Dana swallowed. “Yes. You?”
No. Her head felt like she’d hit a truck, which she had. And her right arm felt like one long bruise. “I’m good.” She leaned back and struggled to shove fear away so she could concentrate. “Josh? This is a bad idea. Let us go.”
“Nope.”
Was he armed? If so, could she get the gun with her wrists tied together? She shifted her weight and inched toward him.
“Don’t make me tase you,” he said conversationally, staring straight ahead. “It didn’t look like a pleasant experience.”
They’d left Nari unconscious in the parking lot in the rain. She was so small; would a driver see her before hitting her? Panic snatched Brigid’s breath away, and she tried to breathe normally. In and out. Nari would be okay. The unconsciousness couldn’t last long. The woman could seriously fight and was probably recovering even now. Maybe she was already up and calling for help. “What do you want from us?” she gasped.
“Me? Nothin’.” The guy was as solid as a rock and just as steady.
Okay. This was crazy. The driver turned onto the Interstate, driving toward DC.
“Where are we going?” Dana asked, her words slurred.
“You’ll see,” Josh said.
Brigid looked behind him to see normal traffic. What if Raider needed her back at her computers? This was a disaster. “We’ve made a copy of the journal and tapes, Josh. Even if we hand them over to Eddie, he’ll never know whether we still have the information.”
Josh nodded. “We’ve known that since the beginning. Good thing it’s close to the end.”
Chills flashed down Brigid’s spine.
* * *
Raider stood. “Let’s go into the back room, Eddie. I promised Wolfe here that he could see where the money went and how it’s being laundered. Once he’s satisfied, we can get back to making ourselves very rich men.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned as if all was normal and moved toward the back door.
Eddie soon stood next to him to punch in the numbers. “I’m going to kill you for this, Times. Just thought you should know.”
Raider sighed. “Get in line, buddy. If this doesn’t go well, my silent partner will make sure we’re all buried in a ditch together somewhere. This guy is brilliant but nuts. Trust me that you don’t want to cross him.”
Eddie opened the door, walked inside and looked at the camera. “He should fear me. And he will by the time I’m done with him.”
Fair enough. The shelves opened again, and Eddie led the way inside with Raider, Jonny P, and Wolfe taking up the rear. Raider’s body settled into the operation, even as adrenaline sharpened his focus. They walked onto the dais, and the door shut quietly behind them. Today, only five techs were working inside the facility.
“Show me what’s happening,” Wolfe ordered.
“Fine.” Eddie walked down the stairs and moved toward Rex, who was typing away wearing a set of earbuds and dancing in his seat. Would the HDD try to hire him after all of this was over? Raider tried to read the code flashing across the screen as Wolfe came abreast of him.
The cocking of a gun behind them had Raider stiffening and turning. The bald bartender stood beneath the stairs holding a semiautomatic weapon, barrel pointed at Raider’s chest.
Rex tugged out the earbuds and turned, his eyes earnest beneath the wire-rimmed glasses. “Man, I hope I read your signal right on the camera.”
“You did.” Eddie turned and yanked Jonny P’s gun from Wolfe’s hand.
Signal? There hadn’t been a signal. Damn it. Raider edged away from Wolfe in case there was an opening one of them could take.
Wolfe lifted the black box in the air. “I’m ready to see the fire of hell. Anybody else?”
Raider sighed. “I’d rather not die, but I guess it’s not a bad way to go.”
Wolfe signaled subtly, and Raider exhaled to settle his body. This was going to hurt. He barely signaled back. Then he counted. Before he could hit three, Jonny P pivoted and smashed the box out of Wolfe’s hand. It flew toward Raider and slapped the floor, skidding several feet. Raider dove for it just as Wolfe lunged for the guy with the weapon.
The weapon discharged, and Jonny P landed on Raider, scrambling for the box. Another gun fired, this one even louder, and a bullet chipped the concrete near Raider’s head. He and Jonny froze, the box just out of reach. Turning, he looked over his shoulder to find Eddie had a gun pointed at him.
Wolfe and the bartender grunted and coughed, fighting fiercely for the gun, while Rex slid down beneath his computer table as if his body was boneless. His eyes were wide but focused, and he kept hold of his mouse as if just waiting to get back to work.
