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  With that, Ferdinand lifted his gun again, pointed it at me, and fired.

  Chapter 48

  I threw my body to the ground. The bullet whistled past me, grazing my shoulder as I fell. I landed on my side with a loud thud, panting for air as a regular gunfight broke out.

  Once the goons saw that I was still alive, they all simultaneously pulled their guns and shot at me. Luckily, I managed to jump behind a dryer. I heard the bullets hit it on the other side and ricochet off it, causing the bullets to fly everywhere while I crouched down, covering my head.

  Once the shooting stopped, I peeked out. That was when I realized the goons hadn’t been the ones doing all the shooting, and now most of them were on the ground, some in a pool of their own blood, others screaming in pain, while some were on their knees, holding their hands above their heads, pleading for their lives.

  Behind them all stood someone I knew very well. He smiled from ear to ear as he saw me.

  It was Fowler.

  “Hunter!”

  Seeing him, I dared to get out from behind my cover. I walked to him while the officers he had brought moved in and arrested the ones that were still alive. Fowler pulled me into a hug. It felt awkward since he was never much of a hugger; yet it was by far one of the best I had ever gotten.

  “Al told me where to find you,” he said. “She was worried and had you tracked down, then called me with your exact location. She said you might require assistance. Boy, was she spot-on. We arrived right after you did, SWAT team and everything. We were ready to move in until we heard you two talking. I decided to wait to make sure I heard everything.”

  “I don’t think I have ever been this glad to see you,” I said and hugged him back.

  “Whoa there, soldier. Don’t crush me,” he said as I let go of him.

  I looked around, then realized something.

  “Ferdinand. I don’t see him anywhere. Did you book him?”

  A SWAT officer came up to us. Fowler asked him, and he shook his head. “Haven’t seen him, sir.”

  My eyes grew wide, and I frantically looked around us. “Could he have gotten away?”

  We ran outside, then around the building. There was a big empty space in the parking lot.

  “The truck,” I said. “There was a big white truck parked here. Where is it now?”

  Fowler growled loudly, then turned to his officer. “I thought we had this place surrounded. How did he get out?”

  The officer looked confused.

  “It doesn’t matter now,” I said and ran to my car parked behind the next building, then jumped in and roared it to life. I backed out, swung it around, then floored it while calling Al on my phone.

  “Al, I need your help.”

  “Hunter! Where were you? Have you found Josie?”

  “I need you to track down a white truck for me using your surveillance cameras. It’s leaving the harbor now or left within the past few minutes. Can you do that?”

  Chapter 49

  “I already have it tracked down,” Al said on the other end.

  Putting the siren and lights on, I raced down the road, took a sharp turn, then continued, going down the only road leading out of there.

  “What? How?”

  “I have it right here on my screen, showing it’s driving down MacArthur Causeway, and going onto I95 now, northbound.

  “That’s great, Al, but how do you know this already?”

  “Well, it isn’t exactly the truck I’m chasing as much as it is Josie.”

  “Josie? You know where she is?”

  “Yes, she’s in the truck, moving up I95.”

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “Because I didn’t know sooner, you fool.”

  “I don’t understand. How do you know now then?”

  “Take a right now and get onto I95, continue north,” she said.

  “Okay,” I said and did as she said.

  “Listen, I didn’t know this till now. I didn’t know she was on a truck. I just knew she was at the harbor. When you brought her to my place, I had a feeling I might end up losing her somehow. I told you I’m no good with kids, no matter the age or size. I knew I couldn’t keep an eye on her constantly. So, I put a transmitter in her pocket while she slept, one so small she can’t feel it, and no one can see it.”

  “So, you knew she was at the harbor when I left your place?”

  “I knew I could track her, and I tried to tell you, but you rushed out of there so fast I didn’t get to. Now, if you would have picked up your phone for once in your life, I would have been able to tell you this sooner, but you didn’t, and so I called Fowler. He was my last resort since I can’t stand the guy, but I had to make sure you were safe.”

  “So, you’re my guardian angel,” I said, smiling at the phone, eyes focused and determined on the road ahead.

  “Take the exit now,” she said. “Get off I95. I found a shortcut. The truck is about a mile ahead of you now, but there’s a small traffic jam. You’re gaining on him, fast. But you need to get around the jam.”

  I took the exit, roared across an intersection while cars cleared the way for me, as I came blasting through with sirens blaring and drove back onto I95. I had barely made it when I spotted something in the distance, something sticking up between the cars.

  A truck. A big white truck.

  “I see it,” I said. “I’ve got him!”

  I floored the accelerator once again and came closer still, forcing cars in my way to move to the side. Now, there were only two cars between us. Snorting in anger, I pressed the car to perform to its utmost, and soon I was right behind it, then I pressed up on the side of the truck.

  “Come on; come on,” I said to the old car as I nudged it along, praying it would soon surpass him.

  “You’re almost there, Hunter,” Al said on the other end. “Now, give it all you have.”

  But Ferdinand had seen the lights and heard the sirens by now, and he sped up, pressing the truck to go faster. Still, I made it up on his side and could now look directly at him next to me.

  “That’s right, you bastard,” I mumbled while looking straight at him. “I’m coming for you!”

  Chapter 50

  I signaled for him to stop, to pull over, but he refused. No surprise there. I could hear a chopper approaching in the distance and prayed that it was Fowler, sending assistance.

  “STOP, you idiot!” I yelled at Ferdinand, waving my arm wildly. “Before you get us all killed!”

  And worst of all, my beautiful daughter.

  We approached a car that was driving slower than us, and I had to slow down significantly so that I wouldn’t ram into it. Growling, I watched as Ferdinand took off on the inside lane, while I had to wait a few seconds for the car in front of me to shift lanes and let me pass. I groaned and yelled something I knew I wouldn’t be proud of afterward, then floored the accelerator. I heard a sound from above and looked up, then realized it wasn’t a police chopper, but a news helicopter.

  “Where the heck is my backup?” I yelled into the radio. “I need all roads closed on I95 northbound, and air support!”

  Dispatch confirmed they were on their way, and as we passed an entrance to the highway, I spotted two police cruisers racing out behind us, just as I drove past them. I reached the back of the truck and sped up to get back up on his side. Seconds later, I succeeded and could once again see his sweaty face inside the cabin, grinning back at me, his eyes manic and crazy.

  As I pressed the Chevrolet to its utmost, I finally caught up with him. I pulled the wheel forcefully to the side and rammed into his front left side, knowing very well he was the biggest, and I would probably be the one ending up getting hurt. I just knew I had to try and stop him before Josie was hurt. If he had trapped her in one of those appliances in the back, chances were that she was running out of air, or at least exposing herself to an amount of stress her heart couldn’t take at this point. I feared another heart failure, one that wo
uld prove to be fatal this time.

  The truck swerved to the side but returned to the road just as quickly, this time knocking me forward. My car skidded sideways, turned to the side, and as I looked out the side window, I saw the truck roaring toward me.

  I closed my eyes as Ferdinand blasted toward me, then turned the wheel fast and got the car back into its own lane just as the truck roared past me.

  Sweat springing from every pore in my face, I stepped on the accelerator once again and drove up on the side of the truck again, trying to repeat what I did earlier. Ferdinand looked down at me, still grinning, then pulled the wheel and knocked into me instead. My car bumped sideways and hit the guardrail. The noise of the car scratching along it hurt my ears, and I let out a loud scream as I tried to regain control of my car. Meanwhile, Ferdinand had been so busy watching me, he hadn’t noticed the cars in front of him, and soon he knocked into one of them. There was a terrible noise as he tried to brake, and the truck skidded sideways and crashed into a couple of other cars in front of it before it ran off the road and into the grass.

  I held my breath as it roared toward a line of trees, knocking a few of the lighter ones over, cracking them like sticks before it finally met its match in an old magnolia tree and banged into it. The truck came to a sudden halt with a loud crash, and everything stopped inside of me.

  Chapter 51

  “Josie!”

  I pushed the door but couldn’t open it. I then leaned over and grabbed my Swiss Army Knife from the glove compartment before I crawled to the passenger seat, opened the door, and jumped out into the road. I ran for dear life toward the truck on the side of the road, barely able to breathe because of the fear rushing through me. I knew Josie was onboard that truck somewhere since Al had told me. My only guess was that she was in the back somewhere.

  Smoke was emerging from the front of the curled-up truck, but my focus was on the back. The cargo had fallen to the side when it hit the tree. I ran to it, unlocked the hatch, then pulled the doors open and jumped inside.

  “Josie?”

  The appliances had been tossed around in there like were they nothing but light Lego blocks in a box. A big fridge was right by the door, and the first thing I did was to grab the cardboard box wrapping and cut it open with my knife, then pull it off with everything I had, but it still felt like it was too slow, way too slow. It took forever before I could finally pull it off and open the door to the brand-new fridge.

  A set of eyes stared back at me. Someone was in there all right, but it wasn’t my Josie.

  Leaving the door open so the young woman could crawl out, I exhaled, then climbed over the fridge and moved further inside the truck. I cut open a washer, a dryer, and more people crawled out, some—especially the children—I had to help out. One little girl couldn’t even stand on her own two feet; she was so weak. I had to carry her outside, where I hoped and prayed one of her parents were among those that I had set free. Seeing the girl, a woman made a squeal and grabbed her in her arms, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  I then returned inside and found the last box that hadn’t been opened. I cut open the wrapping around it, then the box it came in. Thinking there was no way my tall girl would ever fit inside of that small washer, I prepared myself for not finding her. Frantically, I removed the Styrofoam, throwing it everywhere while crying heavily.

  Where are you, my sweet Josie? Where are you?

  I pulled open the washer forcefully, then peeked inside. The sight that met me was at once sweet and more frightening than anything.

  There she was. My wonderful daughter was curled up into a tiny ball inside the washer.

  “Josie?” I said, crying. “Josie?”

  She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t opening her eyes.

  I reached inside to touch her, then tried to pull her out. Her lifeless body was heavy and hard to move, but finally, I managed to pull her out completely.

  That was when I realized she wasn’t breathing.

  I shook her.

  “Josie? Josie? JOSIE?”

  I felt for a pulse but found none. Her heart wasn’t beating.

  I placed her on the floor, then performed CPR, frantically fighting to get her heart back to life again, while calling for help over the radio. Sirens were blaring outside, and more than one chopper was hovering above us.

  Josie felt so fragile, so small under my hands; I feared I’d crush her. Yet, I continued, forcefully trying to pump her heart back to life.

  “Don’t leave me, Josie; please, don’t leave me!”

  Chapter 52

  “Dad?”

  It happened so suddenly that I had no idea when or how. I just knew it had happened. At some point, her heart had started beating again, and she was now looking at me with those gorgeous brown eyes of hers.

  Never had there been a prettier sight.

  I pulled her into a deep hug and held her so tight she started to complain that I was crushing her. I cried and kissed her cheeks over and over again.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, looking into her eyes.

  “I…I think so.”

  “Are you sure? You have to be honest with me here, Josie. Does anything hurt? Shortness of breath? Anything?”

  She shook her head. “I think I’m fine, Dad.”

  “You’re still going to the hospital. I’m not taking any chances.”

  “What happened?” she asked, confused.

  That was when I remembered Ferdinand. My eyes grew serious as I realized my business here wasn’t done.

  “Stay here for a sec. Can you do that for me?”

  “Where are you going, Dad? Dad?”

  I grabbed my gun, then hurried outside. All traffic had been stopped on the highway. Not a car was moving. Firetrucks were parked in the road, and their blinking lights were lighting up the sky, while they were fighting to get someone out of one of the crashed cars.

  Police officers were busy attending to the refugees, trying to make sense of the mess. Several of them were leaving in ambulances. I hurried to the front of the truck, then looked inside, wanting to make sure he had either died or that they had gotten him.

  The cabin was empty.

  I looked around, feeling anxious and worried he might have gotten away in the confusion. I hurried to an officer who was attending to a refugee.

  “The driver of the truck,” I asked. “Did you book him?”

  The officer shook his head. “Not that I know of.”

  “Did someone else?”

  I looked around me, then noticed something on the side of the truck, a handprint of blood like someone had leaned against it.

  Someone with blood on their hands.

  I hurried back to the cabin, then noticed a trace of blood in the grass that led between the trees.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” I said, as lifted the gun and followed the tracks.

  I ran through the trees, my eyes scanning the area thoroughly for any sign of Ferdinand. He couldn’t have gone far, I concluded. He was hurt, and there really weren’t that many places to go.

  I took a few more steps when something came at me from behind a tree. A metal plate of some sort that Ferdinand could have taken from the crash site slammed right into my face. I felt the pain, and everything disappeared for a few seconds while I tumbled backward before my sight returned, and I saw him standing right in front of me, blood dripping from his arm.

  I had barely gotten my focus back when he leaped at me.

  Chapter 53

  Punches rained down on me. They were hitting my jaw, my nose, my cheek, shooting pain through me. I managed to get one of my own in, then reach up and grab his chin and push him backward, away from me. I had dropped my gun when he hit me with the metal plate, and I could see it on the dirty ground, but it was too far away for me to reach.

  Ferdinand jumped me again and punched me hard on the cheek. My head swirled to the side, and I heard a crack in my neck, but the blow didn’t knock me out, and soon I was the one placing one
on his nose. The sound of it cracking underneath my knuckles made me wince before I planted a second blow straight to his chin with such great force that he flew backward and slid across the dirt.

  This time, he didn’t get up again.

  I rose to my feet and approached him, looking down at him. His eyes were closed, his mouth open, blood gushing from a wound on his lip. I walked to my gun and picked it up, then turned just as he woke.

  I walked back and placed the gun on his head, my nostrils flaring, spitting out blood on the ground.

  “It’s time for some answers, Ferdinand. I don’t believe for one minute you and David were alone in this. Who else is in on it? Who do you work for?”

  He mumbled something, then spat out more blood.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “I said, you really expect me to tell you?”

  I pressed the gun closer to the skin on his forehead.

  “Yes.”

  That made him laugh, but I could tell it hurt to do so. “You want me to snitch, huh, Detective? You think I’m gonna answer your questions, let myself be interrogated, cut a deal, do what’s best for me, huh? Is that it?”

  “Yes. That’s exactly what I expect you to do. You know how these things work better than most people.”

  He exhaled. “I do, Detective. I know how things work, all right. Especially around here.”

  “So, tell me now, and I might let you live. You know I could just tell them you were trying to escape, which is actually the truth. At least close enough for me to get away with it.”

  He looked up at me again, grunting and annoyed, then grinned. “Why don’t you ask your wife?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I said…why...don’t...you...ask...your...wife?”

  I shook my head, unsure if I had heard him right. What kind of a sick game was this?