He couldn’t believe she’d threatened him like that, and that she seemed to know everything. He should have known that she’d been suspicious, that she had been putting pieces together. But how much did she really know? How could she know? It had to be the new driver, the plant—Jo. She had turned his wife against him. A string of curses filled his head. If Jo was working with law enforcement, she must’ve turned Lydia against him. More swearing. She’d pay for that.
“Find them!” JD ordered Kline, his voice tearing through the foyer.
The man was already headed down a hallway, not saying a word. JD headed toward his office, glancing in doorways as he went. No sign of the women. He reached his office, and his hand shook as he dug into his pocket for his key. He fumbled with the lock, then pushed open the door. As he went in, he could tell someone had been in the room. He dashed to his desk, and as he started to put another key in the drawer lock, he knew something was wrong. He grabbed the handle and pulled. The drawer was unlocked. He swore as he yanked it open, and as he pulled out the black box, he saw that paperwork and the USB drive were missing. He slammed the box on the desktop, then keyed in the combination and unlocked it. Inside was a Glock. He grabbed it and raced out of the office.
He listened over the rage that thundered in his ears. Jo would not ruin him. He jogged down the hall, away from the foyer, checking rooms as he went, not seeing his wife or her driver. He ran through the sitting room and ended up in a wide hallway that cut through the center of the house. Kline was racing down the stairs.
“No sign of them,” he said.
“Where’d they go?” JD snapped.
Kline dashed past him and peered out a window. Then he pointed into the darkness. “There.”
JD looked past him and saw two figures racing through an open part of the yard.
“Let’s go,” Kline said.
He opened the door and ran out, and JD followed him. He’d never run so fast, but he had to catch up to Lydia and Jo. As he looked ahead, he saw them climbing a picket fence and racing into the neighbor’s yard. He couldn’t let them talk to anyone.
“We have to stop them,” JD snarled.
“I’ll handle it,” Kline called over his shoulder.
We’ll see about that.
As he followed Kline, he stared ahead, the blackness turning to red with his fury.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Jo half dragged Lydia forward.
The woman winced and pointed. “My phone!”
“We can’t look for it now,” Jo said. “Hurry.”
They sprinted through the neighbor’s yard, up to a huge patio. Lydia ran to French doors and banged loudly with her good hand.
“Bev!” she called out.
The door rattled, but no one showed up. Jo cupped her hand on the window glass and peeked into the house. There was a family room full of furniture and a large fireplace, and a kitchen off to the right. Both empty. She glanced over her shoulder. The figures were quickly approaching. No time to try to break in. She grabbed Lydia’s good arm.
“Let’s go. We’ll find another neighbor.”
She pulled Lydia with her, sticking close to the back of the house. They slipped around the corner, the house giving them some protection from the moonlight. They hurried along as quietly as they could.
As they moved, Jo was thinking quickly. The houses in the neighborhood were far apart, which was a disadvantage right now. No one to hear what was going on. No one was out and about, either, no one to call to for help. She looked to the left. It would be a long run to the next-door neighbor, and another picket fence to climb over. Plenty of open space, where they would be exposed.
They reached the front of the house, and Jo peeked out. Moonlight glinted off the asphalt in the quiet street. Lydia breathed heavily, and she clutched her wrist in pain. At any moment, Jo expected Kline or JD to come around the side of the house. She quickly assessed her options.
They could go to the front of the house, but Kline would probably have JD run around the opposite side, cutting off access to the neighbors there. There was also no point in going to the front door, where they’d be trapped. She looked across the street. They’d be visible if they ran to that neighbor’s house, but she didn’t see any other options.
Jo heard something behind her, and she knew she had no more time to waste. She took Lydia’s good wrist again, and they rushed down a driveway and into the street. Lydia was dragging now, and her arm slipped from Jo’s grip. Their footsteps pounded the pavement as they reached the other side of the street.
We just might make it, Jo thought as they moved across the grass.
A distinctive sound rippled through the air, one Jo had heard many times when she’d been on missions. Lydia cried out with a small gasp. Jo whirled around to see her crumple to the ground.
Jo dropped beside her. Lydia was face down. Jo rolled her over. A dark spot pooled on her blouse, and she looked up.
“Don’t let . . . Don’t let him get away with it.” Then she slumped to the side.
Jo swore and looked over her shoulder. JD was standing in the yard across the street, a hand raised. She swung her gaze to the right and saw Kline. Both men started toward her.
She darted behind a large tree and headed toward the side of the closest house.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
JD raced across the yard and started into the street. Ha—he’d shot that damn driver.
“What the hell are you doing?” Kline hissed as he approached.
“We have to stop them.”
“I told you I’d take care of it.”
“Like you handled everything else?” JD said. “I got Jo. She won’t say anything now.”
Kline cursed like JD had never heard before as they both reached the sidewalk across the street.
