Chapter 42

42

Alex crouched behind the rusted hulk of an ancient bumper car, her heart pounding in the sudden silence. She hadn’t yet caught sight of Gravy or his father.

“I’m on my way,” Jason told her over the restored comlink. “Hang tight.”

No more than a few seconds later, he emerged from the entrance to the underground facilities. The smell of damp earth and decaying metal filled her nostrils as she locked eyes with Jason across the dilapidated fairground.

He jerked his head towards the looming silhouette of the old roller coaster.

“That’s the last of them,” he announced, triumph clear in his voice. “All hostiles neutralized, both teams safe and accounted for.” Weapon in hand, he eyed the area. “Gravy took off after his dad. We just need to round them up and we’re outta here.”

Relief washed over her, making her knees wobble. She looked at Jason, saw the same mix of exhaustion and elation mirrored in his eyes.

It was over. They’d won.

The rest was just mop up. They could leave a couple team members to watch over the four unconscious operatives by the entry gate and the eight men in the basement while the rest of them escorted Munsinger to the authorities. But first, they had to find him.

“A little help here, Cody?” Jason asked over the comlink.

“Affirmative. Targets are due east, dude. Looks like Gravy’s got his old man under guard.”

“Excellent.” Jason grinned grimly. “Let’s do this,” he ordered Alex and took off at a run.

Alex jogged after him, her boots crunching on gravel and broken glass as they made their way to Gravy and the general. The eerie silence of the abandoned park settled around them, broken only by their labored breathing and the occasional creak of rusted metal.

As they rounded the corner of a derelict funhouse, its mirrors cracked and clouded with age, Alex caught sight of Gravy standing guard over his father, weapon in hand. The younger man’s face was a mask of conflicting emotions, pain and determination warring in his eyes.

“Good work, dude,” Jason called out, his voice cutting through the tension.

Alex couldn’t imagine the pain Gravy must be feeling. There’d be time enough to debrief later, though.

But as she and Jason approached, the general’s face contorted. He clutched at his chest, stumbling backward with a pained gasp.

“Dad?” Gravy’s voice cracked with concern.

Jason rushed forward, Alex hot on his heels. “Easy now,” Jason said, holstering his weapon and reaching for the older man.

He and Gravy attempted to lower the general to the ground, but the man struggled to stay on his feet.

Alex’s instincts screamed a warning. Something wasn’t right.

The general’s pained expression morphed into a snarl. With surprising speed, he lashed out, his fist connecting solidly with Gravy’s jaw. The sharp crack echoed in the night air.

Gravy crumpled, out cold before he hit the ground.

“Jason!” Alex cried out, lunging forward. But it was too late.

The general, spry for a man who moments ago seemed on the verge of a heart attack, plowed into Jason, knocking him aside and taking off running. His figure quickly disappeared into the shadows of the park, swallowed by the maze of abandoned rides and overgrown paths.

Alex helped Jason to his feet, her hand lingering on his arm. “You okay?”

Jaw clenched in frustration, Jason nodded. “Fine. Check on Gravy.”

As Alex knelt beside the unconscious man, Jason’s voice crackled over the comms. “Cody, we’ve got a situation. The general’s loose in the park. I need eyes, now.”

Reassured by Gravy’s strong heartbeat, Alex slumped against the funhouse wall. The cool, damp surface seeped through her shirt. She ran a hand through her sweat-dampened hair, a humorless laugh bubbling up from her throat.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered, her gaze meeting Jason’s equally incredulous one. “We just took down an entire secret organization, and we lose the big bad to what? A game of granddaddy hide-and-seek?”

Jason seemed equally shocked. “No kidding.”

The absurdity of it all hit her then, and Alex found herself caught between the urge to laugh hysterically or scream into the void of the abandoned park. Instead, she pushed herself off the wall, squaring her shoulders. Round two.

Jason held out a hand, helping her up. “Cody? I need visuals on Munsinger. He’s trying to make a run for it.”

“Copy that.” The reply came swiftly. “He’s headed south. Making for the SUVs.”

“On it.” Jason whipped out his handgun and tore off.

Alex’s muscles screamed in protest as she followed him through the labyrinth of rusted rides and overgrown paths. The sound of their pounding footsteps echoed in the eerie silence of the abandoned park.

“There!” Jason hissed, pointing to a shadow darting between two dilapidated food stalls.

They cornered the general near the defunct Tunnel of Love, its once-cheerful cherubs now leering grotesquely in the moonlight. Alex stalked forward, her tranq gun steady despite her exhaustion.

“It’s over,” she growled, finger tightening on the trigger.

Munsinger turned to face them, right hand in his pants pocket. “You sure about that?”

“It’s not a gun,” he assured them, but Jason drew down on the man.

“Freeze,” he commanded.

“You need to see this,” the general insisted. “I’ll move slowly.”

Eyes locked on Jason, he inched his hand out of his pocket, revealing a small device with a blinking red light. His thumb depressed a button on the top.

Alex’s breath caught in her throat.

“Smart girl.” The general sneered. “You recognize a dead man’s switch when you see one. I die; you die.”

Weapon still pointed at the man’s chest, Jason paled. “What have you done?”

“Bought myself some insurance, son. While you were in the basement, my men rigged this park with enough explosives to make the Fourth of July look like a sparkler.” His cold eyes met Alex’s. “You two might survive, given your current position. But your team down below? Well, let’s just say they’ll be in for quite a finale.”

Horror and disbelief warred within her. “Your own men are down there.”

“Collateral damage. I’m aware.” The general’s shrug was so casual, so devoid of humanity, that Alex felt physically ill. “In my line of work, there are always sacrifices.”

The moonlight caught the cruel twist of his lips. A chill slithered down Alex’s spine. She’d rescued people from terrorists, assassins, and criminal masterminds, but never had she encountered such cold, calculating evil wrapped in the guise of patriotism.