Chapter 20
If John could have forced the old army truck to move any faster, he would have.
But he already had the gas pedal to the floor, maxing out the old truck’s top speed.
Thankfully, the roads weren’t as blocked with stalled vehicles like they were in the city, which made it easier to move quickly.
But Parker didn’t appreciate the frantic speed.
“You know, I would like to make it there without dying,” Parker said.
“Just stay focused,” John said. “I want us to be ready for anything when we arrive.”
They were getting closer, and with every mile John chewed up on the road, he felt his grip tighten on the steering wheel.
He was tense and angry, but he couldn’t allow his emotions to get the better of him.
If he allowed that to happen, then he would lose control, and that would only hurt his family.
“Listen,” Parker said. “If we’re right about the farm, and that’s where Dillon was heading, and he still has your wife as a hostage, you need to be prepared for what happens during that negotiation.”
“I assume you have some type of hostage negotiating training?” John asked.
“No,” Parker answered. “Do you?”
“I’m not really in the mood for jokes,” John answered.
“Sorry,” Parker replied. “Humor was something Willows and I always used before a big moment. It was how we calmed our nerves.”
Both John and Parker were wound up tight. This was by far the most high-stress situation John had encountered. The stakes were literally life and death. And the fact that his family were the ones at risk only made the situation more nerve-racking.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Parker asked, picking up on John’s nerves. “It’s okay to say no. What we’re about to walk into isn’t easy to process, you know?”
“Yeah, I know,” John answered, and then he relaxed his grip on the steering wheel, feeling his joints ache a little as he wiggled them around.
“I understand that I don’t have the type of training you do.
So, when we get there, I will follow your lead.
But I am not going to put my family at risk for the sake of you catching your bank robber. ”
“Fair,” Parker said. “But don’t get in my way when I go after him, okay?”
Just before they neared the farm’s entrance, John pulled the truck to the side of the road, and they walked the rest of the journey. They wanted to maintain the element of surprise as much as possible, and the army truck drew too much attention.
The walk to the farm allowed John to focus on something other than his nerves. The simple act of moving made it easier for him to expel some of his built-up adrenaline. He wanted to sprint toward the farm, but he maintained a steady pace as he followed Parker’s lead.
The closer they moved toward the farm, John’s nerves vanished. He was rising to the moment like he had hoped he would, but as they stepped onto the property, they found it abandoned.
They checked the main house first, moving through it as tactically as they could, and John just doing his best to not get into Parker’s way.
After they cleared the house, they went to the barn, where they found a dead body.
“He’s one of Dillon’s men,” Parker said. “I recognize him from the list of associates Dillon uses.”
“So, what, they started killing each other?” John asked.
Parker glanced around, and he shook his head. “This doesn’t look like work done by Dillon. When he kills someone, he makes it more of a spectacle.” He then took a closer look at the dead man and pointed toward his pants. “His pants are undone.”
“He was taking a leak?” John asked.
“I don’t think it was that innocent,” Parker answered. “The crew Dillon rolls with isn’t exactly the best group of guys.”
It took John a moment for what Parker was telling him to sink in, but he was able to read between the lines. This scum bag was trying to attack a woman, and he was met with deadly force, as he deserved.
“We should go to the river,” John said.
But just as John turned toward the exit, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who was standing in the open doorway.
At first, John thought his eyes were deceiving him. He didn’t think it would’ve been so simple to find his daughter, but Sydney was standing right there in front of him, completely unharmed.
“Dad?” Sydney asked.
The moment John moved toward his daughter, she did the same, and they crashed into one another in an embrace. John squeezed his oldest tight, afraid that letting go might cause him to lose her again.
“Thank God you’re alive,” John said.
“Dad, listen,” Sydney said, pulling back. “The bank robber, the one from the news, he has Mom.”
“I know,” John answered.
“They walked out into the fields toward the river,” Sydney said.
“Sydney, I need to listen very carefully,” John said. “I want you to take whatever working vehicle that you can find and go to our cabin.”
“Dad, I’m not leaving you?—”
“Your brother is heading there now, and I want to make sure he gets there safely,” John said. “And the only way I can make sure that happens is if you are there to help him.”
Sydney wanted to protest. She clearly didn’t want to be left here for any reason, but the idea of helping her brother seemed to push her over the edge.
“I’ll get Mom,” John said.
“And Teddy,” Sydney said, adding his name quickly, but then she tried to cover her feelings for him. “And all the others, too. Just try to save them all.”
“I’ll try,” John said.
John waited until Sydney located a working truck in the parking lot, then watched as his daughter sped away from the farm.
He should’ve felt better about her leaving, knowing she was away from all the madness that was about to transpire here.
But he couldn’t help but think what dangers she might find on her way to their family cabin.
It was no use worrying, though. The decision had been made. And he took solace in the fact that there wasn’t as much danger out here as there was in the city. He had seen the way people reacted more calmly out in the country.
Once Sydney was gone, John followed Parker out into the field.
When John and Parker crested a hill, they both dropped to a crawl.
And it was a good thing they did because when they reached the top, they saw Dillon and what remained of his criminal group with the farm hands near the riverbank, some of them being used to move items along the barge.
“Looks like you were right about how Dillon wanted to transport the money,” Parker said.
“For some reason, that doesn’t make me feel any better,” John replied.
Parker had a pair of binoculars with him, and he used them to get a better look at the situation below. “It looks like Dillon killed some of his crew. Probably because he didn’t want to share all the money he stole.”
John couldn’t imagine how selfish somebody would have to be not to split one hundred million, but then again, Dillon was a criminal.
“Looks like he’s dumping some of the money off the boat,” Parker said. “This might be our only chance to get the bastard.”
“I count three men down there, including Dillon,” John said. “And two of those men have a gun to my wife’s head.” He glanced around, not liking their position. “There’s no way for us to get down there without being seen.”
“Well,” Parker said. “We need to get down there before Dillon gets on that boat, or else we will never catch him again.”
“If we charge down there from this hill, we’ll be sitting ducks,” John said.
“We can try to shoot them from up here,” Parker suggested.
John considered it. He was a good shot, but he didn’t have confidence in his accuracy from this distance. And the moment they started shooting it would put Maggie’s life at risk.
“I’ll go down there,” John said.
“Alone?” Parker asked. “That’s not a good idea.”
“I’ll go down, pretending I’m not a threat, and then you take them out when I get close enough to grab Maggie,” John said.
Parker was quiet, staring down at the situation before he replied. “It’s risky.”
“I know,” John said. “But do you really think you can hit both of those guys with your rifle from this distance and not put my wife’s life in danger?”
Parker remained silent and then finally nodded. “All right. We go with your plan. But how do you know they won’t kill you the moment you go down there?”
“Because I have something they need.” John reached into his pocket for the small box he had recovered at the FBI building. He opened it up and revealed a key. “If they want to open their safe, then they’ll need this.”
Parker reached for the key, but John kept it away. “This isn’t a good idea.”
“Do you have a better idea?” John asked.
When Parker didn’t reply, John took his silence as agreement.
“Shoot the guy on my left first,” John said. “I’ll handle the guy on the right. Just don’t wait too long to shoot.”
John started to get up, but then Parker stopped him.
“Just be careful,” Parker said. “Dillon isn’t normal. He’s a sociopath, so whatever he tells you, you can be sure he’s lying through his teeth.”
“Got it,” John said.
John stood up and moved down the hill. He kept his gun on him, figuring it would make sense for him to come armed. The last thing he wanted to do was give up Parker’s position on the hill. So long as Dillon and his men believed that John came alone, his plan could work.