'Which is why you stole this thing?' The man bent down and pulled Telfer's backpack from beneath the coffee table. Telfer jolted as if he'd sat on an exposed electrical wire. He watched, eyes intense, as the man fished in his backpack and pulled out an oblong package wrapped in black tape. He placed it on the coffee table next to him, then he upended the bag and thick wads of cash thudded onto the carpet.
Telfer had no words. He simply sat looking at the taped package. The money was of no immediate interest, though there had to be upward of $600,000. Likewise, the man gave the money no attention. He nudged the package with the muzzle of the gun. He said, 'I've got a feeling I know what this is.'
26
louise blake's house was modest when compared to some in her neighborhood, but a palace compared to the flat John left his wife and kids in back home in England. It was a singlestory clapboard cape, with a porch and adjoining garage. The lawn and shrubs were well tended. A ginger tomcat cleaned himself on the front stoop.
The scene was one of suburban tranquillity.
But that was about to be shattered.
Rink parked the rental a block away and we rushed toward the house. Dawn in Arkansas can be cool at this time of year, but that wasn't why we wore coats. Rink's Mossberg was slung from a harness beneath his armpit. I had my SIG holstered in a shoulder rig.
Harvey was waiting for us, standing in the shadows of a shed on the next-door property. He gave a low whistle and we angled toward him.
'What kept you guys?' he hissed. 'I thought I was gonna have to start the party without you.'
'What's the deal?' I asked. 'They still inside?'
'Yup. Two of them.' He nodded up the road. 'Another guy in a Chevrolet parked a block over.'
'Same guys as before?'
'Yeah.'
'Any movement?' Rink asked. Our view of Louise's house was partially blocked by a hedge. But we could see her kitchen windows. They reflected the early sunrise. Our vantage point didn't offer a view of the front, but as we had arrived, I'd noticed that the blinds were drawn.
'Haven't seen anything since they went in. Heard raised voices just before you got here, but it's been quiet since.' Harvey held my gaze. There were the beginnings of a cold sweat on his brow. 'We going in or what?'
'We're going in,' I told him.
'Good,' he said. He pulled a Glock from within his leather coat, racked the slide. 'They've touched her, I'm gonna rain some hurt on these assholes.'
'We don't know what we're going into,' I cautioned him. 'Could get nasty.'
'Believe me, Hunter. If they've hurt her, you can bet your ass things
'Just so long as you know things're gonna get hot in there.'
He winked at me. 'Don't you worry. I'm up for it.'
'Okay.' That was the prep done. Now all that was left was the hard part.
We fanned out. No preamble, just instinct sending us on our merry way. Harvey headed for Louise's backyard, Rink and me to the front door. Best tactic? In fast and noisy, shoot anything that wasn't wearing lip gloss.
The ginger cat was wise enough to flee.
From within, I heard something crash to the floor. Before the sound stopped echoing, I rammed straight through the screen and unlocked door and into a scene straight out of
It was one of those snapshot moments where everything is so viv idly imprinted on the optic nerves that you don't have to physically look to see even the minutest of details.
It was like this:
Louise Blake on her knees, flowery skirt gathered up around her thighs. Streaked mascara. Smear of blood on her lips.
First Latin male holding her bunched hair and her two hands in one of his. Stretching her up. Exposing her ribs.
Second Latin male lifting a rolled telephone directory for another whack at her side.
These guys weren't CIA or FBI. Even if they were, they still deserved to die.
I fired.
The report of the SIG set the world back in motion.
The man with the impromptu torture device took my 9-mm slug high in his shoulder. The directory spun from his hand, pages fluttering. He staggered away, crashing up against a dresser. Stacked dishes slid and exploded onto the floor.
My next step was followed by another shot. We all have imperfections; this bullet missed him, drilling a hole in the plaster behind him.
Rink burst into the room all spit and venom. His shotgun remained silent. The second man had the sense to place Louise in the way of Rink's attack. Shielded by her body the man backpedaled. From his hip he snatched a semiautomatic handgun. The gun flashed metallic blue as it passed through a beam of sunlight pushing through a gap in the curtains.
I leaped and rolled, putting a chair between us. It wasn't any protection from a high-velocity round, but that wasn't my purpose. I threw myself into the room to draw the man's attention to me. Away from Louise.
