Page 60 of So Bleak

They would be fine.

Turk nudged her, and she turned to see his brown eyes locked on hers. He showed the same love he always did, but there was nothing gentle in his gaze. He was reassuring her of his commitment to the fight ahead. He was a Marine too, just like her, and the steel in his eyes was the same she had seen in the eyes of her brothers and sisters in combat, the same eyes that stared at her in the mirror every morning.

She smiled and scratched him behind his neck. “You ready to catch a bad guy, Turk?”

Turk barked loudly, and Faith grinned.

“I think that was a yes,” Michael said. “Okay, two minutes out. Do I keep the lights and sirens on or shut them off?”

Faith thought a moment. “Keep them on. I want him to know that it’s over.”

“You got it.”

They reached the house in two minutes, just as Michael promised. There were no lights on inside, and Faith felt a brief flash of panic. If he wasn’t home, then he would have a much better chance of getting away.

“Let’s go in anyway,” Michael said. “He could be in the basement.”

“Does the house have a basement?”

“Let’s find out.” He parked the car and unbuckled his belt. “You and Turk go to the front. I’m going to the back.”

“Sounds good. Leave the lights on so PD can see us.”

“You got it.”

The three agents quickly crossed the yard. The yard was free of the chain link fence that surrounded most houses in the neighborhood, so they covered the distance without fuss. Michael continued to the back while Faith and Turk climbed the steps of the front porch and waited by the door.

She counted to ten to give Michael enough time to reach the back door, then knocked loudly. “Tyler Grant! This is the FBI! Come out now with your hands where I can see them!”

No answer.

That didn’t surprise Faith. No one ever surrendered after the first warning. She knocked again, more forcefully. “Tyler! I’m not playing with you. This is the FBI! You need to come out now with your hands up, or we’re coming in!”

Still no answer.

Well, he had been warned.

She stepped back and squared up to the door. She took a deep breath, then kicked hard. The door shattered inward, splinters flying everywhere. An instant later, she heard another crash as Michael kicked in the back door.

The two of them rushed through the house, weapons and flashlights drawn. The place was eerily silent. An odd, musty odor hung in the air. She would have thought the place would be abandoned if not for the dishes in the sink and the loafers sitting in front of an old recliner in the living room.

They cleared the first floor and quickly moved to the second. The odor was slightly less powerful here, but still present.

More importantly, there was no one on the second floor either. No Tyler, no anyone.

Panic skirted the edges of Faith’s thoughts again, but she fought it down. There could still be a basement.

As though reading her mind, Turk barked and rushed back down the stairs. Faith and Michael rushed after him, calling for Tyler to surrender.

Tyler didn’t reply, but when they found Turk standing in front of a door on the first floor behind the stairs, they knew they had found him. Faith looked at Michael, who nodded once and squared up to the door.

“Turk, come,” Faith called.

When Turk was clear, Michael kicked the door open. Light spilled through, and Faith felt a rush of excitement. He was here!

The three of them rushed down into the basement. Turk ran ahead, barking madly.

When Faith reached the bottom, several answers flooded her mind all at the same time. The first one she expressed was, “Holy shit. It was fugu after all.”

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