Plus, Nic didn’t believe this was an airborne virus. It seemed to him that the terrorists’ goal was to steal something of immense value, not create some sort of pandemic. To him, this seemed like another diversionary tactic meant to cover their escape. And he had his own theory as to how all the hostages had been exposed.

He radioed to have the hostages who had been released previously moved to the Walmart manager’s office and isolated under armed guard until they had more information. He also ordered everyone but a few SWAT officers to evacuate the building. Then he instructed the uniformed officers to cordon off the area surrounding the whole shopping center. No one in or out. Especially Ty Loria and his CIA buddy. They had a lot of questions to answer, and as the son and former apprentice of the infamous Tommy Jewels, Nicky knew how to encourage people to answer his questions.

Nic drove the first ambulance over to show the rest of the paramedics where to go and how to unload their passengers.

He was backing up to the doors of the enclosed garden center when he heard the explosion. He knew the sound well. He had even detonated some of them himself, to dispose of them, in Iraq.

The sound was made by a small-yield anti-personnel device like an IED or, most likely in this case, a suicide vest.

Chapter 61

Samuel Carter had seen people die over the course of his career—a raid gone bad, a hostage situation turned murder-suicide, an officer catching a stray round to the head right in front of him. They all haunted his dreams from time to time. But none of those incidents could compare to what he witnessed in the GoBox parking lot.

He had run as fast as his aging legs would carry him. He had yelled with all the air in his lungs. He had silently prayed with all the faith in his heart.

But none of his efforts were able to stop the explosion.

The civilians and other officers were well clear of the blast, but the vest’s wearer and his escort were not so lucky.

Carter had front-row seats to the last moment of their lives. He had burst out the door and yelled at Stromberg to get back in the building. The SWAT officer turned to him, and the kid must have known from the look on Carter’s face. When their gazes met, Carter saw dreams dying in the kid’s eyes. A future stolen. The dreams of marriage and children and love and success and happiness. Carter saw it all die in the span of a second.

Something beeped and something whirred, and Lamar said, “Hey, what’s—”

And Carter’s vision went white. He felt the concussion wave drive him back and off his feet. But before his eyes succumbed to the light from the blast, he had seen the two men for the briefest of glimpses. The fire consuming them, blowing them apart, blood and bone and flame, Lamar’s head being blown completely off his body.