The sultry June evening was perfect for a few beers on the back deck, which would put them in our sight line—but the Lesters didn’t seem to share my opinion. They’d all locked themselves in their monstrous house, and pulled the blinds.

“The teens are playing a video game with the volume jacked up,” Elena said. “The older son is complaining because he’s trying to do homework. Sounds like our place, after Uncle Nick bought Kate a drum set. She insists on playing Metallica riffs in the same room where Logan is practicing French.”

“Or Logan insists on practicing French in the same room where she’s practicing Metallica riffs,” Clay said.

“True,” Elena said. “They always want to be together. Which would be easier if they shared any common interests besides bunny rabbits. Typical kids.”

I grinned. “Yes, typical five-year-olds—playing Metallica and learning French for fun. As for the bunnies, I’m not going there.”

“Don’t. Anyway, sounds like situation normal at the Lester house tonight. The kids fighting, while Mom’s telling them to stop bickering before their dad comes down to chew them out.”

“Except at our place,” Clay said, “it’s me saying, ‘Cool it before Mom comes down.’?”

“Because I’m much scarier than he is,” Elena said. “Now if I could just convince every mutt in the country to see it that way.”

Adam said, “So Lester’s upstairs?”

“Oh, sure, bring the conversation back on track,” I said. “Spoilsport.”

He smiled. “Sorry. I was just going to say that if he’s alone upstairs, someone could get to him without the rest of the family realizing.”

“The house is secured,” said the head of the tactical team—a guy named Eagle. He’d been working away as if he wasn’t listening, but clearly he had been. “We have men watching every angle, and they’ve been at their posts since we arrived. After they were in place, we went over the house with heat scanners to ensure no one was already there, hiding. No one has entered that house without our knowledge.”

“So where is Lester?” Elena said.

“We have no visual of the house interior yet, ma’am.”

“But you said you have heat scanners and I know you have a floor plan. Which room is Lester in?”

Eagle barked a command to the guy handling the equipment, as if this was his oversight. A few minutes later, the technician was spreading the blueprints on the desk.

He pointed to the master suite. “Before he pulled the blinds, we managed to get a visual. That’s the bed, right beside the window. He’s lying down.”

“I don’t like the sounds of that,” Elena murmured. “What time is it?”

“Just past nine,” I said. “Seems early for bed, especially when he didn’t have a very strenuous day.”

“Could be reading or watching TV,” Adam said, and glanced at Elena. “Why the concern?”

Clay answered for her. “Because there’s one very good reason to leave dinner early, come home, and go to bed at nine.”

“If he’s feeling sick,” I said. “Shit. But when was he injected? We’ve been with him for hours.”

“Must have been before we got to him. Took a while to kick in.”

“Okay,” Elena turned to Eagle. “We need to get in that house. Now.”

“We’re waiting until dark—”

“Who’s in charge of this operation?”

“The Cortez Cabal.”

If I’d been on the receiving end of Elena’s look, I’d have run for cover. Eagle just stood there, smirking slightly.

After about twenty more seconds of silence, though, Eagle lost his smirk. He started to sweat. Elena let it go another ten seconds, then growled, “Try again.”

“You’re in charge of this immediate operation, ma’am, but I work for the Cortez Cabal, and I’m the guy with twenty years’ experience. Mr. Lester is resting. Or answering his e-mail. Or watching TV. We’re not going to blow my operation because you got hysterical—”

“Either we get your men’s help to enter the attic now, or we do it ourselves and increase the chances of blowing your operation.”

He hesitated, then said, “I need to call Mr. Cortez.”

“You have thirty seconds. Then I’m going in.”

Eagle phoned both Lucas and Benicio. Neither picked up.

“We’ll have to wait until they call back,” he said.

“We can’t.” She turned around. “Can anyone here help us get into that house?”

Eagle stepped toward her. “Don’t you dare—”

Elena had him by the neck, two feet off the ground, pinned to the wall, before he could get another word out.

There were two other officers plus the tech guy in the hayloft. Tech guy decided his equipment looked very interesting, and busied himself with it. The officers both turned to Clay.

“Don’t look at me,” he said. “I’m only getting involved if you decide to do the same. But remember, whatever our kids think, I’m definitely the scarier one.”

They stayed seated. Elena looked at Eagle, still suspended by his throat.

“I’m a reasonable person, so I let you try to contact the Cortezes. But it is not reasonable of you to expect me to wait for a callback when our target may be infected. Oh, and a word of advice?” She brought him down to eye level. “You may think it’s clever to accuse a woman of being hysterical, but it’s only going to piss her off.”

She dropped him. He landed on his ass, wheezing and clutching his throat. When she turned away, he muttered, “Bitch.”

I looked at Elena. “Note that he didn’t dare say that until you turned your back.”

“They never do.” She went over to the technician. “Can you contact the guys over in the attic? Tell them I know they aren’t ready, but we need to come in.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She turned to the two officers and didn’t even get a chance to open her mouth before one said, “We’ll get the rappel system in place and have some men watch for the patrolling guards. You should be able to get over there quickly and safely.”