First Family (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 4)

Quarry’s lips eased into a smile. “Can’t kill a man who’s already dead.”

Diane merely looked away, but Willa said, “Who’ll take care of your daughter if you can’t?”

Diane looked back over with a curious expression. It was obvious that she had not even considered this issue.

Quarry shrugged. “It’ll be okay for her.”

“But—”

He moved to the door. “You two just sit tight.”

He left.

Diane drew close. “It’s not going to be okay, Willa.”

Willa just stared at the door.

“Willa, do you hear me?”

Apparently Willa didn’t hear her. She just kept staring at the door.

The plane hadn’t been there so Michelle was driving hard. Gabriel was next to her feeding directions and Sean was in the backseat looking at the sky and checking for a chopper carrying a president and a First Lady who had much to answer for.

“Turn there, left,” said Gabriel.

Michelle cut a hard left that flung Sean across the backseat.

“If we die before we get there, it will really be counterproductive,” he said sharply as he struggled to sit back up and slipped on his safety harness.

“How much further, Gabriel?” said Michelle.

“Another hour,” he said. “Mr. Sam can make it there a lot faster in the plane. I’ve never been on a plane before, have you?”

Michelle was studying the road ahead. Every time they came to a straightway she would floor it, but as they moved up into hilly ground the straight roads were rapidly disappearing. “Yeah, I’ve been on a plane.” She jerked her head in Sean’s direction. “He’s been on Air Force One with the president.”

Gabriel turned to stare in awe at Sean. “You met the president?”

Sean nodded. “But remember, he puts his pants on the same way you and I do. Only when he has his on he can push a button and blow up the world.”

Michelle turned around and gave him a “what the hell?” look before saying, “If you want to go on a plane ride one day, Gabriel, we can arrange it.”

“That’d be cool. You go right at the next road.”

“What road?” said Sean as another jarring bump nearly unseated him. “You mean this obstacle course we’ve been on for the last ten miles?”

As she made the turn and the road grew steeper, Michelle engaged her four-wheel drive and they bumped along.

“Tell us about the mine, Gabriel,” said Michelle.

“Like what?”

“One entrance in or more?”

“Just the one I know about. Got a grassy runway Mr. Sam put in. I came up here in the truck with him sometimes and we’d mow the grass flat.”

“Keep going,” Michelle said encouragingly. “The more we know the better we’ll be prepared.”

He explained about the shafts and the rooms Quarry had built inside.