Patton browsed through more files. He checked his watch. It was almost 2 A.M. He texted Frank to get an update on what was going on outside.
Frank was nearly asleep when he felt his phone vibrate. It was another text from Patton.
“How are we looking?”
Frank hit “Reply” and texted “Fine. All clear.”
Awake now, Frank lifted the iPad onto his lap and started to scan it again. After a half hour he began to nod off again. He was beginning to feel like his role in all of this was pointless. Suddenly, he heard an engine roar and then saw the blur of a large, dark vehicle pass by on his left. The Chevrolet SUV, possibly the one that they’d seen earlier at Patton’s house, was now turning left. It made the turn and then zoomed down the street. Frank turned back to the iPad and watched as the vehicle came into one of the panels. He double tapped it and it zoomed in. Four men, who all looked to be armed, were jumping out of the SUV and running towards the front of the building.
Frank fumbled with his phone and then finally was able to text “Trouble! Four armed men coming through front.”
CHAPTER 27
It had been a long and frustrating and fruitless night. Somehow Larsen and Frank Norton hid from Asher’s people for nearly thirty-six hours. They were nowhere to be found. Larsen must have been tipped off that they were looking for him. Otherwise, how the hell would he have been able to evade them for this long?
Brian White, usually a calm and able leader, was about to blow his lid with frustration. He and his small team had been out on the prowl until about midnight, but he’d given up and sent them packing. All of the roads out of town were being watched so it wasn’t likely they’d try to escape through the mountains—not without Larsen’s wife, anyway.
Then around one in the morning they got a call—someone had broken into City Hall. When the call was relayed to White, he jumped out of bed and sent a mass text to his team. Less than ten minutes later they were assembled and were speeding towards City Hall. While en route, White assembled another team to back them up. He didn’t think they would need more than his four-man team to take the plastics manufacturer-turned farmer down, but, you can never be too careful. Anton, White’s most experience man, was riding behind the driver. The former Marine had kicked down many doors during his military service and he advised his boss that they should go in fast and hard.
“Shoot first and ask questions later,” the grim-faced former Marine said.
The security chief nodded approvingly. Now, as they were within seconds of the city building, the butterflies were surging in his gut.
His phone was ringing.
“What now!” he said, rolling his eyes. It was Governor Asher. White figured he’d been called and informed of the break in. He was probably in bed with some skank. Now all the sudden he wanted to feel like he was part of the action.
“Yeah,” he said, not trying to hide his annoyance at the intrusion.
“White?”
“Yes?”
He could hear the Governor clearing the sleep out of his throat. “Is it Larsen?” Asher asked.
White wanted to respond with something sarcastic, but he kept his cool. “Yes. I can’t imagine it being anyone else.”
“How many men do you have going in?”
The security chief rolled his eyes again and thought, ‘why the hell doesn’t this guy just go back to his little whore and let me do my job?’ Instead he said, “Two teams. Eight men in all.”
“Good. Let me know if you need anything,” the Governor said with his usual false bravado. Asher hung up before White could respond.
White looked back at Anton who gave him a knowing grimace. The two had been having an ongoing “bitch session” about their boss. The SUV came to a halt. White took a deep breath, unbuckled his seatbelt, and charged out of the vehicle.
Patton heard his phone jingle and he checked it. When he read the text message from Frank he spun in the chair and bolted to the door. Just past the unconscious security guard’s head was an emergency exit door. The team sent for Patton didn’t make their presence a secret. He could hear them open the glass doors and charge into the lobby. He heard one of them yell, “Spread out! You upstairs! You downstairs! You right! Me left!” The voice sounded like it had military command. Maybe this was going to get hairier than he’d bargained for.
From his vantage point, in a side hall, perpendicular to the main hallway leading to the security office, Patton could see the edges of a military tactical light flickering along the walls and heading his way. His captured radio crackled.
“Anton, got a break-in in the security office!” came the voice, both over the radio and echoing down the hallway.
Patton knew he had to make his move now or he would be trapped in a corner against four men with rifles when all he had was a handgun. A tall figure came into view and he pounced. Instead of delivering a punch, Patton decided he needed to use more force. As the person approached, he’d retrieved his hammer and pry tool. Luckily, the man reached the door with his back slightly turned towards Patton. Patton sprung from his crouch and delivered a wicked, cracking blow to the figure’s head. His prey was now unconscious and unable put up a fight. Now, however, Patton had to carry nearly two hundred pounds of dead weight.
He frantically pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed Frank. After three rings Frank finally answered.
“Need you out front! Hostage in tow!”
Frank, who’d been half asleep when the call came in, was only able to give an awkward acknowledgement. He tossed the phone and the iPad and jumped over to the driver’s seat. He cranked the engine, and with screeching tires, he pulled away from the curb. He rounded the first corner too fast and hit the curb on the passenger side. He blew out a nervous breath of air and tried to focus. As he approached the front of City Hall, he could see Patton struggling under a body, carrying it towards the curb as fast as he could.
With a screeching halt, Frank pulled to the curb and almost forgot to put the transmission in park. He hopped out and ran around the truck to help his friend. Together, the two of them were able to heave the unconscious man into the truck’s bed. Instinctively, Patton ran to the driver’s side and Frank ran to the passenger’s side. Patton burned rubber and he drove away from the city building.
After receiving his boss’s frantic call over the radio, Anton Brown raced towards the security office on the main floor. He’d barked out the orders earlier, sending one upstairs, one downstairs, and his boss, Brian White to the right, towards the security office. In the next few seconds, Anton had cleared the lobby and made his way to a side door that was protected by an electronic lock.
That door did not lead downstairs, so he’d made his way upstairs to the second floor. Having cleared his sector, he was on his way to the third floor when the call had come over the radio. He was now nearly two floors above, and almost entirely across the building from where his boss needed him to be. Ever loyal, Anton double-timed down the first flight of stairs. On the second flight down he took a bad step and badly twisted his ankle. Using the butt of his M4 rifle for support, he stayed on his feet, but when he tried to continue the chase, a shot of pain surged from his ankle, up his leg, and he almost collapsed again.