Submerged Read Online Free PDF

any map I’ve ever seen. And since when do military personnel
threaten peace officers? What branch of military? Who is your
commanding officer?”
    “That doesn’t matter now,” the older man
insisted. “All that matters is that you and your partner
double-time it back to your little SUV and beat feet out of here.
Do you understand what I am saying?”
    “What is your name? What is your rank? I want
to see some ID.”
    The man started to raise the MP5 he held in
his hand.
    “Don’t do it, buddy,” Carl warned. “Your pals
may mow me down but not before I put a small hole in your chest and
a big one leaving your back.”
    “I’ll say one thing for you: You got guts.”
He lowered the machine gun. “I’m Colonel . . . Lloyd. That’s all
you need to know.”
    “I don’t see insignia or rank on your
uniform,” Carl said. “For all I know, you’re some self-styled
militia.”
    “I will tell you that we’re a special unit of
the military. Now go before you make the mistake of your life.”
    Carl’s mind was boiling, trying to find an
idea. He could call for backup, if the signal could make it out of
the valley to one of the repeater stations. Yet even if it did,
backup would be an hour or more away. He glanced at Janet, who
reached for her radio.
    “Don’t do it, Deputy,” Lloyd said. “You’re
stretching my patience.”
    “Turn around,” Carl demanded. “Drop your
weapon. On your knees.”
    “Why? You going to arrest me?”
    “I’m placing you under arrest.”
    “You’re not serious. Look, little man—”
    That did it. Carl took a step forward,
grabbed Colonel Lloyd by the shoulder, spun him around, and pressed
his gun to the back of the man’s head.
    “Hold your fire,” Lloyd ordered.
    And then Carl was on the ground. He wasn’t
sure how he got there. One instant he held a gun to a man’s head;
the next he was facedown in the dirt. It had been a blur, but he
saw enough to know his attacker had dropped to the ground and
kicked Carl’s feet out from beneath him. Before he could catch his
breath, his own gun was pressed into his temple.
    “I have tried to be polite, Deputy, but
you’ve gone too far.”
    “Let go!” It was Janet’s voice.
    It hurt, but Carl managed to twist his head
enough to see Janet facedown on the ground, two men holding
her.
    The ice cold of terror mixed with scorching
fury. He tried to struggle free, but his assailant was sitting on
him. As he struggled, he noticed the barrel of an M16 a few inches
from his head. “You had better pull the trigger, pal, because I
will not forget this.”
    “You will if you ever want to work as a cop
again.”
    Carl was jostled and his arms yanked back.
Then handcuffs were snapped in place—his own handcuffs.
    “Disarm her,” the older man ordered. “Check
for secondary weapons.”
    It was over in moments.
    Five minutes later, Janet was driving the SUV
down the grade, backtracking the way they had come. Carl sat next
to her, his hands handcuffed in front of him and those cuffs bound
to the passenger grab bar. With no key to unlock the cuffs, Carl
was helpless. Their weapons had been taken and their radios
disabled.
    Lloyd’s last words were succinct. “Don’t ever
touch me again, and don’t come back.”
    Carl made a promise to himself: He would return. And when he did, he’d find
the truth of the matter and practice a little eye-for-an-eye
justice.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter3
     
     
    A thick man with
rounded shoulders and a half halo of hair around an
otherwise bald head stepped through the door that stood between the
ER and its lobby. He wore a white smock. Perry saw him emerge and
watched him. The man looked around the room until his eyes met
Perry’s. He approached. “Family of Henry Sachs?”
    “Yes, I’m Perry Sachs, his son, and this is
my mother, Anna.”
    The white-smocked man then must have noticed
Jack. Perry introduced him as “my good friend.”
    “I’m Dr. Hibbard. Please come with me.”