Page 70 of Into The Rabbit Hole
She’d arrived with Brian. She was on a path that led tonowhere.
Aaron didn't haveBen.
That was a ruse. The muffled sound Regina heard on the phone was Zeek. Aaron had given the same message to Ben and Regina, letting them know each other were indanger.
Regina was here, but surprise, surprise, no Ben. Neither knew about Taylor andChloe.
Regina was about to find out. Ben, on the other hand, would find out that everyone he loved got blown to smithereens. He’d blame himself for not coming and the guilt would drive him mad. That would be Aaron’s final act. He’d find Ben and shoot him in his head. This would all be over then. Aaron would go home to his wife and children and leave this place with all itsevil.
“Let’s do this, man.” Zeek beamed as he looked at Wade entering the cave from hisentrance.
Aaron shook his head. He couldn’t believe that idiot came alone. His ego would be hisdownfall.
Aaron put his hand out to shake Zeek’s. “Pleasure doing business with you, man. I couldn’t have pulled this off without you.” He’d looked into all the family enemies and found several willing participants. Zeek and Merissa were the people who had the mostimpact.
Zeek shook his hand and took abow.
“It’s been real. Now, let’s put these people in their places. Show ‘em what we’re madeof.”
“Indeed,” Aaron agreed. They walked out of the room and onto a balcony, waiting for Wade, Regina, and Brian to get to their designatedpoints.
Below them was a chasm, a deep drop of about a hundred meters. This was where the majority of mining took place back in the days of looking for gold. There were a number of sites like this in the cave, with the largest drop being over a hundred feet deep. That was a natural occurrence, most likely from an earthquake. That was the part that was most unstable and likely to give way at anytime.
Wade arrived first, looked about him, and then up to where Aaron and Zeek werestanding.
“Asshole, get down here and fight me like a man. What are you doing all the way up there?” Wade balked, looking at Zeek. His tirade was, however, drowned out by the sight of Regina and Brian making their way in from the oppositeside.
They were at least ten meters apart; below them was thechasm.
Regina looked from Aaron to Wade and then back toAaron.
“Richard, it’s you?” shesaid.
“I should start with a grand intro. I’m Aaron, a.k.a. Richard, the mastermind of this operation. I have been your observer and watcher, watching and waiting to deal judgment on you people. I hope you loved my lovely drawings. My man, here, is Zeek, the tech. He’s been my eyes and ears. My right-handman.”
“We don’t give a shit who you are,” Wade retorted, balling his fists. “Where are Chloe andTaylor?”
“Chloe and Taylor?” Regina cried with surprise andfear.
“The girls are here?” Brianasked.
This was so much better than he thought. The drama, the excitement. It wasriveting.
“Yes, they are here,” Aaron declared. “So here’s what you’re going to do. Regina and Brian, you may take the door on your right. That will lead you to a computer where I will meet you to do the bank transfer. You may then have Ben. Wade, Zeek has yourinstructions.”
Zeek had some crazy plan forWade.
“If you all survive our set tasks, you just might be able to stop this bomb from exploding.” Aaron pulled out the miniature bomb from inside his jacket. It looked small and harmless but was designed to pack a punch. It contained a quarter of a microgram of plutonium. Equivalent to five thousand tons of TNT. Once activated, the effect was to cause a ripple of explosions. It would take out the whole mountain. He held it out for them to see. “I think you can deal with this one,Regina.”
The looks on their faces were classic. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. This was it. The moment of reckoning. The day forjustice.
It wouldn’t bring his mother back. Nothing would fix the loss he still felt, but this wassomething.
The show was about to come to anend.
* * *
Wade