Finally Deacon sighed. 'All right,' he said quietly. 'But let's pray this McCord address is the right place.'

Scarlett cleared her throat. 'If it is the right place, we storm the castle instead of walking into a slaughter.'

'Not to be too particular,' Deacon commented, 'but what exactly does storming the castle entail?'

Scarlett hesitated. 'Assessing the perimeter first. We can at least check out the house and the property on Google Earth. Then we find a way in, find Gayle and get out.'

'In other words,' Diesel drawled, 'you really have no flippin' idea.'

'Pretty much,' Scarlett admitted. 'We'll play it by ear. It'll be dicey, but at least we're following our plan, not a response to his.'

'I'll contact Kate and Adam,' Deacon said. 'I'll leave Adam in place and have Kate call you to coordinate. I'll meet you at the McCord address in twenty.'

Cincinnati, Ohio

Wednesday 5 August, 11.05 P.M.

'The wall's at least a hundred yards long on each side,' Kate Coppola said as she jogged up to where Scarlett and Marcus stood next to the car they'd parked at the edge of the property to which Leslie McCord had led them. 'Maybe half that widthways. Encloses about an acre.'

Kate had arrived ten minutes earlier and, her rifle strapped to her back, had attempted a perimeter check. Deacon was still ten minutes out. Scarlett checked her phone. They were very quickly running out of time to figure out a way in. Hopefully Sweeney was still in there and they could catch him coming out.

'The wall is eight inches thick and ten feet high,' Kate continued, 'with high-voltage wire on top. There's an iron gate at the end of a long tree-lined driveway. Remote-controlled. I didn't see a guard shack inside, but my angle was bad so there could have been one.'

'Cameras?' Scarlett asked.

'I counted at least sixteen of them on the side of the wall I could see, evenly spaced along the outer perimeter, and they're active. The high-voltage wire is live. I climbed a tree and got a decent view of the interior, but none of the limbs extend over the walls, so there's no entry that way. Good news,' she finished, 'is that with all this security, this is probably Sweeney's place.'

'But bad news,' Scarlett said grimly, 'is that it's a fucking fortress.'

Marcus closed his eyes on a wave of palpable despair, but his voice remained strong. 'Are you sure the wire fence is live?'

'I could hear it humming,' Kate replied briskly, but there was sympathy in her eyes.

He nodded, eyes open and alert once more. 'What else?'

'The wall itself only encloses the house and an attached garage,' Kate said. 'There's a chain-link gate in the back wall that opens to the rest of the property. I didn't run the entire perimeter, so I can't tell you how many acres it covers, only that it's enclosed by a twelve-foot chain-link fence, also high-voltage, also live.'

'If the property database is correct,' Marcus said, 'the entire property is just under forty acres. I ran a quick check as we were driving here. The owner is listed as Kenneth Spiegel, forty-eight years old.'

'Kenneth Spiegel, Kenneth Sweeney,' Kate said. 'At least he did us the courtesy of keeping his first name in his alias.'

'The age is about right too,' Scarlett added, 'assuming Kenneth is the man in the photos with Alice.'

'Did you get a photo of Kenneth Spiegel?' Kate asked.

Marcus said. 'Not yet. Deacon's having Isenberg's clerk search the DMV database. Spiegel still exists as a name, anyway. He's on record as paying the property taxes every year. He assumed ownership from Martha Spiegel his mother twenty-two years ago, when he was twenty-six. It appears this land has been owned by Spiegels for a hundred years. The primary residence is a six-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath Tudor-style home with a six-car garage, just under four thousand square feet.'

'That's what I saw within the walls,' Kate agreed. 'The back part of the property is mostly forested, but I did see two sheds through the chain-link fence. One is normal-sized for shovels and stuff and the other is large, with a high ceiling, almost like a building you'd see at a state fair.'

'Lots of places to hide one small woman,' Scarlett muttered.

'She's likely being kept in the basement,' Marcus said, 'based on the video he sent us. The cage was on a concrete floor and the walls in the background were unfinished.'

'And the sound echoed a little,' Scarlett added. 'I'd start looking there once we get in.'

'Did you see any sign of people?' Marcus asked. 'Guards specifically?'

'Not walking around,' Kate said, 'but there have been people there recently. There's trash in the cans outside and one of the garage doors is up. I took some photos.' She handed over her phone, and Scarlett and Marcus flipped through the pictures, confirming what she had described.

'Any ideas of how we get in?' Scarlett asked.

Marcus shook his head, his shoulders sagging. 'No,' he murmured.

Scarlett curled her hand around his forearm. 'Then we wait for him to come out. If he hasn't left yet, he'll have to come through the front gate. We put Kate up in the tree and she can take him out with a head shot, assuming his vehicle isn't fitted with bullet-resistant glass. If we can't take him out, we disable the car and physically ambush him.'

Marcus lifted his head. Stared at her for a moment, hope in his eyes. 'We have to get him before he knows we're coming. Kate?'

Kate checked the time. 'Deacon will be here soon, but the SWAT guys are still twenty minutes out. I really want the backup.'

'But Sweeney might leave for the meet before they get here,' Marcus protested.

'Kate, let's get as close to the front gate as we can without setting off the security, and find our positions,' Scarlett bargained. 'We won't move in until backup arrives, unless Sweeney's vehicle comes through the gate. Does that work?'

Kate considered it for a split second longer. 'Yeah, that works.'

'Then let's go,' Marcus said, his jaw clenched. 'How do we avoid the cameras?'

'I hid in the tree cover. I assume it worked because nobody shot at me. Follow me.'

Scarlett gave his arm another squeeze. 'You heard the woman, soldier. Fall in.'

Cincinnati, Ohio

Wednesday 5 August, 11.10 P.M.

Ken logged out of his bank account and closed his laptop before turning to look down at his son, who lay on the floor shivering, despite the heat in the garage. Bound hand and foot, Sean boasted fewer fingers and toes than he'd had before they'd started.

It only seemed fair. Ken had taken Demetrius's fingers based on the belief that his old friend had betrayed him, when in reality it had been Sean setting his team up to mistrust each other. Sean fancied himself a grand puppet master, pulling the strings. Sean had been wrong.

'I gotta hand it to you, son,' Ken said. 'You held out far longer than I expected before spilling your secrets.' But he had spilled them. 'You'll be happy to know that I've reclaimed my money and yours. But not to worry. You won't be needing it anymore.'

Sean stared up at him, hatred and agony glazing his eyes. 'You fucking bastard,' he croaked hoarsely. He'd screamed long and loud, and his voice was mostly gone.

'Watch your tone, boy,' Ken said mildly. Swiping his shirtsleeve over his brow, he wiped away the sweat that dripped into his eyes. He'd opened the garage door to get a little fresh air after finishing with Sean, but the air outside was hot and muggy too. He needed a shower and a change of clothes. I reek, he thought. His clothing was smeared with Sean's blood. Now that his money was safe, he needed to clean up and get in position to eliminate O'Bannion.

Ken had no plans to walk up and meet the man. There would be no exchange of pleasantries or threats. No face-to-face final confrontation. He didn't need O'Bannion to know who was killing him. He simply wanted the man dead. He knew the park like the back of his hand. He'd grown up here. He knew where to hide for the best shot that would drop O'Bannion in his tracks and still allow for a speedy and unnoticed escape.

Because he did not want that man following him to the ends of the earth. Ken wanted the freedom to live where and as he pleased.

He reached down to grab Sean's ankles so that he could drag him out of the garage, but hesitated. There were still a few things he needed to know. He met his son's furious and helpless gaze. 'So nobody was stealing money, Demetrius was loyal, and you really don't know where Reuben is?'

'Go to hell.'

He tapped Sean's shot-out knee with the toe of his boot, making his son moan in pain. 'I'll kick it. You won't like that, I promise. What about Reuben's wife, Miriam? Was she really saved by an anonymous 911 call?' He held his knife poised over the knee wound. 'Don't give me attitude.'

'There was an anonymous 911 call,' Sean gritted. 'But Miriam was already dead. Nobody pumped her stomach or made her vomit. She died because you drugged her.'

Ken clenched his jaw. 'So you lied about Burton double-crossing me, too.'

'No. I didn't lie.' Sean's baring of teeth was a gross parody of a smile. 'You assumed.'

Ken's rage roiled within him. 'I ordered Burton's death. Decker killed him and disposed of him.'

'You have a conscience?' Sean scoffed.

'No. But you cost me a man I could have depended on later.' And that pissed him off. Losing a loyal man who'd kill his friend's wife on Ken's command? Burton had been an asset. 'What about your sister?' he asked. 'Was Alice in on this with you?'

Sean pursed his lips like he wasn't going to answer until Ken pushed the blade further into his knee wound. Sean's eyes rolled back and Ken slapped his face hard.

'You will keep it together,' Ken snarled. 'You'll die when I decide it's time. Was your sister in on this with you?'

'No!' Sean cried out shrilly. 'She was loyal.' He panted, his face ashen. 'She wanted to buy you out.' His mouth twisted. 'Pay you money.'

'But you didn't,' Ken said quietly. 'You wanted to steal it.'

'I wanted you to die knowing you'd lost it all.' Sean spat the words as tears ran down his face. 'But she loves you,' he sneered. 'And I hate her for it.'

Ken blinked, momentarily stunned. 'You would have killed her too?'

'No. No. I couldn't do that.' Sean shook his head, sobs now shaking his body. 'So I got her out of the way.'

Slowly Ken came to his feet, his mind numb, yet racing. Alice was out of the way. In custody. Because I sent her to take care of the tracker supplier. Because Sean had told him that the supplier was being brought to police headquarters. He grabbed his son by the collar of his blood-soaked shirt. 'You set her up to go to prison?'

'I was going to get her out!' Sean shouted. 'I was going to get her the best lawyer money could buy!'

Ken shook him hard. 'When?'

'After you were dead,' Sean said flatly. 'And I'd put you through the goddamn woodchipper.'

Ken twisted Sean's collar with one hand as he drew his other back and backhanded his son so hard that his head hit the floor with an audible crack. 'You little bastard,' he said quietly. I want to kill him. Want to break his fucking neck. But that would be too quick. Too merciful. 'Tell me, Sean,' he continued, still quietly. 'Had you planned to kill me before you put me through the woodchipper?'

Sean blanched, able to see where this was going. The boy was smart that way. 'I hadn't thought about it,' he replied, struggling for bravado.

Ken smiled. 'I have. And I don't.' He had the satisfaction of watching his son's bravado drain away, leaving Sean shaking in a pool of his own blood and tears.

But he couldn't do that right now. He checked the time and cursed. He needed to get clean. O'Bannion was no idiot. He'd most certainly bring all kinds of law enforcement with him. The woods would probably be crawling with cops. And if any of them had called in a canine unit, the dogs would smell him a mile away as he was right now, all covered with blood.

Checking the security of Sean's bonds, he shoved a cloth gag in his son's mouth before cleaning his knives and putting them back in their case. Then he took them and his laptop back into the house. He started the hot water in the master bath as he stripped off his fouled clothing. He'd throw the clothes in the pit with what was left of Sean.

Ken climbed under the hot spray, feeling every one of his forty-seven years. His daughter was in prison and he needed to find a way to get her out. And he had to do it from a long distance away. Because only one thing was crystal clear: he would be on that plane tomorrow when it left for Papeete, no matter what. He'd do what he could for Alice from there.

He considered his options as he lathered off the grime. He could- Suddenly the lights went out and the AC motor whined as it shut down. No power. The power had gone out. Which it wasn't supposed to do. They had a backup generator. It should have kicked in already, but it hadn't.

Something was wrong.

Ken quickly rinsed himself off and crept from the shower.

Cincinnati, Ohio

Wednesday 5 August, 11.10 P.M.

The wall with its iron gate, evenly spaced cameras and high voltage was exactly as Kate had described, Marcus thought as he and Scarlett followed the agent through the woods. Scarlett lurched forward to tap Kate's shoulder, bringing them all to an abrupt halt.

Scarlett pointed to the mounted camera. 'How did you know they were live?' she whispered.

'The red lights were lit on each of them,' Kate whispered back. But the lights weren't on now. She cocked her head. 'The hum of the high-voltage wire is gone too, and there was more ambient light overhead because of spotlights inside the wall.'

'Someone didn't pay their power bill,' Marcus said. 'If the back fence is also dead, we can go in that way rather than waiting for Sweeney to come through the gate.'

Kate checked the time again, then sent a quick text from her phone. 'To Deacon,' she said quietly. 'I'm telling him that we're going in. We don't know if the power outage is planned or accidental, but it could come back on. Let's cut our way through the chain-link. If the power comes back on, retreat to the forested area until backup arrives. I'll check the two sheds in the back, then I'll find a good vantage point with the garage in view. If he leaves while you're in there, I'll fire as soon as the car clears the garage.'

They set off at a jog through the trees until they reached the point where the wall ended and the chain-link fence began. Marcus plucked a leaf from a tree and dropped it on the fence, relieved when there was no fizzle. He pulled the bolt cutters from the pack and cut a section of fence, three feet wide by five feet tall. The fence curled away, leaving an opening large enough for them to dive through. Even if the power came back on, they had a quick escape route.

Kate disappeared to the left, into the trees in the direction of the two small sheds that she'd seen. Scarlett had already run to the chain-link gate set into the back wall and was cutting away a portion of the gate similar in size to that which Marcus had cut in the fence itself.