"We're just going to leave them like that?" Julie asked, watching Jack finish his call. She had obediently waited for him to take care of business, but when she saw he really didn't plan on cutting the two assassins down and was preparing to leave with her, she finally voiced her concern.
"They may have been following orders, but they're still responsible for the deaths of two HPD officers. Let HPD handle getting them down—I hope they arrive in time," Jack replied calmly.
He figured he'd already been kind enough. Being left hanging upside down for an hour or two wouldn't kill them.
Whether the two killers ended up falling into the fire ant nest from struggling too much, or HPD officers were delayed by getting lost—that wasn't his problem anymore.
His mission was to prioritize protecting the witness. At the moment, he didn't even have a partner. Managing to take down two armed men by surprise was already an impressive feat.
Disabling the killers and leaving them in place for pickup was standard procedure. No one reading the report would find fault with that.
Fire ant nest? Never heard of it. He wasn't an ecologist, just a field agent. To him, that was just a mound of dirt with some little ants crawling around.
After hearing Jack's half-serious, half-performative explanation, Julie's earlier anxiety settled. She hadn't asked out of any naive savior complex—she was just worried this FBI agent who had saved her might get into trouble over it.
"I thought all FBI agents were serious old-school types like Frick. Whenever he talked to me, it was always about what he'd do with his family after retirement," Julie said, her eyes sparkling with something more than relief. Then, unable to help herself, she tugged on Jack's arm while he was focused on clearing the way—and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
Jack was caught off guard. He could've dodged if he'd really wanted to, but instead he said, "I'll take that as a token of gratitude."
Julie giggled and didn't press the moment further, but her steps noticeably lightened.
Soon, the two crested the final hill, and a winding jungle path came into view in the distance. It wasn't paved—just a dirt track pressed flat by human traffic—but it was enough to lift spirits.
The tire tracks on the dirt road seemed to proclaim that after a short yet thrilling jungle adventure, they had returned to the civilized world.
"I hear a car!" Julie called out excitedly from behind Jack, ready to run toward the road—only to be yanked back in a flash.
She spun halfway around and slammed into Jack's chest, letting out a surprised yelp even though he'd absorbed most of the impact.
At that moment, an old red Toyota pickup came barreling toward them. The driver had clearly spotted them, and the next second, a submachine gun appeared from the window.
"Damn it!" Jack cursed. Almost simultaneously with the burst of gunfire, he grabbed Julie and dove with her into a ditch carved out by runoff beside the road.
Bullets kicked up water and mud all around them, and in the midst of it all, one splash of red bloomed ominously.
The truck skidded to a stop in the distance. The driver leaned out and fired two more bursts into the ditch. Seeing no movement, he unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the door.
That's when Jack, rising out of the muddy water, struck. His SIG Sauer P320-XTen barked again and again.
Bullets punched through the thin metal door, riddling the driver with holes, blood spraying in every direction. Jack kept moving, firing as he approached the vehicle.
By the time he reached the door, the driver's upper body was a pulpy mess. His right hand, still loosely clutching the submachine gun, dangled lifelessly out the window—no longer able to pull the trigger.
"Motherf—!" Jack growled and fired the last round directly into the man's skull.
He was pissed. He hadn't taken a hit in how many chapters now? And here he was, in Hawaii for a vacation, getting his winning streak ruined by some mid-tier grunt—and looking like hell because of it.
"Jack! You're bleeding!" Julie, soaked and caked in mud, scrambled over and nearly slipped as she rushed to him, her voice thick with panic when she saw the blood seeping from his lower back.
Jack pointed at the backpack he'd tossed into the ditch. The medical kit was inside. While she dug it out, he quickly checked his own wound—then let out a breath of relief.
The bullet had entered just below his left rib, skimming along a rib and exiting cleanly. His kidney was untouched. It was a flesh wound—painful, sure, but not serious. Not even worth using healing powers on.
From the distance came the sharp wail of sirens. A Ford F-150 with flashing lights pulled up nearby, and Danny and Cheng Hao jumped out, guns drawn and faces tense.
They had rushed here as soon as Jack's call came in—but still arrived a little too late. Clearly, the third assassin had picked the same rendezvous point.
A predictable coincidence: the other two assassins must have used a satellite phone to report when they picked up Jack and Julie's trail. Both sides ended up converging on the nearest road through the forest.
"You guys okay?" Danny called out, alarmed by the sight of the two of them sitting in the mud, with Julie crying as she tried to rinse Jack's wound with his canteen.
Cheng Hao, more composed, checked the corpse and inspected the pickup before finally putting away his weapon.
Jack's canteen was filled with water mixed with lemon juice—normally his drink of choice. Now it was just pure punishment on an open wound. He gritted his teeth in pain, waving Danny off as he approached.
"Just a scratch."
Jack grabbed a bandage, expertly wrapped it twice around his waist, and let Julie help him stand. He gave her a quick smile. "We should still have time to make it to court."
Julie glanced down at the bulletproof vest she still wore, then at the blood-streaked bandage around Jack's waist, and swallowed hard, forcing back tears. She nodded fiercely.
Having seen Jack's first-aid skills before, Danny chose to trust his judgment. He ran to the front of the F-150 and slapped the hood.
"We've got an hour. I'll contact HPD and get them to clear the route—we should be able to make it."
The F-150 turned and sped off. Danny sat in the passenger seat, glancing back to confirm Jack was stable, then grabbed the satellite phone.
"This is State Police Special Inspector Danny Williams. Witness Julie Masters is secure. We are en route to the courthouse.
I'm requesting all intersections along the way remain open, and we need tight security around the courthouse—one suspect remains at large, identity still unknown."
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