill the one holding Munroe.”
Jason and I creep up to the rear of one of their cars. I pull out my Karambit and slash the sidewall of the rear tires; Jason pulls out his blade and does the same to the other vehicle. An agent gets out of the car, his eyes look right at me, almost as if he knew where to look.
Shit!
My shotgun roars, blowing out his chest cavity, painting the interior door with his entrails.
Shit so much for my well-laid plan.
I rush around to the left of the car and splatter two more pricks raising weapons at him. Automatic fire rains down on my position. I duck behind the engine block and cock the shotgun. Jason’s 12 gauge roars and takes out a few assholes unloading on me the rest duck back behind the sedan. I raise from cover and let loose a volley of lead on the other car forcing their heads down. I duck behind the car and begin a tactical reload. An agent emerges around the vehicle. I drop the shotgun and yank my 45 from my coat and put three rounds in his chest and stomach. He falls backward, tumbling down into the river. I holster my sidearm and finish reloading the Mossberg. CIA director aims a pistol at me from the window. My shotgun shatters the window forcing him to duck. I catch an agent maneuvering to my position, trying to close the distance, but just as he moves out from behind the car, my shotgun eviscerates him. He falls to the ground clutching his intestines screaming.
I pump the shotgun and advance closer to the cabin, taking cover in
