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“Don’t you understand? We’re David’s last hope. I can’t be a wimpy-assed pansy and let him die.” Declan clenched his fists against his forehead and groaned.
“I’ll go with you and stay near the meeting place if you need help.” Mark zipped up his coat and reached for the passenger door.
“Absolutely not.” Tess scooted toward the door to get out. Mark’s calm voice had been smooth and devoid of fear, like when Riku was shot. She grabbed his arm as panic raced through her. “You’re injured and unarmed.”
Mark turned to face her. “We’ll be back soon, Tess. I promise. Lock up and stay safe. Let’s go, Declan.”
“No. Mark. We agreed we’d wait for the police.” Given their earlier discussion, she couldn’t believe he was risking everything. Speechless, she swerved between panic and fury.
Without a word, Declan tossed her his car keys. The men stepped out of the jeep, slamming the doors shut before she could protest further. She gasped as they trekked across the deserted parking lot and aimed toward the trailhead, about fifty feet away. Swearing, she clicked the doors locked and scanned for oncoming police car lights from all directions. The pitch-black sky smothered the park like a blanket, and nothing interrupted the darkness but one dim park light flickering by the trailhead.
She whipped out her mobile. Fingers flying, she punched in 9-9-9 to reach the British Telecom operator and request police help. She drummed her fingers and waited for the call to be transferred.
“Police Emergency Team,” the dispatcher announced. “What is your emergency?”
“Send a crisis response team to the telescope at King Henry’s Mound at Richmond Park now. Alert Inspector Willis, Chief Inspector Adams, and your counterterrorism unit at Met Police. We’ve got a hostage exchange going wrong, so please hurry.”
The dispatcher recorded her information and responded a police squad was on the way.
Her adrenaline kicked in, and she gritted her teeth. A surge of hyperactivity followed, and she experienced the overwhelming urge to sprint somewhere, anywhere, faster than the wind. If it weren’t such a stupid idea, she’d run into the dark woods alone. Her mobile rang again, and Willis’s name appeared on her screen. Breathless, she answered. “I’m here.”
“Got your 9-9-9. Are ye somewhere safe?” he spoke in short, staccato bursts.
Like a scene from a horror movie, dark, secluded woods framed the solitary black jeep. She then recalled promising Willis she’d stay safe and remain at the hotel. Whoops. “Uh, no. We traveled with Declan to the meeting location at Richmond Park.”
Willis let out a long groan. “Ye must be kidding me. Ye did what?”
“Look, Adams told Declan his crisis team would lead this handoff, but no one’s here. What the hell? We’ve got fewer than fifteen minutes before Crimson Hammer kills David Kingsley, so Mark and Declan just left for the handoff point without the police. Damn it, we can’t let David die.”
“Shite. The handoff is an ambush!” Willis exploded. “They need to steer clear now.”
“W-what?” Tess could barely speak.
“Headquarters canceled our entire operation with no explanation an hour ago. Adams disappeared, and now, no one can find him. Someone either took him out, or he sabotaged the meeting. Take cover somewhere safe while I call for help.”
The call disconnected, and she blinked, unsettled by the eerie silence inside the jeep. The digital clock radiated 2352 in neon-green. Pounding her uninjured foot in a frenzy on the floorboards, she cursed and redialed Declan. No answer. “Damn it, come on. Pick up.” She texted both men and left a voice-mail with Mark. Still, no response. Please, let them all survive.
Seconds later, her mobile buzzed. A new text marked Unknown Caller appeared with the country code for Turkey. Strange. She clicked it.
—You’re in danger. Get far away from the car. NOW.—
Goose bumps erupted over her entire body. She scanned the dark again, expecting to see stalkers closing in. Growing frantic, she wondered if this was a sick ploy to trick her into leaving her safehold. She hesitated to abandon the locked jeep, which offered protection and escape. Since she couldn’t reach Mark or Declan by phone, she realized her only option to warn the men was to enter the woods. “Goddamn it.” She punched her fist into the back of the seat. Grabbing the whiskey Mark brought, she unscrewed the cap and gulped a double shot of liquid courage before slipping Declan’s keys into her pocket and hobbling out of the jeep. She slammed the door with more force than necessary and hurried away in an awkward gallop with her crutches.
2354. Halfway across the parking lot, her phone rang, and Kavita’s photo flashed on her screen. She answered.
“Bad news. Two Polish banks encrypted with Firefly have been breached. Millions of Polish zloty in micro-withdrawals are disappearing every second. They’re hemorrhaging cash.” Kavita spoke lightning-fast.
“Crap. Get those banks under network lockdown ASAP. We’re in trouble. Declan’s been set up. Keep trying to contact him. Tell him to run from the handoff but not to return to his car.”
“What? You mean he’s—”
“Don’t think. Just make it happen. I need to find Declan and Mark.” She clicked to end the call and charged forward, aiming for the trailhead. Breathing hard, she felt the frosty air sting her lungs, and the whiskey’s heat filled her bloodstream. The Culloden quote Kyle shared with the Raven jolted her with its full impact, searing itself deep in her bones so she wouldn’t forget. Our blood is still our fathers’, and ours the valour of their hearts. Summoning her father’s bravery, she kept moving.
A massive explosion sounded. Crashing metal and glass accompanied the deafening boom, and the blast knocked her to the ground with her crutches and covered her with debris. Lying flat on the pine-needle-lined trail, she peeked through her fingers. A blinding fire lit up the park’s skyline, and the resulting smoke plume floated upward thirty yards high. Declan’s jeep had blown apart, reduced to a twisted metal skeleton engulfed in flames. Melted, amorphous chunks of debris released steam and smoke as they burned in the parking lot.
Acrid soot burned the inside of her nose. Desperate for air, she gasped, but inhaled smoke instead, which sent her coughing, face down on the ground. She swept her hands across the earth around her body and touched decomposing leaves mixed with hot ash. She rolled onto her back to catch her breath before attempting to get up. Who found the intel about the explosion and warned her? A mere sixty seconds saved her from being vaporized like the jeep.
Pushing to a stand, she stumbled at first until regaining her balance. Hands freezing, she slipped on her gloves and scanned the lot to see if the explosion drew anyone out of the trees. No one. With no shelter or police in sight, she steeled her courage and limped into the woods alone. She slogged through the darkness at a laborious pace and passed the trailhead, maneuvering over the uneven ground.
