Ocean of Wrath (Eva Driscoll Book 6), page 1
OCEAN of WRATH
~by~
Alan McDermott
Also by Alan McDermott
Gray Justice
Gray Resurrection
Gray Redemption
Gray Retribution
Gray Vengeance
Gray Salvation
Gray Genesis
Trojan
Run and Hide
Seek and Destroy
Fight to Survive
When Death Strikes
Empires Will Fall
Motive
Fifteen Times a Killer
The Sokolov Agenda
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Thursday February 8th
John Halliday pulled into the parking lot and stopped thirty yards from the House of Congdu. He left the stolen car’s engine running, and stared at the entrance to the Korean restaurant through a Keanu Reeves mask. He’d become familiar with the place over the last few days. Days that were the culmination of months of preparation.
He checked the burner cell and saw that the rendezvous point hadn’t changed. If it had, it wouldn’t matter. He could reach all three options in minutes.
Halliday took a deep breath.
Here we go.
He got out of the car and opened the rear door, where the smoke grenade and AR-15 automatic rifle awaited him. He knew the magazine was full, a round in the chamber, primed and ready to fire. All he had to do was pull the trigger.
Halliday picked up the smoke grenade and looked at the restaurant as a Mercedes pulled up and two people got out. If he still had any doubts, the appearance of the two rich Asians dispelled them. Instead of making him think again, they doubled his resolve.
Halliday checked the area for cops, and seeing it was clear, approached the restaurant. At the door, he pulled the pin from the grenade with a gloved hand and let the handle fly. He counted to three, then opened the door and threw it inside. By the time he jogged back to his car, all he could see through the restaurant windows was a thick grey cloud. As the first of the customers emerged, Halliday picked up the rifle and got them in his sights.
The old lady crumpled a split second after he squeezed the trigger, and that sent the rest of them into a panic. They scattered like cockroaches when the light comes on. Halliday switched to full auto and began spraying anyone that moved. He saw three hit the ground, but his attention swung to the rich couple. They’d gotten into their Mercedes and the driver headed for the parking lot exit. Halliday emptied his magazine at the rear of the vehicle, then quickly switched it out for a new one. He cursed as the Mercedes shot out onto the highway and out of range. His rounds had hit two passing cars. While one slowed to a stop, the other hit the median and flipped.
Halliday didn’t have time to wonder whom he’d hit. Hopefully it would be more Asians, but time would tell. He was sure to hear about other victims on the news very soon. He turned back to the restaurant and saw only dead bodies. The rest of the customers had disappeared. Frustrated at such a miserable body count, Halliday emptied his fresh mag into the restaurant windows, then picked up the empty one and got back in his car.
Three seconds later, he was on the highway. He reached the gym in ninety seconds, tires squealing as he made a sharp turn around the back. There, waiting as planned, was his getaway ride. Halliday slammed on the brakes and jumped out. He slung the rifle over his shoulder, yanked the orange toggle under his seat and jumped into the back of the other vehicle. As the driver hit the gas, Halliday kept his head down. After a few moments he heard the explosion that would deprive the authorities of any incriminating evidence.
“How’d it go?” the driver asked. She was in her fifties, dressed for the office.
“I only got four,” Halliday said.
The woman didn’t share his disappointment. “Nice. Jacob will be pleased.”
“You sure?”
“Of course!” she said as she made a turn. “The only thing that would have pissed him off is if you’d had a change of heart. You went through with it, and that’s what counts.”
That was a relief to Halliday. Jacob was the last man he wanted to get on the wrong side of.
“How long ’til the handover?” he asked.
“Half an hour or so,” the driver said.
Halliday would switch to yet another vehicle, one that would take him all the way to the safe house on the outskirts of Jeanerette. Once there, he’d remove and burn the clothes he was wearing before ordering a pizza. While he waited for it to arrive, Halliday would drink a couple of beers and some bourbon to make it appear he’d been home all day. It was Jacob’s idea, as was everything else. Jacob had come up with the entire plan. All Halliday had to do was execute it.
Which he’d done.
His first kills. He hoped they wouldn’t be his last.
Chapter 2
Thursday February 8th
“Bowie.”
“Metallica,” Sonny Baines countered, before indicating to change lanes.
Eva Driscoll cringed, then her face lit up. “Queen!”
Sonny was quick to respond. “Motorhead.”
“If we ever get this dog, there’s no way I’m calling her Motorhead. People will think it’s some kind of robot.”
Sonny beamed at her. “Robohound! Now that would be so cool.” He gave Eva big cow eyes. “Can we get one? Please? Please? I promise I’ll give him weekly oil baths and clean up after him if he leaks.”
Eva couldn’t help but laugh. When Sonny switched to pleading child mode, she was unable to resist.
And it felt good to laugh again. They’d spent the last few years trying to evade the Executive Security Office, or ESO, but now that threat was over. They’d taken out the men at the top, as well as those groomed to replace them. Eva and Sonny were now free to enjoy the rest of their lives as they saw fit, without having to worry about ESO henchmen showing up on their doorstep.
“Maybe in a few years,” Eva said, “once you’ve shown me you’re mature enough to take care of an animal.”
Sonny feigned disappointment. “Spoilsport.”
Eva slipped out of her seatbelt and snuggled into him. “Forget about the dog for now. We’ve got too much to do.”
They were six months into what Sonny had dubbed Operation Catch Up—making up for lost time. There were so many places and events that they’d wanted to take in, but they’d been too busy looking over their shoulder in recent years. Now, they were free to indulge. They’d already spent a few weeks in Las Vegas with old friend Tom Gray and his daughter, Melissa. Then Gray and Melissa had gone on a cross-country road trip while they worked on their plan to move to Australia. Eva and Sonny had managed to tick a few items off their bucket list. They’d ended the summer in Costa Rica, spent fall in California, and Christmas skiing in Aspen. As spring approached, they were heading to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras.
“Okay,” Sonny replied, putting his hand on Eva’s thigh. “We have to stop for gas, so we might as well eat while we’re at it. What do you fancy?”
“Steak,” Eva told him.
“Good choice,” Sonny said. “Let’s see what Baton Rouge has to offer.”
A mile later, Eva spotted a gas station next to a large shopping center. She took her cell phone from her pocket.
“Fill up here while I find a steak joint nearby.”
As Sonny hit the turn signal, the windshield spiderwebbed and the car jinked to the left. Before Eva could make sense of what was happening, the front wheel hit the curb on the median hard and the car leapt into the air. Eva found herself floating until gravity took over and the car came down tail first. The impact sent her flying over the headrest. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the fast-approaching rear window.
Chapter 3
Thursday February 8th
Eva woke to a dry mouth and pounding head. She raised her hand to inspect the source of the pain and saw an intravenous drip feeding into the back of her hand.
What the hell?
Eva closed her eyes and tried to remember what she’d done to end up in hospital, but her mind was blank.
It was an unnerving feeling.
What’s your name? she asked herself.
Eva Driscoll. The name came instantly, so she knew her memory loss wasn’t permanent. But why was she in a hospital bed?
Memory rus
Sonny!
Eva shot upright, but before she could swing her legs off the bed, the room began to spin. She closed her eyes and put her hands on the bed to steady herself. When she opened them, she saw a nurse standing in front of her.
“And where do you think you’re going?”
The nurse was in her forties, with black hair cut in a short bob. Her name badge read Molly Chambers.
Eva tried to stand, but Molly put a firm but comforting hand on her shoulder. “You need to lie down. You suffered a concussion.”
Eva wanted to object, but the room was still moving, making her nauseous. She sank back down on the bed and closed her eyes. “Where’s Sonny?” she asked.
“Who?”
The question threw Eva for a moment, then she remembered. Eva Driscoll and Simon “Sonny” Baines didn’t exist. Their details had been wiped from every computer on the planet as part of their plan to be free of the ESO for good. There were no photographs, fingerprints, or DNA records left in existence. Eva was now Nolene Daniels, and Sonny also had a new name.
“Stuart,” Eva said. “Stuart Barnes. I call him Sonny.”
“Ah,” Molly said, offering a sympathetic look. “He’s still in surgery.”
Eva shot upright again, immediately wishing she hadn’t. “What happened to him?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Clearly not,” Eva said, unable to hide her irritation.
Molly wasn’t fazed by Eva’s attitude. “You were involved in a shooting,” she said, as she tucked Eva in.
Eva closed her eyes and tried to recall what had happened, but all she could remember was the car taking off. No, there was more. The windshield. It had shattered a split second before her world was turned upside down. That was what had caused Sonny to lose control of the car.
The reason for the accident could wait, though. “How is Sonny? What happened to him?”
“He took a bullet to the chest,” a new voice said.
Eva opened her eyes and saw a woman dressed in a black suit standing next to Molly. The newcomer had strawberry blonde hair tied in a ponytail and looked to be in her mid-thirties. Eva instinctively knew she was law enforcement.
“Special Agent Sandy Baker,” the blonde said, flashing her badge. “FBI.”
That got Eva’s attention. Local police usually dealt with shootings, so if the Feds were involved, it had to be something big. What had she and Sonny stumbled into?
“I need to see him.” Eva tried to sit up again.
Nurse Molly was having none of it. She put a hand on Eva’s shoulder, just firm enough to get the message across. “You can’t see him yet. Once he’s out of surgery and well enough to receive visitors, I’ll take you to him.”
Much as she hated the idea, Eva felt Molly was right. She couldn’t just barge into the operating room, and Sonny would be out for some time while he recovered.
“At least tell me how bad it is,” Eva asked Molly.
Baker glanced at the nurse’s badge. “Perhaps Ms. Chambers can go and get an update while I ask you a few questions.”
Molly took the hint. When she left, Baker pulled a chair over and sat next to Eva’s bed.
“What can you remember?” she asked Eva.
Eva told her all she knew. One minute they were driving down the street, the next she was here. She didn’t see or hear anything before that.
A troubling thought suddenly leapt into Eva’s head. “Who shot at me?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Baker said, “but it doesn’t look like you were the target. From what we’ve been able to determine, a lone male threw a smoke grenade into a Korean restaurant and began shooting the customers as they ran out. It looks like your car was just hit by a stray round.”
That came as a relief to Eva. If she and Sonny had been the target, it would have meant only one thing: the ESO was back.
Baker gave Eva more cause for concern. “Your ID says you’re from California. What brings you to Louisiana?”
Eva had wanted to keep her new ID out of the law enforcement system for as long as possible. Until now, there had been little chance of any of the remaining low-ranking ESO players tripping across the photo she’d used in her passport or California driving license. Now that she was in the FBI database, the situation had changed.
There wasn’t much she could do about it now, apart from ditching the ID and becoming someone else as soon as possible. Until then, she’d do what she could to make Baker lose interest in her.
“We were heading to New Orleans,” Eva said. “We booked a hotel for a week.”
Baker wrote the response in a notebook, then asked, “First time?”
“First time…what?”
“At Mardi Gras,” Baker said.
“Oh. Yes, first time. Looking forward to it.”
Eva found Baker staring at her. “What?”
Baker shook her head. “Sorry, you look familiar.”
“I get that a lot,” Eva said, knowing there was no chance of Baker discovering her real identity.
“And what do you do?” Baker continued. “For a living?”
“I run my own design company,” Eva said. She had set it up to complement the new identity, and though it was registered, had an office and would eventually pay taxes on a small fictitious income, it had no clients and never would. Eva gave Baker its name and address.
“And Stuart?” Baker asked her. “Is he your husband?”
“Partner,” Eva said. “Business and personal.”
Her reply went into the book, and as Baker was writing, Eva looked through the room’s window and spotted a commotion in the hallway. A cop was arguing with two people, a well-dressed man and what looked like a teenager. The kid had messy hair and wore a hoodie.
Baker followed Eva’s eyes, then cursed. “Press.”
That was the last thing Eva wanted. If her picture was splashed all over the news, her enemies were sure to spot it.
The cop seemed to be winning the battle, but the teenager dodged past him and into Eva’s room. She just managed to snatch the bedsheet over her head before he started snapping away with a camera.
“Miss Daniels!” Eva heard. “Do you have a comment for WCRM?”
“Get them out of here!” Baker shouted, and the reporter protested vociferously as the cop took him from the room.
Eva waited for silence to descend before slowly pulling the sheet down. The room was empty, apart from Baker, who was looking at Eva curiously.
“Don’t like your picture being taken?”
Eva had to think fast. Otherwise, Baker might become suspicious and dig deeper into her life. While her documents were all legitimate—at a hundred and fifty grand, they ought to be—it wouldn’t take long for a seasoned FBI agent to find holes in her story. Eva had to ensure Baker didn’t feel the need to go to that much trouble.
“I left a violent relationship a couple of years ago, and my ex threatened to kill me if he ever found me. It’s bad enough that the reporter knew my name, but if my face got all over the news…”
Eva let the statement tail off, and Baker nodded that she understood.
“I’ll see to it that those guys don’t get within a mile of you.”
Eva smiled her thanks, then yawned and rubbed her eyes. She hoped that Baker would take the hint and leave her alone.
Her wish was granted. Baker handed Eva a business card. “If you think of anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“I will,” she lied. That was the last thing Eva wanted to do.
Chapter 4
Thursday February 8th
In the ninety minutes since Halliday had fired his first shot, the adrenaline had worn off and he was ready for the ice-cold brewski at the safe house.
The thought of beer always cast his mind back to his first meeting with Jacob. The summer before, he had been in his local bar in Erath, chugging beers and shooting the shit with a couple of buddies from the lumber yard. Talk had been of football, then politics. Inevitably, it had turned to the dismal state of the nation.
“It’s the Nips,” Bernie Yates said mischievously.
Cody Dunn nudged him. “Don’t set him off!”
“It’s all of them,” Halliday agreed, then belched. “The Nips, the Chinks, all of them. Americans can’t get a decent job these days ’cuz everything’s made in China, Taiwan, Japan.” It had to be true, because the state senator had said so in his last five election campaigns. Not only were American jobs being offshored, but the Asians were coming over here and taking the few jobs that remained.
