Chapters (82)
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- Praise for Blood in the Water
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Newsletter Sign-up
The screams grew louder as they crossed the harbor, and Javier nodded to his men. One of his soldiers hoisted the missile launcher onto his shoulder. Over on the second boat, another of his men did the same.
SIXTY-NINE
The explosions at the front of the courthouse rocked the van carrying Kit Steele and Vincente Carpio. The attack was under way, she knew. Fortunately, they were ready for it. She was immediately on her radio giving orders, instructing all the manpower of the BPD, the FBI and the federal marshals to converge on Northern Avenue. Soh had said that that’s where all of Javier Carpio’s soldiers would be, and that was where the authorities had focused their planning. The first priority was to make sure that the van with Vincente Carpio in it made it safely to the courthouse garage. The second priority was to capture or kill as many of Javier Carpio’s men as possible. Steele had given Soh her assurances that he would not be intentionally targeted, but if he was accidentally killed, that would be fine with Steele. Ultimately, she had already decided that she would never honor her bargain with anyone as evil as T’phong Soh. If that meant she would go to jail, she could live with it.
As the van inched forward, several federal marshals swarmed them, moving injured and panicked members of the public out of the way so that the vans could pass. Kit was focused on identifying any possible threat, but even as she kept her mind on the mission, she could not help but see all those who had been killed or badly injured in the crowd. It was heart-wrenching. She could see people bloodied and unconscious, some of them unrecognizable as complete human beings. She felt the rage well up within her, and she hoped the task force would be able to take out as many of the MS-13 contingent as possible. It wouldn’t make up for the death and destruction they had caused, but at least it would be something she could cling to so that she might be able to go on without feeling useless.
It took only a moment for the caravan to complete the turn onto Courthouse Way. There, they passed through the barricades formed by a phalanx of police cars and vans. Once through the gap, they were out of the crowds and safe, it seemed.
Steele looked back at Carpio. “Your brother has failed,” she said. “Did you think I would let you escape? Did you think I wouldn’t be prepared?”
Carpio stared darkly at her. “Many people have underestimated my brother,” he said. “You are just the latest.”
“Let’s get this asshole into the courthouse and in front of the judge!” Kit ordered.
The garage was only a hundred yards ahead of them. There was no doubt that they would make it now.