HARD FAL (26 page)

“I don’t know. I was so scared I wouldn’t ever get to see her that I couldn’t think of a name. It felt like tempting fate.”

Sounded like something her mother would say.

“Your birthday is in June?”

“I don’t know when my birthday is,” June said. “But the day I was born was in June. The day they found me, saved me. Not that I understood that then.” She shifted her weight and the baby made a cooing, sucking noise that made Megan smile and yet feel close to tears. “March—not such a good name. Not for a fighter like her.”

“Julia?” Megan suggested. “Like Julius Caesar?”

“Beware the ides of March? Isn’t that when they killed him?”

They hadn’t gotten that far yet in English class. “Oh. Guess not, then.”

“How about Lucille? After your mother? I would have never lived this long, wouldn’t have her without your mom.”

“Lucy isn’t short for Lucille. Her real name is Lucia. She hates it.”

Their eyes met and both of them laughed, the noise swirling through the ambulance and chasing the shadows and fears away. Megan had the sudden feeling that someone was resting their hand on her shoulder, giving her an encouraging squeeze.

“Your grandmother, then?” June asked. “She must have been a very special lady to have raised your mom alone. To make such a wonderful home. What was her name?”

Megan smiled—not at the request but at the warm memories that flowed through her. She touched her hand to her shoulder, could swear she felt another hand slip away, followed by the brush of lips against the top of her head. “Her name was Coletta. And I think she’d like that very much.”

Chapter 36

IT TOOK BOTH
of them to open the service hatch, mainly because Lucy couldn’t plant her weight on her left foot. The heavy steel protested with a screech barely heard over the roar of the rushing water below. It fell open, clanging against the concrete, releasing a damp yet pleasant scent, not unlike the smell of the woods after a lightning storm.

Ozone from the water, Lucy guessed as she led the way down the ladder into the belly of the dam. It was slow going as she had to hoist herself down every other step to save her bad leg, but she couldn’t risk it going out from under her now. Seth’s pace was almost as bad, his balance wobbly, several times pausing to steady himself.

The interior passage was rhomboid shaped with the narrow end forming the ceiling. Two strings of incandescent light bulbs hung from wires suspended from the ceiling. The concrete walls angled away from them, leaving wide-open space on either side of the metal catwalk. Below the gush of water sent ripples of light across the walls and the vibrations ran from the metal into Lucy’s bones.

The catwalk had iron railings along both sides except where there were intersecting catwalks leading out to the floodgate mechanisms. Lucy dared to look down, clutching the railing tight, and immediately regretted it. Usually she had no problem with heights, but trapped inside tons of concrete with invisible hungry waters rushing eagerly below, made her head swim. Daddy had chosen his tomb well.

“Ready?” she asked Seth. She could barely hear herself but he nodded. She positioned herself as a shield in front of him as they slowly moved past the first hoist area into a stretch of uninterrupted catwalk. There was a good thirty feet before the next hoist mechanism and the shadows gathered around it.

“We’re here,” she shouted into the radio, wondering if it would work down here.

“I said no weapons,” Daddy chided.

Lucy pocketed the radio and held her jacket open, making a show of slowly removing her service weapon and placing it at her feet. She still had her backup weapon concealed at the small of her back, but he didn’t ask her to take her parka off.

“Good girl.”

“Show me Taylor.”

“Say the magic word.”

“Please. I need to see that he’s unharmed.”

A few moments later two figures appeared in front of the hoist mechanism. Taylor, his hands cuffed in front of him but appearing uninjured, and the man known as Daddy.

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“HERE’S HOW THIS
is going to work,” Daddy said, pressing his gun against Taylor’s head with enough force that Taylor had to bend his neck. He spoke into a hands free microphone, as if by making Lucy use a handheld radio he would gain the upper hand.

The guy obviously didn’t know Lucy, was all Taylor could focus on. He couldn’t believe how relieved he was when she appeared—and how guilty he felt about Seth being there. Seth was innocent, a civilian. It wasn’t his job to risk himself.

“Taylor and Bernhart will walk toward the middle, pass each other, and continue until we each have what we want.”

“What’s the catch?” Lucy’s voice came over the radio. She was buying time, Taylor was certain—as was Daddy.

“No catch. You and Taylor are free to go after that. On my count.”

Taylor almost took a step forward, he was so eager to get away, but Daddy hoisted him back and spun him against the steel plate of the hoist mechanism so that they were face to face.

“You didn’t think I’d let you off that easy, did you Taylor?” Daddy said. He held Taylor in place with the flat of his hand and his weight pressed against Taylor’s throat. Before Taylor could raise his cuffed hands to fight back, Daddy flipped the pistol to hold it by its barrel and swung it in an arc against Taylor’s left side.

The blow landed with such force that Taylor would have collapsed to the ground if it wasn’t for Daddy holding him upright. He tried to gasp—would have screamed with the pain—but Daddy’s hand clamped tight against his throat until his vision swam red.

“Hey!” Lucy yelled. “Stop that!”

Daddy didn’t turn around but he did turn his radio back on so Lucy could hear. “That blow just fractured Taylor’s spleen. He’ll die of internal injuries if you don’t get him to a surgeon within twenty minutes or so.” Daddy’s smile was inches from Taylor’s eyes, filling his vision. “Like I told you, I know I’ll win because I control all the parameters. The players, the playing field, and now the clock.”

He released Taylor, hooking one arm under his before he could fall. The pain was unlike any Taylor had ever felt before—not even when he’d taken his close quarter combat training and the instructor had gotten below his guard and landed a kick to his solar plexus.

“Move,” Daddy commanded. “Now.”

Taylor stumbled forward, barely able to raise his head high enough to see Seth approaching from the other direction. Behind him Lucy waited, her hands in fists at her sides, body angled forward, tense, a sprinter waiting for the starting gun.

The pain grew with every step until he was forced to bend over and grab hold of the handrail to keep him upright. Just a little farther.

Seth stared past Taylor, concentrating on Daddy. They were almost at the midpoint where their paths would cross.

“I’m sorry,” Taylor murmured, hoping Seth would hear him above the roar of the water below.

Seth’s gait faltered and he glanced at Taylor. Then he did the strangest thing. He smiled. As if there wasn’t anything to be worried about.

One more step and he was behind Taylor. In front of him, Lucy’s fists opened and closed as if counting the seconds. Taylor tried his best to shuffle forward faster. But then he realized it wasn’t him she was staring at: it was Seth.

Of course she had a plan—Lucy always had a plan. Taylor relaxed. It was going to be okay, he was certain.

“Lucy,” Daddy called out in a jovial tone. “I did forget one little catch. You might want to tell your HRT boys to clear off the dam and get back to their helo.”

Taylor faltered and glanced back to see Daddy waving a smart phone in triumph. He’d spent time scouting the dam and surrounding area before letting Taylor out of the van—must have planted cameras. Damn spytech. It was making it so the bad guys had nicer toys than the good guys.

“I’ve rigged the dam to explode. No one leaves here until after I’m good and gone. I see your friends step off that helo again or if you try to open the hatch before I radio back that it’s clear and it all blows.”

Chapter 37

LUCY WAS FAIRLY
certain Daddy was lying about the explosives. There was no way he’d have time to plant them—and why would he have access to explosives in the first place? He was bluffing. Had to be.

How many lives was she willing to risk on “fairly” was the question.

Taylor collapsed, one arm slung over the railing, still ten feet short of her position. But he was almost within reach of her service weapon. If he was in any condition to shoot, it would be one more advantage. Seth kept moving toward Daddy, marching down the center of the catwalk.

“Tell them, Lucy!” Daddy yelled, obviously assuming she was the greater threat. “Tell those SWAT boys to clear out, now.”

Lucy shuffled forward, ostensibly to help Taylor but really to get closer to her weapon, which lay a few feet to his right. She watched Seth carefully, knowing he’d make his move soon.

“Stop right there,” Daddy shouted at Seth, dividing his focus long enough for Taylor to slide his hand to within a few inches of her weapon. Good. She let her parka fluff around her, clearing her path to her backup weapon. Movement from in front of her caught her eye. Seth, reaching back to draw his revolver.

A shot reverberated against the hollow concrete walls, followed by another, both coming from Seth. Lucy grabbed her backup Glock and hobbled forward as fast as her bad leg would carry her. Seth had braced himself against the railing, needing both hands to steady his aim. Daddy clutched at his arm, his gun on the catwalk at his feet.

“Drop it, Seth,” Lucy said.

“Can’t do it, Lucy.”

Damn it, she had to stop him. “We need him alive.”

“You know damn well there’re no bombs. He’s bluffing.”

“I don’t give a shit about him. I’m thinking of you.” Remembering that others were listening in, she grabbed her earpiece and tossed it over the railing.

“Do as she says,” Daddy screamed the words. “You can’t shoot me. I’m unarmed. I surrender.”

Seth hesitated for a fatal moment. Long enough for Daddy to charge him, both men grappling against the railing so that Lucy couldn’t get a clear shot. Seth’s gun clattered to the ground and skidded past her.

“Do it, Lucy,” Seth shouted. “Go ahead, shoot.”

Despite his wound, Daddy got the upper hand, pinning Seth sideways against the railing, his back bent as he fought against falling. Seth still stood between her and a clear shot at Daddy. A shot rang out from behind her, sparking against the railing mere inches from Daddy. Taylor, who from his position at the railing had a better angle.

She searched for a shot of her own, when Daddy suddenly released Seth. He raised his hands in surrender, turning to her.

“They can’t shoot me,” he told Seth. “It’s against the rules. You of all people should know that, Mr. Assistant US Attorney.”

Seth slumped against the railing, obviously spent. “Step away,” Lucy told Daddy. “Keep those hands where I can see them.”

“Aren’t you going to arrest him as well, Special Agent?” Daddy mocked her. “After all, he tortured and killed five innocent men.”

Seth made a noise like a wild animal. He lunged forward, pulling the road flare from his overcoat pocket. The flare had a short spike at the bottom, designed to anchor it into the ground. Seth plunged it like a spear into Daddy’s neck.

Then he yanked off the cap, igniting it. Daddy staggered back, hit the railing, and toppled over it, bright red and orange sparks coloring his scream as he fell.

“They weren’t innocent, you bastard,” Seth called after him. He clung to the railing with both hands, his knees buckling. Lucy drew close, bending to grab her mother’s revolver and pocketing it, keeping her own weapon in her hand.

“Step away from the edge, Seth.”

His eyes were wide as he shook his head. “No. I can’t.”

“Seth, I need your help. Taylor needs your help. He’s injured and I can’t get him out of here by myself. Please, step away.”

He turned, his gaze riveted to the dancing light from the water below.

Lucy tried another tactic. “Think of June. Of your baby.”

“I am.” The words were choked with tears. “June’s safe now.” He turned, straightened with an effort, and finally looked her in the eye. “She’s safe. That’s all that matters.”

He backed up against the railing, arms held wide, leaning back precariously far over the abyss.

“Either take the shot or let me go,” he pleaded. “Either way, I can’t stand the idea of her finding out what I did. Please. Let me die a hero in her eyes.”

“You’ll always be her hero, Seth. Nothing could ever change that.” Despite her words, Lucy’s aim didn’t waver. “But don’t you think June deserves the truth? After all she’s been through?”

He shook his head, denying her words. “She deserves more than that. She deserves peace of mind. She deserves to feel safe inside her own home. She deserves a future.”

“She does. Your dying doesn’t give her any of that.”

“No. Because before the poison kills me, they’ll drag me through courts, the press. That can never happen. They’ll never leave her in peace. They’ll keep hounding her. And they’ll have won. Daddy, the others like him. I can’t let that happen.”