Abuse of Power - Michael Savage [143]
Haddad was looking toward the north, through his field glasses, and it was Sara who saw him first. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized who it was. She seemed to be warning him off with her gaze but he shook his head once, slowly, and kept creeping forward, trying to close the gap between them.
Then suddenly Haddad lowered the binoculars and turned, following Sara’s gaze and looking at Jack without surprise.
“Please stop where you are,” he said with the calmness of a man who had accepted his fate. Dropping the field glasses against his chest, he reached into his pocket and held up a small cell phone, his thumb hovering over the keypad.
A remote detonator.
“Another step and I’ll hit speed dial. I’m sure you can imagine what will happen then.”
Eerily, the winds died just then. Jack stopped where he was and looked past Haddad.
“Are you all right, Sara?”
“My hands are tied and I have a nuke strapped to my back. Other than that—”
“I should never have left you on that island,” he said mournfully.
Smart girl, letting him know she was tied up. The way she was standing, he couldn’t be sure.
Haddad frowned, studying Jack carefully. “You must be the man Swain told me about. The Jew. It’s very resourceful of you to show up here. I was expecting the FBI.”
“They’re waiting on the negotiators. They have this crazy idea that they can reason with you.”
Haddad smiled, gesturing to the Glock. “I see you don’t share that belief.”
“Not for a minute,” Jack said.
“Still, I’d advise you to put the weapon down or I’ll be forced to make my call prematurely.”
“Or I could just shoot you.”
Haddad’s smile widened. “You’d have to be a very precise shot to keep me from pressing this key.”
“Worth a try,” Jack said, starting to raise it.
Haddad’s smile vanished and he raised his arm menacingly.
“Moments are like a lifetime as death nears. You still have a little time to spend with each other as long as you put the weapon down and kick it to me.”
Jack hesitated, looked at that long, cruel thumb poised over the keypad, then slowly crouched. He laid the Glock on the catwalk floor and kicked it toward Haddad.
“Thank you,” Haddad said.
At least he was a polite lunatic.
Jack shot a glance at Sara and noticed at once that she had her game face on. She obviously had a plan of some kind, something that had occurred to her while he and Haddad were talking.
That meant, keep Haddad talking.
“So what’s the plan?” Jack asked. “You do realize they’re closing the bridge. So if you’re waiting on that tanker—”
“It’s already here, and right on schedule,” Haddad said. “They won’t turn any cars back. They’ll have to wait until they’ve cleared the bridge before they can seal it off.”
“Oh?” Jack said, looking over the rail toward the road below. “Because it looks to me like they’re already escorting the tanker back the way it came.”
Haddad frowned and swiveled his head, looking at the road. It took him a moment to realize his mistake, but by then it was too late. Sara made her move, swinging her bound hands at his face, knocking him sideways.
He fumbled the cell phone and it landed at his feet. But Jack was already in motion, leaping across the catwalk, grabbing for it. He felt it brush his fingers as his momentum knocked it spinning toward the rail.
Haddad lunged for it, but Sara threw her hands over his head and, with a grunt, yanked him toward her using her bonds as a garrote. His expression ferocious, Haddad snapped his head back, butting her face. Sara stumbled back, dazed, and he slipped from her grasp. He reached for the cell phone again but Jack was on his feet. He kicked it, sent it spinning to the opposite side of the catwalk. Haddad raced forward as it clattered against the steps.
Roaring, Haddad set out after it. Jack looked frantically