As I rolled down the window, I backed up Mighty Chair several inches in its tracks, giving me a wider field of vision. For the next few minutes I was going to have to be Bourne again. Keeping both agents in view was tricky, but I didn’t need the details, I just had to be aware of motion. Russell rested his right arm on the doorframe and leaned in. “What’s going…”

The Glock was in my right hand, resting on Chair’s arm, pointing directly at Corbin. There was about eighteen inches between us, can’t-miss distance. If I fired, I’d hit something. As Russell leaned into Van, I raised my left hand and jammed Corbin’s gun right under Russell’s chin and pushed up hard. “Don’t. Fucking. Move.”

“Do what he tells ya,” Corbin shouted. “He’s nuts. He broke my fucking finger.”

“Whatever you say,” Russell stammered, starting to raise his hands.

“Put your hands down,” I told him. “We’re gonna do this by the numbers. One, take the remote out of your pocket and open the car.”

“What’s two?” he gasped as I moved the gun into a slightly better position. Its barrel fit almost perfectly over Russell’s Adam’s apple.

“There is no two. Either you do exactly what I tell you or you die in a gas station parking lot.”

We were in a good spot. Anyone looking in our direction would see someone leaning into a van having what appeared to be a friendly conversation. Then they would have seen an attractive young woman getting out of the rear seat of a white Chevy and joining us.

“You okay?” I asked her.

“I’m good.”

“Pat him down. He’s got a gun on him somewhere.”

Russell tried to look at her without turning his head. His eyes were pulled so far to his right, they threatened to disappear into his ears. “Don’t touch me there,” he said. “It’s in an ankle holster.”

She was shielded from view by the Caprice as she bent down and found his weapon.

“That’s it?” I asked.

“My other one’s in the glove box.” He cleared his throat and asked in a voice so thin it could have been coming through a straw. “Think maybe you could ease up a little.”

As I’d learned in dark rooms, that’s what fear sounded like.

Corbin shifted in his seat enough to attract my attention. I turned and he recoiled, raising his hands in supplication. I noticed his index finger had swelled up like a balloon. He saw me looking at it and pulled it back. He obviously had accepted the fact he was dealing with a crazy guy. “I’m not doing nothing,” he swore.

“I got him,” Laura said. We exchanged a quick glance. She smiled confidently. She was enjoying this, whether it was simply retribution or maybe a feeling of finally being able to fight back, a new part of her had been exposed, and clearly she was enjoying it.

I wasn’t certain how to proceed. Getting to this point had been my primary objective. I had a sort of vague plan, but I lacked sufficient knowledge to fill in the gaps. I didn’t like that. Contrary to the cliché, the best-laid plans usually were the ones that worked. I had no choice, though—we’d just have to solve each problem as it popped up. What was certain was that Dickie and Francis would be traveling with us, at least partway. “Get his phone,” I told her.