Page 109 of Hours to Kill
“We’ll do our best,” Mack said. “If not, we’ll let the captain know where to find it.”
“Roger that,” the man replied, making Mack think former military or law enforcement. “FYI, there’s a report of snow falling up top. So take it easy.”
That’s all Mack needed. Snowfall to interfere with the drone, maybe cause his shot to go wide. Yet he couldn’t think about that now.
He carefully set the bin in the back seat of the SUV. Kiley led Bear to the same seat and settled him inside the vehicle. They made quick work of loading their equipment.
“I’ll be standing by,” the pilot said, “in case you need a lift home.”
Mack thanked him, and back at the SUV, he looked at his teammates. “Kiley, you find a place near the target where we can observe them, and Sean, you get us there. I’ll do the rest.” Mack climbed into the vehicle next to Bear. Sean took a seat behind the wheel, and Kiley rode shotgun.
Sean pointed them to the narrow drive, and they started to climb. Snow flurries soon danced around their vehicle, an earlier snowfall having covered the unplowed road. Tires left deep ruts, and Sean kept the SUV in those ruts.
“I have just the spot,” Kiley said over the seat. “I’ll give you directions.”
“Great.” Mack prayed that it really was a perfect spot, becausethey had no margin for error when it came to saving Addy’s life.
They continued to climb the narrow road, moving closer to Addy. Closer. Mack’s phone rang, startling him. He quickly answered the call from Cam.
“We got them.” Cam’s excited voice shot through the phone. “The suspects. I infiltrated a private message board where they laid out their plans, and I was right. It’s the convention center and hotel. Plus they were going to use the third gun on the federal building.”
“Is it enough to get an arrest warrant for them?”
“At a minimum we have them threatening via online messages.”
“Let Eisenhower know. He can decide if we roll on them now or wait until they have the guns so we can get them for more serious charges.”
“Will do.”
“We’re about to approach the location where they’re holding Addy. I’m silencing my phone. I’ll call you as soon as we have her safely in hand.”
“Praying for a successful op.”
Mack disconnected, his nerves pressing him to move. He shook his leg. Tapped his foot. And the moment Sean parked in a small bump out in the road, Mack jumped out. For once, he didn’t care about ruining his boots but plunged into calf-high snow and raced to the back of the vehicle. He opened the tailgate and set the bin down to remove the aircraft. He dropped onto the tailgate and balanced the controller on his lap. His hands were trembling—hard—and he could barely maneuver the drone’s joystick as he launched the aircraft.
How sad was that? The most important flight of his life and he might botch it. Should he give the controls over to Sean or Kiley? They were both trained to fly the drone. Sure, they didn’t have Mack’s skills, but they might be able to do the job regardless.
“You sure you got this?” Sean asked.
Mack thought for one more second. Decided. Better him with a bit of tremble than novices flying the drone.
“Yeah. Got it.” Mack looked at the video screen on his lap with the controller on the side and maneuvered the drone through the air. He had to keep the aircraft high enough so Razo didn’t hear the propellers and motor and yet make sure the camera was getting good coverage so they could see what was happening on the ground.
Sean and Kiley sat on either side of him, their focus pinned on his screen.
He ignored them and winged the drone over the treetops, through snow falling heavy now, and reached a clearing lit with streetlights. Thankfully that gave him a perfect view of the scene, and he wouldn’t need to turn on the infrared camera. He hovered the drone above and focused his camera below. The first live video of Addy’s location opened on his screen.
Kiley gasped and grabbed his knee.
“No!” Mack shouted. “No.”
Razo had Addy kneeling by a large stump. Her hands rested on the wood, and he had an ax sitting on his shoulder.
“He’s going to cut off her hands.” Just saying the words terrified Mack, and the blood drained from his head.
“He’s using her to send a message,” Sean said. “Like the drug cartels are known to do.”
“You have to stop him. Now!” Kiley cried out.
