Page 98 of Fatal Strike
“She might have withdrawn all she had.”
Once they had their own spot on the ferry, they just needed to wait and watch. Jon pressed the automatic button and the windows rolled down. The salty air and sound of lapping waves and crying seagulls had become a large part of their days. Leah peered at the white foam and spotted a dolphin leaping gracefully in the water. Any other time, she’d snap a pic, except her thoughts were focused on trying to take Dylan into custody. Doing so could secure answers to stop the violence, ending the wave of murders and panic on the island. And dissuade other gangs from spreading crime.
The agent ahead of them confirmed Silvia was seated in her car and not on her phone.
Eighteen minutes later, the ferry docked. Slow and orderly. Agitation seared her nerves. Finally Jon drove off the ramp onto Bolivar Peninsula. Silvia remained several vehicles ahead. She pulled into a parking area, and the surveillance agents drove past and into a new strip center on the opposite side of the street. All had eyes on Silvia’s car. Jon chose a parking area three rows back from where Silvia sat with her car’s engine running. Leah grabbed binoculars from her shoulder bag, and Jon reached for the same on the seat between them.
Leah studied the surrounding area. A young man strode across the parking lot toward Silvia’s Toyota and opened the passenger door. “Dylan,” she said.
“Let’s go.”
Leah and Jon drew their weapons and raced toward Silvia’s vehicle. The two agents on surveillance rushed several feet behind them as backup. Jon raised his hand to slow them.
Dylan must have seen them because he bolted around the Toyota to the driver’s side and jerked the car door open. He heaved Silvia out. His left hand gripped her lower neck, and he held a gun to her head. “I will shoot,” he said.
The woman who’d raised him, loved him like no other? How could he be so callous? Silvia whimpered.
“Dylan, let your mother go.” Leah spoke compassion into her words. “You don’t want to hurt her. She loves you.”
“I’m no fool. You’re not taking me in for a crime I didn’t commit.”
Leah crept ahead, making eye contact with him and avoiding the distraction of Silvia’s trembling. “Like your mother, Iwant to help. I’ve always wanted to help.”
He glanced around and said something to Silvia, but Leah couldn’t hear what. None of them had a clear shot at Dylan. Had the other agents requested more backup?
“You’ve run from the police and FBI,” Leah said. “Now you’re holding your mother at gunpoint. Explain this to me. I want to understand. Because right now your actions are not those of an innocent man.”
“Please, Dylan.” Silvia’s tears streamed down her face. “We can work this out.”
Leah stepped closer. Jon moved to her far right.
Dylan said something to his mother, then shoved her aside. Silvia tripped on the rough pavement as Dylan climbed into the driver’s seat. The car charged in reverse.
Leah dove onto the pavement out of the way, grabbed her weapon, rolled, and came up firing. Jon dashed after the car, unloading bullets into the back window.
Silvia shrieked.
Dylan squealed tires around the corner of the parking lot toward the departing ferry.
Leah raced to Jon’s truck, where the keys sat in the cup holder. Pressing the ignition button, she brought the engine to life and stomped the gas. Dylan would not get on the ferry alone. She had her own driving tricks. She palmed the steering wheel.
He drove onto the ferry.
Three more vehicles slid in behind him.
Leah entered the ramp, and it closed behind her. Dylan slid into place five vehicles ahead. He exited the car and bounded toward the upper deck, where people milled about. She bolted from the truck and zigzagged around cars and people up the metal stairs toward him.
No point in shouting for him to stop. He’d successfully placed men, women, and children around him. She wouldn’t risk anyone’s life to capture this young man. Pushing past them, she shortened the distance.
He ran along the deck railing, stopped, and aimed his weapon into the crowd. “Drop your gun, or I’ll unload mine.”
A woman screamed. Shouts rose, and the crowd struggled to clear themselves from danger.
Leah laid her Glock on the deck and held up her hands. “Turn yourself in, Dylan. You can’t keep running. But you can help us arrest those responsible. My original deal still stands. I’ll speak to the judge on your behalf.”
He shook his head and escaped down another nearby staircase to the lower car level. In the distance, a speedboat was moving their way. Leah snatched her gun and pursued him while shouting for people to stay down.
“Dylan, this is a mistake.”
