Burning Truth (Lost and Found Columbus #3)

Chapter 14

14

A ddie’s heart was in her throat all the way to the garage the station used for their fleet vehicles. They’d never had any problems with the mechanics there, and she knew they used the service because they were a legitimate operation that serviced county vehicles as well.

Severn pulled into the pot-holed gravel driveway and headed around the side of the big metal building. It looked a little like a junkyard, with all the scrap vehicles in the back lot. Vehicles were lined up all around the outer edges of the lot, and they spotted Jake sitting in the white WNBC 4 van almost immediately. Severn stopped the truck a good distance away and parked, then turned to her. “You are to stay in this vehicle. Do you understand me? If it blows, I don’t want you anywhere near the blast radius.”

Tears started in her eyes, and she clutched at his hands. “Wait, Johnson said she’s sending in the bomb squad. Why don’t we wait for them? Why do you have to do it?”

He smiled at her slightly, and it broke her heart. There was a resignation in that look that she hated, like he always expected to die this way or something. “Because if it is an IED, I’m probably one of the best people in the state, maybe even the country, to look at it.”

She shook her head, not wanting to let him go. “If you get hurt...”

“I won’t,” he said, but she didn’t think he believed the words.

Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her lips. Addie wanted to hold him to her, but he pulled away. She watched as he circled the truck to the bed and dropped the tailgate. This model of truck had toolboxes in the sides of the bed, and she watched him retrieve a bulging black nylon tool bag. Then, taking a deep breath, he headed toward the news van.

“Sev is incredibly smart about this stuff, Addie,” Dan said from the back seat. “He’ll figure it out.”

Her heart was in her throat as she watched him walk toward the van. Jake was looking at him fearfully from the corner of his eyes, his neck stiff, like he was afraid to turn it. He was probably afraid to breathe.

God, her heart was going to pound out of her chest. Jake was a very good friend, but Addie knew the fear she felt was more for Severn. She knew that the arsonist was probably targeting him, and what better way to take out the two men closest to her than with one explosion?

She turned to Dan. “I think he’s watching. This morning I sent him a message, telling him that he was an asshole, and he told me that there was one less obstacle between me and him. I think he’s watching to be sure it happens. Can you go look around? See if you see anything? I won’t move from this truck.”

Dan narrowed his blue eyes at her. “Severn is my boss. He told me to stay here.”

Addie flung her hand in the air. “But he’s probably out there! If you won’t, then I will,” she said, reaching for the door handle.

Dan grabbed her shoulder. “No, you won’t. Stay here,” he said, reluctantly, “and I’ll go look around.”

Addie nodded and watched him leave the truck. Then she turned back to watch Severn. She didn’t want to see him hurt, but she wanted to be ready to run to him if something happened. Biting her lips, she slipped out of the cab to stand near the hood of the truck.

Severn had to force his legs forward. It felt like he was wading through molasses, and it was no wonder. This entire case had put him on edge, and now, the thought of walking toward that potential pain again almost made him feel like he was going to stroke out.

He was getting ahead of himself, though. Maybe there wasn’t anything, and Jake had just heard a spring snap or something else.

It had better be something else. He didn’t want Addie anywhere near the fire, and he definitely didn’t want her to see him burn.

Jake looked at him sideways, forcing a smile. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Severn responded.

The driver’s side door was partially open. Severn pulled it all the way open and leaned down to try to look under the seat. The van was only a few years old, but it didn’t have the automatic buttons to adjust the seat. It still had the bar you had to pull up on between your feet. Severn couldn’t see anything through the seat rails on the side, so he leaned down and put his head between Jake’s knees.

“We’re gonna get kind of personal for a minute, buddy,” he said.

“Okay.” Jake’s voice was higher than normal, revealing his stress.

Severn looked up into the man’s face. “Hey, you’re okay. Just hold still. No matter what.”

Jake nodded, his hands clutching the steering wheel.

Severn went down onto his knees in the gravel lot and leaned in to look under the seat. His stomach sank. Fuck... He repositioned a couple of times, looking at the device. It wasn’t triggered by a cell phone signal. There was a very basic pressure switch attached to a rather generic looking metal box. Surely, it couldn’t be that easy...

“Well, Jake, I have good news and I have bad news.”

Jake blinked down at him. “It’s a bomb, isn’t it?”

Severn smiled slightly. “Yes, that’s the bad news. But the good news is, I think I can disarm it pretty easily. I’m going to go around and make sure there’s nothing on the back side I’m not seeing.”

Severn pushed up and out, then circled the van.

This wasn’t a dummy he’d concocted for training with no accelerant. He had no idea what was inside it, but he knew it would have some kind of explosive material inside. Cautiously, he cracked open the slider door, listening closely for any unnatural clicks or pings. Bombers had been known to double rig vehicles, just in case the first device was dismantled. He didn’t hear anything though, so he continued to slide it open.

There was a pop and a hiss from the left. Nothing mechanical, but something more organic. He glanced into the darkness, knowing that there was something there... Light flickered, and began to grow. Fire. Fuck... Scrambling, he climbed into the van and stepped toward the back. A burning matchbook, obviously lit when he opened the door, was lighting a rag. Above it hung a red balloon with something weighty inside. The flame flickered for a second, then flared. As he reached for it to throw it out, the balloon popped, the gasoline spraying everywhere and just missing his hand. Everything it sprayed lit on fire, and there just happened to be conveniently stacked cotton rags bunched around the corner, soaking up the gas. There was no way he was going to get this put out.

He had to get the device under Jake dismantled.

Shifting again, he lurched toward the front of the van. Crates and boxes had been stacked behind the driver’s seat rather conspicuously. Okay, he got it now. The arsonist was throwing him into double jeopardy. If the device wasn’t dismantled, the burning van would possibly take them out.

Severn threw the boxes back toward the fire. He had to get access under Jake’s seat. Finally, he thought he had enough room. He dropped down to the floor of the van between crates and ripped open his nylon tool bag. He found the flashlight on top and leaned down to look under the space. Yep, just what he thought. There was a metal box, obviously fabricated. As Jake sat on the driver’s seat, he’d pushed the plunger down to arm the device. He probably would have been fine driving, but if he’d hit one of those potholes out front, he could have bounced enough to set it off.

Severn had to get inside the box.

Reaching for his bag again, he pulled out the Dremel, and the case of bits. He selected a small round cutting head and leaned back under to start cutting on the box.

The fire was growing behind him. He could feel it. “Do you have a fire extinguisher in here, Jake?”

“Uh, yeah, it should be mounted on the wall on this side.”

Severn twisted his head, looking for the mount. He would have seen an extinguisher. Yeah, the mount was empty. He’d just been hoping there was another.

The arsonist had obviously set this trap very carefully.

One-handed, he reached for his cell-phone and called Gabbie, putting her on speaker. “Gab, in a crunch right now. Dismantling an IED in the news van in the parking lot. Look for any surveillance in the area. I have a feeling he’s either watching us or recording what’s going on.”

“On it!”

He heard keys rattling as her fingers flew, and he turned back to the box. He had to get into it to release the pressure switch. If he pressed too hard on the head of the Dremel, it would shatter. He had another head, but this one was the best for cutting.

Flames began to lick up the back of the van, and Severn could feel the temperature warming. The vehicle itself wasn’t especially flammable, but the arsonist had ensured that there was enough in here to burn.

“So, if something happens,” Jake started.

“No, don’t do that, Jake. You’re going to make it out of this. Just give me a minute to get in here.”

Severn leaned a little harder against the Dremel and it pierced the exterior of the box. Then he started grinding down. He got one side done and adjusted the position of the tool. Within a few seconds, he had another side done.

There was another pop behind him, and the fire flashed, illuminating the interior of the van. Another gasoline-filled balloon?

“Severn, you have to hurry, man. I really don’t want to die.”

Severn drew his legs in. The fire was getting close, and he could feel his own panic building. He pressed harder on the Dremel, through the third side. Sparks flew as the blade cut through, and he knew he was pushing the limits of the tool. Finally, though, he was able to force his fingers in through the jagged metal to pull open the box.

Grinning to himself, he watched the unfolding tableau from his vantage point. There was something so satisfying about seeing fire light up the inside of the van. The ‘bodyguard’ was inside the van, as well as Addison’s cameraman, and he didn’t expect either one of them to survive the next five minutes.

Panning the binoculars to the right, he looked at Addison. She was clutching her hands together, and there were tears in her eyes. The need to wander down there was so strong. He wanted to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be all right. Maybe she would let him wrap his arms around her.

Glancing at his watch, he counted backwards. The test vehicle had been consumed within four minutes and fifty-two seconds. They were nearing the four-minute mark. It had to be getting hot inside.

Chuckling, he shifted his position in the tree stand. He’d found this spot by accident one day when he’d been scoping out the garage. He would burn it one day, but for now, it was the perfect vantage point to watch a murder. Or two. Maybe he would hear them scream...

There were a few people inside the garage, and they’d realized what was going on in the lot. One of the men scrambled out with a fire extinguisher in-hand, but it wouldn’t matter.

There was a pop from inside the van, and he adjusted the binoculars against his eyes. Another one of the balloons had just burst. He needed to be closer, but he didn’t want to get caught. And right now, he was in the perfect position to watch her face.

Even distraught, she was beautiful. The urge to go to her was so strong...

No, not just yet. He needed her alone and vulnerable when he moved in. And if he took the two men closest to her, she would need to be taken in hand and supported.

He panned back to the van. It was rocking, strangely. The interior was blazing, and he breathed shallow, his ears straining.

Instead, the driver’s side door slammed wide and Jake, the cameraman, lurched out. Then the bodyguard, Severn, jumped out of the van, almost on top of Jake. His pants were smoking, but he looked fine. His eyes were wide and he was panting, but the fire had missed her chance to take him.

Addison ran toward the men, and he could have cursed. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to die and make her vulnerable to his approach.

Fuck.

He didn’t curse often, but this seemed like the appropriate time.

Sirens were wailing in the distance, and he knew he needed to get out of here before somebody spotted him. Dropping the binoculars in the backpack he carried, he swung it to his shoulders and lowered himself over the edge of the deer stand. He glanced at the platform to make sure he hadn’t left any evidence, but it looked clear. He lowered himself another step, then another. It was on the third step down that his foot slipped.

So quick he had no idea he was falling, he hit the ground, knocking the wind from himself. For a second, he stared up at the waning evening sky, trying to remember how to breathe. Then he rolled to his knees and pushed to his feet. He had to get out of here. The sirens were drawing closer and there was a very good chance someone would see him. Panic pushed at him, and he ran from the woods.

Severn could feel his legs burning as he pushed Jake out of the truck, but he had to get them as far away as possible, just in case the van blew. Gripping Jake under the arms, he moved him back toward his own truck, trying not to drop the small package in his right hand.

Finally, he dropped to the ground and started slapping at his pants legs. They were smoking, but not actually burning. The heavier fabric of the BDUs had probably just saved his legs.

Then Addie was there, her hands running over him top to bottom to make sure he was okay. She felt the warmth in his legs. “Do you need to take these off?”

Severn shook his head. “No. They’re cooling down.”

Then, he didn’t know who reached for who, but she was in his arms, squeezing the breath out of him. “I’m okay,” he said, over and over again, and he knew it was for both of them.

Finally, she drew back, looking him in the eye. Hers were overflowing with tears, and it shocked him a little. When he’d been blown up in Afghanistan, he’d had no one at home to mourn what had happened to him, and that had been one of the hardest parts of his recovery. His parents had come out eventually, but they’d left again, knowing he was in the best, most capable hands to care for him.

There had been a moment when he didn’t think he’d make it out of that burning van. He’d had several close calls over the years, but that had been one of the closest. And in the back of his mind, he’d wondered if Addie would mourn him if he was killed.

The look on her face, and in her beautiful eyes, told him that she would have, and his heart cracked. He pulled her to him again, and she very happily held him tight.

Then the firemen were there, pulling him up and away from the scene. He told them about the gasoline and the balloons, and they moved in with extinguishers. Water wouldn’t put out a gasoline fire. The bomb squad pulled in behind them, and he very carefully handed over the rag wrapped package.

“Looks like C4. Sorry I couldn’t grab the whole device.”

The sergeant, a man Severn had talked to before, unwrapped the rag and nodded. “Yes, it looks like C4. Hopefully, the fire guys will be able to salvage the box. You think this was the same guy?”

Severn nodded, his arm around Addie’s shoulders. “Most definitely.”

Another officer held open a metal box, and the sergeant placed the gray material inside the cushion, then shut and locked the box. C4 was fairly stable, but it was good to take precautions.

Addie walked him over to a waiting ambulance, and he agreed to be checked out. His lungs were tight from the smoke, and he allowed them to give him some oxygen. He had some scar tissue in his lungs from when he’d been burned, and pure oxygen was a relief.

By the time Johnson arrived, the fire was mostly out and the emergency had eased.

“How are you feeling,” she asked him, her face furrowed with concern.

Severn was still sitting on the ambulance gurney, sucking in oxygen. “Not bad,” he said through the mask.

Addie still had her hand wrapped around his, and he felt the detective’s gaze on them. It didn’t technically matter what they did, but it would be frowned upon in professional circles.

“Tell me what happened,” she said, drawing out a notepad.

Severn related all the details of what he’d done. “He definitely planned to take us both out. But he wanted to have fun when he did it. That gave me time to unarm the bomb and get Jake out of there.”

The detective shook her head, sighing. “I’m glad you’re okay. Did you recognize anything about the bomb, or the setup?”

Severn shook his head. He pulled the mask off his face. “I think he was either here watching, or he had us under surveillance. He would want to see what happened. He would need to see what happened. And he’s going to be pissed that we got out.”

She nodded, looking grim. “That’s already occurred to me. I’ll let the chief know we may be in for a bumpy ride.”

The detective turned and headed toward the sergeant that had taken the C4. Severn nodded his head at Dan, who had been lurking in the background behind the detective. Something in his expression let Severn know he had news. With a wave, he slipped off the ambulance gurney and crossed the few feet to Dan. Addie tucked herself in at his side.

“What?” Severn leaned his head down to his guard.

“I found where he was watching you,” Dan said. “And I might have pictures of him.”

Dan showed him the game cam he had wrapped in a shirt. With a head jerk, Severn moved them toward the truck. He’d been released by the ambulance crew and advised to go to the emergency department if he had problems breathing, but he knew he wouldn’t.

They had an arsonist to catch.