Blue Smoke and Murder

85

SEPTEMBER 17

6:34 P.M.

A white Lincoln Navigator wheeled up beside the Skymaster almost before the plane stopped. Zach flung off his seat harness, shoved open the door and leaped out, duffel in hand.

All the windows of the Navigator were rolled down. You could shoot into a car with closed windows, but it was hell to shoot back that way.

A man bailed from the front seat and pushed into the already full backseat, making room for Zach next to the driver.

Zach jumped in front and slammed the door. He didn’t recognize anyone, and didn’t need to. Their weapons were clean and carried professionally. Body armor bulked up their clothes.

Zach wished he and Jill were wearing some. But he hadn’t taken his on the vacation that had become a job, and Jill probably didn’t even know what body armor looked like.

The Navigator turned onto the ranch road and accelerated, its headlights looking frail against the dusk.

“Red Hill still in place?” Zach asked the driver.

“Last I heard,” she said.

“Craptastic.”

“That’s what Faroe said.”

“Anything new?” Zach asked.

“The client-”

“Jill,” Zach cut in. “Her name is Jill.”

The driver gave him a sideways glance. “The BlackBerry bug on her works fine. She spotted the Red Hill vehicles and helo and described them. She’s in the fourth cottage on the right. She looked for a back way out. Didn’t find one. There’s an extra com rig for you in the glove compartment.”

Zach opened it, put on the familiar lightweight headset, and adjusted the voice pickup. Now he could communicate with the rest of the team, as well as with St. Kilda.

“Any idea who hired Red Hill?” Zach asked.

“If Faroe knows, he isn’t sharing.”

“Then he doesn’t know,” Zach said.

The Navigator hit a rough patch and shuddered hard.

The driver kept the accelerator halfway to the floor.

Jill’s voice whispered through Zach’s earpiece. “Ski Mask is coming back toward me. His body language is all about rage. So is the gun in his hand. Whatever happened in the sixth cabin really punched his buttons.”

“Faster,” Zach snarled.

The accelerator slammed to the floor and the Navigator surged forward.

Zach had a cold feeling in his gut that it wouldn’t be fast enough.