“Kill them all.”

“Well, that’s a goal. And the title of a Metallica album. But do you have any idea of the steps needed to achieve that goal?”

“We’ll drive this rig down their throats, and then I’ll shoot them.”

Burke looked over at her as if she was an alien life-form. “That’s not really a plan. That’s assisted suicide. Consider the variables for a moment. You have one gun with ten to fifteen rounds. They have lots of guns with probably thousands of rounds. You not only have to deal with Kruger and his blonde wolverine, but you also have Yoshida, Loria, and probably twenty mercenaries from Black Dog Protective Services.”

“David beat Goliath.”

“He was a skilled marksman with a long-range weapon fighting what was likely a mentally handicapped man with a sword. As a shepherd, he would have previously killed all manner of beasts with his sling. Goliath didn’t stand a chance. In our case, however, death is a certainty. You have no plan and are outgunned and outmatched. I couldn’t care less what you do, but if you want my participation, you’re going to have to do a lot better than ‘kill them all’.”

“I’ll drop you off before we get there.”

Burke drove without a word for a moment and then said, “Okay, I do care that you would be marching to your death.”

“Well then, smart guy, how do you propose we take down Goliath?”

“When facing a superior force in battle, the only option is to defeat them with cunning and subterfuge.”

“I’m all ears. What’s your big plan?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Then shut your mouth.”

“If I do come up with a plan that could result in you achieving your goals that doesn’t end in our deaths, would you follow it? Right now, we’re not partners. I’m your hostage.”

She considered that for a moment. A part of her wanted to die, had even hoped for that release. But she didn’t want to take Burke with her. And killing Tyler’s murderers was more important than killing herself.

“Okay, Dr. Burke. You come up with a plan, and I’ll back it.”

“Good. Ten minutes to figure out a plan on how two people can take down an army. No problem. You don’t happen to have a tank jammed up your ass, do you?”

“This thing’s practically a tank,” she said.

“This is an armored rescue vehicle. It’s little good to us without offensive capabilities.”

The lights and extravagance of Las Vegas had given way to suburbia and shopping centers. They came up behind a slow-moving flatbed truck with a bed filled with tall, cylindrical tanks of some kind.

Burke smiled. “Okay, I have a plan. But I’m going to need you to give me the gun.”

“Out of the question. Why would you need the gun?”

“Because I’m about to commit grand theft auto.”

Chapter 99

Burke’s mind raced as they approached Loria’s mansion. He calculated and recalculated the variables. So many unknowns. He needed more data to compute their chances of success, but he supposed he had done everything in his power to ensure a favorable outcome.