Page 79 of Final Sins

“Affirmative. Targets are due east, dude. Looks like Gravy’s got his old man under guard.”

“Excellent.” Jason grinned grimly. “Let’s do this,” he ordered Alex and took off at a run.

Alex jogged after him, her boots crunching on gravel and broken glass as they made their way to Gravy and the general. The eerie silence of the abandoned park settled around them, broken only by their labored breathing and the occasional creak of rusted metal.

As they rounded the corner of a derelict funhouse, its mirrors cracked and clouded with age, Alex caught sight of Gravy standing guard over his father, weapon in hand. The younger man’s face was a mask of conflicting emotions, pain and determination warring in his eyes.

“Good work, dude,” Jason called out, his voice cutting through the tension.

Alex couldn’t imagine the pain Gravy must be feeling. There’d be time enough to debrief later, though.

But as she and Jason approached, the general’s face contorted. He clutched at his chest, stumbling backward with a pained gasp.

“Dad?” Gravy’s voice cracked with concern.

Jason rushed forward, Alex hot on his heels. “Easy now,” Jason said, holstering his weapon and reaching for the older man.

He and Gravy attempted to lower the general to the ground, but the man struggled to stay on his feet.

Alex’s instincts screamed a warning. Something wasn’t right.

The general’s pained expression morphed into a snarl. With surprising speed, he lashed out, his fist connecting solidly with Gravy’s jaw. The sharp crack echoed in the night air.

Gravy crumpled, out cold before he hit the ground.

“Jason!” Alex cried out, lunging forward. But it was too late.

The general, spry for a man who moments ago seemed on the verge of a heart attack, plowed into Jason, knocking him aside and taking off running. His figure quickly disappeared into the shadows of the park, swallowed by the maze of abandoned rides and overgrown paths.

Alex helped Jason to his feet, her hand lingering on his arm. “You okay?”

Jaw clenched in frustration, Jason nodded. “Fine. Check on Gravy.”

As Alex knelt beside the unconscious man, Jason’s voice crackled over the comms. “Cody, we’ve got a situation. The general’s loose in the park. I need eyes, now.”

Reassured by Gravy’s strong heartbeat, Alex slumped against the funhouse wall. The cool, damp surface seeped through her shirt. She ran a hand through her sweat-dampened hair, a humorless laugh bubbling up from her throat.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered, her gaze meeting Jason’s equally incredulous one. “We just took down an entire secret organization, and we lose the big bad to what? A game of granddaddy hide-and-seek?”

Jason seemed equally shocked. “No kidding.”

The absurdity of it all hit her then, and Alex found herself caught between the urge to laugh hysterically or scream into the void of the abandoned park. Instead, she pushed herself off the wall, squaring her shoulders. Round two.

Jason held out a hand, helping her up. “Cody? I need visuals on Munsinger. He’s trying to make a run for it.”

“Copy that.” The reply came swiftly. “He’s headed south. Making for the SUVs.”

“On it.” Jason whipped out his handgun and tore off.

Alex’s muscles screamed in protest as she followed him through the labyrinth of rusted rides and overgrown paths. The sound of their pounding footsteps echoed in the eerie silence of the abandoned park.

“There!” Jason hissed, pointing to a shadow darting between two dilapidated food stalls.

They cornered the general near the defunct Tunnel of Love, its once-cheerful cherubs now leering grotesquely in the moonlight. Alex stalked forward, her tranq gun steady despite her exhaustion.

“It’s over,” she growled, finger tightening on the trigger.

Munsinger turned to face them, right hand in his pants pocket. “You sure about that?”

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