hadn’t heard anything yet meant Jerry had the situation under control. Or, control-ish, anyway. Jerry’s primary weapon, the MP5SD, wouldn’t be audible over this distance, but his handgun wasn’t suppressed. Still, Jerry wouldn’t resort to the sidearm if he didn’t have to.
Jack just hoped Jerry didn’t waste both women in the process. He still preferred to have at least one of them alive as insurance. After all, there was always a chance Walter might suddenly grow some balls. It was a small chance, he had to admit, but it did exist.
He stood in the doorway and watched Walter working, hunched over the laptop at the desk at the back of the room. If the man noticed his presence at all, he didn’t show it. Walter alternated between tapping on the keyboard, using the mouse touchpad, and wiping at beads of sweat that had accumulated around his temple despite the cool night air.
“How’s it going?” Jack finally said.
Walter stopped working and looked over his shoulder. “All right,” he said, his voice wavering slightly.
“Good to hear.” Jack walked across the room. “How much longer?”
“An hour, maybe.”
“Why is it taking so long?”
“It’s complicated,” Walter said. “I have to do it right, one at a time, or it’ll trigger alarms. If that happens—”
“Everything goes up in smoke?”
“Not everything, but a lot of it.” Walter brushed at sweat that was dripping down his chin. “If I miss a single step, it’ll cause problems—”
“Enough,” Jack said. “I don’t need to know about every comma and backspace. Just keep in mind, Walter, that my employer will verify all of this when you’re done, so don’t think you can fuck with us.”
Walter nodded. “Where’s my daughter? Is she okay?”
“Jerry’s looking for her right now.”
Jack waited for Walter to ask about the gunshots, but either he hadn’t heard them or he hadn’t processed their significance.
“Allie?” Walter asked instead.
“Her, too.”
“They’re both fine?”
“For now.” Jack leaned against the back wall and peered through the curtains at the woods that ringed the property. “You should be more concerned about your own welfare.”
Walter didn’t say anything.
Jack looked back at him. “You understand what’s going to happen if you don’t get this done before morning, right?”
“Yes,” Walter said quietly.
“So let’s finish it. The faster you get it done, the faster we can all go our merry ways. And I mean that, Walter. I want nothing more than to get this over with, for you to be reunited with your daughter and girlfriend. I’m sorry about what I did, but you didn’t give me any choice.”
Walter swallowed, but didn’t say anything.
“They’re doing amazing things with plastic surgery these days,” Jack said. “You’ll be fine. I think you can even reattach it.”
Walter might have flinched physically that time.
“Let’s get back to work,” Jack said, and swiveled to face the window again, when he heard it coming from outside the house.
Something that didn’t belong, that shouldn’t have been out there tonight.
Shit, shit, shit, he thought, as he moved across the room, picking up speed as he went. “I’ll be right back,” he said. “In the meantime, keep working!”
Walter looked up, but before he could say anything, Jack was already in the hallway. He unslung the Sig556 assault rifle and unfolded the stock until the weapon was at its full thirty-five and a half inches. He flicked the fire selector from safe to full-automatic. Normally Jack preferred to set it to semi or three-round burst in order to conserve ammo, but he didn’t like what he was still hearing, getting louder as it drew nearer.
At the front door for the second time, Jack looked out through the same rectangular glass window, but where there was nothing before there was definitely something now.
There were two of them, and they were coming up the road.
SUVs.
The lead vehicle was
Jack just hoped Jerry didn’t waste both women in the process. He still preferred to have at least one of them alive as insurance. After all, there was always a chance Walter might suddenly grow some balls. It was a small chance, he had to admit, but it did exist.
He stood in the doorway and watched Walter working, hunched over the laptop at the desk at the back of the room. If the man noticed his presence at all, he didn’t show it. Walter alternated between tapping on the keyboard, using the mouse touchpad, and wiping at beads of sweat that had accumulated around his temple despite the cool night air.
“How’s it going?” Jack finally said.
Walter stopped working and looked over his shoulder. “All right,” he said, his voice wavering slightly.
“Good to hear.” Jack walked across the room. “How much longer?”
“An hour, maybe.”
“Why is it taking so long?”
“It’s complicated,” Walter said. “I have to do it right, one at a time, or it’ll trigger alarms. If that happens—”
“Everything goes up in smoke?”
“Not everything, but a lot of it.” Walter brushed at sweat that was dripping down his chin. “If I miss a single step, it’ll cause problems—”
“Enough,” Jack said. “I don’t need to know about every comma and backspace. Just keep in mind, Walter, that my employer will verify all of this when you’re done, so don’t think you can fuck with us.”
Walter nodded. “Where’s my daughter? Is she okay?”
“Jerry’s looking for her right now.”
Jack waited for Walter to ask about the gunshots, but either he hadn’t heard them or he hadn’t processed their significance.
“Allie?” Walter asked instead.
“Her, too.”
“They’re both fine?”
“For now.” Jack leaned against the back wall and peered through the curtains at the woods that ringed the property. “You should be more concerned about your own welfare.”
Walter didn’t say anything.
Jack looked back at him. “You understand what’s going to happen if you don’t get this done before morning, right?”
“Yes,” Walter said quietly.
“So let’s finish it. The faster you get it done, the faster we can all go our merry ways. And I mean that, Walter. I want nothing more than to get this over with, for you to be reunited with your daughter and girlfriend. I’m sorry about what I did, but you didn’t give me any choice.”
Walter swallowed, but didn’t say anything.
“They’re doing amazing things with plastic surgery these days,” Jack said. “You’ll be fine. I think you can even reattach it.”
Walter might have flinched physically that time.
“Let’s get back to work,” Jack said, and swiveled to face the window again, when he heard it coming from outside the house.
Something that didn’t belong, that shouldn’t have been out there tonight.
Shit, shit, shit, he thought, as he moved across the room, picking up speed as he went. “I’ll be right back,” he said. “In the meantime, keep working!”
Walter looked up, but before he could say anything, Jack was already in the hallway. He unslung the Sig556 assault rifle and unfolded the stock until the weapon was at its full thirty-five and a half inches. He flicked the fire selector from safe to full-automatic. Normally Jack preferred to set it to semi or three-round burst in order to conserve ammo, but he didn’t like what he was still hearing, getting louder as it drew nearer.
At the front door for the second time, Jack looked out through the same rectangular glass window, but where there was nothing before there was definitely something now.
There were two of them, and they were coming up the road.
SUVs.
The lead vehicle was
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