“Not quite.” He was going to kill him. There was not a single ounce of remorse in Dawson’s face, just a maniacal, maddenedgleam.
The countdown hit twenty seconds. “You’re running out oftime.”
Dawson didn’t break away. “Laura, get out.Now.”
King kept his gun leveled, waiting on him to launch and strike. “Go.”
She drew in a breath, and King could sense her building a retort. He cut her short. “There is a bomb about to blow up this whole place. Take the kid and go.Now.”
Fifteenseconds.
King risked a glance back to see her edging finally to the door. Dawson moved closer. “Getout!”
As if his yell finally charged her into action, Laura snatched Faith and ran out the front door. The second they cleared the threshold, Dawsonsprung.
King squeezed off a round, the bullet thudded into Dawson’s chest but the man kept coming at him like a machine. He did not have time to do anything but throw up a block as Dawson brought the knife down hard and fast. The gun flew from his grip. Before King could raise a counter, Dawson slashed right, then left, the blade snaking like fire across his chest, hot blood poured down hisstomach.
King bent as if doubling over and launched an uppercut, glancing off Dawson’s jaw. The man flew backward, crashing through the dining room table. The clock continued to tick down. Five. Four. Three.Two.
Dawson got to his feet, threw a chair out of his way, and stepped toward King. He’d stay to fight until they were bothdead.
King spun and launched himself to the front door, over the porch, and landed on the walkway. Diggs had Laura and Faith already across the street, moving them toward histruck.
With a roar, Dawson dove through the window, glass shattering. The townhouse exploded. The blast waves knocked King to the ground. His head roared in pain and blackness tugged at hisconsciousness.
He had to move. Forcing the fog off, he managed to climb to his feet, wobbling unsteadily as the world tilted aroundhim.
Screams and sirens sounded up and down the street, the sounds coming at him as if through a densefog.
Dawson. He had to getDawson.
King stumbled in the direction of the front yard, waving his hand to clear the air so he could see. Dawson had been closer to the blast than him. He had to be unconscious, or dead. Each step clearing his mind, King padded across the debris-littered grass, smoke burning his eye. He coughed and kept moving, moving almost blind to thesmoke.
“King! Brother, where are you?” Diggs sliced through the frontyard.
“Do you see him?” King croakedout.
“He’s gone. We have got to go. Police are on their way.” Diggs grabbed King’s arm and attempted to yank him away from thehouse.
King snatched his arm free and continued looking, he moved boards and bricks, sifting through the rubble, but found no hint of Dawson. “He’s nothere.”
“We’ve got to go! Now!” Diggs grabbed him again and this time King stumbled along behind him, half in shock, half in anger that he’d missed hischance.
Diggs opened the passenger door on his truck and tossed King inside. Laura and Faith huddled in the backseat, both of them pale andfrightened.
The driver’s side door opened and Diggs jumped inside, cranking the truck before he slammed the door shut. “Dawson booked it out right after the explosion. He’sgone.”
Chapter 5
Laura huddledwith her arm around Faith, trying to shield her as much as possible within the confines of the crew cab truck. Diggs had quickly introduced himself before tossing them into the back of the vehicle. They drove slowly out of town, as if the massive explosion of her house and everything inside of it was an everyday occurrence forthem.
What the hell had John gotteninto?
Faith was tapping on her knees and quickly signed, “Where’sDaddy?”
Laura quickly signed back, her hands in her lap, “He’s okay. He’ll come get ussoon.”
Silently praying that was true, Laura took in a deep breath and tried to assess the situation as calmly as possible. If these men really were John’s old teammates, she didn’t think she had to worry for her and Faith’s safety. That was one large “if.”
