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  “Where is he?” Flint asked, quickly sizing up the situation as quickly as Kim had.

  The open area was divided only by furniture. Bunk beds, a table with chairs, a television with viewing chairs were grouped together.

  Lawton could have been hiding under one of the beds, but that would have been a tactical rookie mistake. From that position, all he could do was hide. He’d have little chance of fighting back or escaping from a prone position under a bed.

  There was only one other room back in the far corner. Probably a bathroom. The door was closed. Kim pointed in that direction. Flint nodded and headed toward it.

  Near the bunk beds, several areas were cast in shadow by the harsh overhead lights. Lawton could be waiting there to ambush his captors. Kim pulled her flashlight and aimed the beam as she advanced.

  “Lawton? John, it’s Kim Otto. Are you back there? Come on out.” She rounded the bunk beds. The flashlight illuminated the entire shadowy corner. No Lawton.

  She heard a noise behind her and turned swiftly to face it, ready to shoot.

  Lawton had emerged from the shadows behind another set of beds and stood ten feet away, hands in the air. Weakly, he joked, “I know I should have called, but…”

  “I told you never to stand me up or you’d pay the consequences,” Kim quipped in response, surprised by the flood of relief that almost swamped her. She pulled her knit cap off so he could see her face and confirm she was who she claimed to be.

  She rushed toward him, scanning his body for injuries. He gave her a weak hug. She hugged him, too, and planted a quick kiss on his mouth.

  When she stepped back for a wider view, he looked like a prisoner of war after a long stint in a cage. His clothes were tattered and dirty. His skin was cold and clammy, and his eyes were sunken. His pulse was rapid and breathing shallow. He was probably in shock or dehydrated. Or both.

  “Can you walk? We have to get you out of here and I certainly can’t carry you up those stairs,” she said.

  “I’m a little weak,” Lawton replied. “They haven’t fed me much.”

  Flint came up behind her, his knit cap still on his head but rolled off his face. “I’ll help him upstairs.”

  Kim moved away from Lawton to let Flint take over. He grabbed Lawton’s torso under the arms. Lawton threw one arm over Flint’s shoulder.

  Lawton was wobbly on his feet at first, but as Flint moved him toward the stairs, his stride improved.

  Kim dashed up the steps. Flint and Lawton labored up behind her.

  When she reached the top, she moved through the open doorway into the main room, gun still drawn. O’Hare stood near Freddy with the shotgun pointed at the front door as if he hadn’t moved an inch.

  No one else had come inside.

  Freddy remained unconscious.

  With little effort from Lawton, Flint had managed to lift and drag him from the basement up into the main room of the barracks.

  Kim said, “O’Hare. I’ll take the shotgun. You help Flint with Lawton. We’ve got to hurry.” She grabbed the shotgun from him and shoved him in the right direction.

  With Flint on one side and O’Hare on the other so he could use his good arm, they managed to get Lawton across the barracks and near the front door. His brow was damp with sweat. The effort had already taken its toll. She doubted he could make it all the way across the field to the SUV they’d left behind.

  “Let him rest for a minute,” she said to Flint, gesturing toward one of the sofas. They maneuvered Lawton over and he plopped down as if he’d just climbed Mount Everest.

  “Get him some water and something to eat,” she said to O’Hare, simply to get him out of earshot.

  “On my way,” O’Hare said, moving toward the refrigerator.

  She lowered her voice, speaking only to Flint and Lawton. “We need to put some distance between us and Glen Haven. I saw another propane setup out there before we came inside. My guess is that they’ve got them everywhere around the compound. We don’t have time to dismantle them all, even if we could find them soon enough.”

  Flint raised his eyebrows. To bring Lawton up to speed, he said, “We think Vigo is planning to torch the place.”

  Lawton said, “He is. I overheard him talking about it to his henchmen, Freddy and Hector. They’re waiting for some big shipment and then they plan to burn this place down and bug out. Most of his crew are already gone.”

  Kim nodded. “How many cartel soldiers are still here?”

  “I don’t know. At least Vigo and Freddy. They were waiting for Hector to get back after he killed O’Hare,” Lawton said, his voice so raspy and weak that Kim leaned in to hear. “Vigo mentioned a couple of other names. Louis and Manny, I think. And he’s waiting for his sister to show up. Maria.”

  Flint said, “So he’s gathering his closest allies and then they’ll destroy Glen Haven and leave town. Just ahead of the raid by the feds. Which means he definitely knows the feds are coming.”

  Kim met his gaze. “Yeah. Sounds like it.”

  Flint said, “How much time do we have?”

  Lawton shook his head. “Another hour, maybe? Not long.”

  O’Hare came back with the water and a couple of energy bars he’d scrounged in the kitchen. He’d overheard the last of the conversation. He was breathing hard, panicked.

  O’Hare said, “Vigo’s planning to burn Glen Haven down? We have to get our people out of here. We can’t let them die in their beds.”

  “There’s two SUVs out there. We could steal one,” Flint said, turning to Lawton. “Where is Vigo now?”

  Lawton shook his head. “These two barracks buildings are his command post. You steal his vehicles and he’ll know about it.”

  O’Hare said, “His people have been using both buildings. He could be next door. It makes sense if they’re working on an evacuation plan.”

  Flint said, “I’ll get our SUV. Bring it across the field as quietly as I can. If I go alone, it’ll take me less than ten minutes. Pick the rest of you up here and go back the same way we came in. We can be far enough away from the compound to avoid the worst of what Vigo’s planning.”

  Kim thought about it a couple of moments. A dozen objections formed in her head and she squelched them all.

  The only other realistic option she could fathom would be to leave Lawton behind. She definitely wasn’t willing to do that.

  Which meant there was only one choice. So she simply nodded and said, “Okay.”

  Flint was already on his way to the door.

  “No way,” O’Hare objected, his whole body shaking violently. “I can’t leave here without Cheryl and Micah. We have to take them with us. I’ll get them out myself. I won’t let Vigo burn them to death. Don’t ask me to do that.”

  His words broke with the last sentence and tears formed in his eyes.

  Flint had paused, one hand on the doorknob, waiting for Kim to decide. This was her operation. He was number two. Number one called the shots. Simple as that.

  She glanced at her watch. She couldn’t force O’Hare to come with them. And she couldn’t let him leave this building alone, either. He’d be discovered before he made it halfway across the compound. With his broken arm, he was in no shape to fight Vigo alone, even if he was stupid enough to try.

  Kim’s gaze met Lawton’s. They were the two trained agents in the room. Because she knew him, knew his training, his capacities, she knew he was weak, but not helpless.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Lawton said as if he was reading her mind. “Freddie and I will be just fine here until you get back.”

  She nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. She handed him the shotgun and said to Flint, “We’ll meet you back here in fifteen minutes. If we don’t make it back, don’t wait for us. We’ll find another way.”

  Flint tossed her a mock salute and said, “You’re the boss.”

  She grinned. “And don’t you forget it.”

  Then she turned to O’Hare. “Quickly. We need to find Che
ryl and Micah and get them back here.”

  O’Hare sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “Thank you. You won’t be sorry.”

  But he was wrong. She was already sorry.

  She pulled her black cap out and replaced it on her head. O’Hare did the same.

  “Lead the way,” she said, as she followed Flint through the door and into the night, adjusting her night vision, with O’Hare right behind her.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Friday, April 15

  5:40 a.m.

  Glen Haven, New Mexico

  Mason’s heart was racing, beating so hard he thought his chest might explode. Vigo was planning to burn Glen Haven to the ground. His home and everyone he cared about in the world would be destroyed. He had to get Cheryl and Micah out of there. Now.

  He followed Agent Otto out of the barracks building. They had both pulled their black caps over their faces and wore the night vision, which made it possible to avoid tripping.

  She kept flat against the wall as she crept forward at a brisk pace. She was stealthy and he was as clumsy as any oaf he’d ever met. But they made it to the back of the barracks building unscathed.

  If anyone saw them, nothing horrible happened because of it. He exhaled a long, pent-up breath as he caught up to her.

  “Can we cross from here to your room without being seen?” she said quietly.

  “I’ve done it before. Want me to lead the way?”

  She paused and he knew it was because she really didn’t want him to lead anything. He couldn’t blame her. He’d screwed up royally already. There was no reason why she should trust him.

  She must have concluded his offer wasn’t a viable option. “Just point me in the general direction. I’ll go first.”

  He did as she asked. She set off again, stealthily but quickly, and he followed close behind.

  Along the way, he saw at least four more propane tanks around the center of the compound close to the commune’s living quarters. He supposed it made sense to have extra firepower outside the bigger buildings. He’d never tried to burn a building to the ground, so he didn’t know.

  These tanks had been set up to ignite with Sterno like the others, but they’d also been dismantled.

  He wondered who had dismantled them, since it wasn’t Otto or Flint. And it certainly wasn’t Lawton. He could barely walk. He wasn’t capable of any sort of clandestine activity now.

  Otto stopped to look at the setups and glance around the open space before she moved on.

  She must have realized they didn’t have time to do anything more than stay on mission. She couldn’t go looking for the anonymous benefactor now.

  When they reached the door to Mason’s room, Otto checked her watch. Flint should have been about halfway to the SUV.

  Mason never locked the patio door and it wasn’t locked now. She shoved it aside and stepped into the room.

  She glanced around to be sure the room was unoccupied.

  Once she’d satisfied herself, she removed her night vision and flipped the overhead lights on, still wearing her knit cap.

  Mason had removed his night vision a fraction of a second too late. The bright light blinded him for a minute. He closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to focus.

  “Where is Cheryl’s room?” Otto asked.

  He cleared his throat. He knew the answer. Problem was, once they got there, they were likely to find Cheryl in bed with Bruce Ray. Which would be embarrassing in the extreme. But he couldn’t worry about that now.

  “This way,” he said, as he pulled off his cap, opened the interior door and slipped into the corridor.

  He walked quietly on the carpeted floor. Down the hallway, around the corner, and up one flight of stairs. The mansion had two master suites, one at each end of the oversized house.

  Gavin Ray and his wife, Daphne, occupied the three room suite on the north end. Their two children had rooms next to their parents.

  Bruce Ray shared the second master suite with his wife, Cheryl. Their son, Micah, slept next door.

  Mason had never been in this area of the mansion before. Cheryl always came to his room. Or they met somewhere else. The Rays’ private rooms were off limits to the other Glen Haven residents.

  When they came up the staircase, the magnitude of what he was about to do suddenly landed with its full weight upon Mason’s shoulders. He slumped against the wall.

  Otto said quietly, “Which room?”

  He pointed to the suite on the south end of the hallway. “We can’t go in there.”

  “Kind of impossible to rescue Cheryl and Micah if we don’t,” Otto replied, pulling her cap from her head and stuffing it into a pocket. “And we’re running out of time. Do you want to do this or not?”

  Before he had a chance to answer, the door to Gavin Ray’s suite opened and Daphne walked out, fully dressed and carrying a sweater. She’d taken a few steps before she saw them. Her eyes widened and she cocked her head.

  He must have looked alarming, to say the least, with his battered face and his swollen eye and his broken arm in a sling. His clothes were dirty and torn. He probably didn’t smell all that great, either.

  He should have said something, but he couldn’t think of a single socially acceptable thing to say.

  Otto stepped into the awkward moment. “Daphne, you remember me. Kim Otto. We met yesterday at the balloon launch.”

  Daphne stood staring at them both as if she had no words she could speak. Her mind had gone blank.

  Otto said, “Daphne, we need to get you out of here. Now.”

  “What? I’m on my way to the launch site. I came back for my fleece. Don’t worry. I won’t be late,” Daphne said holding up the yellow fleece, as if launching the balloon on time was the issue.

  “That’s great. Where’s Cheryl?” Otto asked.

  “She already left. She’s piloting this morning. There was a lot of setup to do after all that happened yesterday. We wanted to be sure, you know?” Daphne said.

  Mason wondered whether Cheryl’s excuse was true or if she knew more about Vigo’s plans than she’d told her sister-in-law. Bruce Ray was prone to pillow talk, Mason knew. He had never interrogated Cheryl about what she learned from her husband. He should have.

  Daphne said, “The kids are having breakfast now. They’ll head out in a few minutes, too.”

  Mason was so relieved to hear that Cheryl and Micah were out of the house that he almost collapsed. He leaned against the wall to keep himself upright.

  “What about your husbands?” Otto asked.

  “Oh, they had some kind of business with the renters. They got called a while ago. Over to the barracks, I think,” Daphne said, buttoning the cuffs of her shirt and pulling the warm fleece over her head.

  The more she talked, the more normally she began to behave. Perhaps she wasn’t as horrified by Mason’s appearance anymore. He didn’t know.

  “There’s nobody left up here?” Otto asked.

  “Nobody except me. And if I keep talking to you, I’ll be late,” Daphne replied. “Can we finish this discussion, whatever it’s about, on our way?”

  Mason said, “Yes, of course.”

  She linked her arm through Mason’s good arm and walked along with them. “What happened to you? You didn’t get into a fight, did you? That’s not like you Mason. And how do you know Kim?”

  Daphne continued talking all the way down the stairs to the first floor. They walked past the kitchen. The kids had left empty cereal bowls and juice glasses on the table, but they were already gone.

  A few other residents had wandered into the kitchen. They were making coffee, moving about quietly as they woke to begin another normal, productive day. Mason had been focused on Cheryl and Micah. Now that they were safely out of the house, he could get the others out, too.

  Daphne said, “I’ve really got to get out to the launch site. Aren’t you supposed to be on the ground crew this morning, Mason?”

  “I’m afra
id I won’t be able to help much.” He nodded and patted his sling. “You go ahead. I’ll get a shower and join you out there.”

  She waved and headed toward the door.

  When Daphne was out of hearing range, Mason turned to Otto. Urgently, he said, “Gavin and Bruce Ray went over to the barracks building. You have to go get them.”

  Otto didn’t move.

  He urged her. “Vigo will kill them. I know it’s more than you agreed to do, but we can’t abandon Gavin and Bruce like that. They’ve done so much for me and the others. Please. I’ll get these people out and then I’ll go out to the launch site where Cheryl and Micah are.”

  Otto seemed like she might argue, but Mason said, “We don’t have time to debate this, do we?”

  He could tell that she wanted to do the right thing here, even if it wasn’t her job. One last time, he pleaded, “Please.”

  Probably because it was expedient to simply agree with him, she said, “Make it fast. You don’t know how many of these people are involved with Vigo’s cartel. So watch yourself.”

  “What?” Mason rounded his eyes as his heart pumped faster and roared in his ears. “None of the Glen Haven residents have anything to do with Vigo’s business. We’re not monsters.”

  Otto gave him a withering look, as if he was the stupidest human on the planet. At this point, he realized the odds were slim, but he wanted to believe he was right about these people.

  “Just get as many out of here as you can and then run,” Otto warned. “When those propane tanks are ignited, this whole place will go up fast. You won’t survive it if you’re still anywhere near the compound.”

  “See you at the launch site.” Mason gave her a little shove and she let him push her in the direction she already knew she needed to go.

  He took a deep breath and moved into the kitchen. Once he herded these people out, he’d search the buildings. He’d seen Otto disarm the Sterno and propane setups. He knew what to do. Glen Haven and everyone who lived here could still be saved.

  He glanced at the clock on the wall. But Agent Otto was right. He’d need to hurry.