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kicked! the! door! next! to! the! handle,! splintering! the! flimsy!
frame.!He!stepped!back!as!it!burst!open,!holding!the!pistol!in!
both!hands.!!
!
The! room! breathed! fetid! air,! and! Langford! nearly! gagged!
on!the!stale!and!ferrous!odors!of!duress!and!dried!blood.!The!
light!barely!penetrated!the!deep!gloom,!but!he!saw!the!forms!of!
two! people! in! the! corner! prone! on! the! tile! floor.! One! of! the!
huddled!figures!struggled!to!raise!a!head!off!the!floor!and!turn!
a! face! toward! the! light.! Langford! shuddered! involuntarily,!
momentarily! repulsed! by! the! sight! of! the! man’s! ravaged! face,!
almost!unrecognizable!from!repeated!beatings.!The!man!stared!
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at!him!from!his!one!good!eye,!and!lifted!an!outstretched!arm,!
feeble!as!a!baby.!
!
“Help!us,”!he!rasped.!
!
Langford!swiftly!pulled!the!door!shut!and!turned!away.!He!
had!what!he!needed.!He!shouldered!the!backpack!and!hurried!
back!to!the!game!room,!pulling!his!cell!out!of!his!pocket.!Gun!
still!in!his!hand,!he!punched!a!speed!dial!number!and!heard!it!
ring.!
!
When! a! voice! answered,! his! response! was! terse.! “It’s!
Langford.!They’re!here.”!
!
He! hit! the! wall! switch! and! slipped! the! phone! into! his!
pocket!as!he!raced!up!the!stairs!in!the!pitch!black.!Just!a!few!
feet! more! and! he’d! be! out! the! door! and! on! his! way! to! true!
freedom.!He!faltered!at!the!top!when!he!heard!muffled!voices,!a!
door!closing!and!the!tread!of!feet!on!the!hardwoods.!Pausing,!
he! cracked! open! the! kitchen! door! and! listened.! The! voices!
belonged! to! one! female! and! two! males.! Security. ! They’d! find!
him!in!moments.!He!slipped!through!the!narrow!opening!and!
ran!for!the!back!door,!glass!crunching!loudly!under!the!soles!of!
his!shoes.!Footsteps!thundered!through!the!house!after!him.!He!
yanked!the!door!open,!bolted!onto!the!porch!and!threw!himself!
through! the! screen! door.! As! he! leaped! to! the! ground! without!
using!the!stairs,!a!man!the!size!of!a!freight!train!stepped!in!his!
path!and!aimed!a!gun!at!him.!
!
“Hold!it!!Drop!your!weapon!”!
!
Langford’s! arm! started! to! rise! of! its! own! accord.! For! an!
instant!he!knew!with!deadly!certitude!that!he!could!put!the!guy!
down!before!he!got!off!a!shot.!But!the!clatter!of!shoes!on!the!
porch!behind!him!stopped!him.!He!pulled!up,!breathing!hard,!
let!the!pistol!slip!from!his!grasp,!and!raised!his!arms!over!his!
head.!!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
Letting! the! BMW! have! its! head! up! I65,! we! made! the! last!
ferry!out!of!Mukilteo!by!just!minutes!for!the!short!crossing!to!
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Whidbey.!With!little!traffic!at!that!time!of!night!we!cruised!the!
main! highway! up! the! island! at! speeds! most! municipalities!
make! money! on.! Reyna! had! grown! increasingly! quiet! the!
farther!we!went.!Now,!with!only!a!few!miles!to!go!according!to!
her! directions,! tension! filled! the! car! like! we’d! driven! into! the!
ocean,!water!squeezing!the!air!out!and!weighting!us!down!until!
we!couldn’t!breathe.!!
!
Reyna! had! spent! part! of! the! trip! on! her! laptop,! using! a!
cellular! modem! to! access! the! Internet.! She’d! researched!
everything!she!could!find!about!Ross!Industries!and!the!facility!
on! Whidbey.! After! putting! the! computer! away,! she’d! spent!
another!half!hour!taking!apart!her!HK,!cleaning!and!inspecting!
it.! She’d! reassembled! and! dry! fired! it! until! she! seemed!
satisfied,!reloaded!a!magazine!and!rammed!it!home.!
!
For! the! past! twenty! minutes! she’d! nervously! chewed! her!
fingernails! and! stared! out! the! windows! at! the! darkened!
scenery! slipping! past.! The! rain! had! eased! to! a! drizzle! then!
stopped! altogether,! but! we! ran! into! occasional! showers! that!
slicked!the!roadway!and!coated!the!windshield!with!droplets.!
They!fractured!the!oncoming!headlights!into!a!kaleidoscope!of!
rainbow6hued!halos!until!the!wiper!blades!erased!them.!
!
“You!better!be!right!about!this,”!she!muttered.!
!
I!glanced!at!her.!“Me?!I!thought!we!were!in!this!together.”!
!
“You!know!what!I!mean.!Jesus,!Blake,!I!just!threw!away!a!
pretty!distinguished!career.”!
!
“Not!on!my!account,!you!didn’t.”!
!
“Even!if!we’re!right,!I!bent!or!broke!so!many!rules!the!past!
two!days,!they’ll!never!give!me!my!job!back.”!
!
“If!we’re!right,!they’ll!give!you!damn!medal.”!
!
She! shook! her! head.! “This! is! all! wrong.! You’re! a! civilian.!
I’m!wanted!by!the!MAs!on!god6knows6what!charges.”!
!
“We! don’t! have! a! choice.! You! know! that.! You! didn’t! do!
anything!wrong.!Well,!except!for!that!little!matter!of!aiding!and!
abetting!a!fugitive.”!
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!
She!said!nothing.!
!
“Reyna,!look,!it’s!all!or!nothing!now.!We!find!Keely.!Either!
the! Wilsons! are! there! or! not.! If! they! are! then! this! is! all!
connected!somehow.!We!figure!that!out!and!you’ll!have!enough!
evidence! to! save! your! job! and! get! a! medal.! We! don’t! have! a!
choice.”!
!
Wind!rush!and!road!hum!filled!the!silence.!Reyna’s!mouth!
was!set!in!a!grim!line,!the!normally!pouty!lips!thinned!and!taut.!
!
“You! are!right,”!she!said!finally.!“The!only!way!they!know!
that! I! helped! you! is! through! Baines.! And! if! the! brass! is! so!
scared!of!Baines!they’re!willing!to!arrest!me,!then!something’s!
wrong.!I’m!not!going!down!without!a!fight.”!
!
“That’s! the! spirit.”! I! wished! some! of! her! newfound!
confidence!would!rub!off.!
!
Ten! minutes! later! we! stashed! the! car! off! the! road! under!
some! trees! and! approached! the! Ross! Industries! perimeter! on!
foot.! From! what! she’d! been! able! to! glean! online,! Reyna! was!
convinced!that!the!security!overkill!at!the!main!entrance!was!
designed! to! give! the! illusion! that! the! entire! facility! was!
impregnable.!The!company!was!so!confident!in!the!precautions!
it! had! taken! that! the! property! even! lacked! a! fence! from! the!
outside!world.!A!liability!in!daylight,!the!open!ground!between!
the! road! and! the! compound! wouldn’t! expose! us! as! much! at!
night.!!
!
In!a!low!voice,!she!sketched!out!the!rough!plan!one!more!
time.!When!I!assured!her!I!got!it,!she!moved!thirty!yards!off!to!
the!right,!crouched!low!and!started!running.!I!gave!her!a!thirty6
second! head! start,! then! ran! a! parallel! path! toward! the!
co
mpound,! each! of! us! stopping! every! hundred! feet! or! so! and!
dropping! to! the! ground.! We! alternated! that! way! until! we’d!
made! it! within! a! hundred! yards! of! the! low! outlying! building!
and! both! lay! prone! behind! some! short! scrub.! Reyna! was!
invisible! against! the! dark! ground,! but! I! had! a! fix! on! the! spot!
where!I’d!seen!her!dive!into!the!dirt.!I!waited!and!watched.!
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!
Corner6mounted! floodlights! carved! the! outlines! of! the!
three!low6lying!buildings!from!the!surrounding!blackness!and!
cast! their! shadows! into! the! night.! A! small! vehicle! wheeled!
away!from!the!parking!lot!in!front!of!what!appeared!to!be!the!
main! entrance! of! the! compound.! It! sped! toward! the! building!
closest! to! us,! and! when! it! disappeared! on! the! far! side! of! the!
building,! a! shadow! detached! itself! from! the! bushes! off! to! my!
right! and! raced! toward! the! building.! Visible! in! the! light! from!
the!floods!for!only!seconds,!Reyna!ran!for!the!unlit!side!of!the!
building! and! vanished! in! the! dark.! I! followed! moments! later!
and!picked!my!way!along!the!side!of!the!building!in!the!pitch,!
momentarily!night6blind.!I!saw!no!sign!of!Reyna.!
!
Some! large! rhododendrons! and! smaller! azalea! bushes!
grew!at!the!far!end!of!the!building!in!an!attempt!to!soften!the!
industrial! appearance! of! the! facility.! Reyna! crouched! behind!
them,!peering!at!something!around!the!corner!of!the!building.!I!
came!up!behind!her!and!craned!my!neck!to!see!what!she!was!
looking! at.! An! electric! utility! vehicle! a! little! larger! than! a! golf!
cart!sat!empty!in!a!cone!of!light!on!the!walkway!in!front!of!the!
building.!!
!
Reyna! had! her! gun! out.! Motioning! me! to! stay! put,! she!
scurried!to!the!side!of!the!door!and!pressed!herself!against!the!
building.! With! a! quick! movement! of! her! head,! she! glanced!
inside! and! pulled! back.! Like! a! runner! exploding! out! of! the!
blocks!she!raced!to!the!other!side!of!the!entrance!and!plastered!
herself! against! the! building! again.! I! pulled! out! Charlie’s! semi6
automatic! and! hefted! it! nervously.! Reyna! peered! in! my!
direction!through!the!shadow’s!edge.!I!gave!a!short!wave!and!
saw!her!nod.!
!
The! blood! rush! in! my! ears! sounded! like! the! buzz! of!
conversation! in! a! tightly! packed! room.! Sweat! slicked! the!
smooth! steel! on! the! butt! of! the! gun.! I! pressed! my! fingers!
reassuringly! against! the! knurly! texture! of! the! grip,! then!
consciously! relaxed! my! grip! and! inhaled! deeply.! Dirgha*
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pranayama.! From! the! number! of! times! my! heart! beat! I! stood!
there! a! lifetime,! but! the! wait! couldn’t! have! been! more! than! a!
minute! or! two.! A! raindrop! glanced! off! the! side! of! my! nose,!
followed!in!quick!succession!by!more,!plinking!in!my!hair!and!
on!my!shoulders.!
!
A!shifting!of!light!in!the!entryway!signaled!someone!near,!
and!I!tensed.!The!door!swung!open!and!a!man!stepped!outside.!
He!glanced!skyward!at!the!falling!rain!and!pulled!his!collar!up.!
Intent!on!making!it!to!his!vehicle!without!getting!wet,!he!never!
suspected! Reyna’s! presence! until! her! pistol! was! pressed! into!
the!small!of!his!back.!
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!
!
Chapter&52&
!
!
The! call! came! in! when! most! normal! people! were! asleep.!
He!didn’t!mind!despite!the!lateness!of!the!hour.!He!was!awake!
anyway.!Sleep!seemed!to!elude!him!most!nights,!but!the!lack!of!
it!never!had!a!deleterious!effect.!He!functioned!just!fine!on!the!
three! or! four! hours! that! had! become! his! routine.! When! he’d!
first! experienced! this! pattern! of! sleeplessness,! he’s! thought! it!
might!be!due!to!stress,!to!thoughts!of!all!the!years!he’d!put!in!
on! the! job! and! how! little! he! had! to! show! for! it.! He’d! worried!
that! it! would! take! an! edge! off! his! game.! In! fact,! the! opposite!
had!occurred.!His!mind!was!more!agile,!his!acuity!and!insight!
into!situations!quicker!and!more!unerring!than!ever.!
!
He’d!actually!anticipated!the!call,!had!been!lying!on!top!of!
his! bed! in! his! skivvies! waiting! for! the! storm! that! had! finally!
blown!in!to!cool!his!bedroom!below!ninety!degrees.!When!the!
call! came,! he! eagerly! reached! for! the! phone! in! the! dark.! The!
man! on! the! other! end! said! only! a! few! words,! but! they! were!
exactly! what! he’d! hoped! to! hear.! As! soon! as! the! voice!
disconnected,!he!called!his!partner!and!woke!him!from!a!sound!
sleep.! The! irony! both! amused! and! annoyed! him.! When! his!
partner! gruffly! indicated! he! was! fully! conscious,! he! passed!
along! the! message! and! told! him! to! be! ready! in! ten! minutes.!
They!had!a!long!drive!ahead!of!them,!and!no!time!to!waste.!
!
He!wasn’t!sure!how!it!would!play!out,!but!for!the!first!time!
since!he’d!taken!this!path!he!was!convinced!he!would!reach!his!
intended!destination.!Until!the!phone!call,!he’d!bluffed!his!way!
into!a!position!where!he!stood!to!reap!millions.!Now,!he!finally!
had!confidence!that!he’d!really!be!able!to!pull!it!off.!One!way!or!
another,!he’d!get!what!he!wanted.!Tonight.!
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!
He! opened! the! top! drawer! of! his! dresser! and! took! out! a!
disposable! cell! phone,! punched! in! a! number! and! sat! on! the!
edge!of!the!bed.!He!let!it!rang!twice!and!hung!up,!then!called!
the!same!number.!A!voice!answered!with!a!simple!“Yes?”!
!
“It’s!tonight,”!he!replied.!
!
“Call! when! you! have! it,”! the! voice! said.! “We’ll! give! you!
coordinates!then.”!
!
Fourteen!minutes!later,!he!pulled!up!to!the!curb!in!front!of!
his!partner’s!house!and!watched!him!stumble!down!the!front!
steps!while!trying!to!zip!a!baggy!windbreaker!that!billowed!in!
the!wind.!Hunching!his!shoulders,!his!partner!pulled!the!collar!
of! the! jacket! up! over! his! head! as! protection! from! the! fat!
raindrops!plinking!with!big!splashes!as!they!landed,!and!ran!to!
the!car.!!
!
“You!ready?”!he!said!when!his!partner!shut!the!door.!
!
His! partner! nodded.! “About! time.! Let’s! go.”! Looking!
around!with!a!small!scowl,!he!added,!“Why!this!car?”!
!
He!rammed!the!stick!shift!into!first!gear.!“It’s!faster.”!
!
“Too!small,”!his!partner!complained.!
!
“Stop!bitching.”!!
!
He! gunned! the! engine! and! popped! the! clutch.! The! black!
coupe! roared! away! from! the! curb! with! a! shriek! of! smoking!
tires.!!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
I!stepped!into!the!circle!of!light!and!raised!my!gun.!Both!of!
us!had!the!guard’s!attention!now.!He!raised!his!arms!over!his!
head,!expression!wavering!between!nervousness!and!fear.!!
!
“Cover!him,”!Reyna!said.!!
!
I!complied!gladly,!taking!a!few!steps!closer.!The!wink!of!a!
bright!red!eye!on!the!overhang!above!the!entry!distracted!me.!I!
peered! at! the! dark! chiropteran! shape! hanging! over! their!
heads—a!camera!pointed!at!the!walkway,!the!electric!cart!dead!
in!its!aim.!
!
“Wait!”!I!said.!!
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!
Startled,! Reyna! looked! up! at! me! and! waited.! I! tucked! the!
gun! back! in! my! waistband.! The! camera! didn’t! move,! and! no!
light!shone.!I!wondered!if!I’d!imagined!it.!A!second!or!two!later,!
though,!the!light!blinked!again.!With!a!couple!of!running!steps,!
I! went! in! for! a! dunk.! Instead! of! an! orange! rim,! I! grasped! the!
camera!firmly!at!both!ends.!My!weight!brought!it!down!easily,!
pulling! the! screws! out! of! soft! wood! and! yanking! the! wiring!
loose.!!
!
Reyna! looked! at! it! ruefully.! “Damn,! there’s! probably!
another!one!inside.”!
!
I! tossed! the! camera! in! the! bushes! by! the! side! of! the!
building!and!took!the!gun!out!again.!
!
“Looked! like! this! one! was! taking! stills! every! five! or! six!
seconds,”! I! said.! “Maybe! the! one! inside! didn’t! catch! you! in! a!
frame.”!
!
The!security!guard!looked!even!more!nervous!now.!“What!
do!you!want?!We!don’t!keep!money!here.”!
!
Reyna!snorted.!“You’re!on!rounds!and!you!don’t!know!why!
someone!would!break!in.”! !
!
“You’re!what,!like!industrial!spies?”!
!
“Shut!up!”!she!said.!!
!
Reyna! bound! his! arms! behind! his! back! with! nylon! ties!
from!her!pocket.!She!grabbed!his!arm!and!roughly!jerked!him!
toward! the! electric! vehicle.! He! dragged! his! heels,! so! I!
encouraged! him! with! a! wave! of! the! gun.! Reyna! spun! him!
around!and!gave!him!a!shove.!Off!balance,!he!had!no!choice!but!
to!sit,!legs!dangling!over!the!steel!armrest.!She!stuck!her!gun!
under!his!chin.!!
!
“Where!are!they!holding!the!prisoners?”!
!
His! eyes! widened.! “Prisoners?! What! prisoners?! This! is! a!
manufacturing! plant,! lady!! Please,! I! don’t! know! what! you’re!