Zack looked at him perplexed. What is it with these guys and their country club names? Did they all go to CIA prep schools, Ivy League elites who wanted to play spy? “You don’t think it’s odd that someone didn’t call you, of all people, back? Hell, I don’t like you, but I’d still return your call within minutes—even if only to insult you.”

“You don’t let up, do you?” Brandon asked, a slight tone that possibly resembled a hurt feeling in his voice.

“After what happened?” Zack answered seriously. “No. I don’t. I can’t.”

Brandon only nodded. “If you’re thinking that Terrence is somehow involved because he hasn’t returned my call, don’t. He could’ve been at work late. You know how that is, even on a Friday night. His cell would’ve been in his car or one of the lockboxes at the entrances. Not even the number three at the agency is allowed to bring his iPhone into work. Too much of a security risk.”

Zack knew this was true. After the NSA’s Snowden fiasco, all agencies increased their security to prevent adversaries from using cell phones to infiltrate them.

“No. My guess is he worked late, got my message, and will call me tomorrow.”

“Okay. Now that I understand how you got your little treasure here, how did you know they weren’t real cops?” Zack asked.

Brandon let out a small laugh, startling his son and his wife. “Seriously, Zack? After all the years in this business, you ask me that question? How did you know they were lying? Better yet, you even shot one before you knew for certain.” Zack had briefly summarized what had transpired before the interrogation-in-the-form-of-a-conversation had begun. “He could’ve been a cop with a quick trigger finger—and the old man was running at him, according to you. No. You just knew a liar when you saw one, which meant the whole lot of them were impostors.”

“That’s fair. I guess if anyone would know a liar when he saw one, it would be you,” Zack said, almost regretting the insult the moment it left his lips.

Brandon only smiled and shook his head. “And that’s when I thought it might have something to do with the laptop and decided to keep us here instead of evacuating with the rest of the neighbors.”

Zack continued. “And you’ve been holed up in here since they left? Don’t you have a weapon or even a small arsenal? After all the covert work you’ve done? How the hell did they get the drop on you?”