The Jefferson Key (Cotton Malone 7)

But he’d only get one chance.

Make it count.

MALONE WAS FLYING SOUTH, OUT OF CANADIAN AIRSPACE, BACK to the United States. He was worried about Cassiopeia, wishing she hadn’t gone in there alone. Okay, she was brave, and he knew how she felt about Stephanie. And yes, they were all frustrated and wanted to do something. But going solo? Why not? He’d probably have done the same thing himself, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

The plane’s phone buzzed.

“We have quite a storm here,” Edwin Davis said from North Carolina. “It’s creating a mess. You might have a problem landing.”

“We’ll worry about that in three hours. What’s happening across the river?”

“Gunfire has resumed.”

CASSIOPEIA RIPPED THE TAPE FROM STEPHANIE’S MOUTH, AND the older woman immediately said, “Damn, I’m glad to see you.”

“You look pretty good, too.”

She peeled tape from Shirley Kaiser’s face and asked, “You okay?”

“I’ll live. Get this crap off my hands and feet.”

When both women were free, Stephanie rushed back and retrieved the two rifles. She returned and handed one to Shirley. “Can you use it?”

“You bet your sweet ass I can.”

Cassiopeia smiled and asked them both, “You ready?”

Rain continued to pour.

“We have to make it to the dock,” she told them. “I have a boat there. Edwin is waiting across the river, and there are Secret Service agents on this side in Bath.”

“Lead the way,” Stephanie said.

“I want to kill Hale,” Shirley said.

“Take a number,” Stephanie said to her. “But that’s going to have to wait. Cassiopeia, are you saying that all that gunfire we heard has nothing to do with you?”

“Not a thing. They showed up just as I did.”

“What’s going on?”

“I wish I knew.”

HALE DIRECTED HIS MEN AS THEY FLED THE PRISON THROUGH the concealed rear door and advanced around toward the front, where their attackers waited. Many of the building’s windows had been shot through but the old timbers had withstood the barrage. He was still in radio communication with his men who were flanking the attackers. They were awaiting his order before revealing their presence.

He came to the edge of the building and stayed low.

The storm had hardly abated during the past hour. His eyes were blurry with water. He used the upper eave for protection and focused out at the tree line. The yard, where the prisoner had died earlier, was acting as their salvation, as the intruders were hesitant to advance across its open expanse.

A blast of lead peppered the building.

He heard something thud to the ground and saw a splash.

Then another.

“Captain, get down,” one of his men yelled.

CASSIOPEIA WHIRLED AT THE SOUND OF TWO EXPLOSIONS COMING from the direction of the prison.

“Whoever they are,” Stephanie said, “I’m glad they’re here.”

She agreed. “But we need to stay in the trees. There are men everywhere, and it’s a good twenty-minute trek back to the dock.”

HALE PUSHED HIMSELF UP FROM THE WET GROUND AND SURVEYED the damage. Two grenades had destroyed the prison’s front door and taken out the remaining windows.

But the walls had continued to hold.

He found the radio and gave the command. “Kill them, but make sure I have one prisoner.”

The men with him already knew what to do and started firing, drawing the intruders’ attention.

Shots were returned.

He sought cover behind the trunk of a hefty oak.

Shouts were heard.

Automatic weapons fire came steadily, then lapsed, the clicks gradually slowing until only the wind and rain could be heard.

“We have them,” came the voice over the radio. “All dead, except one.”

“Bring him to me.”

SEVENTY-FOUR

NOVA SCOTIA

WYATT BEAT CARBONELL AND HER CONTINGENT BACK TO FORT Dominion. He felt a little like he had that night years ago, trapped with Malone in the warehouse. Except he was now the fox, instead of the hare. He’d assumed a position similar to what the Commonwealth had taken on his arrival, utilizing the wall walks to maximum advantage. He’d also found his backpack, ditched earlier before his confrontation with Malone, and re-donned his night-vision goggles. He wished he had a supply of flash bombs. They’d come in handy right about now.

Below, he spotted Carbonell with three men. Two were armed. The third was Clifford Knox and he was unarmed.

He decided to strike the first blow.

So he aimed for one of the armed men, the night-vision goggles providing excellent visibility, and fired.

KNOX HEARD A SHOT CRACK THROUGH THE NIGHT.

The man standing five feet away from him cried out in agony then collapsed.

The other armed man reacted, diving for cover.

So did Carbonell.

He fled.

Disappearing into a doorway a few feet away and climbing toward the roof.

CASSIOPEIA LED THE WAY, TRYING TO STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM Hale’s house as possible. There’d been no more explosions, and the gunfire had subsided.

“You’re telling me,” Stephanie whispered, “that Edwin has no idea who’s attacking this place?”

“That’s what he said. But it’s most likely NIA. We suspect its director is deep into this.”

“You can’t trust a thing Andrea Carbonell says or does.”

“Right now, I’m glad for whatever she’s doing. That attack made my job a thousand percent easier.”

They kept moving, guns ready, keeping a watchful eye on the forest around them. Something caught Cassiopeia’s attention off to the right. She grabbed Stephanie’s arm and signaled for Kaiser to stop. Sprawled on the wet soil was a man, not moving. She crept over and saw that half of his skull was gone.

The other two women came, too.

Stephanie bent down and examined the corpse. “Body armor. Night goggles.”

A radio lay to one side.

Stephanie lifted it and tried, “Is anyone listening on this channel?”

Silence.

“This is Stephanie Nelle, head of the Magellan Billet. I ask again, is anyone on this channel?”

HALE SURVEYED THE DEAD MEN, ALL EQUIPPED WITH BODY armor, night-vision goggles, grenades, and automatic weapons. They lay in the trees, rain drenching their corpses. They each carried a radio with an ear fob, one of which he now held.

“Where is my prisoner?” he asked his crewman.

“We took him inside. He’s waiting for you.”

He still held his weapon. Reports from the main house confirmed that more intruders were dead there. Nine all told. None of his men had sustained any injuries. Had Carbonell thought him that incapable? The security center confirmed that the estate was again secure, and the two vehicles the men had arrived in had been found about half a mile from the north perimeter. The storm had effectively masked the gunfire and the estate’s isolation would aid in the cleanup. His men had also checked with the other captains. No one had been attacked save for him, and none of the three had dispatched any men to assist.

“Is anyone listening on this channel?”

The words startled him. A female voice. Coming through the radio’s ear fob, which he’d inserted a few minutes ago on the off chance that there might be some chatter.

“This is Stephanie Nelle, head of the Magellan Billet, I ask again, is anyone on this channel?”

KNOX FOUND THE UPPER WALL WALK BUT KEPT LOW. HE MADE his way to one of his dead men and discovered no weapons. Either Wyatt or Malone had made sure there was nothing to find. The only other gun he might retrieve was from the man Wyatt had just taken down. But that would be difficult.

Two shots rang out from below.

One sent a round off into the night.

The other a bulle

t his way.

CASSIOPEIA WATCHED AS STEPHANIE TOSSED THE RADIO TO THE ground and said, “Useless.”

“Shouldn’t we get out of here?” Kaiser asked.

Cassiopeia agreed. “We’re only about halfway and it sounds like things have calmed down. It won’t be long before they know you’re gone.”

Stephanie gestured with her weapon. “We’re leaving, but I’ll be back for these bastards.”

HALE RAN TO THE PRISON BUILDING, FOUND AN ESTATE PHONE, and called Adventure.

“Has a cart arrived with two prisoners?” he asked the man on the other end.

“Nothing, Captain. Just a lot of wind and rain.”

He hung up the phone and pointed at two crewmen.

“Come with me.”

WYATT WAS PLEASED.

One down. Three to go.