But Pine knew at some point they would find them.
She looked behind her for a moment, where the two most important people in her life were: Blum and her sister. They really were her family, the only one she was ever likely to have now. And it was at least even money that she was going to lose her family and her life right here. But if it came to that, she told herself, she was fortunate indeed to have found Mercy before her end came.
And if this is our Alamo, at least we’ll take as many of them with us as we can.
Later, as she sighted through the scope, Pine stiffened. A figure was running toward her location. Pine’s finger slid to the trigger guard and held. Until she could make a definite ID she would not fire. Her walkie-talkie squawked.
“It’s me,” said the voice over the ether.
She relaxed as Spector reached the ledge.
Spector said two words, the only ones she needed to say:
“They’re coming.”
CHAPTER
74
I’LL TAKE THE SNIPER RIFLE,” said Spector. “They’re on foot now, going slow and taking no chances. We’ve got about thirty minutes.”
“I’m good right here,” replied Pine.
“I’ve got something else for you to do. Quick, follow me.”
Pine reluctantly handed over the rifle and followed her back to their campsite. They told Mercy what was happening; Mercy gripped her pistol and said, “They’ll have to go through me to get to Carol.”
Spector popped the cargo door on the SUV and opened a small duffel. She pulled out a small drone and its accompanying remote control.
“Ever use one of these?” she asked Pine.
“Yeah, for surveillance. In the hinterlands of Arizona, it comes in handy. How’d you score that?”
“It belongs to Buckley. He uses it to keep an eye on his property. He doesn’t like trespassers. I thought I could put it to better use, so I pinched it.”
“Good thinking,” commented Mercy.
“Okay, this remote has a screen, so you see what the drone sees. I want you to take up position behind the boulder next to the ledge where you were.”
“And then what?”
“I want you to fly this sucker straight down the road where they’re heading in right now. Keep it at about a hundred feet. It’s small enough, and it’s dark enough that they won’t be able to see it very well.” She pointed to the drone’s underbelly. “Now this is the key. When the drone is right over them, hit this button on the remote.” She indicated the button on the right. “I’ll do the rest.”
“You don’t have to do it all,” said Pine.
“I won’t. There are too many of them. They’re going to breach our outer defenses. When they do, well, it’s going to come down to hand-to-hand and whatever tricks we can come up with. But I’m betting on us.”
Pine looked at the sniper rifle. “You sure you don’t want me to do that part?”
Spector looked uncomfortable. In a low voice she said, “You know HRT?”
“The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team? Yes, of course.”
Spector gripped the rifle. “Well, I was a sniper with them for two years. This is the same model rifle I used back then.”
She didn’t meet Pine’s gaze. At first. When she did look up, Pine’s eyes were boring into hers.
Spector licked her lips nervously.
“Then you better get in position. And good luck,” Pine said finally.