Sara turned away from her father and toward Lucy. “Please take me to my sister.”
Lucy held out her hand. Sara took it.
Edmonds screamed in pain and rage. He fell to his knees.
Slater sprinted around the front of the church, toward Edmonds. Edmonds’s hand came up with a gun. He aimed it at Sara’s back.
Lucy pulled Sara into her, spun her around and out of the line of fire. She heard a gunshot, followed by three more in rapid succession. She fell on top of Sara, a sharp pain in her back. She couldn’t catch her breath.
CHAPTER FORTY
Sean’s phone vibrated. He ignored it, because he was at the most sensitive part of cracking this particular safe. If he screwed up, the digital password would reset and he would have to start all over again. He didn’t have the time.
The lights flashed green and the door
His phone vibrated again and he pulled it out of his pocket.
He’d missed three calls from Sergio. A message read urgent.
Sean looked in the safe and flipped through the documents, not taking the time to read anything. In the far back there was a small box.
The Pomeranians’ yapping echoed through the house. Sean grabbed the box, put it in his pocket, closed the safe. It locked automatically, and he put the picture back up. It hung crooked, but he didn’t have time to fix it.
He heard the SUVs on the driveway, but he also knew that the FBI would come around back to cover any exits.
He glanced out Jager’s window. The first SUV pulled to a stop. Out jumped Noah Armstrong.
By-the-book. That bought Sean a minute.
He grabbed his satchel and quietly left the office. The master bedroom had French doors that led to the backyard. He could see the horse stalls of the neighbors a hundred yards away, up against the Jagers’ back fence.
Between that and him was open space.
To the right was a line of trees, but that was also visible from the driveway. To the left was the patio and he’d have to cross in front of a wall full of windows. If the FBI entered they would see him run. But once he passed the house, a gentleman’s vineyard had been planted. The leaves were full and green, he could easily disappear down the rows.
He took the risk.
Sean sprinted across the patio. He heard voices in the front, but he didn’t stop to listen. He focused on getting to the grapevines.
He made it. He still didn’t stop, but slowed down so he wouldn’t trip over the rough ground.
At the edge of the vineyard, he turned left again into a grove of trees. By the time he got to the fence, his adrenaline was pumping so fast he could hear his blood rush in his ears.
He hopped the fence and slipped into the first horse stall. The old mare looked at him with disinterest.
Sean reached into his pocket and removed the box. He breathed deeply to slow his heart rate and opened the lid.
Inside was a locket. Simple. On the back the initials
There was also a note. He opened it and his stomach clenched.
It was Lucy’s handwriting.
That was it. Paxton had lied to him, embellished what Lucy had written to force him to help.
Sean looked carefully at the locket. There was nothing remarkable about it. Pretty, for a teenage girl.
He opened it. Inside was a picture of Monique and the senator.
All this cloak-and-dagger crap for
He spied a narrow crack on the inside of the locket. He pulled his lock-pick set from his satchel and used the narrowest metal pick to pop off the false back.
Behind the thin backing was a microchip.
Sergio expected to take the locket to the senator, but Sean told him he wanted to deliver it personally. At first, Sean expected Sergio to fight him for it, and Sean was primed to go a round. He was sick and tired of being jerked around by Paxton and his games. But then Sergio nodded, and got into his car.
“Watch your back,” Sergio told him.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m not a threat.” He gave Sean a half-smile. “You’re good, I have to admire that.” Then he became serious. “I don’t think Senator Paxton is who you really need to be concerned about. You Rogans seem to have loyal friends, but vicious enemies.”
“What are you talking about?” Sean demanded. But Sergio rolled up his window and sped off.
Sean put the conversation aside and drove to Alexandria, where the senator was waiting.
Without preamble, Paxton said, “Can I see it?”
He handed Paxton the box. He pulled out the locket. Relief flooded his face. Then he noticed the note was gone. “The note?”
“I’m keeping it.”
“I guess I understand. Thank you, Rogan. Truly, thank you.”
“Your daughter was beautiful. I’m sorry about what happened to her.”
Paxton froze. “You opened my locket?”
“Had to make sure it was the right one.”
Paxton fumbled with the delicate clasp. The locket popped open. He pressed firmly on the clasp, and the false back popped off.
“It’s gone!”
Sean pulled out the small microchip from his pocket. “You’re looking for this?”
“Give it to me.”
“No. This is now my security chip. When the statute of limitations runs out, I might give it to you. But if anyone mentions Massachusetts to me before March? I’ll either destroy it, or turn it over to whichever law enforcement agency can nail your ass to the wall.”
“You don’t know what you have!”
“I’ll find out.”
“You’re making an enemy here, Rogan!”
“Funny, I thought I already had one.”
Sean quickly exited Paxton’s house. He wasn’t a hundred percent certain the senator wouldn’t shoot him. Driving toward DC, he called Lucy. He needed to see her. Just … to see her.
No answer.
Lucy was probably still working on finding Ivy Harris and the other girls. He was worried, but only because it was a dangerous job. He had complete confidence that she’d find them.
He called Kate, just to check in and make sure everything
He called Noah.
“Armstrong.”