The Hitman

The Scream

Brook Aldridge's POV

The siren rang and footsteps could be heard from inside the building. Nick and Anderson had been discovered. I gripped the briefcase in my hands even tighter.

As footsteps approached the back door we were hidden behind, I put a hand in front of Jay to motion him to stay back. We pressed into the shadows as many soldiers burst out.

They ran straight past us toward the entrance, hurrying to meet the threat. If they really were U.S. military, we could hopefully resolve this issue later. But we didn't want to risk it.....

What if they were terrorists? What if there were no soldiers left in Pearl Harbor?

Jay flicked his hand and threw a piece of plastic toward the door just as it closed behind the last soldier. The plastic wedged between the lock and the doorframe, preventing it from locking.

We waited several moments after the final soldiers had left, then I drew my gun and opened the door cautiously.

No one. At least, not yet.

I consulted my heat seeker, Jay leaning over my shoulder. There were a few heat traces scattered throughout the building, most likely sentries left behind.

But near the middle, there were several signatures. And beside them, a mysterious object radiating even more heat.

"What is that?" Jay whispered, pointing to the glowing screen.

I studied the object. "I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to find out."

Nick Sievers' POV

I delivered an uppercut to our final assailant's jaw and watched him collapse backward. Exhaling, I wiped my forehead and leaned against the building.

Anderson nodded. "Not bad, but I figured hitmen would be in better physical shape than this."

I ran a hand through my soaked hair and shook my head. "I didn't see you helping."

She shrugged. "I don't fight."

I studied the sea of collapsed bodies on the ground before pushing off the wall and approaching the nearest one. I crouched down and removed his gun from its holster, then handed it to Anderson. "At least take this."

She conceded and took the gun, tossing her wasted handgun aside. She nodded, and in silence we entered the military base.

I exhaled. "Next time listen to me. I can read people, and those guys were bad news all over. You're lucky they didn't kill you on sight."

"You mean we're lucky, right?"

"Huh?"

"You're lucky, too, that they didn't kill me."

I frowned. "Oh, um, yeah. Sure." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "Keep telling yourself that."

Anderson chuckled and shook her head, speeding up to keep pace with me. "You hate me, don't you?"

"Well," I started. "I don't hate you. If that were the case, you would have died a long time ago." I paused. "Let's just say that I would unplug your life support to charge my phone."

Anderson raised an eyebrow. "Alright. I see where I—"

But she was cut off by a shrill sound in the distance. A scream.

I froze in my tracks, eyes widening in shock. That wasn't just any scream. It was....it was....

Henley's scream.

Brook Aldridge's POV

We burst into the room, guns drawn. I had heard the scream and thought my heart had stopped. That was my daughter.

"FBI," I said. "On the ground with your hands on your head unless you want bullets riddling your body."

Silence. I faltered and looked around the room.

To Vincent, standing completely still with his arms folded. To Lila and Henley, with guns pointed at their heads.

But they were no longer strapped to bombs.

They were strapped to....something else. Something much larger. The mysterious heat source.

A ballistic missile.