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He pushed me his guns. “Take them. We need to buy time until the counterassault team arrives by helicopter, assuming they can get here in this weather. They’ll have notified the local police as well, but we’re a bit isolated here, and it’ll be a slaughter if they arrive to face the kind of firepower these guys appear to have.”

I slid to the window and, without raising my head, wiggled the curtain slightly with the submachine gun. Almost immediately the curtain jerked as a bullet passed right where my head would have been. Judging by the impact on the wall behind me, the shooter was off to the right out in front of the house.

“Hopefully, that convinced him you’re still operational,” I said. “But if they don’t see more of a response, they’ll assume they’ve suppressed our fire and they’ll come at the house in one rush.”

“Slash, you up here?” Hands’s voice filtered in from the door. “What’s the situation?”

“Stay there. The agent in here is injured.”

“Agent Flax,” the man filled in for me.

I nodded. “Agent Flax and I have a sniper holding us down in here while others surround the house,” I continued.” Best guess is they’re military trained, full comms, and night vision. We have to stand firm until help arrives by bird in about fifteen minutes. The patrol agent outside is presumed down, as are the cops who were stationed at the end of the driveway. What’s happening downstairs?”

“Beau and Gio are protecting the guests the best they can without weapons. Tito went into the kitchen looking for knives or anything we might use for a weapon. But without a lot more firepower, it’s not going to be much of a fight.”

“I have an FN P90, and there’s a SR-16 rifle with a scope you can use,” I said, sliding him the gun. “Can you handle the sniper?”

“Leave the sniper to me,” Hands said. I could hear him as he checked out the gun quietly and professionally.

“Hands is a SEAL and a trained sniper,” I explained to the agent. “He’s exactly the person you want helping you right now.”

Agent Flax smiled wanly. “Believe me, I’ll take it.”

“Agent Flax, if you’re okay with it, I’ve got a plan,” Hands said in a low voice. “I’m heading into the next room and will get in position. All I need you to do is simulate trying to scan the front yard through this window. I’ll give you the signal. As soon I spot his muzzle flash, I’ll shoot him before he can reorient on my position. Got it?”

“I think I can handle that, but I am going to need something other than my head,” he joked weakly.

I duckwalked to snatch a book off a nearby shelf and handed it to Flax. I wondered how old or valuable this antique book might be, sacrificed for the sake of the people. “This should do it. Just wait till Hands is in position and raise it slowly and to your side, as he might shoot through the wall and not at your head.”

“Got it,” Agent Flax said. “Where are you going?”

“Back downstairs. I need to evacuate the civilians upstairs and get coverage on the side and front doors. Do you want me to leave you the Glock?”

“No, it’ll do you more good than me.”

Nodding, I took the two guns and quickly crawled out of the room, heading downstairs with the Glock ready in my hand and his P90 over my shoulder.

I had just reached the bottom of the stairs when I heard Hands call out a signal to Agent Flax. Seconds later I heard two shots being fired. The outgoing one told me that Hands’s deception had worked.

I only hoped he’d hit his target. We needed something to go our way soon, or it was going to get worse fast.

Much worse.

NINE

Slash

Isensed, more than saw, Gio standing guard at the hall entrance to the dining room.

“Beau and I’ve got everyone away from the windows and down on the floor,” Gio informed me quickly in Italian. “We’ve pulled as many curtains closed as possible. It limits our ability to see out, but since they have night vision and we don’t, it reduces some of their advantage in seeing in. Tito is in the kitchen guarding that door with a handgun from the agent guarding the dining room door to the patio. None of the guests are hurt so far.”

“The agent and police outside are presumed down,” I reported. “One of the agents upstairs has also been hit.” Crouching, I peered into the dining room. I could sense more than see that everyone was prone on the floor or huddled up against the walls. They were surprisingly quiet. Nevertheless, I needed to get them out of here as soon as possible.

“What’s happening?” Gio asked kneeling near me. “An attack on the first lady?”

“That’s the most likely scenario.” I handed over the FN P90. “Take this. It’s set to semiautomatic. You can use auto, but you only have that fifty-round magazine. Someone needs to cover the ballroom’s side door and windows. There may already be someone in the house, so be careful. Assume that anyone outside is not friendly. We’ve got to hold on until the cavalry arrives in hopefully fifteen minutes or so. Set a barricade if you can. Stay away from the windows. I want to get everyone upstairs before we’re breached and have a blood bath on our hands. We can more easily defend the stairs to buy time if that happens.”

“Understood.” Gio patted my shoulder and moved into position down the hall.