Ripple Effect: Lantern Beach Blackout, Book 3
Page 14
But what if . . . ?
He lifted the carpet and found the area where the spare tire was stored. He felt around until his fingers hit metal. He gripped the tool there and held it up: a lug wrench. He could potentially use this as a weapon.
His thoughts raced.
How about Ada? Was she okay? These guys had Griff and Bethany. Maybe that meant they didn’t need his daughter anymore. He didn’t know, and he didn’t like not knowing.
He needed to see if there was anything else he could use to get out right now. As he felt around the spare tire, he found something else.
A flare.
The kind that could be used on the side of the road during a breakdown. He stared at it for a moment. How could he use this?
There was only one idea that came to his mind. But it would be risky. And, if it backfired, Griff would practically be setting a death trap for himself.
He needed to think this through. And he didn’t have much time.
Chapter Thirty
Cassidy sat in her car, Ty by her side, and tried Griff’s number, but he didn’t answer. Sitting back in her seat, she tried to figure out who was next on her list of people to call. She decided to try Dez. She wanted an update on what was going on back in Lantern Beach—and she’d also learned a couple things herself.
Dez answered on the first ring.
“Cassidy.” Based on the sound of Dez’s voice, something was wrong.
“What’s happening?” She got right to the point. With everything that had happened lately, there was no time to waste.
“Somebody flew a weaponized drone over the house and shot Benjamin. They abducted Griff and Bethany also. We’ve been looking for them but haven’t located them yet.”
“A weaponized drone?” Cassidy sucked in a breath, horrified at the thought of it all. She hit a button, putting the phone on speaker so Ty could hear everything also. “What else? How’s Ada?”
“She’s fine. She was napping and CJ was watching her when all of this happened. The men broke into the house after they grabbed Griff and Bethany, but CJ and Ada hid in the cabinet beneath the sink. It worked. The guys didn’t find them.”
“You called my guys and told them? And you told Mac also?” Mac was a former police chief, and he was always ready to step in when Cassidy needed a hand. She would trust him any day with her job.
“I’ve talked to all of them, and we’ve been out searching the island. I can’t imagine that they got too far. But wherever they are, we haven’t been able to locate them yet.”
Her heart pounded in her ears at the thought. “How is Benjamin doing?”
“He appears to be doing okay, but he’s down at the clinic right now. It was just a surface wound.”
“I wish I was there to help.”
Ty reached over and squeezed her hand, reassuring her that everything would be okay.
“We know you would be jumping in with both feet if you were here.” Dez paused. “Were you able to find out anything?”
“With the help of local police, I found the guy from Ada’s daycare,” Cassidy started. “Someone paid him big bucks to take those pictures and to plant that knife. He was in serious debt, which is why he did it. But we don’t believe he’s affiliated with the Savages otherwise.”
“How about Jason?”
“He clammed up.” Cassidy remembered her meeting with him. It had been uneventful, and the man had been smug, which had made her blood boil. But it wasn’t all bad news. “I did find out from the lab that there was a DNA match on the blood. It belongs to someone named Richard Davis.”
“Who is Richard Davis?” Dez asked.
“Richard worked for an energy broker in western North Carolina. He was believed to have been killed in a random mugging about two months ago.”
“What does he have to do with all of this?” Confusion tinged his voice.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
“Wait . . .” Excitement rose in Dez’s voice. “Bethany works for an engineering magazine, and she received a suspicious email. Griff told me he wondered if there might be some type of connection between all of this and Bethany’s job.”
Cassidy let his words wash over her. “What do you mean exactly?”
“I’m talking about terrorists who are interested in the power grid here in the United States. There’s been chatter about it for years. Based on some previous things that have happened, some experts believe that one way they’ll target the power grid is by trying to find a back door into those computer systems. An engineering magazine that goes out to all of the industry professionals would be worth looking into.”
“The magazine she works for is based here in Virginia Beach, correct?”
“That’s right.”
Cassidy started her car. It looked like she wouldn’t be heading home after all. She needed to go check out Bethany’s workplace instead.
Chapter Thirty-One
Bethany’s hands trembled as she punched in the code for her building. No doubt when all of this was over, the police or the FBI would realize that she’d come to the office after hours. All of this would be traced back to her.
No doubt that was part of these guys’ plan also.
Her mind continued to race. Continued to think about the conference she’d attended. Continued to think about all the consequences that had been mentioned that would happen if the terrorists were able to attack the sources of energy here in the country.
It would cause panic. Be a means of intimidation.
On a larger scale, an attack on the electrical grid could cripple the US economy. Could lead to greater things like targeting nuclear power.
One guard had stayed back by the van near Griff. The two others escorted Bethany inside. One of them kept a gun to her side, making it clear that any wrong move would result in injury.
Yes, injury. They wouldn’t kill her, not until she had done their dirty work for them.
No doubt they could do this themselves. However, the network here at the company was top-notch with its firewalls. Nobody would be able to get into Bethany’s computer without her password and an intricate verification system. It had been set up that way on purpose.
She supposed these guys had assumed they’d grabbed the weak link. Bethany didn’t like being thought of as a weak link. She couldn’t let herself become collateral either. Or Griff.
When she’d seen the tears well in his eyes, Bethany had known without a doubt that she wanted the two of them to work things out. She’d never wanted to get divorced from him in the first place.
Now hearing about the real reasons why Griff had left her . . . That only confirmed that they needed to give their marriage another chance. Ada deserved it.
Griff had only been trying to look out for her and Ada, especially in light of what happened to Daniel.
Her stomach clenched. Daniel. Poor Elise.
To be told that her husband had died in a training exercise, only to have the truth revealed that a terrorist had killed him during a black ops mission? Though Elise had to be proud of her husband’s service, it also had to be difficult to know that her husband had been killed by the enemy.
These guys didn’t play well with others.
Bethany walked up the stairs to her third-floor office. Her hands still trembled as she entered the code to get inside. The light turned green, and she twisted the door handle.
They were in.
With the men beside her, Bethany stepped into the space. Darkness hung around her, making the place feel eerie.
She didn’t bother to turn on any of the lights in the main room. Instead, she walked toward her office, which was located across the room. She could get there with her eyes closed.
Bethany stepped inside the familiar space and went to her desk. One of the gunmen—the one whose voice she thought she recognized—remained beside her while the other guy stood lookout near the door.
As she stared at her computer, the man held the jump drive. Bethan
y’s gaze drifted to the picture of her and Ada on her desk. It had been taken on Ada’s birthday. Balloons and streamers hung in the background, and they both wore colorful hats.
Ada . . .
Bethany’s heart ached as she looked at the picture.
“Just do it,” the man growled beside her.
She snapped back to reality and turned her attention back to the computer. “I’m trying. Your gun isn’t helping.”
“I don’t want you to try anything.”
“I am capable of many things, but taking down an armed man isn’t at the top of my list of talents.”
Bethany could have been certain she heard him laugh.
The feeling returned to her again. That laugh . . . it had sounded so familiar.
Where had she heard it before? Her mind raced through all the other members of the SEAL platoon.
Only Griff and the three other men of Blackout had decided to leave the military after the incident with Daniel. There were still plenty of other guys on their SEAL team. Some were still on the team, and some had been shifted over to other teams. Could this man be one of them?
What about Anderson Bryant? He had fed Griff information. But what if he was working for the other side?
Nothing made sense.
Bethany tried to turn on her computer but nothing happened.
“Don’t play games with me,” the man hissed. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I’m not playing games. My computer’s not coming on.”
He cocked the gun and place it against her neck. “Then fix it. Now.”
* * *
Griff lifted a quick prayer before lighting the flare. It sparked to life.
He pulled his shirt over his mouth, trying to protect his lungs as long as possible as smoke filled the space.
Then he dropped the flare next to the back door. With any luck, smoke would begin to creep out the cracks. If his plan went accordingly, the guard would wonder what was going on and open the door.
That was when Griff could make his next move.
However, if the guard didn’t take the bait, Griff was in trouble.
Knowing he had no time to waste, Griff began pounding at the door and yelling for help.
Finally, he heard a creak. Then the door opened.
Griff smashed the wrench into the man’s head. The man dropped to the ground.
Griff dragged him into the back of the van and took his gun, tucking it into his waistband.
After tossing out the flare, Griff slammed the door, locking the man in the cargo area. Now he needed to figure out how to get inside this building and help Bethany.
He jogged to the front door and pulled on it. It didn’t budge, just as he had expected. The glass was tempered and would be hard to break through. There was a keypad, but it would take him too long to try to figure out the code.
There was only one thing he could think to do.
He rushed back to the van. The keys were still in the ignition.
Perfect.
He was going to use this vehicle as a battering ram.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Bethany felt along the edge of the computer, trying to figure out what was going on. She touched the back and realized one of the cables had come unplugged. It often became loose, and she’d requested that it be replaced several times.
At least, she could fix this.
Quickly, she inserted the cord back into its port. A few minutes later, her computer booted up. She let out a sigh of relief.
“Now what do you want me to do?” Bethany looked up at the man.
He showed her the jump drive again. “It’s easy. Just insert this, and your job will be done.”
“And then what?”
“And then you and Griff can go on your happy way.”
“You don’t really think I believe that, do you?” Bethany was buying herself some time. But she didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t insert this jump drive.
“Are you saying I don’t keep my promises?”
“How do I know you?” Bethany stared at him, trying to place the man.
His eyes narrowed. “You’re talking too much. Put the jump drive in.”
“I’m waiting for the screen to come up so I can enter my passcode.”
“You better hope this doesn’t take much longer.”
She glanced back at the screen. “Someone’s going to catch you, you know.”
“By the time they catch us, our job will already be done.”
“I have to say, I’m impressed. You guys come across like you’re brutes. But, in truth, you probably have a whole army of cyber geniuses behind you, don’t you? It’s like the ultimate sleight-of-hand trick.”
Bethany couldn’t be sure, but it almost looked like the man smiled beneath that mask.
“The fact that you’re catching on to these things isn’t doing much for your chances of survival,” he growled.
She shivered. But she knew, at this point, that this man had no intention of letting her walk away.
Finally, the screen came up. Bethany positioned her fingers over the keyboard so she could enter her passcode.
As she paused, she reminded herself that if she put that jump drive in, she could be putting entire parts of the country at risk. But if she didn’t, Griff and Ada were at risk.
She knew she should choose the greater good. She did.
But Bethany didn’t know if she would really be able to do that or not. Her gaze went to her daughter’s picture again.
Ada was just an innocent little girl. She didn’t deserve any of this. She needed more birthdays. To live more life.
Sweat formed on Bethany’s brow. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what the right thing was. Or, even if she did know the right thing, she didn’t know if she was capable of carrying it out.
“Put your code in,” the man said.
With trembling hands, Bethany typed in her password.
One step at a time, she reminded herself. She’d done this now—but not all was lost. Not yet.
The man handed her the jump drive, and Bethany stared at it a minute.
What should she do?
Her precious little girl’s face washed through her mind. She remembered the sweet feeling of those little arms around her. She remembered that honey-scented hair. She remembered the sweet way Ada said, “I love you, Mommy.”
How could Bethany choose to have her daughter die over this? A lump formed in her throat.
“Put it in,” the man growled.
“I can’t do this,” she said.
“Just do it,” the man said.
“But—”
Before the conversation could continue, a loud crash sounded downstairs.
Bethany’s heart rate quickened. What was happening?
The man beside her glanced at the guard at the door. “What was that? Go check it out. Now!”
* * *
Griff felt his neck stiffen at the impact of crashing through the doors. He’d have to worry about that later. For now, he climbed from the van, gun in hand, and dashed around the corner.
If things went as planned, one of the guards would be coming down the steps any minute now.
Before Griff had driven through the entry, he’d seen a dim light on the third floor. That must be where Bethany was. That’s where he was going to go as soon as he took the guard out.
He gripped his gun as he waited. Finally, he heard footsteps coming down the steps.
He listened as they got closer and closer.
Finally, when it sounded as if the person had reached the bottom, Griff turned. Without hesitation, Griff pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the man in the shoulder, and he let out a yelp. The guard’s gun dropped from his hand.
Griff grabbed it and stuck it in his waistband. As the man groaned, Griff pulled him toward a closet. He stashed the man inside and pulled a table in front of the door. That should keep this guy out of commission for a little while, at least.
Either Griff had gotten shot or this man’s foot soldier had.
But Griff couldn’t do anything that would hurt Bethany or put her in harm’s way. She was already in enough danger as it was.
When he reached the third floor, he noticed that all the lights were still off. Good. The darkness would conceal him.
Griff stepped into the doorway and remained against the wall, trying to stay out of sight.
He scanned everything around him. On the other side of the large office space was a glowing light that seemed to be coming from a computer.
As he looked more closely, he saw Bethany sitting behind it. Then he saw the masked man with her, holding a gun to her neck.
Griff would need to plan his next move very carefully.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Bethany continued to stare at the jump drive in her hand. Her decision made nausea churn in her stomach. Either way, it seemed like a no-win situation. What was she going to do?
That was when she heard the gunshot downstairs. Her breath caught.
What was going on? Had Griff been shot?
A cry escaped from her lips at the thought of it.
“That’s right,” the man beside her growled. “Most likely, that was Griff. You know if we shot him that we’re not going to hesitate to shoot your daughter either. You might as well go ahead and get this over with.”
Bethany narrowed her eyes. “You’re despicable.”
“That’s the only way to get things done. Now do it.”
She squeezed the jump drive. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t be part of a large-scale terrorist attack on her own country. It just wasn’t right.
Maybe she could think of another way to save Ada. But how would she do that if she didn’t get out of here alive?
The pressure continued to mount inside Bethany until she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Sweat scattered across her skin. Her hands trembled.