First Family (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 4)

“What the hell are you doing?”

“If I told you, Chuck, you wouldn’t believe me. Aaron filled me in on what’s going on there. You guys could be heading into an ambush.”

“Yeah, but what the president doesn’t know is that we’ve got two choppers full of HRT riding ahead of us. By the time we land, and before the president steps one foot off his bird, they’ll have scoped the area and set up a perimeter that not even an ant could get through. Then if we still don’t like what we see, we’re out of here, president or not.”

“But what if they shoot you out of the sky?”

“We got that covered too. Each of the choppers is equipped with the latest air-to-air and ground-to-air countermeasures. Plus we got military birds all over the place riding shotgun over us. And a battalion of Apache gunships is moving outward grid-by-grid from the ground zero coordinates we were given, looking for any threat. And, man, you see an Apache heading your way you either surrender, shit your pants, or both.”

“Okay, but we found something that you need to know about. Maybe an Achilles’ heel.” Sean explained about the metal cylinders.

“Where’d you find them?”

“I’ll explain later. I hope you got something to counter it.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Where are you now?”

“Headed to an abandoned mine with a little boy named Gabriel.”

“Gabriel? And why a mine?”

“Because I think there might be a little girl there.”

“Willa?”

“Hoping and praying, Chuck. Let’s keep in touch. And good luck.”

CHAPTER 79

SAM QUARRY stared down so intently at the improvised SAT phone in his hand it was like he was cradling a poisonous snake. It wasn’t nearly time for Carlos to be calling him but a part of him wanted the call to have already come. He wanted this over.

He checked with Daryl to make sure everything was ready and then headed to Willa’s room. When he entered, she and Diane were huddled around the table. He’d decided that on this day, this last day, the two women should be together. They looked up when he walked in and closed the door behind him.

He leaned against a wall and lit up a cigarette.

“What’s going on?” Willa said in a trembling voice. She had never been the same since she’d discovered it was possible something had happened to her family.

“It’s just about over,” said Quarry. “At least I’m hoping it is.”

“Hoping?” said Diane, her face weary and her voice equally tired.

“Yeah, hoping,” said Quarry. “And praying.”

“And what if your hopes don’t turn out?” asked Willa.

“Yeah, tell us. Mr. Sam ,” said Diane coldly. “What then?”

He ignored her and looked at Willa. “I brought my daughter home. The sick one.”

“Why’d you do that?”

He shrugged. “It was time. Said my goodbyes and all. It’s all good.”

“Your goodbyes?” asked Willa in a fearful voice.

“See, whichever way this turns out, things are over for me. All done. Ain’t gonna see anybody anymore.”

“Are you going to kill yourself?” said Diane, with a hopeful edge to her voice.