Chapter 16
"Icould come with you," she said.
"No," said Jason. "I need you here. I need you scanning the security footage.
Finding and securing the bombs is important, but ultimately, finding the bomber is more important.
If this whole thing ends with the FBI capturing the bomber, that keeps more people safe in the long run. We need you to find him."
Allie nodded. She understood the logic, but she worried about Knox and Jason. She saw a thought flash on Jason's face—another one she couldn't decipher.
Jason looked at Knox. "I have extra mags and handcuffs in my room. Come with me and get what you need." He looked at Allie. "We'll be back in a minute. You and Rowan get started on the security footage."
"Yeah. Sure," she said.
One thing was obvious—Jason wanted to talk to Knox privately. About what, she wasn't sure. But he didn't want Rowan or her to hear their conversation. She pulled her hair back into a messy bun as she watched them walk out of the room.
She was curious about what Jason was thinking. She stared at the back of the door they'd just exited. Which was silly. She didn't need to worry about Jason and Knox. She needed to find the bomber. Cueing up the security footage, she prayed the bomber wasn't very skilled at looking innocent.
Jason opened a duffel bag on his dresser and took out two sets of handcuffs and handed them to Knox.
"Here. Hopefully, you'll need these. I'm taking two as well.
" He also grabbed some zip ties and handed some to Knox.
"Ideally, we overtake these guys, handcuff them, and leave them in the truck.
They'll be safe in there until we can figure out what to do with them.
That'll give me time to look at the bombs and see if I can dismantle them. "
"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Knox said.
But Jason was still staring at him.
"What?" he asked.
"I get the feeling you and Allie are getting along well again."
Knox nodded. "Yeah, things are good. Why? Is there a problem?"
Jason shook his head. "Of course not. As your friend, I'm glad. I think you two are good together. I really do. I was hoping you'd work things out. But—"
"But what?"
"Just now, back in there . . . she's worried about you. Is she going to be able to concentrate? Is this gonna work, you two working together?"
"She's a professional, Jason. She's good. We know that. She'll do it. Maybe she is a little worried, but you're worried about Tayla, and I'm gonna worry about Allie, and you, and we're all worried about young Rowan. But none of us are going to let it interfere with the job, are we?"
Jason smiled and raised both hands. "That's what I wanted to hear. Okay, we need to figure out how we're going to approach this truck. I'm assuming it's a small cargo truck. Is it a ten- or twenty-foot truck?"
"Ten-foot."
Jason nodded. "Are the three bombs the only thing in the truck? I mean, do they have a lot of extra weapons?"
"I can't confirm that," said Knox. "We just watched them put the three bombs in. We really didn't have a complete view of the interior of the truck."
"Who drove the truck up to the warehouse? How long was it there?"
"How long?" asked Knox.
"Yeah. When did it get there, and when did it leave?"
Knox ran through what he knew. "Not sure when it got there. We didn't know it was there until we heard the men opening the closet where the bombs were. We watched them load up the bombs, and we got out of there."
Jason cocked his head and gave Knox the strangest look.
Knox shrugged. "We were hiding upstairs, so we didn't see everything. But I guarantee you there are three bombs in there, and all four guards at the very least. It's possible there's a fifth—the driver. Now that I think about it."
Jason's peculiar look didn't waver. "Everything you're saying makes sense."
"Then what's wrong?"
"I don't know. You tell me. When you said you didn't know when the truck got there, you had a weird look on your face."
"Now you sound like Allie," said Knox. "You're trying to read my mind."
"No," Jason said again. "I just saw a concerning look on your face."
"Concerning?"
"Yes, as your friend, I'm concerned. Why didn't you see the truck get there? What are you not telling me?"
"Nothing that has anything to do with this situation. Come on. What else do we need? Does Rowan have the extra comms?"
"Stop changing the subject," Jason said. His eyes lit up. "Wait a minute . . . you were hiding upstairs in that dark office?"
"Yeah."
"With Allie?"
"Yeah, of course. Look, I don't know what you're asking. We were hiding. We didn't want to be seen, so we weren't looking out the windows of the office until we heard the voices downstairs and I heard that closet door open."
Jason started grinning. "I've known you a long time, Knox. Why don't you just tell me?"
"Okay, fine. I kissed her. You happy now? I kissed her during an operation. You going to fire me?"
Jason laughed. "No, not at all. Not even going to report it," he said. "Even with Allie as a distraction—and you have to admit she is a distraction—you're still twice the agent of anyone else at WhiteRock. Except me, of course." He couldn't stifle his laugh any longer.
Knox rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you're enjoying this."
"Oh, I am. I am. And for the record, I'm happy for you. She's good for you. Just keep your head in the game."
"You don't need to worry about me."
When they returned to room 336, Rowan's head popped over his monitor. "I have good news!" he practically shouted. Then he whipped his head to Allie, looking unsure whether or not he was supposed to share the news or she was.
Allie nodded to him. "Go ahead. Tell him."
He looked back at Jason. "There are only two guys in the truck now. They parked in the rear parking area, and there are some cameras out there. I've been keeping an eye on them."
"Where did the other two go?" asked Jason.
"Another car picked them up—a green Jeep. I didn't get a good view at the driver, and I don't know where they went. But the truck's still sitting there, all three bombs inside, and only two guards in the truck. The Jeep left the area. Sorry, I didn't have a way to track where it went."
Jason gave a slow nod. "Don't apologize.
Good work." He scratched his jaw. "The two that left, plus the driver of the Jeep, that's three guys unaccounted for.
That worries me a little. But we need to focus on the bombs, so let's stick to that for now.
" He looked at Knox. "Our job just got a little easier. "
Knox glanced at his reflection in an oversized mirror in the lobby.
He looked like a policeman. He and Jason were wearing matching security uniforms provided by Drakos.
It wasn't a bad idea. Jason was afraid they might attract unwanted attention getting the guards out of the truck, but if they were dressed as hotel security, they could play it off as having to deal with unruly guests.
They didn't want any resort guests calling the police.
Keeping a casual pace through the parking area, they played the part of resort security making routine rounds, until they came within ten feet of the truck. On Jason's mark, they rushed the truck from opposite sides, surprising the driver and his passenger.
They'd discussed a variety of tactics on the way to the truck, but time was a factor, so they quickly narrowed it down. Strong and quick—a show of force. Before the driver or the passenger knew what was happening, Jason and Knox threw open the doors and pointed their sidearms at the guards.
Jason and Knox both yelled, "Hands up! Let me see your hands!"
The initial shock froze both guards.
"Lace your hands behind your head," Knox ordered the passenger, then leaned close enough to retrieve the man's weapon sticking out of his belt.
He was a little surprised—and relieved—at how easily the man cooperated.
Byron clearly hadn't recruited special forces types to do their dirty work.
The passenger practically cowered in his seat.
Jason gave the same order to the driver. The driver smirked at Jason. He didn't cower like his cohort in the passenger seat, but he didn't put up a fight either. "You have no idea what you're doing," the driver said.
"Don't you worry about that," Jason answered. "Keep your hands behind your head and get out of the truck."
The two guards exchanged a look but obeyed. Jason and Knox led them over to the far side of the truck to shield them from the view of anyone walking down to the beach. Jason handed each guard a set of handcuffs while he and Knox continued to train their weapons on them. "Put these on," he said.
The driver gave them an angry-bulldog glare but slowly complied. The passenger followed suit.
"We know you have three explosive devices in the back of this truck," Jason said.
The passenger's eyebrows shot up. The driver narrowed his irritated gaze at Jason. "How do you know that?"
"Doesn't matter. There are three explosive devices in the back of your truck, and I need to know if they've been activated."
Neither man responded.
"Look," Knox said, "I don't think the guys you're working for care whether you survive today.
All we're interested in is making sure the devices don't detonate.
If they do, and you're too close by, you're not gonna make it out of this.
And I don't think your bosses care. So, as far as surviving the next couple of hours, we all want the same thing. "
The driver's scowl faltered while he processed Knox's suggestion. But a second later, his menacing glare was firmly back in place and silently firing daggers at Jason and Knox.
The passenger kept eyeing the driver, who was apparently the leader.
Jason inclined his head toward the truck. "Knox, go open the back of the truck. Check the devices. See if they've been activated. I'll watch these two."
"Got it."