“Or they’re all dead.”
“Nobody’s dead.”
“And you know that because?”
“Your family is too stubborn and obnoxious to be dead, and even if they decided to start throwing themselves on bombs, Savannah’s Seedy Seven would stop them. They aren’t going to let anything happen to your family until you find the hostages and bring them home. Anyway, you know you’ve been checking their trace.”
His quiet composure and the fact he was right annoyed me to no end. “So you’re telling me to relax.”
“We’re about to beard a serial killer in his den. I don’t think relaxation is on the menu.”
“So which is it? Take a chill pill and relax? Or go to DEFCON 5 and prepare for war?”
“How about shut up and let the man drive already?” Arnow groused from the back. “Better yet, Price, let’s stop at a hardware store and get some duct tape.”
I twisted to look at her. “Remind me again why we brought you with us?”
“Apparently you needed a babysitter.”
“One of these days I am so going to kick your ass,” I grumbled.
“You can try, little girl. Keep your insurance up-to-date.”
“What do I need insurance for? I have Dalton and his bottomless box of heal-alls.”
“He knows how damage-prone you are.”
“He’s not the only one,” Price said. “I’ve got a box of them in the back. Thinking of buying stock in a heal-all factory.”
I stared. “You, too?”
“You’re surprised? Do you want to count how many times you’ve been mangled, maimed, shot, or otherwise wounded since we met?”
“You haven’t exactly been Mister Healthy, either.”
“Exactly. So we’re prepared for the inevitable.”
His fast agreement only slightly mollified me, but since he conceded the point, I was forced to shut up.
We passed a new housing development near the Aurora Reservoir, and then civilization ended. Ahead were the vast eastern plains of Colorado.
“Still east,” I said before anybody could ask.
Price checked the GPS. “County Line Road is a little south of here. We can take that or go back north until we hit Highway 70 again. About halfway to Kansas, it drops down lower than this and heads due west. It’s a better road and plowed. County Line is going to be a lot slower going.” He looked at me. “Which do you want?”
“County Line,” I said without any hesitation.
I waited for one of them to question my reasons, but both remained silent. Price put the Jeep in gear and turned. As he did, the angle of the trace widened. “They’re close,” I said.
“How do you know?”
“How close?”
Arnow and Price spoke simultaneously.
“Triangulation and I’m not sure. I’d guess no more than twenty to fifty miles.”
“Triangulation?” Arnow asked, leaning up between the front seats again. “What do you mean?”
She actually sounded interested instead of combative.
“Draw a line in the direction of the trace from where we turned. Now draw another line from where we are right now to where the trace goes. Wherever they cross is where Matthew is holding the hostages. The fact that the angle is widening pretty quick as we drive means that the two imaginary lines intersect nearer to us rather than farther. Does that make sense?”
She nodded, looking pleased. “It does. And here I thought you were just a talented idiot.”
“I’ve got hidden depths.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t hide them quite so well,” she suggested.
“Maybe you should kiss my ass.”
“If we find my people alive, I just might.” Her voice darkened, the humor evaporating. She glanced out over the treeless expanse of white washing away from us. “It won’t be easy sneaking up on him.”
“The terrain isn’t as flat as it looks,” Price said. “There are a lot of hills and gullies. Most people out here build their houses down lower to stay out of the wind.”
“And if he’s on top of a hill with a clear line of sight for miles?”
“Then I’ll blow us up a snow screen and he’ll never see us coming,” Price said.
“Can you?” I asked. “I mean, can you do it without causing a full-on blizzard or ripping his hideout to bits?”
He nodded. “Pretty sure.”
“It’s only been what—two or three days since you flattened the safe house.”
“You destroyed the cabin?” Arnow asked. She looked at me. “Do your brothers know?”
I couldn’t remember if I’d told them or not. “Given the situation, they’ll understand.”
“Sure. Whatever lets you sleep at night. If I were you, I’d be looking out for payback.”
She was right, but they were family, so I made a token effort to defend them. “How would you know? You barely know them.”
“I know them well enough. They may not be particularly upset, but honor will require vengeance of some kind. Probably with a dose of humiliation mixed in.”
She actually did know them pretty well.
Price groaned. “I can hardly wait.”
“We’ll keep them too distracted,” I said.
“You do that,” Arnow said with a grin. “I’ll ask them to let me be a witness. It’ll be fun.”
“You are not nice.”
She snorted. “Like that’s news.”
We turned onto County Line Road. The first few miles were relatively clear, then they turned rough. Snow had melted and frozen in ruts, and then more snow had fallen. Repeat the cycle over a few months of Colorado winter, and our pace slowed to a crawl.
“I could walk faster than this,” Arnow complained after twenty minutes with a top speed of just under thirty, though we only hit that maybe twice. The rest of the time we crawled along at around ten or fifteen.
“Feel free,” I said, but I wasn’t paying that much attention to her.
A few more miles along, and the line of trace straightened to due north. “This is it,” I said. “We need to turn left as soon as possible.”
Price stopped the Jeep, and we looked out. I couldn’t see any roads crossing the broad fields rolling away on the left side of the road.
“I don’t suppose you’ve got a couple of snowmobiles in the back with the heal-alls,” I said. “Or maybe some snowshoes?”
“Afraid not. I’ve got chains, though. Plus kitty litter, salt, and a shovel. We should be able to handle a cross-country drive, if we’re careful.”
He tapped on his GPS. “I don’t see any paved roads. There are probably dirt access roads. We just have to find one.”
He put the Jeep in gear again. Not much farther, we came up on a set of mailboxes on the right. On the left side was a promising possibility. The gravel access road looked like it had been plowed at some point, but not for a week or two at least.
We pulled off onto it. Price stopped, and we hopped out to put the chains on. With all three of us, it only took ten minutes to get them hooked into place, and then we started off again.
The trace lines leaned a little to the west now. We’d overshot, but not by much. We had to be within a mile or two if my mental geometry was correct, and it usually was.
I started fidgeting again as we jounced along. I kept trying to sort out plans, discarding them all. I didn’t have enough information to plan a birthday party, much less take on a serial killer.
We’d been driving up and down rolling hills. We came to a split in the road, and Price eased left and drove up a long rise. As we topped it, a ranch yard nestled against the hills below came into view. Split rail fences surrounded twenty acres or so. Inside the fence perimeter were corrals, barns, thre
e giant loafing sheds, and on the northern end, a white-trimmed blue two-story farm house big enough to hold a family of forty.
“That’s it,” I said.
Price put the Jeep in reverse and rolled back down the rise until we couldn’t see the ranch yard anymore. We retraced our way up the hill on foot and ducked down behind some snow-covered scrub bushes and rocks to get a better look.
There was little sign of habitation. A thin stream of smoke rose from one of the house chimneys. Several herds of cows and horses huddled together under the big three-sided loafing sheds. A couple of pickups were parked near one of two massive steel pole barns, but I didn’t see any sign of actual people.
“How are we going to get close?” I asked.
“Can you pinpoint where they are?” Price asked.
I focused my trace sight. “They’re either in the house or the white barn by the trees.” I pointed. “I can’t get more specific until we get closer.”
“There’s no good cover for an approach,” Arnow said. “Especially if he’s got cameras or alarms set up, which he will, along with a range of other security. Savannah was nothing if not careful.”
“We could knock on the front door,” I said jokingly.
I was about bowled over when Price nodded. “Might be our best shot.”
“Seriously?” Arnow looked both outraged and thoughtful. Like a startled chicken that couldn’t decide which direction it wanted to run. I kind of felt the same way.
“If he lets us in, then we bypass security,” Price said.
“We also lose the element of surprise,” I said.
“The question is, how do we get in otherwise?” Arnow asked.
“I can take down the null fields, which should overwhelm any binders—the same as at the diner. If you blew up a little storm, we could walk right in.”
“If he doesn’t have other booby traps. He’s bound to be at least a little paranoid,” Price said.
“We’ll have to deal with those as we find them,” Arnow replied.
“Maybe we should split up.” I looked at Price, who was already shaking his head. “What do you think?”
“This is really a piss-poor way of running a Tyet,” Arnow declared before Price could speak
I frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re supposed to be in charge. That means you tell people what to do. You don’t ask. You don’t take refusals. You want to divide up? Then tell this giant jackass to toe the line.” She poked Price’s chest. “Make it an order, not a request. You’ll never survive if you don’t start acting like you’re the boss.”
She was probably right. She was definitely irritating. Like a hedgehog in my underwear.
“Right,” I said. “Because everybody knows I know next to nothing about running one, so of course they’ll line up to listen to my stupidity as I spew ridiculous orders. What I need to do is ask questions and learn. Are you seriously going to let me tell you what to do?” I looked at Price. “What about you? Do you think I need to be more domineering? Tyrannical like Savannah?”
He fought a smile and lost. “Not that I mind you bossing me around, but it’s not your style. You trust people to be smart, loyal, and to give their all. You also know you don’t know everything and you listen, even when those people annoy the fuck out of you. Like . . . Dalton,” he added with a wink at me and a none-too-subtle jerk of his head at Arnow.
“I saw that,” she snapped. “And anyway, you’re wrong. You have to be strong to run a Tyet.”
“Who said Riley isn’t strong? I said she has a different approach and you prefer it. Admit it. You want to have input. You want to be heard, and taken seriously.”
“Sure, I do, but that doesn’t mean that’s the way things ought to run.”
“I disagree,” I said. “And since I’m in charge, I’ll run things the way I want to.” I gave her a shit-eating grin, and continued. “What I want is to get in there and rescue the victims before Matthew kills them in the name of whatever twisted gods he’s determined to impress. I’d also like all of us to stay alive. I think our best bet is for me to pull down the security nulls, and for Price to spin up a storm to cover our entrance. If we split up, Matthew can only target one of us at a time.”
“I don’t like us splitting up,” Price growled. “You and I will go in together.” His sapphire eyes brooked no argument.
Arnow rolled her eyes. “See? You can’t run a Tyet by committee. You can’t let people step on you and second-guess you all the time.”
I didn’t pay any attention to her. Arguing with Price would waste time, and I’d still lose. I couldn’t blame him. Both of us still felt too raw from the emotional roller coaster of the past few days, not to mention the dangers. Plus, if Price and I really were going to be partners, then I couldn’t be the boss. Well, maybe occasionally. I could think of a few situations where being the boss would be a whole lot of fun. I put that fantasy away for later consideration.
“If Price and I went in the front door, we could distract Matthew so that you could slip in the back without him noticing. With any luck, he’ll think it’s just the two of us.”
Arnow made a sound of disgust, but then gave grudging agreement. “That could work.”
“Then consider it an order,” I said sweetly. “You take the Jeep. Price and I will hike down under the cover of the storm. As soon as he creates the whiteout, drive down as close to the house as you can get. He’ll keep the road clear for you.”
Price made a sound and then shook his head.
“What?”
“You’ve got a lot of faith in me.”
“Of course I do.”
He made the sound again as if that was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. I ignored him and spoke to Arnow again.
“Once the security net goes down, we’ll follow you as fast as we can. Remember that you’re supposed to wait for us before you go inside.”
Her brows rose. “Sure.”
“Please don’t dive headfirst into trouble without backup.” Surprisingly, to me anyhow, I didn’t want Arnow getting killed.
“Like you always do.”
“I’ve turned over new leaf. I drag my friends and family into trouble with me now,” I said, looking haughtily down my nose at her.
She cracked a reluctant grin. “You’re such a pain in the ass.”
“People say that. Personally, I don’t get it. You, on the other hand, really are a pain in the ass.”
“I do my best,” she said.
“You’re best is damned good.”
“I think so.”
“Let’s get going,” Price said, and went to the back of the Jeep.
He dug in one of the duffel bags in the back and pulled out a couple of rose quartz spheres, handing them to me. After a moment’s thought, he got out two more.
“Take these, too. You’re likely to need all four.”
I put a heal-all in each of my front pants pockets, then zipped the other two into a pocket inside my coat. Price stashed away several others, and passed a couple to Arnow.
“There are more here, so don’t be afraid to use them on the wounded. Remember you can activate them and leave them in your pocket. Do it if you get hurt.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, giving him a little salute.
I already had my .45 in its holster and tucked into my rear waistband. Price had his Glock in a shoulder holster. I didn’t know where Arnow’s weapon was, but certainly she had at least one.
Price pulled out zipper bag and handed them to Arnow. “Flash bombs,” he said. He pulled another case out and passed it to her. “Some other surprises. They’re all labeled.”
He took out another case and slung it over his shoulder before shutting the rear door. “Let’s do t
his.”
Chapter 25
Gregg
“THERE’S TROUBLE at the Morrell compound.” Mark Kinsey spoke to Gregg, but also continued to listen intently to the phone held to his ear. “I’ll get back to you.” The lean man set his phone on the table in front of him.
“The place is under attack. Someone dropped a nuclear null and killed all the security magic, not to mention every other scrap of magic for who knows how far. A small army rushed in. It’s likely the attackers belong to Savannah’s lieutenants, but a redheaded woman appears to be in charge. Description fits Taylor Hollis.” He pointed to a picture of her on the whiteboard, one of many filling the space.
“Not Riley?” Gregg said in genuine surprise.
“No, sir. At least nobody’s seen her yet.”
“And Clay?”
“No sign of him.”
Gregg looked at Vernon, who sat at the other end of the table. Between them the wood surface was littered with papers and photographs.
“We need to move.”
Vernon nodded, his brows furrowing. “I’d appreciate if you kept my children alive.”
Gregg snorted. “I’m not interested in harming any of them.” He looked back at Kinsey. “Make the call.”
The other man punched a number into the speakerphone on the table. A moment later Dimitriou and Castillo picked up.
“Status?” Kinsey asked.
“Ready,” said Castillo first, followed by Dimitriou.
“Move in,” Gregg said. “Try not to kill any members of the Hollis family.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And your brother?” Kinsey asked.
Gregg grimaced. “I’d prefer him breathing, but do what you’ve got to do.”
“Anything else,” Kinsey asked.
“Go get started,” Gregg told him.
Kinsey nodded, cutting the connection before departing, casting a frowning look back at Gregg before he closed the door.
Vernon refilled his coffee cup, stopping short of the rim. He topped it off with whiskey before passing the bottle to Gregg, then lifted the cup in salute. “To the hard choices.”
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