Page 84 of When the Silence Breaks

Ryder sensed that the next few moments were live or die.

“I need some help.” Dean gestured for Dr. Kepler, but Maddox pushed forward.

“I’ll do it.”

Maddox stood poised to assist Dean in opening the container while Dr. Kepler stepped back as if unsure about this haphazard method. Without warning, Dean pivoted and slammed the crowbar into Maddox’s mask, cracking the faceplate. Maddox stumbled back, his free, gloved hand clawing for balance as a gunshot exploded from his own handgun in the confined space. Maddox fell against the warped floor, stunned, the Beretta dangling from his grip. Dean retrievedthe gun, yanking it free without hesitation from Maddox, then aimed it at him.

Sarah screamed, “No!” And raced forward, but Ryder held her back. “Where’s Jeremy? Tell me where my son is!”

“Go, get out of here!” Dean gestured at Ryder and Sarah. “He threatened my family. That’s the only reason I was here. You can’t think I would have come here willingly. I can’t let this happen. If it all comes crashing down on you, Ryder, you know where to go.”

Yeah. He did. Couldn’t imagine willfully going there...

But desperate times.

“He has my son.” Sarah lunged toward Dean. “I need to know where he is. Don’t kill Reid!”

Ryder held on to her as she shook with fear and rage.

Dean had stepped up, willing to give his life. Ryder had misjudged him. Dr. Kepler staggered. For an instant, Ryder thought he’d simply slipped on the warped, icy floor—until crimson blossomed across his chest. He collapsed to his knees. Then fell face forward.

No one moved.

Maddox’s stray bullet had taken out the mad scientist. Shock burned through Ryder’s veins, freezing him where he stood. Kepler was down—gone. Ryder had no time to process. No time to mourn, when Maddox climbed back to his feet.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Dean asked Ryder, still aiming the gun at Maddox. “Get out of here.”

“We need to know from Maddox where to find the boy before we leave. And even if we try to leave, we’re trapped inside,” Ryder said. “The armed men outside aren’t going to let us walk out of here.”

“They’re not going to touch you. In a few minutes, they’re going to run for their lives.”

What had Dean done? “Come on, then, you can make it out too.”

“I’ll be right behind you. Get her out of here.”

“I’m waiting for you,” Ryder said.

Dean leveled the gun at Maddox, rubber-gloved finger pressing against the trigger. “The boy. Where is he? Tell me now if you want to live.”

Ryder’s gaze flicked to Maddox’s utility holster—empty—and realization slammed into him. Maddox lunged, the knife flashing in his fist, and drove the blade into Dean’s chest. Dean staggered, his breath hissing through clenched teeth as he fired the gun. Maddox dropped hard, his body slamming against the aluminum hull.

The hilt of the knife visible in his chest, Dean swayed, and the gun slipped from his grip as he collapsed to his knees before toppling sideways.

It had all happened so fast.

“Dean!” Ryder moved to crouch next to him. “Stay with me, man!”

But Dean was unresponsive. Ryder couldn’t hear breathing or the hiss of the SCBA. He searched for a pulse, but it was difficult to find through the rubber gloves. Panic clawed at his chest.

“No, no, no...” Ryder’s voice broke, filled with anger and grief. “I’m sorry, I should’ve had your back.”

Sarah’s choked sob pulled his attention to her. She knelt beside Maddox, her voice desperate and raw. “Tell me what I need to know to find my son!”

His eyes were glassy. The man was gone and had taken his secrets with him. He was now facing his maker.

“We’ll find him, Sarah,” Ryder said. “But we can’t if we don’t survive this. So come on.”

The container had swung open. Apparently Dean’s effortshad worked a little too well. They’d done it. They’d actuallyopenedit. What was in it? Ryder needed to know and stepped closer to peer inside.