Chapter 13
Mac hung back, leaning on the wall of the tactical command room as Moto worked to pull up the video of the accident that had killed Champion’s friends.
Half of HERO Force New York had gone wheels up that morning on a mission to Bogota, to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a billionaire businessman, and Mac was antsy.
He’d rather be with his men in the field than stuck here in an office, but this was where he was needed right now.
He only hoped they would be able to help Champion.
Then there was the woman he’d brought with him, Grace.
She was in profile, and Mac stared at her curiously.
Champion said she was helping with the kids, but there was clearly more to the story, as the kids weren’t even here and energy was bouncing between Champion and the nurse like the spark of static in a dark room.
It had been like that with him and his Ellie, a tangible connection that crackled and popped, and he missed his wife acutely for the third time that day. The first was when he woke up. The second was when he decided to get out of bed and look for her again.
Every damn day.
“The video is graphic, but you can’t see everything. The mother threw one car seat with the baby in it just before impact. I can’t see the dad to tell what he did with his.”
Razorback turned to Grace. “Did they sustain any injuries?”
“No,” she said. “CT scans were clear.”
“Lucky boys,” said Razorback, crossing his arms. “Just hitting the ground at their age, even in a car seat, could have done some damage.”
“Are you a doctor?” Mac asked her.
“An ER nurse,” she said. “I was working when the family was brought in.”
Maybe she’d seen the parents die or had worked on them. That might explain why she and Champion were suddenly attached at the hip, though she certainly wasn’t his usual type. She was a keeper, and Champion didn’t do relationships for keeps.
“All right, I’ve got video from the security camera in the parking lot,” said Moto. “You ready to see it?”
Champion didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
A black-and-white picture of a parking lot appeared on a large monitor near the ceiling. A highway rest stop was lit up in the distance, its reflection visible in the wet pavement.
An SUV pulled into the parking lot. A couple got out, opened the back doors, and disappeared for a moment. They were getting the children.
“You don’t have to watch this,” said Grace, drawing Mac’s attention. She stood behind Champion, her arm on his bicep. Hmm. There was something between those two, all right.
Champion’s eyes never left the screen.
It took a strong man to watch his friend and cousin be killed, but Champ was nothing if not strong.
No, his problems lay more in the realm of softness and feelings.
That man lived on the surface of life, never getting in deep enough to get dirty.
He took the leftovers of living, the fringe, the bits no one would miss.
Mac knew this, because it was how he lived, too.
Funny how mirrors only show you shit you don’t want to see in the first place.
He turned back to the monitor. A white cargo van sped toward the family, and Mac cringed as one car seat went flying off-screen, the other hidden by the vehicle. Even though you knew it was going to happen, it didn’t make it any easier to watch two young parents get killed.
Grace dropped her head. “Play it again,” said Champion.
Mac pushed off the wall and moved to stand beside him. “Looks reckless to me. Nothing to suggest intent.”
The video replayed the scene.
“The guy showing up at the hospital with a gun shows intent. Play it again,” said Champion.
“What are you looking for?” demanded Mac.
“I don’t know.”
He was trying to make sense of the nonsensical, looking for a smoking gun where there was only a tragic hit-and-run. “There’s nothing here to see.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. Slow it down this time, Moto.”
“Champ…”
Champion turned to him. “You wouldn’t let it go so easy, Mac, so don’t expect me to, either.” He crossed to Moto, peering over his shoulder at the computer screen. “Are there other cameras? Other angles?”
“One from the Starbucks security camera on the other side of the parking lot. I haven’t looked at it yet.
Just came in this morning.” Moto pressed a series of keys.
The scene on the monitor changed and the white van came into view, motionless in the parking lot.
“Let’s go back to the moment the van got to the rest stop. ”
The video rewound, the van moving backwards to the entrance.
The SUV drove in front of the camera as the vehicles entered the rest area.
The SUV pulled up close to the building and parked, but the white van stayed farther away and stopped not far from the camera.
Inside, the driver could be seen gesturing wildly.
“Who’s he talking to? Can you blow it up? ” asked Champion.
Moto zoomed in on the image, the resolution now grainy and difficult to make out. The driver’s face was in shadow, but his arm was in view.
“What’s he holding?” asked Champion. The driver’s arms extended in front of him. “Holy shit, is that a gun?”
Mac narrowed his eyes. The video quality wasn’t great, but the posture sure looked like the driver was taking aim with a firearm. “Possible.”
Champion moved in closer. “His back is shaking. Is he crying? Why the hell—” Before Champion could finish his thought, the driver of the van sat up abruptly and threw the van into gear.
The vehicle accelerated, its suspension rocking backward.
“The son of a bitch floored it.” The van drove straight for the couple as they got out of their car.
“There. He fucking floored it! No brake lights, no nothing. He was trying to kill them.”
Mac whistled and crossed his arms. “You can see them clearly, even from this distance. That was no accident.”
Champion paced. “Jesus Christ. He could have killed the whole family.” The video continued, though Champion was too busy ranting and raving to notice. Mac moved closer to the screen as he watched the van come to a stop, brake lights blazing, then went into reverse. “He’s going back,” Mac said.
All eyes in the room returned to the screen as the van passed by the bodies lying prone in the parking lot. Mac winced and sucked air in through his teeth as the tires narrowly missed what he thought was the husband. If this guy was trying to render aid, he was going about it the wrong way.
The white reverse lights went out, and Mac watched in horror as the van lurched forward a second time—heading straight for one of the babies’ car seats—the child presumably strapped tightly inside.
“No!” Grace and Champion both exclaimed, as the van appeared to drive over one car seat. But behind him, no car seat appeared.
“It’s stuck under the bumper,” said Moto. Figures from inside the rest stop came rushing outside as the van backed up once more. But this time, it swerved and sped off toward the highway, leaving both car seats safely behind.
Champion turned to Mac. “He tried to kill the babies, too. Not just Joni and Luke. Jesus Christ.” He shook his head, hands on his hips.
“Evil exists in this world,” said Mac. “Did they have any enemies?”
“Not that I know of, but we lost touch.”
Mac nodded. He’d bet his last dollar Champion had lost touch with a lot of people since coming home from his last tour, not the least of which was his wife. That’s the way it was for these men, his shattered SEALs. “What do you need from us?”
“Her research,” said Grace. The men turned to look at her as she joined the conversation. “You said she was a scientist. You need to know what she was working on. Especially if what Razorback said is true. The mutation might have something to do with this.”
“I’m on it,” said Moto.
“What did the husband do?” she asked Champion.
“He was a cop who got injured in the line of duty. She got him a job running security for Joni’s company before they got married.”
Mac nodded. “I’ll look for anyone he may have angered on the force.” He gestured to Champion. “You check out the place she worked.”
He nodded. “Joni and Luke’s place, too. The boys are being discharged from the hospital today. We can leave after that and get on the road. Moto, get me an address for Joni and Luke.”
“On it,” said Moto. “And I found the next of kin.” He handed Champion a printout.
Mac saw Champion’s face fall. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Champ wasn’t looking forward to handing those babies over to anyone.
He’d gotten attached, maybe when the boys were sick.
His eyes shot to Grace. Along with getting attached to that pretty little helper he’d enlisted by his side.
The side of Mac’s mouth hitched up. Maybe there was hope for Champion after all.
Good for him.
Champion shook his head. “We can’t just give them to the next of kin. Until we catch the guy who tried to kill Toby and Theo, they aren’t going to be safe anywhere.” He turned to Grace. “Can you stand hanging out with me a little longer? I need to keep the twins with me.”
Moto rattled off an address in Upstate New York, a four-hour drive from where they stood in New York City.
Grace’s cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. She nodded.
Mac clucked his tongue. “Just because there was only one guy in that van doesn’t mean there’s only one guy after those twins. You want backup on this one, Champ?”
“Hell yes.”
Mac nodded. “Take Razorback’s Jeep. You need wheels. I’ll come up with Razorback and Trace in the chopper by 0800 hours.” The intercom buzzed, a male voice announcing, “Sorry to interrupt. I have John Wexler-Brown here to see Grace Bryant.”
Her mouth dropped open and Champion looked guilty as hell. Mac narrowed his eyes. He didn’t know the name, but any fool could see this was the boyfriend or husband or some shit, come to collect his woman, and this was about to get interesting as hell.