Page 72 of No Vow Broken

“Right now,” Xavier confirmed. “In cardboard boxes.”

I remembered seeing those boxes in the car. “Okay, then here’s the plan. Xavier and Elvis, we’re going to stroll outside, wave to the agents, and retrieve the boxes from the car. We’ll bring them back in here and, if the drone doesn’t attack immediately, we’ll plug it in and see if we can get a generalized direction of the drone operator’s position. Once we have that, we turn on the shield and Tito and I will slip out the back of the church, enter the woods and set off toward the direction of the operators. It’s time to take the fight to them for a change.”

“Oh,yah. I’m ready for some more action,” Tito said. “Let’s do it.”

“Wait. Will the Secret Service agents let you do that?” Lexi asked.

“They’re in charge of the president’s security, not ours. Neither the president nor the first lady is here. We’re fully within our rights to go after whoever is behind this.”

“Then I want to go, too.”

Oh, hell no. I made sure my expression was sympathetic but firm. “Can I speak with you privately for a minute?” I asked, taking her aside.

She followed me a few steps away. I could tell she was ready for a fight by the expression on her face, so I had to defuse this before we got started.

“I need you here to oversee Xavier and Elvis and to keep your mom, Amanda, and Basia calm. Plus, now we’ve dragged Father Mulroney and the photographer into this. One of us needs to stay. I’d feel better knowing you are here keeping an eye on things and handling the Secret Service agents as needed. Tito and I are trained in stealth and attack. If you come, you’ll be a liability. You know that. We’ve got this, okay?”

She still wasn’t convinced. “What if you find this drone operator? Then what?”

I lifted my sweater and showed her the Glock. “We’ll take care of it.”

She blew out a breath but thought over my words. She knew I was right, but it didn’t mean she had to like it, only recognize it was the best option.

She leaned over and gave me a kiss. “Be careful.”

“Always.” I slid my hand slowly through her hair. Then I walked back over to Tito, Elvis, and Xavier.

“Let’s get this done, gentlemen,” I said.

THIRTY-EIGHT

Slash

Iliked that we were finally being proactive rather than reactive. If Elvis and Xavier’s contraption did even half of what they said, it could give us a slim edge. I’d take whatever I could get at this point.

“Xavier and Elvis, get the equipment from Basia’s car,” I said. “Tito, while they do that, go let the nearest agent know what our plans are.”

“Yes, sir,” Tito said with a salute and headed out the door.

I turned to Lexi. “If you could find a good place to plug in the shield, that would be helpful. Also, make sure everyone is safely away from the windows and hiding once Tito and I depart.”

She nodded but didn’t smile. I could tell she wasn’t happy that I’d asked her to stay behind. I’d have to try and smooth that out later. For now, I just wanted to keep her—and the others—alive.

The twins and I headed for the car. The drone was still in the approximate area where we’d last seen it, and Tito was already chatting with an agent who stood near his black SUV. We’d just reached Basia’s car when Xavier realized he didn’t have the key fob. As he turned to head back to the church to get it, Lexi came around the corner holding up the key.

“Looking for this, gentlemen?” she said, dangling it between her fingers. She beeped the car open and raised the tailgate. Then, to my surprise, she approached the SUV, opening the driver’s door and sitting down in the front seat.

“What are you doing?” I tried to ask in a way that wasn’t accusatory, but it was far harsher than intended. “You should be inside. Like we talked about.”

“Relax,” she said. “Basia forgot her purse in the car and asked me to get it for her. She claims the wedding would be ruined for her if the drone blew up her purse. And you know that it’s not wise to say no to Basia.”

At that moment, Tito began running toward the car, shouting at us. “Drone inbound!”

I spun and saw the drone sweeping down from the trees, heading straight toward us. A quick situational assessment confirmed that Xavier and Elvis were both fully inside the back of the SUV taking equipment out of boxes. Lexi sat in the driver’s seat, reaching across the console to get Basia’s purse. Tito was running full speed toward us. There was no way I could get everyone out of the car and safely back into the church before the drone arrived.

The Secret Service agent pulled his weapon and started shooting at the drone. He had somehow accessed his P90 and used short burps of fire while kneeling to steady his weapon. The gunfire must have given the drone operator pause, because the drone peeled away, seeking a safer, more circuitous route toward us. It gave us a few extra seconds of breathing room, but that wouldn’t be enough.

There weren’t many options to save everyone, so I took the best one I had. “Everyone in the car. Now!”

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