Page 105 of Billion-Dollar Ransom

THE ESCALADE GROUND to a skidding halt about twenty yards away. Its doors spread open like wings, and out of each side emerged a cop with a gun drawn.

Wait.

Boo Schraeder knew these cops.

They were the leaders of the task force investigating Boo’s own abduction. Special Agent Nicole Gordon and Detective Michael Hardy.

Both had grilled her pretty hard over the past few weeks.

Especially the fed, Gordon. She’d forced Boo to repeat certain details of her abduction over and over again, perhaps hoping to catch her in a lie.

Boo was too prepared and polished to fall for an old trick like that, but it became clear that Gordon was the kind of relentless investigator who could not be discouraged, reasoned with, or even bribed.

Knowing this, Boo felt a heaviness fall over her. This could end only one way: with Gordon and Hardy dead and buried.

“Hey, how did you two know we were out here?” Virgil called to them, arms spread wide as if to say See, I’m not a threat. We’re all still on the same side.

“Lace your fingers behind your head!” Gordon shouted. “You and Mrs. Schraeder both.”

“Hold on,” Virgil said. “You are seriously misunderstanding the situation. We’re here at Mr. Schraeder’s request. We’re hoping to recover some of the ransom money you all lost.”

“Hands behind your heads and get down on your knees!”

“We’re not going to do that,” Virgil said calmly. “Listen to me. I want you two to lower your weapons and talk to us sensibly.”

“We’re not misunderstanding a thing,” Gordon said. “We know you were behind the kidnappings. You two along with Jeff Penney.”

“Isn’t Jeff Penney one of yours?” Virgil asked.

“Apparently not,” Gordon said, keeping her aim steady.

“Oh, and for the record, Virgil?” Detective Hardy said. “You’re an asshole.”

“I’ve been called worse by better men than you, Hardy.”

Boo frowned. She appreciated Virgil’s valiant efforts but knew talk would not work. Not with these two. They were way too stubborn. They didn’t want money; they wanted the win .

“You’re right,” Boo said. “Congrats. The money’s been here the entire time. I’m tired of running. Tired of lying. It’s right there in that hole. See for yourselves.”

She wasn’t lying. There was still two hundred million in that excavated rectangle in the earth.

But Penney was down there too. He’d jumped in just before Gordon and Hardy arrived.

So go on, Boo thought. Take a good look.

Gordon looked at Hardy, who nodded. He approached the hole carefully, gun still trained on Virgil, who shot Boo a quick look that meant Be ready for anything. Boo swallowed and nodded slightly. Gordon watched them both closely.

Hardy was only a few feet from the hole. “You might as well climb on out of there, Penney,” he called. “Isn’t this your Porsche up here?”

So that’s how they found us, Boo thought. Jeff was the weak link. He led them straight here.

Boo had known this would end with killing—and now so did everyone else.

Jeff, in the hole, fired first, squeezing off a shot meant for the center of Detective Hardy’s head.

But the bullet missed its mark, and Hardy instantly returned fire; he shot twice, and both bullets found their target.

Boo couldn’t see where Jeff had been hit, but she heard his astonished yelp.

Virgil pulled his sidearm, took a shot at Hardy, and caught him in the right shoulder, spinning him like a top.

Agent Gordon fired twice. Part of Virgil’s head turned into wet mist. He twitched like a marionette and dropped to the ground.

Down in the hole, Jeff Penney choked on his own blood.

Gordon raced to check on her fallen partner.

Boo, who held no weapon, had watched this six-second gunfight with a strange detachment, as if it were nothing more than the climax of some action movie she was streaming and not her actual life.

Then she remembered herself and the keys in her hand.

Boo bolted for the Porsche. She had already stowed the six hundred million dollars’ worth of precious jewels in the trunk (thank God). As she strapped herself into the driver’s seat, she did some hard calculations. Was her escape plan still viable?

Signs pointed to yes . The FBI knew about this meeting place thanks to Jeff, but there was no way they could know about the Gulfstream. No one knew about that except her and Virgil Tighe. And Virgil wouldn’t be talking anytime soon.

This can still work, she told herself. But only if you get the hell out of this desert right now.