Page 14 of Final Exit

Kade stood in the driveway with his team, surveying the damage. All four of the Caddy’s tires had been slashed. The SUV, parked a few feet away, had suffered the same fate. Eight flat tires. Whoever had helped Bailey escape had made sure they’d have one hell of a head start.

Nichols rubbed the back of his head. He had an impressive goose egg coming up from where the intruder had ambushed him in the side yard. But at least he hadn’t been killed. He swore and dropped his hands to his sides. “How on earth did someone manage to do all that without at least one of us seeing them?”

Kade quirked a brow.

Nichols’s face turned red.

The obvious reason hung in the air unspoken.Secure the perimeterwas a basic tenet of their training. When the team had arrived, they knew Kade was supposed to be inside with the prisoner. The first thing they should have done was post someone to watch the Suburban, in case the target escaped and the team had to take off in pursuit.

But that’s not what they’d done.

Instead, the entire team had performed a quick circuit around the outside of the house, decided to enter from the back, and had just gotten into position to cover each other when Bailey did her swan dive through one of the French doors. The only team member who hadn’t screwed up was Reese, and that was only because he was still back at the cottage trying to figure out how Bailey had escaped the first time.

“Cord,” Kade called out, looking around.

“Behind you.” The agent made his way to the front. “Sir?”

“The security system’s surveillance footage can be viewed on the computer in the main room.” He gave him the password. “When you get a good, clear frame of our tire slasher, print copies of his picture for everyone here. We can’t find him if we don’t know what he looks like.”

“Or she,” Alice called out from the other side of Nichols.

“Or she,” Kade agreed.

“Yes, sir.” Cord hurried back into the house.

“Can’t believe we had her within reach twice tonight and still lost her.” Nichols shook his head.

“Could be worse,” Alice piped up in a voice that had an unfortunate likeness to Minnie Mouse.

“Yeah? How?” Nichols asked.

“It could still be raining.”

Nichols rolled his eyes and gave her a good-natured shove. She grinned and shoved him back.

Kade scrubbed the stubble on his chin and silently prayed to the FBI gods to save him from this ragtag group.

“Pack up the gear while I arrange for a replacement vehicle.” He motioned toward the SUV and pulled out his cell phone.

As if relieved to have something constructive to do, the team surged forward. They began boxing up the various pieces of equipment they regularly hauled around for their missions and began stuffing them into duffel bags.

Kade leaned against the house to give his leg a much-needed rest while he made the call. And to give him a better vantage point. He wanted to keep an eye on the two members of the team that had him wondering if Bailey’s getting away tonight was actually agoodthing—Special Agent Dominic Wales and Special Agent Jack Martinelli.

They’d always been different from the others. But Kade had never had any pressing reason to figure out why, until tonight.

When they’d both tried to murder Bailey.

Jack had targeted her with his laser scope.

Dominic had been about to shoot her as she escaped in the van.

If Kade hadn’t stopped them, Bailey would be dead. Why? Both men knew the team’s objective on every single mission was to take the Enforcers alive, to use lethal force only if absolutely necessary to save their own lives, or the lives of others. Maybe Dominic could argue that he was worried about Kade getting shot if he hadn’t acted—maybe. But what was Jack’s justification?

He finished the call and put his phone away. A moment later, the house’s side door opened and Cord stepped outside. The grim look on his face told Kade the answer even before he asked the question.

“No luck?”

Cord stopped next to him. “Oh sure. Plenty. I got a gazillion camera shots of the guy. But he never once looked up and his ball cap hid his features. I can’t tell you what color his hair is, or even if he’s white, purple, or green. He had long sleeves and the collar of his shirt was flipped up. Plus, it was raining pretty heavily at the time, which screws with the footage.”

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