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ing for us. Negotiators from Theta Destructive are already out there.”
They all rushed down the corridor leading to the armory, Ash catching up to Sloane.
“Maybe our bomber found out no one was killed by his little gift, and now he’s taking matters into his own hands.”
“That’s not unlikely. Okay, everyone. Suit up.”
They went to their designated weapons locker and got into their full tactical gear. Hostage situations meant Calvin would be bringing along his sniper rifle. Not that he ever left HQ without it, but he’d been doing this job long enough to know what the likely outcome would be. If it was the bomber returning to finish what he started, and if there was no reasoning with him, Calvin would end up having to take care of it. He really hoped whoever they were dealing with would listen to reason, or that his team could get close enough to take the bomber down without any casualties.
Calvin lowered the visor on his helmet and grabbed the black bag containing his equipment. He locked up and followed his team through the hall leading to the garage and their tactical vehicle, where Maddock was waiting for them. Calvin climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up while the rest of his team swiftly secured themselves on the bench. Ethan hit the gas, and they sped out of the garage and into the street behind HQ. They listened as Maddock briefed them.
“Themis found our bomber. Problem is when Beta Ambush answered the call and went to pick him up, the guy wasn’t there. A few minutes later Dispatch received a call about gunshots being fired inside the Deimos Tower. Our shooter is Mr. Fernando Ruiz, a bear Therian. He was fired three months ago from his security job for being late. The head of security said it was by five minutes, and Ruiz had called in, but it was out of his hands. The decision came from up top. Ruiz was a model employee, never sick, hardly ever late, a hard worker. They think Ruiz got screwed along with some of the other low-level employees. To make things worse, Ruiz had a loan taken out on his 401(k).”
“Let me guess,” Ash grumbled. “As soon as he was let go, the loan had to be paid back in full.”
“Yep. Within sixty days. Ruiz was already falling behind on his bills. The company owed him a shit ton of overtime too. He tried to sue them for his dismissal and overtime pay, but the attorney he hired was no match for the company’s team of lawyers. It ate away at whatever savings Ruiz had left. According to Mrs. Ruiz, they received a letter two weeks ago saying the bank was foreclosing on the house.”
Shit. Calvin knew where this was heading, and it was all kinds of fucked-up.
“It gets worse,” Maddock continued. “Ruiz went in last week to plead with the head of the department and found out the executives were all awarded hefty bonuses.”
“What about the cutbacks?” Dex asked.
“It was either lose their bonus or make budget cuts.”
Dex let out a sound of disgust. “So rather than lose out on a new condo in Miami, they get rid of their employees. Bunch of dicks.”
“Welcome to corporate America,” Ash muttered.
Maddock agreed. “It was too much for Ruiz. He planted the bomb, but he must have seen the news footage. Everyone made it out okay. Probably decided to take care of it himself. We’re pretty sure one of the hostages is the guy who reported Ruiz for being late and got him fired. I’m guessing the executive that did the firing is also up there with him.”
The BearCat sped through Manhattan, sirens blaring and lights flashing. Ethan did his thing, maneuvering through traffic, dodging, zigzagging, taking shortcuts that would probably get them fined, and doing everything he could to get them there as quickly as possible without running into anyone. It was like playing Snake at full speed with landmines.
They arrived on scene, and Ethan parked the BearCat at the end of the block. The media was already there and reporting. News choppers soared over the skyline along with police helicopters. It was pandemonium. Reporters tried to get their attention as they got out of the BearCat, but the team quickly put as much distance between themselves and the reporters as possible. There were agents posted everywhere, making sure no one tried to sneak onto the scene.
Seb and Taylor joined them, informing them of their teams’ positions. Theta Destructive and Beta Ambush had evacuated the building, with the exception of the twenty-first floor where Ruiz was.
Maddock turned to Seb. “Where are we?”
“There are eight employees unaccounted for. We believe those are the ones Ruiz is holding hostage. The negotiator had been making progress, and Ruiz was going to let her in the building, when Ruiz received a phone call from his wife. She’d been advised against trying to make contact with her husband and to let the negotiator handle things. She told the agents on-site she was going to the bathroom and made the call. Whatever she said to him, it set him off. Things started going downhill from there. Ruiz has threatened to shoot the hostages if anyone goes near the building. The negotiator’s trying to calm him down and get him to let her in the building to talk to him face-to-face.”
“Any demands?” Sloane asked.
Taylor shook his head. “This was clearly an act of desperation. He’s distraught, doesn’t know what he wants. He’s rambling, shouting, and getting more pissed by the minute. He’s unraveling.”
Sloane turned to Calvin. He knew what Sloane was going to say. “Cal, we’re gonna need you to take position. If things go south….”
“I got it.” No explanation or further information was needed. Calvin headed back to the BearCat and climbed in. He placed his thumb to the lock on the weapons cage and pulled out the long black bag with his rifle in it. He hoped the negotiator would be able to get through to Ruiz. Calvin pushed up his visor and pulled on his black tac gloves before shouldering his bag. It weighed a fucking ton, but he was used to it by now. Was the weight of it all in his head? There were instances where it seemed to double in heft, while other times it appeared lighter. When he reached the end, Ethan was standing there looking worried. Calvin gave him a wink.
“Don’t worry, big guy. You be safe, okay?”
Ethan nodded, his expression saying more than any words could. He was aware of what came next, what Ruiz’s chances were of walking out of this alive. Shots had been fired. There was no telling how many were hurt or if anyone was dead. Calvin would be finding out soon enough. Ethan knew what would happen if Calvin pulled that trigger. How with one finger he’d be shattering a family. Calvin couldn’t think about that. He gave Ethan’s arm a squeeze before hopping down.
Quickly, he walked to the building across the street from Deimos Tower. It was still being cleared out, which meant he had to pass by employees on the way up the stairs. He made sure not to make eye contact. Most wouldn’t know why he was there, but in the event someone did, he didn’t need them challenging him. As if he got some kind of sick joy from what he did. Like it was easy to take someone’s life.
Calvin had volunteered to be a sniper. The THIRDS never appointed an agent because they were good at shooting. That was the easy part. There was a list a mile long of prerequisites an agent had to meet before he was even considered for the position, and being a good shooter was near the bottom of the list. Calvin had a natural talent, but he also had the required discipline. The position was physically and emotionally demanding, and the responsibility placed on his shoulders could be overwhelming for some.
The safety of the hostages, his team, and the whole damn outcome could hinge on his observations and the intel he relayed, all while under pressure. At times he was his team’s eyes and ears. He needed to be meticulous, articulate, and have a keen eye for details. And then there was the part where he had to be willing to kill someone.
