I have no cover so I’m doing what’s called advancing under fire, and I think I get the gunman with the submachine gun and then Pelayo is on the ground, firing back at me, but yeah, like most civilians, he’s not used to firing in a prone position, and there’s whistling noises as rounds roar by me, and I shoot and shoot and I’m aiming at the Yukon’s tire, and then at Pelayo, for my loved ones are in that vehicle and I’m not about to let it head out.

The rear passenger door suddenly pops open, and Tom and Denise tumble out in a confused pile, and I keep on advancing, and another Yukon roars by, front passenger door opening up, and Pelayo runs to it, and I don’t care, I let him go. Tom and Denise are right here, and Pelayo can go to the North Pole for all I care, and now I take cover behind the first Yukon and Tom rolls over, eyes wide, covered with blood, and he’s struggling to take a piece of tape off his mouth.

And the little girl next to him is in familiar black slacks and an Epcot sweatshirt, and as I reach for her, Tom screams, “That’s not Denise! That’s not Denise!”

The girl rolls over, eyes wide, tape on her mouth as well.

A hammer blow hits me so hard I think I’ve been struck by an RPG round.

The girl is not Denise.

I run to the front of the disabled Yukon.

The second Yukon is still there, door open, Pelayo climbing into the passenger’s seat, and there’s a confusing scramble, and then he shoves out a little girl who screams, “Mommy!” and then she’s pulled back in and the door slams and the Yukon roars off.

CHAPTER 85

CHAPTER 85

TOM CORNWALL sits up and wipes at the blood on his face and shirt. His lower legs are still secured by tape. He crawls back into the rear bloody seat of the Yukon, finds the cutting tool, goes back out to the parking lot, works at his legs.

There’s a man dying in the front seat, gurgling and coughing, and Tom doesn’t want to be near him.

There.

The tape is off and Tom works to free the little girl. She’s bawling, and he has no idea who she is—another kidnap victim?—and once her tape is off, she gets up and runs away, screaming.

Tom sees a man on the ground, legs and arms splayed out, and he scrambles over and sees the man’s eyes are open, and his mouth is slowly opening and closing, like a fish out of water, slowly suffocating. His white dress shirt is soaked with blood, he has closely trimmed white hair and beard, and moments ago, he was standing next to his wife, Amy.