Chapter 37 - The Tarmac StandoffTeterboro Airport was shrouded in a thick, rolling fog. The private terminal was eerily quiet, save for the whining turbines of a sleek Gulfstream V idling on the far end of the tarmac.
Federal tactical teams had established a perimeter in the shadows of the hangars, waiting for the signal. Felix sat in the back of an armored SUV alongside Agent Vance, watching through night-vision monitors.
A black Mercedes town car pulled up to the steps of the private jet.
The door opened, and Celeste Arden stepped out into the misty night. She was dressed in a dark trench coat, carrying a heavy metallic briefcase. She looked exhausted, her usual pristine glamour replaced by the frantic energy of a hunted animal.
Marcus Thorne, a notorious diamond fence, met her at the bottom of the stairs. He handed her a thick envelope of cash in exchange for a velvet bag. Celeste didn't even count it. She turned and began walking up the stairs to the waiting aircraft.
"Now," Agent Vance ordered into his radio.
Searchlights abruptly blazed to life, blindingly bright, cutting through the fog and pinning Celeste on the metal stairs of the jet. Sirens wailed as five armored FBI vehicles swarmed the plane, cutting off the runway.
"Celeste Arden!" an agent shouted through a bullhorn. "Drop the briefcase and put your hands on your head! You are surrounded by federal agents!"
Marcus Thorne immediately dropped to his knees, throwing his hands in the air.
But Celeste didn't surrender. Panic seized her features. She looked at the blinding lights, then up at the dark door of the jet. She pulled a compact pistol from her trench coat, grabbed the terrified flight attendant who had stepped out to see the commotion, and pulled the young woman in front of her as a human shield.
"Back off!" Celeste screamed hysterically, pressing the gun to the attendant's head. "Tell the pilot to take off right now, or I blow her head off!"
The tactical teams froze. A hostage situation changed all the rules of engagement.
Felix opened the door of the SUV.
"Mr. Kingsley, stay in the vehicle!" Agent Vance warned, grabbing his arm.
"She won't shoot," Felix said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "She's a corporate parasite, not a murderer. She doesn't have the stomach for blood."
May you like
Felix stepped out of the vehicle and walked slowly into the blinding circle of the searchlights, his hands empty, walking directly toward the desperate woman holding the gun.
|
Related Stories
