Lean on Me (54 page)

The “Accounting” department was a remnant
from when the Lowry neighborhood was a US Air Force Base. The plan
had been to move the “Accounting” office but they never found a
suitable, and secure, location. Alex had only ever heard it called
the “Accounting” department, quotation marks and emphasis included.
She made a mental note to find out exactly what “Accounting” went
on there. They left their parachutes with the armed guard and ran
east toward Colin’s house.

With Colin and Troy in the lead, and Matthew
and Joseph in between, she and Raz fell in behind. Over their ear
buds, Vince announced that they were in place. A few minutes later,
Trece announced that he, Pete, and “the mutt” were in position.

Colin slowed and started walking, then
waited for her at the Police barricade. She showed her Department
of Defense ID and they went through the barricade to Colin’s house.
The Denver Police SWAT team had set up a tactical vehicle at the
end of the block. Alex and the men were escorted inside.

She nodded to Raz. As a former NYPD police
detective, he acted as the liaison for the team with local police.
Within minutes, he was seated at a computer terminal where he
pulled up the heat and radar readings from the satellite. When he
had what they needed, Alex, Joseph, and Matthew left the truck to
watch.

“
You’re a go,” Alex said
and raised a pair of binoculars to her eyes.

Vince use a compound bow to anchor a rope in
the soffit of the roof just above the closet window. Leena set up a
belay and ropes to assist Margaret’s climb to the window without
creating noise on the roof. Margaret strapped into a harness.

“
Set,” Vince
said.

“
Agent Hargreaves?” Joseph
pointed to Colin.

Colin called Paddie on the phone.

“
I hear a phone ringing,”
Margaret said. “I thought the phone was on vibrate.”

“
He’s moving to the back of
the house,” Raz said.

“
Daddy?” She heard Paddie’s
voice over through her communication ear bud.

“
Hey buddy,” Colin said
into the phone. “I’m outside. You remember Margaret?”

“
The Indian?” Paddie asked
in her ear bud. “She thinks cowboys are bad guys, but I think
cowboys can be good guys.”

Alex smiled. It was so like Paddie to want
to debate the goodness of cowboys in the middle of a crisis.

“
Can you see Margaret at
the window?” Colin asked in the phone.

“
Sergeant?” Matthew asked
over the communication ear buds.

“
On the move.” Margaret’s
answer came in her ear bud. With Leena anchoring her rope, Margaret
climbed up to the window. “I’m at the window waving.”

“
Hi Margaret.” There was a
rustling noise in her ear as if Paddie was waving back.

“
Report,” Alex
said.

“
Subject moved near the
window,” Margaret said. “I see the wife. Sir, there’s a lot of
blood. Subject looks terrified. He’s tugging at his
diaper.”

“
Ok buddy,” Colin said into
the phone. “You have to do me a favor. Can you move back toward the
door?”

“
He’s gone to his mom.
She’s about midway in the closet,” Margaret said in her ear bud.
“He’s tugging on her arm to get her to come with him. She seems
just barely conscious.”

“
Will they be injured by
the glass?” Alex asked.

“
Yes sir,” Margaret said.
“Any attempt to break the glass will spray them with
glass.”

“
Option B,” Joseph said in
her ear bud.

Margaret lay back so she was almost upside
down. Vince jumped up to give her a cordless drill.

“
Got it.” Margaret rotated
into position.

“
He is outside the closet,”
Raz said in her ear bud.

She heard a crashing sound over her ear
buds.

“
I think he is knocking the
books off the shelves,” Raz said. “Can’t tell.”

“
Paddie, you must be
silent,” Colin said.

“
Like naptime?” Paddie
whispered.

“
Yes,” Colin
said.

“
We need to do this,” Raz
said. “He’s checking something metal probably a weapon, maybe a
shot gun. Armor piercing rounds would kill them both in a matter of
seconds.”

Matthew and Alex ran to the front door.

“
In place,” Alex
said.

“
Go,” Joseph said in her
ear bud.

Alex unlocked the front door and took a step
inside.

F

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“
Colin?” Alex yelled. “Hey,
Col, are you here?”

“
He’s moving to the front
door,” Raz said.

Margaret drilled through the aluminum window
lock. Alex stepped aside to let Matthew in the house.

“
Done,” Margaret
said.

“
DPD reminds us that this
man is armed and dangerous,” Raz said.

“
Go,” Joseph
said.

Margaret lifted the transom window and
lowered herself inside. Vince strapped into the ropes and climbed
to the window.

“
Hey Colin! Julie!” Matthew
yelled. “I think you’re right, Alex. They must be out.”

Alex heard footsteps coming toward them.

“
He’s almost to you,” Raz
said. “He set the weapon down in the kitchen. Wait! I have
movement. There’s another person in the house. Colin, did you do
something to your basement?”

“
Steel and cement. Like
Alex’s house,” Colin said. “Why?”

“
Couldn’t see him with the
scans,” Raz said. “Another person is coming up the basement stairs.
Could be more down there. What’s in your basement?”

“
My office, entertainment
system, workout room,” Colin said.

“
Computers,” Raz said. “Did
you ever log onto the new system from there?”

“
Never,” Colin
said.

“
You’re positive?” Raz
said.

“
Never ever,” Colin
said.

“
Good,” Raz
said.

A tired looking, average-sized man came from
the back of the house. As if they had troubled him on Christmas
Day, his face expressed his annoyance.

“
Can I help you?” the man
asked.

“
I’m looking for my
brother,” Alex said. “He was supposed to meet us for a
simulation.”

“
Your brother?” the man
asked. “Listen, it’s Christmas. We were just…”

“
Subject obtained,” MJ
said.

“…
about to sit down to
breakfast,” the man continued.

“
Wife is strapped in,”
Margaret said.

“
Roger that,” Leena
said.

“
Hoisting,” Vince
said.

“
Oh great,” Alex moved
passed the man into the house. “What are we having?”

The man turned as she walked passed.

“
Ham,” The man moved to
stay between her and his hostages.

“
We’re having a big meal at
our house too,” Alex said. “I’d love some coffee. Mattie, want some
coffee for the road?”

“
Why don’t I make a pot?”
the man started toward the kitchen.

She followed just behind him.

“
He’s moving for a weapon,”
Raz said. “The person from the basement is now waiting behind the
door.”

“
Wife is out of the house,”
Vince said.

“
Lowering,” Leena
said.

Alex gestured Matthew toward the basement
door. Alex’s right hand went to the Glock 9mm at her sacrum. She
ran the details of the layout of Colin’s kitchen and where this man
might have stashed the weapon.

“
SWAT says they have a shot
on the person in the basement,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Window in
side door.”

“
Bullet proof glass,” Colin
said in her ear bud.

“
Relayed,” Sergeant Dusty
said in her ear bud.

“
On my order,” Joseph said
in her ear bud.

“
Relayed,” Sergeant Dusty
said in her ear bud.

“
Where’s your friend
going?” the man asked.

“
Bathroom,” Alex said.
“We’ve been on the road for a while.”

“
North Dakota?” the man
said. He pressed open the swinging kitchen door.

“
Hey, how did you know?”
Alex glanced at Matthew. He nodded.

“
In position,” Matthew said
when the man was in the kitchen.

“
Go,” Joseph
said.

There was a pop and the sound of shattered
wood. Matthew opened the basement door. A man’s body fell forward.
Matthew checked for a pulse and shook his head.

Alex stepped to the side of the swinging
kitchen door. Pressing herself against the wall, she opened the
door with her boot.

“
Hey, is someone else in
the house?” Alex asked.

The door exploded with a shotgun blast.

“
Hello asshole,” Colin said
from inside the kitchen.

Alex ran into the kitchen. Before she could
get in there, Colin had the man by the collar. His other fist was
pounding the man’s face.

“
Colin!” Alex yelled.
“Stop!”

Colin grabbed the man’s shotgun and threw it
at her. Alex stepped aside and raised her Glock 9mm. The shotgun
landed and went off.

“
What’s the weapon for?”
Matthew nodded at Alex’s handgun.

“
Him,” Alex pointed the
handgun at Colin. “You need to stop. That is a direct
order.”

Colin stopped punching the man. He didn’t
let go of the man.

“
Colin,” Alex
said.

“
I want to so bad,” Colin
said.

Matthew moved to the other side of
Colin.

“
You continue and there’s
going to be an inquiry,” Alex said. “Roll the tape, Col. How’s that
going to play?”

“
Why should I care?” Colin
asked.

“
Because Julie and Paddie
are waiting for you outside,” Alex said. “This is your usual self
destructive crap to destroy how well your life is
going.”

“
But he…”

Matthew threw a palm punch at the back of
Colin’s head. Colin weaved and dropped the man. The man slid along
a cabinet to the ground. Colin fell to his knees.

“
SWAT is coming in,”
Sergeant Dusty said.

Alex and Matthew raised their hands over
their heads. The Denver Police SWAT team swarmed into the
house.

“
Your work?” the Denver
Police SWAT officer asked Alex.

“
Mine,” Colin
said.

“
Your house?” the Denver
Police SWAT officer asked.

“
Yes sir,” Colin
said.

“
Too bad he fell down the
stairs,” the Denver Police SWAT officer said. “We’ve got this. The
reporters are on their way.”

“
We have seven minutes
before Peterson releases the air space,” Royce. “Get out now or be
on the television news.”

Alex kneeled down to Colin.

“
Come on, little brother,”
Alex said. “Your family needs you.”

Grabbing his arm, she and Matthew helped him
stand. She nodded to the Denver police and they walked out of
Colin’s house.

“
Daddy!” Paddie screamed
from Joseph’s arms. Paddie fought until Joseph set him down. Colin
kneeled down and Paddie ran into his arms. Holding his son tight,
Colin stood.

“
Sir, your wife is waiting
for you over here,” MJ said.

“
Shall we go see Mommy?”
Colin asked.

“
Sure,” Paddie
said.

“
Did you get a new diaper?”
Colin asked.

“
Daddy!” Paddie said. “Big
boys don’t wear diapers during the day! That’s just
silly.”

Struck by joy and the normalness of his
child, tears began to seep from Colin’s eyes. He hugged Paddie
tight.

“
Can we see Mommy now?”
Paddie asked. “Katy said she’d be okay. She’d have to rest for a
while and I’d get to stay with Katy.”

“
Katy did, huh?” Colin
asked. “When you called her?”

“
I didn’t call Katy,”
Paddie said. “I had to be naptime quiet so the man wouldn’t find
us. I can’t be naptime quiet and talk to Katy at the same time.
Daddy is so silly!”

“
How…?” Colin started and
looked at Alex. She shrugged and waved him toward the ambulance.
Nodding, he and Paddie jogged to the ambulance.

“
Time to go,” Raz touched
her arm.

With a nod, she followed Matthew toward an
armored SUV packed with the team.

“
Where to?” Trece asked
from the driver’s seat.

“
Buckley,” Alex
said.

“
The Fey Team only sees
family when we’re clean, fed, and available for them,” Joseph
repeated one of the Fey team rules.

“
Yes sir,” Trece
said.

Sitting between Raz’s legs, Alex settled in
for the ride. Trece drove down the street and then turned right on
Quebec. He drove to Sixth Avenue and pulled into the parking space
of his and White Boy’s Bachelor Pad. Sergeant Dusty was waiting for
them at the door.

“
We wanted to get home
fast,” Trece said. “Zack ferried them to Buckley for clothes. Royce
is cooking.”