A squadron of soldiers in black spilled out around the corner, the infrared lights on their long guns flashed as they blocked the hall.

“Drop to the floor! Drop now!” one shouted. “Mr. Chance, we don’t want anyone to get hurt!”

“Listen here!” Flip stepped forward. “I am Congressman Flip Smith, and you best lower those weapons! You get your damn general down here—”

“Sir, drop to the floor! Hands on your head!”

William immediately felt Lily stir, and he reached out to touch her shoulder.

“Mr. Chance! I’m not warning you again—”

“You know what we can do!” William barked. “Stand back! I don’t want to hurt any of you!”

He could tell the soldiers had been warned.

“What do you mean, what you can do?” Flip demanded.

William knew Jane had come to stand directly behind him, remembering her question about Quincy finding them. If he can get in, how can we get out?

He hadn’t answered her then.

With a quick reach backwards, he found her wrist and held tight.

SEVENTEEN

From the first-floor windows, purposely made to appear dingy from the outside to conceal the agency within, Kate watched the protestors rush away in the sudden onslaught of rain.

Her mother was not with them.

She looked back to Steven, whose breathing had becoming disturbingly labored in the far corner of the room. He’d confided that he had advanced heart disease. Even with all the pain and resentment she’d felt for years about the man, it pained her to see this kind of suffering.

“Hang on, Dr. Richards,” she said. “I demanded that they bring a doctor.”

“Is she here?” he responded in a whisper.

Once again, Kate glared at the door, furious that Hallow had locked it behind him. All of the threats she wanted to make were useless. It didn’t matter what elected position she held. All she was now was the daughter of the woman who had revealed an agency’s once clandestine location to the world—

The door handle turned, and Flynn stepped in, quickly shutting it.

“Where is my mother—”

“I am only doing this because I have nowhere else to stash them at the moment,” he said. He then held up a finger. “And I certainly wouldn’t be hiding them in here if I had any other choice.”

He turned and pounded twice on the door. The agents outside opened it.

Kate had rarely seen hatred in her mother’s eyes, and it stilled her breath to see it as she stepped through, careful not to even brush by Flynn Hallow.

“I remember you, asshole,” Roxy said, holding tight to Lynn’s hand as she rushed in behind. “I hoped you’d died a long time ago.”

“Hello, Mrs. Garth,” Flynn responded.

Roxy almost ran into Lynn, she had stopped so suddenly.

“Mom,” Kate said, watching her mother’s angry expression turn to shock.