The captives were slowly regaining their senses, and after a brief inspection of their restraints, a silent consensus was reached — they weren’t going anywhere, at least not of their own free will.
Billy walked the line of hard, square-jawed men, scanning their faces, looking for the leader. They were all tough and determined, yet only one had the steely gaze of a leader. He stopped in front of Damien Winslow.
“You’re the boss, aren’t you?”
The man didn’t speak, yet all the others sent furtive glances his way. “Good, now let’s talk b—”
Before he could go further, Tiffany raced forward and shoved the barrel of an HK assault rifle into the man’s chest. She had fire in her eyes. “You tell me right now what happened to the old couple in Idyllwild. Do it now, before I fill your chest with lead!”
Billy backed away — as did Xander — surprised by the intensity in the woman’s voice, along with the conviction her words conveyed.
“Back off,” the man said. “They’re fine. We left them to chase the two of you down the mountain.”
Tiffany glared at the man, searching his face. When she was convinced, she backed away. “You are one lucky son-of-a-bitch,” she said.
“Me? I’d say the two of you are lucky beyond belief.”
“Who do you work for?” Billy asked once Tiffany had retreated.
The man looked up at Billy. “Fucking nerd,” he said. “Who do you think we work for?”
“Duh, let me guess: the bad guys?”
“Bingo. And they pay very well, so I’m sure we’re not the only team out looking for the two of you… and now for you as well, Mr. William Jenkins.”
Xander had the man’s cellphone and was scrolling through his recent text messages. He stopped when he reached one in particular.
“He knows the names of the entire team, Billy, all of us. That could only have come from Jonas.”
Billy focused on the man again. “You work for Jonas Lemon?”
“I’ve heard the name, but he’s not the main guy.”
“Abdul-Shahid Almasi?” Xander asked.
“It’s no secret,” the leader of the assault team acknowledged. “And you should know that he has a lot more men available — and even drones — to get us out of any holding facility the police may put us in.”
As if on cue, three San Diego black-and-white police squad cars entered the grounds through the now open front gate and screeched to a halt at the shattered front door.
“Do you really think Almasi gives a rats-ass about you?” Xander asked before the police entered the house. “Where are they, Almasi and Lemon?”
Just then a pair of weapons-drawn and bewildered policemen entered the living room, aiming their handguns at Xander and Tiffany. By now, they had discarded their weapons and were standing innocently to one side of the sofa.
“Hell if I know,” the man on the floor continued, unfazed by the arrival of the policemen. “Everything is done long-distance these days. They could be in Timbuktu for all I know, or right next door.”
“Mr. Jenkins?” one the policemen asked.
“That’s right,” Billy said, drawing the officer’s attention. “I believe you’re going to need a paddy wagon or two,” he said with a smile. “And by the way, these guys are part of the group who attacked the Rapid Defense Center yesterday, so they aren’t your typical, run-of-the-mill burglars. I’d call in whatever agencies you can think of to make sure they stay in custody and provide all the information they can… through polite and humane interrogation, of course. No waterboarding.” He scanned his wrecked living room. “After all, we wouldn’t want to harm them, now would we?”
The police officer — being on his best behavior in the exclusive area of Rancho Santa Fe — took a moment to scan the room himself, including the line of captives wrapped in baling wire, before nodding to his partner. The second policeman began to speak into his shoulder comm. Another pair of officers entered the room. “Are there any other intruders around we need to know about?” one of them asked Billy.
“Two others got away in a pair of black Suburbans. I captured the license plate numbers on video.”
“Okay,” said the lead police officer. He turned to the others. “Let’s get this scene processed as soon as possible.”
“Representatives from Homeland Security are en route,” one of the other officers reported. “They don’t want anyone leaving until they get here.”
Xander approached the policeman with the sergeant chevron on his sleeve and handed him Winslow’s cellphone. “The people listed here are in danger as well. Can you locate them before anything bad happens to them? They should all be in the San Diego area.”
The officer took the phone. He nodded as he fingered the button on his shoulder communicator. “Sergeant Espinosa to dispatch, I have a list of four names requiring their location and protective units to be assigned. This has something to do with the attack on the Rapid Defense Center, so give it priority status. The names are as follows…” The officer turned away as he read off the names.
Xander, Billy and Tiffany gathered near the dining table. “What now?” Tiffany asked. “You heard Homeland Security is on the way.”
“I guess that depends on whether or not I end up behind bars,” Xander replied.
“Don’t sweat it, buddy,” Billy said emphatically. “The story that’s being spread is that you fought government agents in Idyllwild. Our guests here blow that narrative all to pieces. The rest will fall into place. I think you — and your gorgeous friend here — can relax now. I’ll make sure the Feds take good care of you.”
Billy then turned to glare at the men who had shot up his house. “Do you guys have any idea what you’ve done to my resale value?”
“Boo, hoo, spoiled little rich kid,” said Damien Winslow.
“Hey! Look over there!” Billy suddenly called out, pointing toward the front door. All heads turned in that direction — and that’s when Billy planted a heavy right cross to Damien’s jaw.
The police turned back when they heard the hard clap. A tense moment passed… until Sergeant Espinosa flashed a thin smile. “Okay, let’s get these guys out of here. It’s the least we can do for the homeowner and his guests, after they did our job for us.”
Billy was rubbing his hand when he leaned in close to Xander and whispered: “You know, I’ve never hit anyone before, but I may learn to like it.”
An hour later, Billy’s home was still a crowded mess, but this time with agents from Homeland Security and the FBI, along with a dozen military personnel dispatched from the nearby Miramar Marine Air Station.
“You want us to go where?” Xander asked, confused by what he’d just been told.
“Washington, D.C.,” replied a stern, blond-haired man in a blue suit and striped tie. “A van’s outside to take you to Miramar. From there you’ll take a corporate jet to the East Coast.”
“What are we supposed to do when we get there?” Tiffany asked, after having been informed that she was now part of the you being referred to.
“That’s above my paygrade, Ms. Collins. I’m just following orders. And by the way, I’m a big fan. I watch you all the time on T.V.”
“Thank you, Mister…”
“Cain. Adam Cain, ma’am. Now, if all of you will follow me, the plane’s waiting.”
“What about a change of underwear?” Billy asked.
Cain smiled. “Everything will be provided for you, and all at government expense.”