Page 52 of Dan

“Don’t give me orders! I give the orders,” said the female voice.

Sniff wanted to laugh, but he just nodded into the small camera. When the big gates opened, he walked slowly through, watching out of the corner of his eye as the others made their way down the mountain and to the side of the big concrete building.

He stopped in his tracks, looking at the building where he’d once nearly died from beatings and starvation. Swallowing, he thought back to that time. No money, no job, homeless, and no way out. Until an enormous shadow of a man passed over him, giving him a handful of nutrition bars.

“Sniff? You okay, brother?” asked Dan.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry. Just reminiscing.” He slowly walked toward the door as a long shadow of light cast across the earth. Looking up, the door was open, and a man and woman stood in its entry.

“Where is it?” she snapped.

“Where is my money?” he countered.

“I want to be sure this is worth it,” she said. “Show me what you have, and I’ll give you the money.”

“Not how it works,” said Sniff. “I want to see the money.”

“Or, for God’s sake!” said Zach, pulling out a small pistol. “This is all the money you’ll get. Bring me the backpack.”

“Yeah, sorry, but no,” said Sniff, shaking his head. “See, I don’t like bullies, and I especially don’t like bullies who try to harm people I care about. I met another bully a long time ago. You might know him. His name was Baker. Met him right here, in fact.”

“Who are you?” squinted Yancy in the darkness.

“Me? I’m one of the many that your father tried to kill. He didn’t succeed, and neither will you.”

As Zach raised his weapon to shoot, the legendary Bowie knife sailed through the air, slicing into the back of his hand. The weapon clattered to the gravel. Sniff just laughed at the image as men seemingly coming from nowhere, emerged out of the darkness.

“What is this? Who are you?” she demanded.

“Bitch, you are in no position to demand shit right now,” said Dan. “You threatened, tortured, and abused the woman I love. More than that, your trail of dead bodies and mayhem ends here.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s not possible.”

“It’s damn sure possible,” said Nine. “I stood on this ground many, many years ago and chased down your psychotic father. I thought we rid this world of his demented seed. Then we had to find your sister Jeanette.”

“You killed Jeanette!” she screamed.

“You really are excitable, aren’t you?” laughed Dan. “We didn’t kill her. She died in her psychiatric hospital. Where she needed to be and where I suspect you should have been. Both of you.”

“What do you want?” asked Zach.

“Want? I want nothing from you other than to kill you and remove you finally from this land. And my friends here are going to help,” said Dan.

“You won’t kill us,” said Yancy, lifting her chin. “We know too much.”

“Lady, it will die with you. Your half-siblings are dead. Arthur Gunderson will be dead soon, and that just leaves my beautiful fiancée. The only thing you ever did right.”

“No. No, there’s another. He’s out there and wants you.”

“Okay,” said Dan. “Tell us who, and we’ll let you go and kill him.” She looked back at her husband, then at the men, giving a nod.

“What?” he screeched.

“Roberto Baraque. He works with the state department on government contracts. He was feeding us as much information as he could find, which wasn’t much. He was the one helping us.”

“You sold me out!” yelled Zach.

Yancy shoved her husband forward, trying to turn and run. It was foolish. She was met by a wall of Robicheaux men. Antoine, Gaspar, and Ryan stood in her way, shaking their heads. When she tried to run in the other direction, Eric, Tailor, and Nine blocked her.

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