Angel Fire

Chapter Thirty-Five

Tori shifted in her seat as Cameron pulled to a stop a block and a half from the rental house.

“Appears to be the same white Ford,” Eric said.

Tori touched her earpiece, pushing it more securely into her ear. “Wonder why he didn’t ditch the car?” she asked.

“Maybe he thought it was safer to keep it than try to get another one,” Cameron said.

“How long do we wait?” Reynolds asked.

“Full dark,” Cameron said.

Tori leaned back in the seat and tried to relax. Full dark would be another twenty minutes, at least.

The house was on a corner lot. The neighborhood was older and appeared to be mostly rentals. The nearest streetlight was two blocks away. Past the house in the opposite direction, Reynolds and Eric were parked. And down a side street, behind the house, Andrea and Sam were in the new rental car Eric had picked up. She and Cameron had a visual of the house and she assumed Eric and Reynolds did too.

Tori had really hoped that Cameron would insist that Sam stay behind. Hell, she had mentioned it herself, but Sam had been adamant about going. Tori wasn’t sure if it was because Sam wanted to be there in case something happened to her or if Sam wanted some sort of closure because of Angel. She knew Sam was harboring some guilt over Angel’s escape. If things worked out the way Cameron planned, this whole thing would be over with tonight. And soon.

“I can’t get crap with this thing,” Cameron said. “We’re too far away from the house to zone in.”

“The thermal imaging?” Eric asked.

“Yeah. Hell, I’m picking up signals from all over. The neighbors appear to be having dinner,” she said.

“Why did you let Eric have the night vision goggles?” Tori asked.

“Because she’s got that toy,” Eric answered. “I’ll need to get closer too, though.”

Cameron held up the monitor for her to see. “I think this might be the house,” she said, pointing to a cluster. “If so, there’s more than one person in there.”

* * *

Andrea glanced over at Sam who had become increasingly quiet. Her blond hair rustled in the breeze as she continued to stare out her opened window. They had turned their mics off when they’d first headed out and conversation between them had come easily. She found Sam to be quite engaging, and she knew that if given the chance, they could become friends.

But there was one thing they had not mentioned. The plan was to take out Angel. Plain and simple. Sam had been noncommittal during the planning stage for tonight’s mission, simply listening and not contributing. Part of that, of course, was that she was not FBI and not really a part of the mission. Andrea wondered if there wasn’t more to it.

“Do you have reservations about all this?” In the shadows, she could barely make out Sam’s expression, but she saw her nod.

“I’m a cop,” Sam said. “Only on TV is the only option shoot to kill.”

“I know what you mean,” Andrea admitted. “I told you how I felt about being judge and jury. It’s not something I believe in. And for all of Cameron’s bravado, she hates it too. Her training, her experience in the military has prepared her for this, though.” She sighed. “It’s disturbing to think that we’re staking out this house, waiting to move on it so that we can kill him instead of capture him.”

“Yes, it is. It seems so far removed from law enforcement,” Sam said.

Andrea nodded. “Murdock’s teams are far removed from it. I’ve only met Reynolds’s team, not the other. I know Cameron, of course. And Reynolds, he would never take advantage of the carte blanche Murdock gives them. But I would imagine it puts a lot of pressure on Murdock to make sure he has the right people on his teams.”

“And not have someone who thinks they are always above the law? Yes, I guess it is a fine line to walk.” Sam tilted her head, watching her. “Do you think that may be why Cameron is ready to settle down and leave the FBI?”

“I think that’s part of it, yes,” she said. “And I think she genuinely wants a house, wants to put down roots somewhere. She grew up in a military family. She’s been in the military her whole life. I think she’s ready to settle down.”

“Does she have a family? Siblings?”

Andrea shook her head. “No. She doesn’t have family.” She paused, wondering if Cameron would mind her telling Sam about her father. It wasn’t something Cameron ever talked about. “Her brother was in the military too. He was killed,” she said. “And…well, her father, he was also in the military. He found her mother with another man, an officer. He killed them both.”

“Oh, God.”

“So he’s in prison.” She decided she wouldn’t mention the fact that Cameron’s father had kidnapped her and taken her into the wilderness in Canada to avoid capture.

“You’re her family then,” Sam said. “Tori doesn’t have any family either. Her father was a cop too. A home invasion…well, her whole family was killed. I hate to think about it, and Tori doesn’t talk about it, but the guy killed everyone but Tori. He left her tied to a chair at their dinner table, all her family dead around her. I think she was twelve years old.”

“God, how did she mentally survive that?”

“She used to think she hadn’t,” Sam said. “She lived with a very loving aunt and she helped her heal. She wanted to become a cop so that she could solve her family’s murder.”

“No one was ever arrested?”

“No. And after all this time, I think she’s resolved herself that no one will be.”

“That’s got to be very hard for her.”

“Yes. But we’ve made a home, we are our own family. And Casey and Leslie, they’re our best friends. Casey and Tori are like sisters.”

“With our lifestyle now, that is the one thing I miss,” Andrea confessed. “Friends.”

“Another reason to settle down,” Sam said. She paused. “It’s odd how similar their lives have been, isn’t it? I mean, minus the military, of course.”

“Yes. Maybe that’s why they’re so much alike.”

Andrea settled back in her seat, enjoying the coolness of the evening. She could hear the breeze stirring the leaves on the aspen tree they were parked under. Daylight had dwindled and she could no longer make out the subtle gold color that was just starting to show. She knew from their travels in the west that they were missing the peak color by about two weeks. Maybe when this was over, Cameron would want to head up into the mountains again.

* * *

“Hey guys,” Eric said. “There’s a black Mustang cruising by. That’s at least the third time I’ve seen it.”

Cameron and Tori looked at each other. “Surveillance,” they said at the same time.

“Goddamn,” Cameron murmured.

“It’s pulling in the driveway,” Eric said, his voice low.

Cameron felt her adrenaline kick in, and she squeezed her hand around her rifle. She knew it was too dark to take a shot. Not from here.

“Can you see?” Tori whispered beside her.

Cameron shook her head.

“Okay, it’s not Angel,” Eric said. “Judging from the looks of him, I’d say a local thug.”

“I’ve got to get closer,” Cameron said. “I can’t tell how many people are in the house from here.”

“I’ve got eyes on the door. All is quiet now,” Eric said.

“He’s put no lights on,” Tori said. “He’s got to know we’re here.”

“If he hired a local and that was indeed surveillance, then yeah, he must suspect we’re here,” Cameron said.

“Are you ready to call for backup?” Reynolds asked.

“Yeah, let’s shoot up the whole goddamn neighborhood, Reynolds.”

“If not backup, then what do you suggest?”

“How about…‘FBI. Come out with your hands up!’? You think that’ll work?” She heard nothing but a quick laugh from Andrea. Reynolds didn’t bother to reply. She glanced over at Tori. “Everyone is so uptight.”

Tori raised her eyebrows. “Plan B then?”

“Do we have a Plan B?”

“We wait him out,” Reynolds suggested. “He’s got to come out sometime.”

“We still don’t have a positive ID that Angel’s even in the house,” Eric said.

“I’ve got to get closer,” she said again. “Let me see if I can pick something up with the thermal imaging.”

“Be careful,” Reynolds whispered.

Even though it was a pleasant evening and a light breeze was blowing through the open truck windows, she felt perspiration trickle down her neck. She got out quietly, making sure not to close the door. She had already turned the interior lights off.

“I see light inside,” Eric said. “Looks like maybe the kitchen window. It’s over here by the carport.”

“Looks like a flashlight,” Reynolds said.

“Copy that,” Cameron whispered as she pressed up against a blue spruce that separated the two houses. She held the device out, making sure to stay in the shadows. She finally got a reading and was shocked to see four people inside. “Got four inside,” she said.

“Makes no sense,” Reynolds said. “He’s on the run. He’s been all over the news. Who in their right mind would team up with him?”

“He’s got three million dollars,” Tori said. “Money talks.”

Cameron crept back to the truck and slipped inside again. She tossed the device on the seat with a heavy sigh. Four? Who were they and how well trained were they?

“What are you thinking?”

She turned to Tori. “I’m wondering if these are local thugs, like Eric thinks, or if these are part of his team. Maybe a second team he had lined up, just in case.” She held her wrist mic closer to her mouth. “Sam? What do you think?”

There was only a slight pause before she answered. “I don’t think he had any other team here,” Sam said. “He was used to working alone. I don’t think he would trust that many people.”

“I suppose if he had another team, he would have called them in right away,” she said. “So if they are locals, we can assume they aren’t well trained.”

“So what do you want to do?” Reynolds asked. “I still think we should wait them out.”

“Wait them out? Wait for them to come out?” she asked. “So if he comes out with his three friends around him, do I just take them all out? Or do we let them get in the car and have a chase?” She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “Hell, maybe he gets away long enough to take another hostage. Maybe we can play that game all over again.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m tired, Reynolds. I’m frustrated. And I’m sick to death of Angel Figueroa.”

“I’ll second that,” Tori said quietly beside her.

Cameron closed her eyes. She needed to focus. She couldn’t be tired. She couldn’t be frustrated. She couldn’t be at the point where she was ready to just walk away from it all. She allowed herself a glimpse of the future, with she and Andrea in a little mountain town, maybe living in a cabin. Hell, maybe getting a dog or even another cat.

“Cameron?”

It was Andi, and she smiled, recognizing the gentle tone of her voice. How did Andrea know that she had reached her limit?

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said, answering her unasked question. She cleared her throat. “Okay, let’s talk this through. Does he know we’re out here? Was the guy in the Mustang doing surveillance? Angel is smart. He’s leaving nothing to chance.” She paused, feeling out of sorts. “We could wait, as Reynolds suggested. Maybe I could get a shot when he comes out. But if I don’t, then what?”

“They’re inside the house,” Eric said. “We don’t have to lay low now. Let’s get closer. It doesn’t have to be you to take the shot if we’re nearer the house.”

“I agree,” Tori said. “The last thing we need is to let him get back inside his car.”

“Are we willing to chance one of these other three guys being causalities?” she asked.

“If they’re mixed up with Angel, they’re not innocent,” Reynolds said. “We can assume all three of them are armed.”

Cameron blew out her breath. She didn’t like it. They were leaving too much to chance and Angel was too good. Maybe she should have done what Reynolds suggested in the beginning—surround the goddamn house. But Murdock had agreed with her. There was just too great a chance of the neighbors getting caught in the crossfire.

“I got a bad feeling,” Tori said beside her.

“Yeah. Me too.”

“Do you want me come up from the back like we planned?” Andrea asked.

“Yes. Sam…you stay in the car.”

“I will.”

“Okay. Nice and easy, everyone. Be sure of your target.”