Carden watched as Antonio and Anthony pulled J.T. out of the trunk and walked him to the back of the cube van.
“Cuff him to the door latch for the time being. Get his mouth taped up good so there’s no chance of him yelling out. Take his blindfold off and put the mask over his head after I have mine in place. He has no reason to see my face.” Carden slipped on his mask, opened the back doors of the van, and untied Julie. With a hard yank of her hair, he jerked her out and led her to the car. “Move it!”
Her muffled scream as she was thrown into the trunk sent J.T. into a fit of rage. The cuffs dug into his wrists as he twisted and pulled while witnessing Julie’s abuse.
“Aw, did that piss you off, Agent Harper?” Carden slammed the trunk lid and checked the time on his phone. “Okay, get a move on. They’re going to be here in fifteen minutes. Anthony, get me one of the AK-47s. I need to go. Do not screw this up!” Carden secured his Kevlar vest and slung the rifle strap over his shoulder. He approached J.T. and stood within a foot of him. “Just so you know, Fed, you do one thing wrong and your sister will endure a slow, painful death. Do you understand? She dies inch by inch, minute by minute, but you—you’ll get a bullet to the brain, just like Curt did.” With a fast thrust of his fist, Carden delivered a hard gut punch and knocked the wind out of the agent.
J.T. groaned through the tape as he doubled over, his knees ready to buckle.
“I asked if you understood what I said.”
J.T. nodded.
“Good.” Carden turned toward the brothers with a stern warning. “I’ll call you when they’re two miles out. That’s when you’ll take off his cuffs and push him to the end of the turnout. When they’re a mile away, you give the agent one of the assault rifles and position him in the middle of the road with the gun facing the oncoming transport truck. Anthony, you’ll be behind the wheel and ready to T-bone them. Antonio, you’ll be hiding in the brush with your AK pointed at J.T. the entire time. If he does anything off script, blow him away.”
Antonio chuckled as he wiggled his hand. “My pleasure, boss, and this trigger finger is already feeling itchy.”
Carden grinned. “Just don’t get carried away. I’ll be a quarter mile behind the transport vehicle. Once you’ve incapacitated them, I’ll start shooting into the cargo hold. If I can’t break through with the assault rifle, I’ll use the magnetic IED. You two take out the driver and the guard up front. By that time, Mr. Agent Man will likely be dead from their shots. Any questions?”
Anthony stared at J.T. with piercing dark eyes as his upper lip curled into a sneer. “Nope, we’re good to go, Mr. Vetcher. You can count on us.”
“You better hope I can, and stay out of sight. Keep your phone glued to your ear. You’ll be getting a call from me within the next ten minutes.” Carden climbed into the Fiesta and sped away.
The overgrowth of brush hid them well as Anthony and Antonio waited out of sight and leaned against several available trees. J.T. grunted and writhed at the back of the van.
“Keep still. You’re distracting me, and those cuffs aren’t coming off until Mr. Vetcher says so,” Antonio yelled out.
Anthony swatted Antonio’s arm. “Keep it down, bro. I have to listen for the phone call.” The buzz caused them both to look toward Anthony’s front pants pocket. “It’s showtime.” He reached in and pulled out his cell. “What’s the word, sir?”
“The truck just passed by, and it’s what we anticipated. Two people were sitting up front. It’s the standard setup. Take the cuffs off the agent and watch every move he makes. If he’s going to try anything, it’ll be when his hands are free.”
“He’s no match against Antonio and me.”
“I’m sure that’s true, but have Antonio get him out to the road, and you wait inside the truck. You’ll be sideswiping the transport soon. Tell Antonio to give Agent Harper the second AK. I’ll call you back in one minute. Now hurry.”
Anthony ended the call and released J.T.’s restraints. “Get him out to the road. Here’s the unloaded AK for him and the AR-22 for you. Keep your gun on his head at all times. They’ll be here in a few minutes.” Anthony jogged back to the cube van and stepped up on the running board. He climbed in, turned the key in the ignition, and sucked in a deep breath through his nose. Any minute now he’d get the second call, and there would be no turning back. He’d gun the cube van between the driver’s door and the front wheel well. The truck would be unable to move. The diamonds would be theirs within minutes of everything taking place. The agent, driver, and every guard inside the truck would be dead, and he and his co-conspirators would disappear with three million dollars’ worth of cool, icy diamonds.
The phone rang again. Anthony picked up.
“Start the truck. They’re thirty seconds out. Tell Antonio to place the agent in the center of the road and then have him back away. It’s time to move, now!” Carden hung up, and Anthony yelled out the window.
“Get him out there. The truck is coming around the curve.” Anthony snapped his seat belt, placed the pistol between his legs, and turned the key in the ignition. He pressed the gas pedal to the floorboards and gunned it. Gravel sprayed around the vehicle, and the cube van lurched forward.