Luke shook his head. No. Theyll use infra-red, heat seekers. We had goggles like that in Afghanistan. You can see heat signatures right through the walls. Theyll start a firestorm in here and well be trapped.

Luke raised a hand. Listen, Walter. Were not going to win this by being cute. Theyre going to drop all pretense. There is no rule of law. There are no negotiations. Theres too much at stake. When they hit, theyre going to hit hard. We need to be prepared for that. They wont hesitate to torch this place, and then tell everyone a gas main blew. Personally, Id rather die in a shootout on the street.

Luke put his bags down on the table. The man was obviously a hobbyist, one of these so-called preppers, building cockamamie devices like this panic room, and storing canned food to survive the coming apocalypse. It wasnt Lukes cup of tea, but it was better than someone who wasnt prepared at all.

What else you got? Luke said. Give me something good.

I have an M1 Garand rifle, and maybe twenty magazines loaded with .30-06 armor-piercing incendiary rounds.

Luke nodded. Better. What else?

Brenna took a deep breath.

Come on, Walter. Out with it. We dont have much time.

Okay, Brenna said. I have a GMC Suburban completely redone in after-market armor. Its in the garage. It doesnt look like anything, but the doors, body, interior, suspension, the engine, all of it is wrapped in steel plates, ballistic nylon or Kevlar. The tires are modified runflatsyou can ride on them for another sixty miles after theyre blown out. The glass is two-inch-thick transparent polycarbonate and lead. The weight is immense, two thousand pounds more than a stock Suburban. The engine is a jacked-up V8, and the front bumper and grille are reinforced steelyou could drive that thing through a brick wall.

Luke smiled. Beautiful. And you didnt want to tell me.

Brenna shook his head. I put a hundred thousand dollars into that car.

No better time to use it than now, Luke said. Show me.

They moved through Brennas house to the garage. Luke held Brenna back from entering. They stood near the kitchen door, mindful of the possible sniper angles coming through the open garage bay. Across the way from them was the black Suburban. Brenna was right. It looked like a typical late-model SUV. Maybe the windows were a little darker than normal. Maybe the truck glowed a little more than it should. Or maybe that was all Lukes imagination.

Gassed up? Luke said.

Of course.

I need to borrow it.

Brenna nodded. I figured. Maybe Ill ride with you.

Thats a good idea. Do you have any old Secret Service buddies, ones who are still able-bodied, and who you know you can trust?

I have a few I can think of. Yeah.