There they were. All of them. He believed he could see Jason sitting in the backseat as Julie opened the door. Paige was on the other side of the car and no doubt Nathan was driving. They were all together. It was a gift. Fate had delivered all of them to him. Cameron could hardly believe his eyes.
He twisted the key and the car roared to life. He was vaguely aware of Linda climbing into the car and a foul odor entering with her. Of all the scenarios he had envisioned over the past few hours this had certainly not been among them. But who was he to argue with fate? He flicked on the car's high beams and gunned the engine, Linda cursing as the door slammed against her.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
Julie was reaching for Jason just as the world turned bright and the quiet of the night was shattered. She turned and saw the car barreling towards her. She slammed the door shut, leaping back and screamed a warning.
Paige's eyes went wide, then the world went white as she was blinded by the headlights of the approaching car. She backpedaled a foot or two before tripping over her own feet and falling down. Her screams joined Julie's and she was certain she heard another woman's scream as well.
Cameron slammed into the back end of Julie's car. The night erupted with the tortured sounds of metal on metal. Linda's screaming was cut off as the force of the impact sent her slamming against the exploding airbag. She bounced off the airbag and slammed back against the seat.
The impact pushed Julie's car sideways. The back of the car hit Paige as she was starting to stand and sent her tumbling down with enough force to send her rolling a few feet back. Her body screamed in agony as she slid along the pavement. Nothing had been broken and she immediately began to try to get back up.
Julie picked herself off the ground, not believing she had managed to jump out of the way. Her eyes darted back and forth from the BMW to her car. The back end of her car was crumpled a bit and the front end of the BMW was crumpled a lot. She could see the two front airbags had deployed but couldn't see who was in the car. Not that it mattered, she was quite certain she could guess who had sent the car if not the actual driver.
In the driver's seat, Nathan was rubbing his forehead and looking blearily out the window at Julie. He looked only half-conscious and seemed to be looking at her as if she were a total stranger. She stumbled over to the passenger door and entered the car, immediately turning her attention to the backseat. Jason was slumped over, his seatbelt the only thing keeping him upright. He was a bloody mess, the side window had exploded on impact and she thought she could see flecks of glass embedded in his face. Movement beyond Jason caught her eye and she saw who it was that had been hidden behind the airbag.
Within the BMW, Cameron pushed against the airbag. What had he been thinking? It didn't matter now, did it? He tried to shake the cobwebs from his mind. He tried to focus on the world beyond his spiderwebbed front windshield. Did he get them? Were they dead? He saw movement and tried to force his eyes to focus. Merrick! She was looking right at him, her eyes wide with fear. He saw her turn her attention back to Jason.
So they were still alive. He would have to rectify that. He looked around the front seat. Linda was slumped over half in her seat, half on the floor. Where was the gun? Had he had it or had she? His brain refused to answer. Then he saw it on the ground half under Linda's body. He struggled against his seatbelt.
Julie saw Cameron reaching for something and instantly understood.
"We need to get out of here," she screamed at Nathan. "Now, now, now!"
He knew what she was saying was true, but he knew they couldn't leave yet. There was something missing. If only he could remember what.
Paige slammed against the side of the car, her leg buckling. Nathan was out and by her side in a flash. He reached out and helped her to her feet. The back of her clothing was shredded and his hands came back covered in blood.
"Paige," he shouted at her.
"O...okay. I am okay," she tried to assure him though she had no clue if she were telling the truth.
"Get her in the car now," Julie screamed at them.
In the BMW Cameron managed to free himself from his seatbelt and reached for the gun. His hands slid under Linda's damp pants and he grabbed the barrel of the gun and pulled hard. The effort was more than he intended, his head was throbbing and the world threatened to go black. He fought against unconsciousness, willing away the darkness. He could feel blood trickling down his forehead and into his left eye. He tried to focus and saw Nathan helping Paige into the backseat. He raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
The sound was deafening. The back window exploded in a hail of glass shards. Julie and Paige both screamed. Nathan glanced over and saw the man behind the wheel of the BMW. He had a twisted smile on his face.
"Stay down," Nathan screamed as he slammed the door shut on Paige. Another shot rang out but it didn't hit the car. He heard it slam into the side of the building. Either the man was a horrible shot or he'd scrambled his own brains a little in the crash. He didn't care which. In the distance he could hear sirens. He didn't know how far away they might be. Part of him was tempted to wait for them to arrive, though he was certain neither Jason nor Julie would be too happy with him, but he knew there was no way he could count on the idiot in the BMW to keep missing them.
He slipped back behind the wheel. The car's engine was still running. He popped the car into reverse and gunned the engine. The two cars screamed as they again met, metal scraping against metal. He heard another shot ring out and felt a pinch on his neck. As soon as he had enough room, Nathan slammed the car into drive and the car leapt forward, pulling the BMW's bumper along with them.
He heard another shot and then the sound of the BMW's engine revving. He wiped at his neck and his hand came back bloody. He tried his best to ignore the pain. His foot slipped and he stomped on the brake. Julie swore as she slammed against the dashboard. Nathan cursed and then gunned the engine again as he pulled out of the motel parking lot. Car horns blared as he swerved back and forth between the oncoming lane and the cars ahead of him.
The sirens were growing louder, but he couldn't tell which direction they were coming from. He struggled to focus on the road ahead. He was seeing double, maybe triple.
He didn't know the area well, so he took the road he was most familiar with. He clipped the back end of the car in front of him, sending it spinning off the road. The area ahead of him was suddenly clear so he gunned the engine and was soon racing up the bridge.
Nathan slammed on the brakes. The cars on the bridge were moving so much slower. Unlike him, they appeared to be obeying the speed limit. He saw the BMW only seconds before impact. He twisted the wheel and tried to yell a warning to the others, but he wasn't sure if any sound ever passed his lips.
The BMW slammed into the side of the Camry with enough force the send it rolling over. Paige and Julie screamed as they were tossed around inside the car. The rolling stopped when the Camry slammed into the back of a black Ford F-150.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
Cameron ached everywhere. He'd braced himself as best he could, but the impact was more then he'd anticipated. His chest slammed against the steering wheel and for a minute he struggled to take a breath.
He lay against the steering wheel sucking in air. He could see the Camry resting upside down before him.
"Not getting away," he coughed.
In the distance he could still hear the sirens approaching. He needed to make sure this was over.
He saw movement. There was a man reaching into the car. He was pulling someone out. Still struggling to catch his breath, Cameron pushed against the steering wheel and shouldered his door open. He stumbled out of the car, dropping the gun.
In the distance, he could see that the man who had helped Paige out of the car was now trying to help someone else. Nathan was trying to crawl out his shattered window.
Cameron snapped up the gun and began to hobble toward the wreckage. He fired
off a shot and then another. They slammed into the Camry, but didn't hit anyone. People began screaming and the man who'd been attempting to pull Jason free tumbled backwards, retreating as fast as he could.
Nathan pulled himself clear of the car and leaned against the F-150, trying to struggle to his feet. He grabbed the side of the truck and pulled himself up. His hands touched on a tool box in the bed of the truck.
Paige lay against the car where the man who had pulled her free had left her. She could see Cameron coming towards her, but no matter how hard she willed it, her body wouldn't get up. She coughed hard and blood sprayed out before her. Her chest burned as she tried to take a breath. She briefly wondered if she had a punctured lung, but as Cameron came to a stop before her, she decided it didn't much matter.
"You stupid stupid bitch! Do you have any idea the trouble you've caused me?"
Paige looked up at him. Though she had never seen him before, she knew instantly who he was.
"Do you? You were mine. I made you and this is how you repay me? Well now all that comes to an end."
Cameron raised the gun. He could feel blood trickling down the side of his head. He swayed a little and tried to focus.
The wrench hit him in the arm just as he was pulling the trigger. He howled in pain and the shot went wide, slamming into the door of the Camry.
Nathan came lunging around the car, moving as fast as his battered body would allow. He slammed into Cameron as the man was bringing the gun up for another try. They collided and went crashing to the pavement. The gun went off again.
He let loose a cry of agony as the bullet tore into his shoulder. He collapsed onto Cameron, his knee slamming into the man's groin. He heard Cameron moaning and gasping for breath.
Nathan endeavored to get up, ignoring the pain. He managed to get to his knees. He looked down at Cameron, the man still held the gun, but he was dazed and seemed be struggling to focus.
Nathan looked around wildly. He spotted the wrench he'd thrown and snatched it up, then brought it crashing down on Cameron's wrist. Bones cracked and his hand flew open sending the gun skidding a few feet away.
Cameron howled in pain, cradling his shattered wrist as Nathan rolled off of him. He didn't even realize that Nathan was standing over him, pointing the gun at his head until he heard the other voice.
"Drop the gun, son!"
For Cameron, who for the past minute had only heard the sound of his own blood rushing in his ear, the world suddenly exploded with sounds. The strange voice yelling to drop the gun. The sirens. Was that a helicopter?
Cameron looked up. Nathan was standing above him. He swayed a bit on his feet, but still had the gun aimed down at him. However, he wasn't looking at Cameron. Following Nathan's gaze, he saw two police cars were parked just a dozen or so feet away. Four officers stood by the cars, their guns drawn.
"Shoot him," Cameron yelled. "I am a federal agent! Shoot him."
The sound of the helicopter intensified and Cameron wondered if the police could even hear him.
"I am not telling you again. Drop the gun." The officer yelling orders at Nathan looked to be in his fifties. He was short, balding and was likely a bit more round than the force would have liked. He was sweating and his hands were trembling a bit. In all his years on the force, this was only the second time he'd drawn his weapon.
"Shoot him," Cameron screamed again. "He's extremely dangerous. He's already killed my partner."
Nathan looked down at him, at the man who had caused all of this. The man who had caused all of his pain. All of Paige's pain. He could end this now, once and for all. Surely if anyone deserved to die it was this man.
"Son, put it down."
He glanced over at Paige. She deserved justice, didn't she? Didn't his Paige? Didn't all the Paiges deserve justice?
"I will drop you, if you don't drop the gun."
He looked at Paige again. She was shaking her head, motioning for him to drop the gun. He focused on her and saw her lips moving. He couldn't hear her voice, but he believed he knew what she was saying.
"Final warning, son." The officer steadied his hands. Nathan needed no further prodding, he tossed the gun away.
"I win," Cameron coughed. "I win. With my credentials, these bumpkins will do anything I ask. They'll believe whatever I tell them."
Cameron struggled to his knees and then to his feet as the police officers advanced on them.
"There are four of them. I want them kept separate. And I want them gagged. They hold national security secrets that we can't risk getting out."
"Holy crap. Look," said the officer that was cuffing Nathan.
The older officer followed the younger man's gaze, they all did. The helicopter was hovering above them. As they watched, lines were dropped out of either side and men began to slide down. Six men in total descended from the helicopter. They were all dressed in black tactical armor.
Five of them fanned out forming a circle around the scene, while one of them walked directly to the older officer. Cameron watched as the man flashed the police officer a badge and then leaned close and spoke quickly to him. The officer's eyes went wide. He said nothing, merely nodded. After a moment or two the older officer ordered his men to back away from the scene.
Several ambulances worked their way into the area and soon a small army of paramedics were pulling the survivors from the crash.
Cameron watched as they loaded each person onto a stretcher. He sneered as he realized that they had all survived the crash. He was startled when a pair of hands grabbed him and pulled him onto a stretcher.
He didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late. He howled in pain as the cuffs were placed around his wrists and then secured to the stretcher.
"What the hell? What is the meaning of this? I am a federal agent. Release me at once," he demanded even as the paramedics began to walk away.
The man who was clearly in charge of the group that had dropped from the helicopter approached Cameron. He stood over him, a phone to his ear.
"Yes sir, he will live."
"What is going on?" Cameron again demanded.
The man said nothing, but held the phone to Cameron's ear. He saw another of the men from the helicopter approaching.
"Hello Cameron," a voice from the phone said.
"Dillinger! You son of a bitch. What do you think you are doing?"
"I warned you, Cameron. It is not my fault that you failed to take me seriously."
"You bastard. So you are going to kill me and take over the project? Is that it? You chicken-shit asshole."
"Kill you? Take over the project?" On the phone Dillinger chuckled. "I have no intension of doing either. The project will be shut down as it should have been so very long ago."
"And me?"
"You'll be reassigned, of course."
"I will?" He couldn't hide the surprise in his voice.
"Yes, I understand that a position has recently come open at Ocean View Estates."
Cameron's eyes went wide as the meaning of the words registered.
"No, Bill, please anythi..."
He was still in denial as the agent slipped the needle into his arm. He fought it as hard as he could, but it wasn't long before he felt fogginess seeping into his brain. He knew they had only given him a sedative. Jason's medication didn't work that fast, but he knew it wouldn't be long before they did give it to him and then...then he would know the meaning of the phrase, living hell. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, He wanted to beg for death, for surely that would be better then the fate that awaited him. But the sedative had taken hold and all he could managed was a single tear rolling down his cheek.
The agent lifted the phone to his ear as they wheeled Cameron away. He looked toward the other ambulances and saw that the four others were being loaded up.
"So what about the others, sir?"
The man listened intently. When it was over, he slipped the phone into one of the pockets on his vest and began to issue
orders.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
Nathan woke with a start, his eyes wide, looking around. It took him a few moments to remember exactly where he was. He grimaced at the ache he still felt in his shoulder. The doctors had told him the wound was healing nicely and today he was going to get released.
He looked over and saw Paige was curled up in the chair by the window. She was asleep, but twitched occasionally. He wondered if she was having nightmares as well. He hoped they would fade in time.
He sat up slowly and then got out of bed. Every inch of him hurt, but the doctors told him that would fade soon enough. He thought back to the time on the bridge. Had that been four or five days ago? Hell, maybe it had been longer.
He remembered the agent climbing into the ambulance with him. He'd had no idea what the man would say to him, but he certainly hadn't expected what he heard. He was free. They were all free. As long as they kept their mouths shut they would be left alone. It was hard to believe and at first he hadn't. He had expected that they would be taken off that bridge and killed. But that hadn't happened. Instead, they'd been taken to the hospital and admitted for treatment. Julie had suffered a broken arm when the car had rolled over. Paige had suffered serious lacerations on her back from the original crash. Jason, amazingly, hadn't been hurt nearly as bad as Julie had originally feared. He had suffered a number of cuts from that shattered window, but it had looked much worse than it had actually been. He was now up and moving better each day. His memory still seemed fuzzy, but he seamed quite clear on at least one thing, his love for Julie. That seemed to be enough for him.
Linda had also survived the crashes. She had certainly had her bell rung, but she was expected to make a full recovery. There was a guard at the door to her room, but Julie had actually been allowed in to see her. She had said the woman was a wreck. She'd been officially declared dead. Her husband was reportedly in mourning on a beach in Hawaii. She told Julie that she'd been informed that she was being permanently reassigned. A real dream assignment. She was to be Kassar's full time caretaker at Ocean View. Julie had done her best not to smile. She knew the assignment would be hell, being forced to take care of the man who had wrecked her life.
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