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“It’s not good news, folks. The local police said their backup is at least 30 minutes away,” Flip said. “We’re on our own for a while.”
“Boss said to hold tight until we hear from him,” Riley said.
“We don’t have to worry about following the black van,” Morgan said tightly. “It’s double-parked in the street on the right side of the exit.”
“Seriously?” Flip said, getting out of the vehicle for a look.
“Oh, my heavens, I can’t…” No more words would come. Morgan watched a medium-built armed man step out of the back of the van carrying a gun tucked in the front of his pants and an AR-15 in his right hand. When her eyes reached his face, she felt like her heart had stopped. Early 50s, red hair, light freckles, dark shaggy beard. It had to be him. Her father.
“Morgan? Is that him? Is that Kline?” Flip asked, leaning in her window.
“I…I think so,” she shuddered, momentarily stunned.
“Jesus Christ,” Bash breathed.
“Riley, you stay here with Morgan and Sebastian. I’m going to follow him. The driver is still in the van, so keep your eyes on him,” Flip called in the window.
“Wait!” Riley yelled. “You can’t follow him on government property with a firearm. Sam was adamant about that.”
Flip ran his hand through his hair in frustration, then crouched next to the SUV.
Suddenly, muffled shots rang out from the direction of the post office building. Seconds later, people ran screaming out the front doors, pushing and shoving to get to their cars.
“What’s going on, Sam?!” Riley screamed in his mouthpiece. “We heard gunshots.”
Morgan leaned closer to Flip, hoping to hear Sam’s response.
“Sam saw two armed men enter the post office,” Flip told Morgan. “He swung around back to pick up Gia, Max, and Agent Perez.”
The next few minutes were pandemonium. Hysterical people collided into each other’s vehicles and then abandoned them entirely when the parking lot became impassable.
“I can’t stand by and do nothing. It was a mistake for me to come here. All these people are in danger because of me. I’ve got to do something before someone gets killed,” Morgan said. Not waiting for a response, she jumped out of the car.
“You aren’t going without me,” Bash barked, but was met with the door slamming in his face. When he tried to wedge it open again, he heard a click.
“Safety locks, Mr. Bartoli. Sam doesn’t want you getting killed. I should have done it before Morgan slipped out,” Riley said with aggravation.
Morgan heard the exchange and knew Bash would be safe. Searching through the chaos around the parking lot, she felt a hand grab her elbow. Jerking her head around, she met Flip’s eyes.
“You aren’t going anywhere. Those men don’t give a damn that you’re an unarmed, innocent woman,” Flip said harshly.
Morgan narrowed her eyes. Flip stepped back when she pulled a .9 mm out of her coat pocket. She didn’t recognize the commanding voice that came from her mouth. “I am neither unarmed nor innocent. The only way you are going to stop me is to shoot me. And at this point in my life, there is no one left to care.” With that, she turned and headed into the chaos.
Chapter Forty-Five
Morgan lost track of her father between the screaming people and the abandoned cars. Thankfully, she had not heard any rapid fire from the AR-15 he was carrying. As she frantically searched for a way to stop them, her eyes landed on the black van parked in the street. The least she could do was prevent their escape.
Squatted behind a red pickup truck, she almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Sorry,” Flip said.
“Please don’t do that,” she whispered.
“Why are you watching the van?” he asked. She figured Sam sent him to keep an eye on her. Make sure she didn’t do anything stupid.
“It may be their only transportation out of here. If so, we need to separate the driver from the getaway vehicle.”
Flip chuckled. “That’s a good idea but not a simple task.”
