STARWARS-Order received.
Execute orders immediately. Authorization code CARWASH.
CARWASH was the code the other members of the team would receive via text. He’d have to recite the code to prove that he’d received authorization to deviate from their previous order to locate and follow Devin Gray and/or Karl Berg. It was a crude method that still left a lot of room for abuse. He could essentially tell the team anything he wanted, and they wouldn’t have any way to verify the actual orders.
“Read this,” said Rudd, handing the phone to his wife.
She gave it a quick look. “Call Logan. We need to move quick, while they’re standing around making introductions. I assume Young has never met Berg before.”
“Yep,” said Rudd, grabbing his satellite phone and pressing the push-to-talk button. “Put me on speakerphone,” he said to Logan, doing the same.
“You’re on speakerphone,” said Walsh. “We all just received text messages.”
“CARWASH. CARWASH. Berg and Gray just entered the town house. CONTROL gave me the green light to hit the town house,” said Rudd. “We’re going to try and take both Berg and Gray, but if grabbing both of them starts to go sideways, we kill Gray and take Berg.”
“What about Young?” asked Walsh.
“We kill her right away,” said Rudd. “We don’t need any Marine heroics.”
“We’re ready to roll,” said Walsh.
“Get everyone set and move up to the corner,” said Rudd. “You’ll have to be my eyes when I back across Fait Avenue. I won’t be able to see the cross traffic.”
“I’m already on the move,” said Walsh. “No traffic right now. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Let’s do this,” said Rudd, starting the Durango. “Breach kit is in the back seat.”
“We’re at the corner,” said Walsh.
He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Walsh’s Pathfinder pull into place at the intersection.
“You ready?” he said.
Jolene had already drawn her compact stainless-steel revolver. “Quit talking and start driving.”
Rudd maneuvered the Durango out of the tight space and lined up with the intersection using the backup camera screen on the center console. His phone chirped, followed by Walsh’s voice.
“You’re all clear.”
He pressed the accelerator, starting slow and picking up speed. Eyes glued to the screen, he raced across Fait Avenue, immediately slowing when he’d crossed to the other side safely.
“Tell me when to stop,” said Rudd.
He proceeded at a manageable speed until Jolene squeezed his knee. “A few more seconds.”
Rudd counted to three and slowed to a crawl, turning his head to check the street addresses. Seven thirty-one. Seven twenty-nine. He tapped the brakes, bringing them to a stop directly in front of the target address.
“Jesus, Logan!” yelled Jolene, as Walsh’s SUV screeched to a halt just inches from Rudd’s front bumper.
So much for the element of surprise.
CHAPTER 28
Car tires screeched outside, turning all their heads.
“We have to go—right fucking now,” said Berg, taking off for the back of the town house.
Devin put his hand on Marnie’s wrist and lowered the gun. “I’ll explain everything later. Right now, we need to do what Karl says.”
Marnie fumed for a moment before bolting through the town house, with Devin in close pursuit. Once out the back door, he spotted a black SUV parked in the alley just beyond a low concrete wall. A man he’d never seen before whisper-yelled obscenities at them through the front passenger window as they raced across the brick patio toward a black wrought iron gate.
“Hurry the fuck up!” he hissed as they piled through the gate and into the back row of the SUV.
The vehicle took off the moment Devin jumped inside, the door still wide open. He reached out to pull it shut, a plastic garbage bin clipping the end of the door and slamming it against his hand. Devin pulled the door shut with his other hand, groaning in pain.
The man in the passenger seat glanced over his shoulder. “What was the damn holdup? Half the Red Army is in front of the town house.”
“Just a little disagreement,” said Berg. “It wasn’t my best moment.”
“No worries. We’re still good to go,” he said before fully turning in his seat. “Devin. Marnie. I’m Rich, the de facto team leader. And this is Scott. I apologize for this sudden stunt, but we needed to get a handle on who’s been following both of you.”