Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 20—Final Showdown

"Sir? Could you please let my wife go? I swear to God, she didn't have anything to do with this."

Arthur Logan now leveled his M16 at the chest of a thin, older man who wore a black tux and glasses.

"Congressman McBride. Both of you had everything to do with it! You both smile on the TV, and then when some morons reelect you, you start stealing from us."

"I'm sorry" he said, his voice quaking. "But please. My wife."

"Tell you what. I'm not such a bad guy. You and your wife are gonna walk ahead of me." He glanced matter-of-factly back at his cohorts. "Ten minutes, and the money ain't here yet. So I'll tell you what. Congressman McBride, you can buy some time for these animals."

As their captor marched them down the creaky hallway, their footsteps echoed off the walls. The congressman held his wife's trembling hand as tightly as he could. His heart pounded, and he kept his head down. His wife wrapped her free hand around her husband's jacketed elbow as she clung to him. Both of them couldn't help but feel as though neither would be coming back.

Arthur Logan leveled the M16's muzzle at his chest, shoving him into a foyer and handed him a cell phone. "We got eight minutes left. But I tell you what. You can save yourselves and everybody in here, and all it's gonna cost you is a phone call to your co-rulers. Tell them to repeal that little Eminent Domain ruling right now. My friend's farm was in your district! You're responsible. Oh, and the money in seven minutes."

The man now looked at him with wide eyes and shook his head. "I can't do that. That was a Supreme Court ruling. The House had nothing to do with that" he insisted. His wife continued to cling to his arm, tears now on her face.

He looked at the Congressman unfazed. It wasn't necessary to raise his voice. A low, threatening tone got the message across. "I know how you government pukes work. Back-room deals. Scratch each other's backs. Pork barrel. Who paid who. No, you get your skinny little butt on the phone and do it. You and your wife look fat and happy enough. My friend's uncle lost almost when you snatched his farm out from under him to build a bunch of developments. Now you're gonna fix it."

Cell phone in hand, He bowed his head sadly and took a deep breath, knowing he was about to seal their fates. "I can't do what you're asking."

His eyes now blazing, he quickly raised the barrel of his M16 at the man's head. "Fine! This will save my tax dollars!" Reflexively the terrified man held his wife as she shrieked.

Arthur Logan stiffened up when he heard a click behind him.

"You heard him, Mr. Logan. He can't do anything" a calm but firm voice said behind him. "Now drop the weapon."

His weapon still trained on the Congressman, the former Seal backed up just enough to see what was behind him and what was ahead of him. His eyes widened, as he wasn't accustomed to being challenged.

Horatio held his 9 millimeter at the former Seal's head. "Miami-Dade Police. It's over, Mr. Logan. Put it down" he insisted again, walking slowly toward the steely-eyed man.

Arthur Logan simply locked eyes with the Lieutenant who inched ever closer to him, his black service revolver now just behind the man's ear. "Arthur? It's over. Put down the weapon and get down on the ground now. Do not make me fire."

"Go ahead and kill me. I knew it might come to this."

Horatio never took his eyes off Arthur Logan. "Congressman, you and your wife step back."

Never taking his eyes off his captor, Congressman McBride pulled his terrified, sobbing wife back.

Immediately Arthur Logan whipped the M16 barrel toward the fleeing couple. Horatio quickly fired, striking him in the neck. His head tipped up as he dropped to the floor like a rag doll. His M16 fired straight up into the ceiling as he landed on the floor.

His wife shrieked and hid her face while Horatio kept his weapon trained on the dead man. A black pool of blood now spread under him.

Instantly the grand ballroom erupted in panic. Another Seal darted down the hall to his dead friend's aid, barrel aimed squarely at Horatio. Another shot rang out, and he fell forward.

With determined eyes, Stukes stood against the wall, his barrel pointed at the back of the latest casualty. His eyes darted back and forth between Horatio and the panicked ballroom crowd.

"Captain Stukesbury, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant!" he shouted above the panic.

The Lieutenant subsequently backed against a wall to avoid any gunfire. "Thanks for inviting me, Captain! I'm gonna help get these people out!"

As their numbers quickly dwindled, the red-vested captors obeyed the commands to drop their weapons and put their hands on their heads. Several tuxedoed undercover agents bolted forward, revolvers trained at their heads, cuffing them as quickly as possible.

By now the grand ballroom had become a mass of overturned tables and chairs, smashed glasses, pools of wine and scattered linen. Guests now scrambled behind tables or toward the exits. Stukes hurried in, still clinging to the wall. "Get these people out of here!" he shouted among the screaming, shuffling and crashing.

There were no sounds except the frogs and crickets, and the occasional splash of a fish in the canal. In the humid darkness, the man patiently lay face down in the raft that he had hidden in the tall, soggy sawgrass. He tipped his head up slightly when he felt the black device on his belt vibrate. He looked at the LCD screen in the dim light.

Time was up.

Immediately he pulled out another black device and clicked the button with a resolve. He would have mere minutes to be ready to move his cohorts out of there as quickly and quietly as possible. As he began to raise himself up, he heard clicks behind him. Adrenaline shot through him. He knew exactly what was happening.

"FBI! Lie down and put your hands behind your head" a low, threatening voice growled.

The man put locked his fingers on top of his head and slowly turned around into the spotlights that now nearly blinded him. It didn't matter now. He had done his job.

When the last of the terrified crowd was gone, Stukes held his M16 in front of him as he scanned the creaky hallway, creeping against the white wall the whole time, slowly advancing to the security room.

Ryan bolted up, ready to unload his new M16 into Stukes, who reflexively stepped back out of the way.

Emmie was sitting tiredly in the office chair that Ryan had moved into the closet. She put her hands up. "Wait! Ryan, he's a friend of mine! What's happening?"

"Captain Stukesbury, Navy Covert Operations. It's over. I gotta get you out of here." Ryan reflexively laid down the M16.

Emmie stood up painfully. "Captain Stukesbury?"

He yanked both of them out by their arms. "I'll explain later!"

"Wait! Harm and Mac are still in the ladies' room down the hall, I think." She wrenched her arm free of his grip.

"Stay against the wall" he cautioned.

Emmie slid past him and opened the ladies' room door. "Harm? Mac? You in here?"

Both Harm and Mac had stayed out of sight along the far wall. "Emmie? What the hell's going on out there?" Harm demanded.

Stukes poked in his head. "Navy Covert Operations. It's over! I'll get you out of here."

Mac's eyes motioned toward Mildred, who still sat on the floor gasping, out of view. "Wait. We can't leave Mildred" she insisted. The Army nurse now leaned her head back weakly against the wall. "Hi there" she said weakly. "Sounds like you had a busy night."

Stukes slung the M16 over his shoulder and knelt down to the woman. "Ma'am? You okay?"

"She's got a bad heart" Mac said softly. "I think she's getting worse."

"Is it me or is it hot in here?" Mildred asked more faintly now.

Ryan furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah, come to think of it…."

In an instant the relative calm was shattered by screaming smoke alarms. Stukes peered outside the door. A wave of smoke now found its way into the room. He shut the door as quickly as he could.

"Incindiaries! They're torching the place!"