“What is it?” Heidi asked.
“Head for the entrance where we came in.”
“Nick—”
“Just go! Now! Get out of here!”
One of the crates flew off and a figure rose from beneath it. “Don’t move,” he said.
Heidi stepped back and her heel caught against a piece of broken concrete. She fell back, landing hard on the debris, her phone skittering behind her. Her back protested the sudden stop and her palms scraped the floor, stinging. Gasping, she stared up at the man who held a weapon in one hand and something else in the other. A cardboard box sat beside his feet.
“Roger Cooper, I presume?” she asked, blindly reaching for her phone. She couldn’t find it.
Nick stepped in front of her, hands raised in the surrender position. “Put it down, Cooper. It’s all over for you.”
“It’s not over yet. At least not for me. But looks like you two showed up at the wrong time.”
“Or the exact right time,” Heidi said, ignoring the fear thrumming through her. Her fingers searched blindly for the phone, but she couldn’t land on it. “We’ve been looking for you.”
“I know. Everyone’s looking for me.”
“So you decided to hide out here?” Nick asked.
“Not exactly hiding.”
“You’re getting the medals so you can run, aren’t you?” Heidi asked.
“Smart girl.” His eyes flicked to Nick and Annie, then back to Heidi. “Only now, I’ve got to come up with a plan to get rid of you two.”
“What are you doing with the bombs?”
“Insurance. Looks like that’s going to pay off.”
“So you’re going to blow us up?” Heidi asked, hating the quiver in her voice.
“Not if you cooperate.”
Nick shifted more fully in front of her. “What do you want us to do?”
* * *
“Walk. That way.” Roger Cooper pointed with the hand he had clamped around the firing button, thumb hovering, ready to press it. Nick shuddered, his mind spinning for a way to get it away from the man. Tackling him might cause him to press the button.
Heidi moved, her foot catching on the rubble, and she stumbled against Nick. He caught her and pushed her behind him. Her hands landed on the small of his back, just under the Kevlar vest.
Her touch stirred his protective instincts in a way he didn’t think he’d be able to explain if he had to. But one thing was for sure. Cooper was going to have to go through him to get to Heidi.
Nick eyed the man. “Is that the button that’ll set that explosive off back there?”
“Yes, so don’t try anything funny.”
“Wouldn’t think of it. What is it? C-4?”
“Like you don’t know.”
“So, what’s the plan now?”
“I’m going to blow the place up. Some of those medals are worth a fortune, but it’s obvious things are heating up and the investigation is getting too close. It’s time for me to make my exit.” He waved the firing button device. “Thanks to the guy who blew this place up the first time, I can now blow it again and everyone will think the original bomber did it.”
“No, they won’t,” Heidi said.
Cooper frowned. “Why not?”
“Because the other bomber used a timer, not a firing button.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’ll confuse the issue for a while and I’ll be long gone.”
Heidi’s fingers trembled against his back and Nick couldn’t help wondering where his backup was. He’d give anything to use his radio. Thankfully, Cooper hadn’t told him to lose it yet.
“All right. New plan.” Cooper licked his lips and his eyes darted over the training center. They hardened when they landed back on Nick. “Go to the kennels.”
“What?”
“To the cages! Now!”
Annie gave a low growl and took a step forward. The man lowered the weapon to the dog and Nick placed a hand on her head. Annie calmed, but her fur still bristled. Nick took a step back and grasped Heidi’s upper arm. “Go on,” he said.
Heidi moved toward the kennels, making her way through the rubble once more. Nick stayed behind her, between her and the gunman. Would Cooper really do as he threatened? Maybe. He didn’t seem to have any hesitation when it came to trying to kill Stevens. He didn’t think the man wanted to die, but the uncertainty kept Nick from jumping him.
Once in the room with the kennel cages lining the walls, Cooper motioned to Nick. “Throw me your radio.”
When Nick hesitated, he lifted the weapon and aimed it at Heidi. Nick tossed him the radio. Cooper gave it a hard kick and it skittered across the floor and out of the room. “Now your phone.”
Nick complied.
Roger waved his hand with the firing button. “Get in.”
The doors hung open, the locks swinging from the hooks.
“What’s the plan once you lock us in the cage?” Nick asked, stopping just short of entering the chain-link kennel.
“I get out of here.”
“And blow us up,” Heidi whispered.
The sound of sirens caught Nick’s attention. And it caught Roger Cooper’s as well. He paused and flicked a glance over his shoulder. That was the distraction Nick needed. He struck, launching himself at the man’s hand and knocking the firing button to the floor.
FIFTEEN
Heidi bolted for the device while Nick and Cooper wrestled for control of his weapon, but Cooper’s foot caught the small box and swept it from her reach.
The men rolled into her path and Heidi jumped back to avoid being hit. Only she moved a fraction too late. A boot landed on her calf and knocked her feet out from under her. She went down hard for the second time.
“Give it up, Cooper,” Nick ordered.
The man didn’t stop his desperate quest to escape. Over her shoulder she could see his hand reach for the firing button and then he screamed. Heidi flinched and rolled to her side to see Annie’s jaws clamped down on the man’s leg. He thrashed and kicked with his other leg, but Annie held fast—and Cooper didn’t give up his attempts to gain control of the device.
Heidi scrambled toward it just as his hand landed on it and Nick’s fist smashed into Cooper’s face. He screamed again, but managed to clamp his fingers around the device.
And his thumb came down on the red button.
The explosion rocked the area. Nick rolled, covering Heidi with his body while the ceiling tiles fell. When the building settled, smoke and dust filled the room. Coughing, gagging, Heidi tried to drag in a breath. She shoved at the heavy weight pinning her to the floor. “Nick. Move,” she gasped.
He groaned and rolled. Pain engulfed her left arm and blood flowed from the wound. She clamped a hand over it, wondering how bad it was. “Nick, are you okay?”
He’d taken the brunt of the falling tiles. His vest had protected him some, but one had caught the back of his head and a river of blood trickled from his scalp. He coughed. “Yeah.” He winced and lifted a hand to the back of his head. When he saw the blood on his fingers, he grimaced, then wiped his hand on his pants. “What about you?”
“I think so. Other than you crushing my lungs, I think I’m mostly unhurt.” She looked around for Cooper. “He’s gone.”
“Annie!” Nick hauled himself to his feet and stumbled to the animal, who lay on her side. She whined and Nick settled down beside her, running his hands over her. “I think she’s all right. Stunned, like us, a few cuts and scrapes, but okay.” Annie proved him right by lurching to her feet. She shook herself and Nick gave her one more check before he turned to Heidi. “I’m going after him.”
“I think he went toward the exit.”
“He’d have to.” He helped her to her feet and his expression changed when he saw her arm and her hand covered in blood. �
�You said you weren’t hurt.”
“I said mostly unhurt.” She looked at the wound. “Looks like I can use a stitch or two, but I’m not worried about that right now. Let’s go. We have a thief to catch.”
Without questioning her further, he looped Annie’s leash over his wrist and held his weapon in that hand. “Let’s try this again. Stay behind me, all right?”
“I’m here.”
She stayed with him as he led the way toward the exit. The bomb had been more in the back this time, not the front, so there was no added rubble to trap them.
Until another explosion rocked the training center.
* * *
Once again, Nick pulled her to the ground while the ceiling fell down around them, along with part of the flooring above.
“Nick! What’s going on?”
“Unbelievable,” he muttered into the side of her neck. “He set that one off to trap us. To give him time to get out.”
“But I heard the sirens. Law enforcement’s here. He can’t get away.” She pushed herself to her feet, coughing, wheezing. “It’s hard to breathe in here.”
“I know. Pull your shirt up over your mouth and nose. It might help filter some of the dust.” She did so while he pulled a bandanna from his pocket. “Here, use this.”
“No, you use it. My shirt’s working fine.”
He wrapped the piece of cloth around the lower part of his face, then checked on Annie. She was panting and probably could use some fresh air and water just like he and Heidi. He rummaged through his pack and pulled out two bottles of water. And Annie’s bowl. He handed a bottle to Heidi, who drank half of it. When Annie had her fill of the second bottle, Nick finished it off and tossed it aside. Then he reached into his pack and pulled out a mask that he fit over Annie’s muzzle. It would filter some of the dust for her. “All right, let’s figure out how to get out—or at least let someone know we’re in here.” He scrambled over the added debris and made his way to the huge pile blocking their exit.
“I don’t have my phone,” Heidi said. “I lost it when I fell. Do you think we could find your radio?”
He hated the fear in her voice. “I don’t know. I think it was probably buried in the first blast. My phone, too.”
“What are we going to do?” she whispered.
Nick gripped her fingers. “We’re going to stay calm and get out of this, okay?”
She gave him a slow nod. “All right. Tell me what I need to do.”
“Let’s take care of your arm, and then we’ll have to assess the situation.” Using supplies from his first aid kit he carried in the pack, he bandaged her arm. “That should hold you for now.”
“It’s fine. Thank you.”
Together, they approached the pile of debris and Nick ran his hands over the mixture of tile and cement. He grabbed a piece and pulled. It slid loose and he tossed it aside. “I think we can try to dig our way out.”
“They know we’re in here, right?”
“They know. They’ll be looking for us.”
“They might think we’re dead.”
“Possibly. But they’ll bring in search-and-rescue dogs and they’ll alert we’re here.”
She grabbed a rock and shifted it. Debris tumbled, kicking up more dust. Choking, she shoved the rock aside and lifted her shirt to breathe through it. “Is that true or are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
“It’s true.” Nick stopped what he was doing and tore her shirt to make a mask. He tied it around her nose and mouth and went back to working.
Then she stopped. “Wait a minute. We can get out through the kennel. We can crawl out the little doggie door and into the dog run.”
Nick shook his head. “It’s a good idea, but won’t work. They keep those doggie doors locked as a security measure and only open them when there are dogs in the cages.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Oh.” Then she shrugged. “Okay, then. Back to digging.”
For the next several minutes, they moved more of the debris, working quickly. Nick’s head pounded a fierce rhythm, but the fact that they seemed to be making a little progress helped him push through the pain. Until nausea sent him to his knees.
Heidi dropped beside him. “Nick?”
“I’m okay. I just have to rest a second.”
She pulled the water bottle from her pocket and held it out to him. “Drink.”
“I’m fine.”
“Quit being stubborn and drink it.”
He did and then handed it back to her with a grunt. “I only agreed because I have another bottle in my pack. That one’s yours, okay?”
“We’ll split it if we have to,” she said.
“We’ll see.” He paused. “I owe you an apology.”
“What? No, you don’t.”
“Actually I do. I want to apologize for getting you into this. I should have left you outside the building while I investigated.”
She huffed a short laugh. “You really think you could have talked me into that?”
“I should have tried, anyway.”
“Rest easy, Nick. You would have failed.”
He laughed. “You’re very stubborn.”
“I know. How are you feeling?”
“Better, thanks.” He rose and spotted a steel rod about five feet long. “Let’s see if this does anything.”
Nick started to insert the rod in between two rocks, then stopped to grab Heidi’s arm. “You hear that?”
“No. What?”
The distinct sound of barking.
* * *
Annie’s ears perked up and she rose from her spot on the floor. She gave a low woof through the mask and stepped over the debris. Nick worked the rod like a crowbar and managed to send more tile and concrete falling from the pile to the floor. Then he pressed it into the small opening and sent the same rolling down on the other side. A whoosh of stale air hit him in the face and relief flowed through him. “Hey! Back here!” he yelled.
The barking intensified and Annie answered with three short barks of her own.
“At least she’ll lead them this way,” Heidi said.
Nick continued to roll the remnants of the ceiling from the pile. Workers started in on the other side and soon, there was a hole large enough for Heidi to crawl through. He helped her scramble through it and then picked up Annie. “Got a dog coming through. Someone needs to catch her. She’s got on her boots so she can walk.”
“Hand her through,” a voice called. He thought it might be Isaac Goddard. Ignoring his throbbing, swimming head, Nick passed Annie through the opening, then crawled up to shove his head and arms through.
Hands grasped his wrists and pulled.
And he was finally on the other side. Isaac greeted him with a slap on the back. Justin and Westley were checking Annie out. A paramedic was trying to get Heidi to go with him. Only she shook her head. “Not until Nick’s free.”
“I’m here, Heidi.”
She spun and ran over to throw herself in his arms. He grasped her tight. “We made it,” she whispered.
“I know.” He glanced at Justin, whose brows rose at the sight of Heidi in Nick’s arms. Nick ignored the look and instead asked, “Did you happen to catch the guy responsible for this? Roger Cooper.”
“He’s outside,” Justin replied. “Wrapped up nice and tight, with his rights read to him and everything.”
“How did you know it was him?”
“He tried to run with a big ole box of medals. We figure he’s the one who’s been breaking into houses and stealing them along with whatever cash and jewelry he could find.”
“You figure right.”
“He set off the explosions, too,” Heidi said.
“And we found more on him,” Justin explained. “C-4 and firing buttons. The bomb squad is here and is going
to search the building for more.”
“Do you need Annie and me?” Nick asked.
“No.” Justin clapped him on the shoulder. “You and Heidi are going to the hospital to get checked out, Annie’s going to the vet, and then you’ve got a couple of days off to recuperate. Annie might the best bomb dog on base, but she’s not the only one.”
“I don’t need a hospital, sir,” Heidi said.
“Doesn’t matter, you’re getting one.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nick knew he’d get the same answer if he protested the hospital so he simply kept his mouth shut.
“Anyone find Lance Gentry yet?”
“Not yet,” Justin said. “But we got a lead he stole a car. We’ve got a BOLO out on it. I’ll let you know as soon as he’s in custody.”
“Thanks. You’ll have to leave a message. My phone and radio are buried in there somewhere.”
“I’ll have a phone delivered to the hospital. Until Gentry’s caught, you don’t need to be without one. Now, we need statements.”
It didn’t take long to finish up their statements. Annie headed for the base veterinarian and Nick and Heidi were transported to the hospital. A young airman met them there. “I was told to deliver this to you.” He handed Nick a phone.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
He left and Nick watched Heidi as they rolled her into the adjoining examination room, suppressing the urge to race after her.
“All right, sir, let’s get you transferred to the bed and take a look at that head.”
His attention only slightly diverted by the nurse, Nick decided to do his best to cooperate and hurry this whole unnecessary checkup along so he could rejoin Heidi and—what?
What would he say when he saw her? While the nurse shaved a small patch at the back of his head for the two stitches deemed necessary, Nick silently planned the words he’d say to Heidi—if he could gather his nerve. When his phone rang, he grabbed it, grateful for the interruption. Ignoring the glare from the nurse, he answered it.
* * *
When the doctor removed the bandage Nick had applied at the kennels, Heidi got her first look at the wound on her arm and grimaced. It wasn’t pretty. But once it was cleaned and re-bandaged, she was ready to go. “I have a couple of articles to write,” she told the nurse. “I need to get going.”
Explosive Force Page 17
