Rogers held his weapon trained on Forsander, who froze and held his pistol out to his side in a half-surrendering gesture as Wilson brought Greenwalt to the floor. “Toss it,” Rogers instructed Forsander. “Now!” he yelled when he didn’t comply.
Finally, Edgar Forsander tossed it aside. “If anyone hurts my sister, you’ll fucking pay,” he warned.
“No one hurt her,” Rogers said. “Now get on the wall. I know you know the position.”
Upstairs, Rod Forsander realized that neither his brother nor David had followed him upstairs. He was sure they’d been captured by the agents downstairs. He stood in the hallway, indecision crippling him.
“Zoe, are you okay?” Oliveira called to her from the floor where he still lay face-down.
“She’s fine,” Burke said. “We just want to talk to her. I told you that! And we can do that and end this once you come in here, Forsander!”
Tessman pushed Elly away from himself. “Get down next to him.” He pointed to Oliveira.
Elly held her hands up and immediately did as she was told. Tessman stepped over them and rushed out the door, overtaking Forsander in the hallway. He body checked him into the wall, startling Forsander. Then he turned him and threw him face first into the wall.
“Assume the position, asshole.” After Tessman had patted Forsander down, he grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the room. “Now join them on the floor.”
Through comms, they heard Wilson’s voice. “Two secured.”
“Located target and have the others secured,” Burke transmitted as Tessman pulled three zip ties from his pocket with the intention of securing the three of them on the ground.
“Please don’t hurt them,” Zoe pled. “And don’t make me go back.”
“Zoe, we just want to talk to you and hear from you what’s going on,” Burke said.
Elly lifted her head from the ground. “Tell them, Zoe. You have to tell them.”
Tessman had Forsander’s hands secure, and he moved over to Oliveira.
Burke spun Zoe, so that he looked her in the eye. “Tell us what?”
Just then, Oliveira jumped up and tackled Tessman. Tessman repelled him and brought him back to the floor quickly.
“Don’t hurt him!” Zoe cried out. She twisted in Burke’s grip and pulled loose. She rushed to Oliveira and covered his body with hers before Tessman struck Oliveira a second time.
Tessman pulled her off Oliveira. “Stop!”
Oliveira rolled over and reached toward Zoe.
“Fucking stop!” Burke barked as Oliveira pulled Zoe into himself. “Both of you, come sit on the bed. Moe, guard the door.”
Oliveira helped Zoe up, and the two of them stood there, their suspicious gazes going back and forth between Burke and Tessman.
“Zoe, first, are you okay? Did you come to this house willingly?” Burke asked.
“Yes,” she insisted.
“Tell them, Zoe. He said he could help you,” Elly repeated. “You can’t hide here forever.”
“Whatever it is. I promise you, we can help you,” Burke said. She looked afraid, and Burke could see she was rolling it around in her head. “Please.”
“She had to disappear for her own safety,” Oliveira said.
Burke nodded. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“I saw something I wasn’t supposed to,” Zoe said. Her frightened eyes stared at Oliveira’s. He nodded. “At the salon.”
“What did you see, Zoe?” Burke asked gently when she didn’t continue.
