Chapter 9
Ryan's expression became serious.
He had information ,but how to explain how he got it ?
"What is it?" McNab asked.
Ryan hesitated.
There was no good explanation for what he was about to say.
'Well here goes nothing '
"I think there might be more suspects."
Welters groaned.
"Based on what? A lucky guess?"
Ryan pointed toward a nearby building.
"When I was apprehending the two suspects some saw us and it spooked them , accomplices maybe I don't know it's just a feeling."
"That's not probable cause, Rookie."
"No," Ryan admitted. "But if I'm right, we're about to lose them."
McNab studied Ryan for a moment.
He looked at Russo and the other suspect they had just taken down and spotted a look the two shared
'The kid had already spotted evidence multiple times today... Just maybe...' he thought
Against his better judgment, the detective found himself listening.
"How many?"
Ryan pretended to estimate.
"Maybe six."
Welters stared at him.
"Maybe six?"
Ryan nodded.
"Maybe."
McNab sighed.
"Fine. We check it out."
"Detective—"
"If he's wrong, we lose five minutes. If he's right, we catch additional suspects. Tie those two up and radio it in "
Welters reluctantly nodded.
A few minutes later, backup units arrived to take custody of Russo and his accomplice.
But McNab, Welters, and Ryan had already moved toward the adjacent building.
The closer they got, the more Ryan could see through the walls.
Six men.
All armed.
Several duffel bags.
Boxes filled with stolen jewelry.
The black van.
One of the men suddenly stood up.
Ryan's eyes narrowed.
The man was looking directly toward the building.
Had he seen them?
A second later, the man grabbed a pair of binoculars.
"Cops."
Ryan didn't need lip-reading to figure that one out.
The entire group inside immediately sprang into action.
"They spotted us," Ryan said.
McNab's eyes widened.
"How the hell do you keep doing that?"
A loud engine roared to life.
The black van burst out from behind the building.
"There!" Ryan shouted.
The vehicle shot onto the street.
McNab immediately grabbed his radio.
"Dispatch, this is Detective McNab. Suspects fleeing in a black cargo van heading eastbound. Requesting immediate backup."
The detectives sprinted toward their vehicle.
Welters jumped behind the wheel.
McNab climbed into the passenger seat.
Ryan barely got the rear door shut before the car launched forward.
Sirens erupted.
The chase was on.
The van weaved through traffic recklessly.
"These guys are desperate," Welters muttered.
"They've got enough stolen merchandise to put them away for years," McNab replied.
Ryan activated his Byakugan.
Through the metal walls of the van, he could see everything.
The driver.
The passenger.
Four men in the back.
Weapons.
And something else.
A large duffel bag.
Filled with explosives.
Ryan froze.
"Uh... Why the hell would they have that on them !!"
"What?" Welters asked.
"They've got explosives."
The car became silent.
"What?" McNab asked slowly.
Ryan immediately regretted speaking.
"I saw one of them loading something that looked like explosives earlier."
McNab looked concerned.
"You forgot to mention that?"
Ryan scratched the back of his head.
"It slipped my mind okay"
"It slipped your mind?"
"Those must be for a safe .or depending on how much they have ..a bank vault "
Before anyone could continue the conversation, the van suddenly swerved.
The rear doors burst open.
One of the suspects leaned out.
"Gun!"
The suspect opened fire.
Bullets ricocheted off the road.
Welters immediately swerved.
"Oh, now they're shooting at cops."
Ryan watched the shooter carefully.
The man's posture.
His breathing.
His balance.
Every movement became crystal clear.
A plan formed in Ryan's mind.
A stupid plan.
A dangerous plan.
The kind of plan that would probably get him yelled at by his parents.
Not that he'd even know what's that like
"Don't."
Welters said immediately.
Ryan blinked.
"Huh? I didn't say anything."
"You have the look."
"What look?"
"The look people get before they do something incredibly stupid."
Ryan looked away and gently touched his face.
Unfortunately for him, both McNab and Welters had already noticed.
"Oh no," McNab said as he looked at Ryan through the rearview mirror
"He definitely has a plan. "
And judging by Ryan's smile, it was probably a terrible one.