When Faye joined him at the Range Rover, he was removing the weapons and other gear he needed from the compartment under the spare tire. The SUV’s interior lights had been turned off, and the canopy of branches over the area where he stood cast everything in a gloom that made it difficult to see, but he knew where he had stored each item, could recognize each by touch.

He picked up an AR-15 and handed it to her.

“There’s a patio off the back of that room,” he said. “Has a sliding glass door. I’m going to go through there—after you lob a couple of flash-bangs through the window. After that, you’re to swing around to the front of the house, get yourself behind that tree over there.” He pointed to an immense oak roughly two hundred yards away, near the front of the house. “The rifle has a scope. I want you watching the front door. That’s going to turn into a choke point. Once the shooting starts, everyone’s going to start funneling through there, Paul included—provided I don’t take him down first.”

Faye was shaking her head. “He’s going to fight you.”

“You don’t stand up to an assault rifle. Paul’s a coward. He’s gonna run straight for one of those cars—trust me.”

“And if he does, you want me to take him out.”

“I’m looking forward to doing that myself. But if you’ve got a clear shot, yeah, I’d sure appreciate it.

“Get down on your stomach—it’ll give you more stability with the rifle,” Sebastian said. “You see Paul, Guidry, anyone he brought, take them down. Just make sure Paul doesn’t leave here. You do that, you’re looking at a seven-figure bonus.”

“Go,” she said. “I’ve got your back.”

CHAPTER 50

IT TURNED OUT he wouldn’t have to break down or shoot his way through the sliding glass door. It was unlocked. Sebastian cracked it open an inch, and then he crouched down and looked through the glass at the spare, dimly lit kitchen, used, he guessed, strictly for entertaining. It was big enough to service a hotel restaurant.

Sebastian had never pulled the trigger on someone who hadn’t deserved it. The people in his line of work had no illusions about the business they were in, and not once had he ever lost sleep over his actions or decisions. If anything, he slept more soundly, comforted by the knowledge that he had performed a valuable service, not only for the city of Los Angles but also for humanity.

His blood hummed at the thought of putting Paul down. But he wouldn’t do it at the expense of saving his daughter. Grace was the goal.

But he needed Faye to play along, do her part. Would she? He had offered her a solid financial incentive, plus his promise to help her locate her twin brother.

Sebastian heard breaking glass.

Smiled.

Good girl, he thought, a jolt of adrenaline surging through his limbs. He jumped to his feet and threw the door open as the grenade exploded in a deafening boom. In front of him was a swinging door. Just a bump of a hip or shoulder, and it would open.