Dangerous in Motion (Aegis Group Alpha Team, #4)

by Sidney Bristol

  Fuck.

  Adam pushed to his feet and took one of the guns off the fallen agents. Usually he wouldn’t dare touch a federal firearm, but if they were under direct attack, he’d defend himself and the prisoners.

  He pulled out his phone and jogged to the end of the hall, calling Grant directly.

  “Hey, any word?” Grant didn’t bother with much of a greeting.

  “We’re at the CDC. Some of John’s people just attacked us. There may be more on their way.” Adam peered around the corner.

  A person lay in front of the elevators. It was hard to tell who they belonged to, but it wasn’t difficult to see they were dead.

  “We’re on our way,” Grant said.

  “Coordinate with the FBI and bring all the gear.”

  Léo was going to tell them something, and then Adam would bring Heidi home.

  “See anything?” Abigail called out.

  “It’s clear,” Adam replied. But for how long?

  He jogged back down to quarantine room. Brooks and Abigail had dragged the two injured into the room with Léo. Adam took up a post in the doorway where he could see the end of the hall.

  “I need to see what’s in their pockets. Empty their pockets,” Léo said.

  “I’m losing her,” Abigail said.

  “Pockets,” Léo chanted.

  “I hear you,” Brooks snapped.

  Adam glanced up and down the hall once more then let the door close. He crossed to the man who continued to glare at him, the knife still sticking out from between his clavicle.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way.” Adam shoved his hand in one pocket them the other, pulling out odds and ends.

  “The wallet. Look in the wallet.” Léo crouched by the side of the wall.

  “You working with them now?” the man aimed his glare at Léo. “Is this how you show Dad you care?”

  Léo snorted, but didn’t reply.

  Adam held out the wallet to Léo and pulled card after card out. No two had the same name on them.

  “He’s a forger, works for John. He does good work, but he’s kind of a junky. I’d put two sets of cuffs on him.” Léo’s voice was a bit strange since he wasn’t speaking directly into the microphone. “There. That one. Stop.”

  Adam stared at a simple, white security card badge. No name, no picture, nothing.

  “Fuck. That’s...well, that’s the way this is going then.” Léo pushed to his feet and paced.

  “What does this mean?” Adam slapped the card against the wall.

  “You’re giving Dad up?” the forger roared.

  Léo whirled and snarled, “I’m saving him.”

  “What the fuck does this card mean?” Adam demanded.

  Léo kept his gaze on the man. “It’s for the Clayton water plant, specifically accessing the pump room where they mix all the post-ingredients. They’re going to poison the water supply to most of Atlanta—and the airport. Whatever they’ve cooked up will be on planes all over the world before most people know they’re infected.”

  Abigail locked eyes with Adam.

  “Go,” she said.

  He didn’t have to be told twice.

  16.

  SATURDAY. ATLANTA RM Clayton Water Plant, Atlanta, Georgia.

  Heidi hurt all over. It wasn’t just her feet and arms, it was bruising from the wreck and the rough way John and his cronies hauled her around. She leaned her head against the metal pipe sticking out of the wall next to her. The constant sound of rushing water had her bladder screaming for relief while a voice in the back of her head said she should speak up, try to talk some sense into John. What good would that do? He’d crashed a car into their SUV because he thought that was a reasonable thing to do. He killed people for the hell of it. How was she supposed to reason with a person like that?

  She cracked her one good eye open and peered at John pacing the room.

  The others who’d come here with them were gone. Some had passed through, pausing to speak to John for a moment before exiting. Heidi had passed out when the car stopped and only had vague impressions of where she was. How many people did he have here? And where was here?

  They were alone for now, not that it gave her an opportunity to get away. She’d have to know where to run in order to make use of the chance, otherwise they’d simply keep a closer eye on her or tie her up. Once again, her best option was to wait and see.

  A door she couldn’t see creaked open and footsteps thumped on the metal grate floor.

  “Where is Julie?” John asked.

  “Haven’t heard from them yet, sir.” A man stopped a few feet away from John dragging a woman at his side.

  Cindy.

  Heidi went still, her whole focus on the other woman.

  “Put her over there.” John flicked his fingers toward Heidi, but he would no longer look at her.

  The man turned, allowing Heidi to catch Cindy’s eye. Cindy looked travel worn and tired. Her color was pale and there was no doubt she wavered on her feet. She was still in better condition than Hedi. The man dragged Cindy over to Heidi then shoved her down on the ground.

  Cindy blinked at her as though they’d never seen each other.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Heidi asked. She reached out but Cindy jerked away.

  “Don’t. I don’t know what they gave me.”

  Heidi recoiled. She’d seen the kinds of things that came out of John’s labs and knew what they could do to people first hand.

  “You look like shit,” Cindy said.

  “At least you look better than me. Do you know what’s going on?”

  “Not really.” Cindy watched John pace while the man who’d escorted her in dicked around on his phone. “We’re in a water plant somewhere. Where does Atlanta get its water?”

  “No clue. My utilities are rolled into my rent.”

  “What is he going to put in the water?” Cindy glanced at Heidi.

  She couldn’t exactly say. During that last round in Peru, Léo had been most interested in strains that were highly contagious with a slow incubation and fast mortality rate. There were a few options based on the samples she’d seen, with similar results across the board. She wouldn’t wish that illness on anyone.

  “Heidi?” Cindy nudged her with her shoulder.

  “You don’t want to know.” Heidi swallowed. There was no way to know if what she’d worked on was the strain John wanted to release into the water. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good.

  “It still doesn’t make sense.” Cindy watched John pace six steps, turn and pace again, muttering to himself.

  “Yeah, I haven’t wrapped my head around it either,” Heidi said.

  “Did you suspect him?”

  “I actually thought it would be you.”

  “I thought it was you.” Cindy glanced at Heidi.

  They both chuckled.

  “What now?” Heidi asked.

  Heidi shook her head. Adam was out there, looking for her, but they’d moved three times since John had first absconded with her after the crash. The best thing for them to do given their injuries was to wait.

  “Where’s the materials?” John whirled toward the other man.

  “Crane said they’d be here,” the other man replied.

  “Something not going according to plan?” Cindy called out.

  John stopped in his tracks and stared at Cindy.

  Heidi hunched lower, willing him to look away.

  “You ungrateful bitch. Don’t you know what I’m doing for you?” John flung his hand at the wall as though they could see what was beyond it.

  “We do,” Heidi said. She fumbled folding her hand over Cindy’s. This wasn’t the moment to pick a fight. They had to play their part. “We do—thank you. Thank you, John. Dad. Thank you.”

  Heidi cringed at those words, but she wanted to live. She wanted to see Adam again, and that meant doing—and saying—whatever it took.

  “WHAT DID YOU SAY?” John locked eyes with Heidi.

&
nbsp; She cringed and glanced away, licking her lips.

  “Answer me,” he snapped.

  “Thank you. I said, thank you,” she blurted.

  No, she’d said, thank you, Dad.

  Those words were beautiful. When the others said it, he knew they were lying, but Heidi and Léo, they were his family. The ones who understood him. He couldn’t wait to bring them both back into the fold and then they could be one happy family.

  She was coming around. She was getting it.

  Léo had thought she was a lost cause that she’d never see what John could offer her—but she did. He crossed to the corner of the treatment lab and crouched in front of her.

  “You see? You just needed freedom.” He grinned. This was the best part. She’d spread her wings and for the first time taste the gift he offered.

  “You’re right.” Heidi nodded.

  Cindy didn’t get it. She gaped at Heidi like she’d lost her mind when truly Heidi was the one who got it. Cindy would never understand true freedom because she’d never gone without.

  “In a few hours we’ll set off and I can show you what the next steps are. You’re going to love it.”

  “Yeah? What are you taking us?” she asked.

  “I love hearing your questions, but first—I have some work to do.” John wagged his finger at Heidi.

  He couldn’t wait to show her their future. Once he had Léo back, everything would be perfect.

  Thinking of Léo...

  John pushed to his feet and pulled out his phone.

  No message from Crane or Julie. No word about Léo. Nothing from Williams.

  John didn’t like this. He should have heard something. Without the final components they couldn’t begin.

  “Oh, shit.” The man who’d transported Cindy to the plant turned toward John, his eyes wide. “Sir, we have to go.”

  “It’s not time. Not without Léo. What’s going on?”

  ADAM PROCEEDED ALONG the side of the water treatment tower closest to the water plant offices where the shadows were thickest. The radio Grant had taken off the guard posted at the road muttered the occasional sentence or two. Based on cars in the lot and how many it would take to secure the plant, he was willing to bet they were facing close to a dozen people devoted to John.

  It was a clear, beautiful night. Not the kind anyone would expect to threaten the lives of millions.

  “What’s the ETA on SWAT or the FBI?” Grant’s voice came from both behind Adam and through the ear piece.

  “From the sound of it, they’re scrambling to get people there,” Zain replied.

  “Why?”

  “There have been three calls for SWAT in the areas surrounding your location, which I’m guessing is not coincidence. The rest is politics between departments.”

  “Fuck,” Adam muttered.

  “Looks like it’s just us then,” Grant said.

  “Yeah, buddy,” Riley whispered.

  Adam slowed as he reached the point where he could see the administration building.

  “There’s a couple of hedges that’ll get us closer.” Adam leaned out a tiny bit farther and caught sight of someone in black pacing outside the side door. “I see at least one on this door.”

  What he wouldn’t give for a whole team on the ground. They were three against twelve or more, maybe less. They had no idea what kind of fire power John’s people might be carrying or what sort of threat they posed. Given the fanatical mindset of the two they’d captured, Adam was worried about the lengths these people would go for their cause. Then again, they were dealing with people of a certain type. What were the chances they were all like Crane, Julie and the cackling bastard? What if they were up against the hired help, the mercenaries, and not John’s people?

  “I say we use the beanbag rounds until fired upon,” Adam said.

  If they could subdue the people, they could possibly end this without anyone dying.

  “These people pose a risk to millions,” Grant said.

  “Adam’s right. We want as many as we can get for the FBI,” Zain said.

  Adam let his rifle hang from his shoulder and pulled the shotgun filled with less lethal beanbag rounds around to his front.

  “I’m going to circle the tower, get into position to grab him when he goes down,” Riley said.

  “Go,” Grant barked.

  The moments ticked on.

  Adam didn’t know if he should hope Heidi was here, or pray she wasn’t.

  “In position,” Riley said.

  Adam lifted the shotgun and stared down the barrel at the guy at the door. He was smoking. And was that...paintball gear? The guy pivoted, turning his front mostly toward Adam. He fired and a moment later the guy went sailing backward into the shrubs.

  Grant rushed past Adam and Riley came out of nowhere, treating the downed man like some sort of timed rodeo event. The man was restrained and gagged before Adam reached the stoop.

  Grant stood with his back pressed against the brick. Riley drew his shotgun and fell into line behind Adam.

  “Ready?” Grant whispered.

  “Go.” Adam was ready for whatever was on the other side of that door.

  Grant yanked the door open and Adam took a step in, then one to the side and went to a knee, the other two men entering just as swiftly.

  Two men stood in the hall, wearing what looked like paintball vests of some sort.

  Not mercenaries.

  Regular people.

  Adam took aim and fired at the closest man’s abdomen and groin, below the protection offered by the vest. The man doubled over while the other one pitched backward. Adam rushed past them, leaving the restraining to Riley.

  Ahead, someone yelled and other voices rose.

  Adam and Grant both swapped their shotguns for the rifles dangling from their shoulders. Again, Adam approached the corer and went to a knee while Grant stayed on his back and high.

  Five people in plain clothes grappled with some sort of metal container, dragging it across the tile.

  They weren’t armed.

  “Nobody move.” Adam took a step forward and to the side.

  “Up against the wall,” Grant ordered. “Riley?”

  “Right behind you,” he called out.

  Adam and Grant herded the five up against the far wall.

  “Are there any others?” Grant asked.

  Adam wasn’t as nice. He grabbed the tallest man of the bunch by the shirt and hauled him closer.

  “Where is John?” Adam stared into the fearful eyes of the man.

  “I’ve got one over here.” Riley yanked a woman to her feet, cell phone in hand.

  “Where’s John?” Adam shoved the man back into the line up and took a step back.

  No one answered.

  These people believed in a madman that killing people was the right thing to do.

  Grant held out his hand, preventing Adam from lifting it.

  He hadn’t gotten there yet, but damn, what were they going to do?

  “Adam, keep a look out. This isn’t all of them,” Grant said.

  Adam backed up. There was a set of glass double doors led out the front and a metal door at the end of the opposite hall. He went to the front doors and peered out.

  “Is this the virus? Is that what this is?” Grant demanded, but no one answered.

  They were fanatics. Reasoning with them wasn’t going to happen. At least they weren’t up against mercenaries or armed guards.

  The stars twinkled merrily outside as though not a thing were wrong. But nothing was right. Heidi was in danger, the world could end, millions could die, he could never see his wife again, make things right, have the chance they’d always wanted.

  “Zain, talk to me,” Adam said.

  “SWAT is on their way, but that’s all I’ve got.”

  “Fuck.”

  Adam pushed the doors open and stepped outside. He was willing to bet on a normal night there were lights instead of all this darkness. Crickets chirped and�
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  “I hear an engine.” Adam crept along the side of the building toward a smaller one adjacent to what appeared to be the main offices.

  Someone grunted, another person cursed.

  Adam’s skin tingled. He didn’t dare to breathe.

  “Where the fuck are you, Novak?” Riley asked.

  He crept between the two buildings, and there—parked in the grass—was a SUV.

  “Outside. SUV. They’re here.” Adam’s blood went cold.

  A woman with short, red hair twisted away from her captor.

  Adam lifted his gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet went wide, hitting the window behind the two. Glass shattered.

  The man holding Heidi flung out his arms and staggered back. Another figure stepped out from the shadows and wrapped his arms around Heidi, the moonlight glinting off his silvering hair. The other man turned and sprinted away.

  “Guys, I’ve got a runner and I’ve got John,” Adam kept his focus on the man with his arm around Heidi and a syringe in his other hand.

  “Stay back. I will end both of us now,” John said.

  “I see the runner,” Riley said.

  “SWAT is a few minutes out,” Zain chimed in.

  Adam reached up and took his ear piece out. He couldn’t listen to the others and watch a man who’d already killed an unknown number of people threaten Heidi’s life.

  “Let Heidi go,” Adam said.

  “Like you let my Léo go?” John barked a laugh.

  “Léo’s waiting to see you. You put that syringe down, come with me, you can see him.”

  “In prison? Not very likely.” John’s hand drifted closer to Heidi.

  “Stop. Stop right there,” Adam demanded.

  Heidi’s wide eyes caught his. She was afraid, hurt, and he hadn’t come for her sooner. He’d let her go. He’d failed her.

  “You know what this is?” John asked.

  “No...”

  “This is enough to kill her and me, so—you’d best back off now,” John said.

  Heidi shook her head.

  Was she telling him to not risk it? Or that John was lying?

  “Heidi?” Adam swallowed.

  “Get back, now,” John demanded.

  She shook her head.

  “We’re leaving,” John said. He clamped his free hand around her neck, immobilizing her.