Page 187 of To Die For
“After the call his niece made to him, I’ll have him hook, line, and sinker shortly.”
“That’s my girl.”
“That’s right,” said King. “I am.” Her hand went to her jacket pocket, where there was a small device inside. She pushed the button.
An explosion from outside rocked the barn as the bomb in the Porsche’s engine compartment detonated.
“What in the hell!” shouted a panicked Dawkins as he jumped up and glanced wildly around.
He looked at King as she slipped a gun from her bag.
“What is going on, Mercedes?” exclaimed a clearly terrified Dawkins.
“It’s called cutting my losses, dear, sweet Nick. And if you wear the uniform, try to walk the walk and not act so fucking scared. It’s a real turnoff.”
She pointed the pistol at him.
He took a step back. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Just call me one of your supporters who don’t want to be made into a follower against their will.”
She shot him in the head and Dawkins fell to the floor dead, with blood running down his face and fouling his uniform.
King opened the door and rushed out into the main room. Amid the chaos, people were hurtling around and screaming as they grabbed guns from off the walls and ammo from behind the mesh doors. In addition to more explosions, small arms fire could be heard just outside.
King used the confusion to her advantage, and snuck out a back door. She slipped off her pumps and replaced them with a pair of ballet flats taken from her coat pocket. From every direction she heard sirens and the roars of powerful engines. She assumed that the full weight of the state of Washington’s constabulary, along with the FBI, was descending on the compound. Luckily she had planned for such an eventuality. And she now intended to execute that plan.
She climbed aboard a four-wheeler and headed down a dirt road at the rear of the property. After about a half mile she turned onto another road, which wound past a small pond. She rode up to a security fence, shot the lock off, and drove through. She stopped and glanced back to see plumes of smoke rising into the air from back at the compound. She heard gunfire and small explosions echoing across the distance.
Total chaos, and she loved it.
King smiled, hit the throttle, and roared away.
CHAPTER
88
HAVING ALLOWED MERCEDES KING TOchoose for him, Devine and Nate Shore were crouched outside of the woman’s home.
Shore said, “She went to those assholes’ HQ, which told you that wasnotwhere they were holding Glass?”
Devine nodded as he scanned the rear of the house. “That, and someone who knew her well told me that King was running her own op, so she never would have shared Glass with those guys. She wanted a personal payoff, and playing Glass for a fool was the only way to get it. I don’t think she ever believed the crap Dawkins and his kind were spewing. She was always playing her own game. She’s at their HQ right now probably blowing the place up and killing who she needs to kill to save her own ass. And Danny Glass represents her golden goose.”
“Shit always comes down to money,” said Shore in disgust.
“We got the plans for the house. They have a panic room behind a wall on the top floor. And they pulled a sat with see-through capability for us.” Devine spoke into his mic. “Ready to execute.”
Campbell came on the line. “The satellite is in place and we’re just now getting images. Best route for entry is the exterior door on the south-facing side. We have incapacitated the alarm system and frozen the security cameras. You are invisible that way, but they could have eyes at windows so take precautions. Turn on your camera and I will see what you see.”
“Roger that.”
Devine turned on his head cam and confirmed that Campbell had visuals.
Devine turned to Shore. “Let’s hit it.”
They threaded their way through the woods until they reached the back door at the rear of the house.
Devine used his lockpick gun to defeat the door and they slipped inside.
