“I can buy a new car. That whole trust fund thing wasn’t a lie.”
Ida Belle gave her directions and Blair stomped on the gas.
“BMWs have excellent crash test ratings,” Gertie said.
“Can you call the FBO and tell them to stall her plane?” Blair asked.
“I could, but most civilians are horrible in these kind of situations,” I said. “If the pilot or June catches on, they’ll just shoot them and take off anyway. I seriously doubt she booked that plane through a broker. My guess is the cartel she works for sent it.”
“Crap. You’re right. God, I have so much to learn.”
“You’re doing all right,” I said. “That tracker on June’s car was genius and might be the reason we catch her.”
Five minutes into the drive, Ida Belle pointed to a dirt path and instructed Blair to turn onto it. The BMW slid on the slick dirt in a move that Ida Belle must have been proud of, then hit a huge dip and gave us all a good jolt. I heard something crack and hoped to God it wasn’t anything we needed to keep driving. Blair responded by decreasing her speed by about one percent.
“Maybe you’re related,” Gertie said to Ida Belle.
I still had the phone to my ear, listening as the other agent gave me updates. “June just turned into the drive for the FBO. Ida Belle, how far out are we?”
“She’s got the jump on us. It’s going to be close.”
“Backup is five minutes out in a helicopter,” I reported.
“Tell them to shoot down the plane,” Gertie said.
“This isn’t Iraq,” I said.
“We never get to have any fun,” Gertie grumbled.
“You just bombed criminals with pink paint and glitter and jumped out of an airplane wearing a Supergirl cape,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie waved a hand in dismissal. “That was at least an hour ago.”
Blair cast a questioning glance in the rearview mirror. “When we have more time, you’re going to have to tell me about this bomb thing.”
“Turn left!” Ida Belle yelled.
Blair yanked the wheel to the left without hesitation and we found ourselves on a narrow, barely dirt, path through the woods.
“Hold on,” Blair said as she clutched the wheel as the car bounced along the path.
“Sorry,” Ida Belle said. “I couldn’t make out the turn.”
“Where does this come out?”
“At the side of the airfield. You’ll be able to cruise right on the runway and to the hangar. Except, hold on… There’s something I can’t see well. I think it’s a power line, which shouldn’t be a problem. No, wait! It’s a fence! Right as you clear the trees!”
As the car tore around a curve, I saw the opening and the hurricane fence just past it. I looked over at Blair, who clenched her jaw and the steering wheel and pressed down on the accelerator.
Here we go!
The car tore cleanly through the fence and hit the runway with a slide that Jason Statham would have been proud of, and she floored it as we straightened.
“There’s a plane on the runway!” Blanchet yelled.
Gertie pointed at the hangar as a woman ran out. “And there’s June!”
“We’re not going to make it,” Blair said. “That jet will be in the air before we get to them.”
“Open the sunroof,” I said and pulled out my pistol. “Ida Belle, you’re up. Take the jet.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
As soon as the top slid back, we popped up and locked in on our targets. But the pilot had already seen us coming. He stepped out of the plane with an AR-15. We ducked as he showered the car with bullets, and Blair yanked the steering wheel side to side, trying to avoid a direct onslaught.
I popped up and fired a single shot through the pilot’s forehead, but I could see another man moving inside the plane. June was halfway to the plane now, and a second man came out and grabbed the AR-15 from the dead guy.
I knew the red tape on this was going to be longer than the Mississippi, but I fired a single shot into June’s leg and sent her sprawling onto the tarmac. I heard several rounds go off beside me and saw them crack the front window of the plane, but they didn’t penetrate it. They could still fly.
“Center console!” Blair yelled.
I ducked down as Gertie popped open the center console and squealed when she saw the Desert Eagle inside. I grabbed the gun, deciding I would wonder later about why the FBI agent was carrying this much firepower. Then I popped up, took aim, and blew a huge hunk off the front of the plane.
Two more men ran out, showering us with bullets as they ran for the woods, but a helicopter appeared over the tree line and lowered right in their path, two men pointing automatics at them from the doors. The men stopped running and dropped their weapons. It was officially over.
Blair slammed the car to a stop in front of June, who was collapsed on the tarmac, unmoving, and jumped out with a set of handcuffs. I saw the flash of her pistol from under June’s chest before it even registered with Blair and raised my gun and fired again. My only choice this time was a kill shot. Blair stopped and spun around, clearly shocked, and I saw the blood drain from her face.
“I thought she was unconscious,” she said.
“Yeah, the bad guys do that sometimes,” I said as I walked up and checked to make sure June was dead this time.
“I’m never going to be allowed in the field again, assuming I’m not fired altogether.”
“Are you kidding me? You just took down a decades-long-running drug cartel.”
“No. You took them down. You and your friends.”
“Johnson, you drove that car like a pro. You never hesitated, even when driving into the path of an AR-15. You’ve got heart and bravery, and neither of those can be taught. You’ll do fine.”
“Thank you. I know the amount of problems this is going to cause for you, especially as the ADA is not a fan, but if he gives the FBI any pushback, I’ll hire you the best attorney. I’ll pay for it myself. I won’t let them punish you for what you did for me and those women and children.”
I threw my arm around her and smiled. “My attorney is Alex Framingham.”
Blair laughed. “Of course he is.”
It took some time for the FBI and the state police to sort everything out, and I knew in the coming weeks and even months, we’d be called on time and again to tell our stories. The women and children were questioned first, but no one wanted to hold them for long given what they’d been through. While the FBI was getting the basics from them, we prepared them transport to their temporary living quarters—with Harrison and Cassidy.
It took a bit of rushing around but while we were all tied up with the FBI, the Sinful Ladies put together clothes, toiletries, and other necessities for the women and helped prep the bedrooms at Harrison and Cassidy’s huge home. It was important that they felt comfortable and most importantly, safe. With a deputy and a doctor in residence, I was certain they would get both. The relief on their faces when I explained where they’d be staying until we could figure out permanent places for them was overwhelming. Most cried all over again.