Pine’s voice shook slightly as she said, “It doesn’t have to be this way, Britta. You can end this now.”
“No, I can’t. I have to finish it.”
“Your beef was with Myron. You took care of him. He’s done. So give me the gun and we’ll call it a day. It’s the right thing to do, you know it is.”
“I loved my children so much. I wanted the best for them. And…and then just like that they were both gone. So I do have to finish this. For them.”
“I know you’re working with Jerry Danvers. Please call him and tell him not to kill anyone else. Please.”
She shook her head. “There’s so much you don’t know.”
Pine said in frustration, “Then tell me. Like what’s your endgame? Do you walk away with a big life insurance payoff or whatever wealth Myron’s built up?”
Britta’s expression turned ugly. “I want nothing to do with his blood money.” She looked down for a moment. “After this, I have nothing else to live for.”
“And me?”
“I’m so sorry. I really am. I never thought I would see you again. I liked your parents very much. And you and Mercy were very sweet. You played with my children, you know. Maybe if things had been different, you four would have grown up together and everything would have turned out okay. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Who’s the fourth victim, Britta? Please tell me.”
“There’s nothing you can do about it.”
“If you’re going to kill me, the least you can do is tell me that.”
“No, I’ll take that to my grave.”
“Do you really want it to end like this?”
“I’m afraid it has to.”
“Atlee!”
The voice was coming from outside.
It was Eddie Laredo.
“Agent Pine!”
That was Detective Max Wallis.
Distracted by this, Britta glanced at the window.
That was the opportunity that Pine had been waiting for.
She pulled her Nano, but instead of firing it, she threw it at Britta.
The gun had gotten wet when she had dived into the pool. It probably would not have fired accurately because of that. She couldn’t have risked finding out whether it would or not. But it worked just fine as a flying projectile because the gun hit Britta in the face; she cried out in pain.
Pine jumped over the back of the couch, landing at the same instant as Britta firing the Glock at her. The rounds zipped through the couch and embedded in the wall behind Pine.
Pine slid along the back of the couch as she heard Laredo and Wallis shouting from outside and feet running their way.
When Pine reached the end of the couch, she gripped a lamp there and hurled it in Britta’s direction.
When there was no response from Britta, Pine poked her head quickly over the top of the couch, scanning the room in front of her.
Britta wasn’t there, but Pine’s Glock was lying on the floor. She raced over and picked it up. Next, she ran to the door leading to the pool. She kicked it open and found herself face-to-face with Laredo and Wallis, whose guns were drawn.
“At—” began Laredo. She raced right past him and looked into the pool.
Myron was once more at the bottom and this time he wasn’t coming back. He was clearly dead, his eyes open and still.
“Shit!” she screamed.
Laredo looked over her shoulder and saw the body.
“Is that Pringle?”
She nodded. “I saved him once, but not twice.”
“We heard a shot.”
The next instant they heard a car start up. But it wasn’t any ordinary car.
“That’s the Pagani!” exclaimed Laredo.
“The what?” shouted Wallis.
Pine sprinted toward the garage area with Laredo right behind her and Wallis puffing along at the rear. They reached the courtyard fronting the garage area when the Pagani shot out of one of the bays and accelerated so fast, it seemed like a plane about to take off.
Pine changed direction and raced toward her SUV. She and Laredo reached it at the same time; she jumped into the driver’s seat and he into the passenger seat. She fired up the engine and they roared after the Pagani while Wallis was still twenty yards behind.
“You’re never going to catch her in this thing,” warned Laredo.
“We’ll see about that.”
All they could see in front of them was a swirl of dust thrown up by the Pagani. It was like driving into a tornado.
“Hang on,” said Pine.
She cut the wheel to the right, went off the road, tore between two huge oaks, punched the gas, ripped right through