CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The dogs reacted instantly to the alarm and the strobe lights.
They stiffened and yelped, shaking their heads and stumbling backward.
As the hypnosis faded and they regained control of their own senses, they did what any dog would do if it found itself trapped in a cage surrounded by red lights and wailing alarms.
They freaked the hell out.
As barks and rattles erupted, David looked at Jayce sorrowfully. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think. I just saw her, and I—”
“It’s all right,” Jayce said. “I understand.” His voice was clipped, but his expression was compassionate.
He grabbed David’s hand and pressed a thumb drive into it.
“Get out of here. Take Sierra. The other dogs have to stay for now. I’ll hold them off.
Go straight out the back side of the facility and run until you can’t run anymore.
Keep moving south, and you’ll reach the road after seven miles.
Twenty miles east, you’ll hit Oklahoma City. It’s a long way, but you’ll make it.”
David hesitated, thinking both of Jayce and the other dogs. They would almost certainly be executed if he left them behind.
A cold voice in his head reminded him, You made this choice. Once more, you let your emotions rule your decision-making. Now Jayce and these dogs will suffer for it.
“No!” he cried out. “No, they’ll kill you! All of the dogs too!”
“They won’t kill the dogs,” Jayce said. “They’re valuable assets. They’ll just move them again.”
“But what about you?”
“I can keep them occupied long enough for you to leave, but you have to leave. Take that data to your wife. She’ll know who to contact in the FBI.”
“Jayce…”
“It has to be you,” Jayce said. “You can’t hold them off. Not even close.” He smiled sadly. “I love you, buddy, but you’re not a fighter. I’m only half a fighter, but like I said, I can give you time to get out of here.”
David still lingered. It was his fault that Jayce was dying, his fault that he couldn’t for once let logic rule over emotion. “Jayce, I’m so—”
“Enough,” Jayce interrupted, kindly but firmly. “Go.”
Shouting voices echoed from the hallway outside. Jayce’s eyes flicked to the door, and his face hardened. “Take the back exit,” he said. “Run until you’re going to fall over, then walk until you reach the city. Get on the phone and call your wife immediately. Go!”
Sierra barked, and David finally listened.
She sprinted toward a back door, and David followed.
He lowered his shoulder, and with a cry slammed through the door.
More shocks rocketed through his body, but he didn’t check to see if he had broken anything this time.
If he had, so be it. He could get help when he escaped.
If he escaped.
Behind them, gunfire and shouting echoed in his ears. He winced, squeezing tears through his eyes as he thought of Jayce, whose life was surely forfeit now. He sobbed once, but then he was at the fence. Tears would have to wait. He needed to move.
Sierra cleared the fence easily, springing up the eight-foot obstacle, touching her paws lightly to the top rail of the chainlink and hopping over the razor wire with two feet to spare. David had seen that athleticism only in one other dog. He really wished Turk was here with him now. Faith too.
Actually, no, he was glad they weren’t here. He didn’t want anyone else to die because of him, especially not the woman he loved and the dog they both loved.
He reached the top and did his best to jump over.
When he got caught in the razor wire again, he just went limp and let his body weight tear him free.
Another lance of fire coursed through his leg—the right one this time—and fresh aches exploded within him when he landed, but he got to his feet and kept running.
A bullet whizzed past his ear, close enough that he could feel the buzz. He didn’t turn around to see if the shot had been aimed his way or if it was just a stray.
No more bullets reached him, though, and slowly, the crack of gunfire receded behind him. He kept moving, lungs burning, tears streaming from his face. The gunfire had dragged on. That was a good sign, right? It meant they hadn’t gotten Jayce yet. Maybe he could fight free and escape.
He told himself this, but he knew it wasn’t true. Jayce might be athletic and strong for his size, but he wasn’t fighting a bunch of untrained civilians like David. He was fighting killers. He had no chance.
So, make sure he doesn’t die in vain. Get this data to Faith.
He kept running. His lungs burned. His body ached.
The stinging in his legs sharpened to lancets of fire that flared up each time his feet landed.
He resisted the urge to look behind to see how far he’d gone.
He’d left his goggles in the building anyway, so he had no way of knowing the answer anyway.
Sierra ran alongside him, looking up at him with concern. He wanted to reassure her, but if he used his mouth for anything other than breathing right now, he was pretty sure he’d collapse.
Finally, he saw the road ahead of him. He kept running until he reached the shoulder, then collapsed in the dirt. He gasped, trembling on his hands and knees.
Then he broke into sobs. His shoulders shook, and he gasped and moaned, weeping as he thought of his own narrow escape, Jayce’s likely death, the potential loss of the other dogs.
He remained there for several minutes, body aching. Finally, Sierra nudged him. He got to his feet, still shaking.
Headlights approached from the east. His eyes widened.
He turned and started to run, but Sierra barked and grabbed his belt, pulling him to a stop.
He collapsed to his knees again, too tired to fight.
Sierra licked his face, trying to comfort him.
He wanted to look at the approaching vehicle, but he was afraid he would see military uniforms or agents in black body armor jumping out of an armored truck, rifles pointed at him.
The vehicle came to a stop. A car door opened and slammed shut.
“David? Holy shit, David?”
It was Michael. David expelled the breath he’d been holding and burst into tears. Michael wrapped strong arms around him and pulled him to his feet. “Are you all right? Jesus, you look terrible.”
“They killed him,” David sobbed. “They killed Jayce.”
Michael sighed. “Shit. I’m sorry. I was too late.”
David shook his head. The tears dried up as purpose filled him. “No. You weren’t. We got it. We got the proof.”
Michael’s eyes widened. “You have everything?”
David handed him the thumb drive. “This has everything we need to expose the 93rd. We’re going to take them down.”
Michael looked in the direction of the facility. It was too dark to see, especially with all the lights shorted out, but they both knew it was there, even if Michael didn’t know exactly where.
Michael’s face hardened. “Come on. Let’s get back to the city. As soon as we’re there, we’ll send this to the right people and put an end to those bastards once and for all.”
David allowed Michael to help him into his SUV. Sierra hopped up next to him and laid her head on his lap while Michael turned around and accelerated back to Oklahoma City.
Jayce had given his life for this, but David would make sure he didn’t die in vain. He would find justice for Jayce, for Sierra, for all of those dogs, and for everyone who had lost their lives to a madman’s pursuit of his dream.