The Soul Collectors Read Free Page B

Float Vest. Good Kevlar protection and multiple side pouches with ALICE clips. One side pouch held three empty slots for extra ammo. The bigger one contained a brand-new gas mask, a top-of-the-line model with a wide transparent polycarbonate visor and a military-grade filter positioned on the right side so it wouldn’t interfere with her vision. The mouthpiece also had the new voice-amplifying system.
    ‘Where’d you get the funds for all this equipment?’ she asked, dipping into the duffel bag again for the tactical pouch holding her sidearm. ‘You guys hit the lottery?’
    ‘In a macabre way, yes, we did,’ Trent said. ‘After 9/11, the state got a massive influx of cash to upgrade all our gear and weapons, and there was enough money left over to buy the Bear.’ He tapped the wall of the APC. ‘What are you packing? Looks like a SIG Sauer.’
    ‘P226,’ Darby said, strapping the sidearm against her right thigh.
    ‘Nice choice, but our guy’s probably going to have you dump it. You’re going to need a backup piece and someplace to hide it. I’d sug—’
    ‘I’ve already got it covered.’ She rolled up her jean cuff and showed him the weapon tucked beneath the lip of her boot – a compact SIG Sauer P230 in an ankle holster.
    She slipped on the tactical vest, zippered it up and found, strapped to the right front, a black piece of metal shaped like a baton. It had a trigger.
    ‘What’s this?’
    ‘Netgun launcher,’ Trent said. ‘Two rounds, though you only need one. Wraps the person in a web. It’s electrified, gives the person a slight jolt. And it’s made of this sticky shit, so there’s no way you can tear it off. I’m not a big fan of the non-lethal gadgets, but this one shows a lot of promise.’
    Darby started transferring the extra clips of ammo from her duffel bag. ‘What’s the plan? You going to drive the APC up to the house?’
    ‘Our boy Charlie requested it. I’m going to park it right in front so he can’t miss it.’
    ‘I want you to keep your men in here until I give the order to breach.’
    ‘He asked for us, remember?’
    ‘Understood. But if you want me to go in there and talk to him, I’ll be the one giving the orders.’
    That hit a nerve. Trent’s gaze narrowed in his stony face. She knew the senior corporal was about to launch into a lecture about how this was a tactical operation and, as such, he would be the one calling the shots.
    ‘I don’t know anything about this guy’s mental state,’ she said. ‘For all I know, he’s a schizophrenic. If he sees your men standing around the house, armed, it might set him off. He might start shooting.’
    ‘All the more reason why my men should be positioned in and around the house.’
    ‘I can handle him. And I’m going to get him to walk out of there alive. If we carry him out in a body bag, we won’t know why he’s holding the family hostage.’
    ‘And if I say no?’
    ‘Then you can go in and try talking to him.’
    Darby removed her SIG, clicked off the safety and jacked a round into the chamber. She slid her weapon back into the holster, clipped the strap and leaned back against the wall, waiting for Trent’s answer.
    The APC came to a jarring stop.
    Darby didn’t move. Nobody did, everyone waiting for Trent to speak.
    Finally, he did.
    ‘Nobody moves or takes a shot until McCormick gives the word.’
    Darby thought she caught a look of admiration flash across his eyes before he turned to his men. ‘Everyone clear?’
    Nods all around.
    Now it was her turn to address the group.
    ‘If I say “blue”, that’s the signal to breach the house. If I use “red”, have one of the snipers take Charlie down. Any questions?’
    There were none.
    Darby opened the back doors to a rush of cold air and flashing blue and white police lights.

4
    Darby stepped into a crowded police blockade. She didn’t see any homes or streetlights, just a long, double-wide road paved through densely packed woods that seemed to