Brent, however, wouldn’t like it. At all.

She rose when the lieutenant entered the tent, weighing the pros and cons of the plan forming in her mind. Details would have to be worked out so as few people as possible were at risk, but it had potential.

The challenge was convincing law enforcement—and one detective in particular—to consider it.

Especially since running away and hiding would be a whole lot safer for her.

26

SOMEONE MUST HAVE alerted the cops that Eve Reilly was a target.

From his position behind a tree in the wooded area on the far fringe of the picnic site, Buzz surveyed the scene through his dark-tinted sunglasses. The bulk of the crowd was milling around the picnic pavilions—but she was in a tent, surrounded by uniformed officers.

As he watched, more cops lowered the remaining flaps, hiding her from view. Unless they’d gotten wind of the plan Dan had concocted, they wouldn’t be taking all those precautions to keep her out of the public eye.

He muttered a curse. This was not how today was supposed to play out.

With the speech already thirty-five minutes behind schedule, whatever cover Dan had arranged to shift suspicion away from him wouldn’t last much longer. In fact, it might already be toast. Everything had been scheduled on the assumption that the Republican group would follow its agenda for the afternoon.

So what was he supposed to do now?

Buzz squinted at the tent, mind racing.

Could he somehow still make this work? Come up with an alternate strategy that would allow him to complete his mission?

Maybe. Unlike his high school chums, he was inventive. Creative. Smart.

If he could pull this off despite the change in plans, Dan would be impressed—and perhaps entrust him with other high-profile assignments. Carrying signs and marching against oppression was fine, but he was capable of doing more. Much more.

And taking out Eve Reilly despite the challenges he faced would help him going forward. Perhaps Dan would even involve him in the planning for future events.

Not that being in charge was important, of course. Hierarchies were inherently undemocratic. Organizations should be horizontal.

Nevertheless . . . someone had to arrange and manage events like this, and he was more prepared than—

A movement behind him caught his eye, and he swiveled away from the tent.

The black bloc folks who’d been infiltrating the woods during the delay, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on at the picnic site, were drifting back toward the parking area.

Someone must have finally taken charge or gotten direction on how to proceed.

That would be a positive development.

He checked the tent again, where cops were stationed every few yards around the perimeter.

An idea began to take shape in his mind.