Free Take Down (The Men of the Sisterhood) by Fern Michaels Page A

his neck to stare up and out of the windshield.
    Dennis’s voice was still jittery when he said, “I hope you are both noticing that no plows have been out this way recently.”
    “Maybe Andover has its own maintenance crews and they just haven’t gotten to this stretch of the road. I see a sign up ahead, so slow down. I want you to pull right up in front of the building. If there is a guard station, I want you to let me do the talking, unless it’s something you really want to do. Don’t panic if you see me get out of the car. These guys are usually rent-a-cops, and I think I can handle them. What’s it going to be, kid?”
    “Hey, I’m just Special Agent Donald Ryder. The newbie who’s driving. Everybody knows that the driver is always low man on the totem pole. You’re right, Jack. I can see the security hut from here, as well as the fence.” Dennis eased up on the gas pedal as he fumbled in his pocket for his FBI credentials. He could see that Jack already had his credentials in his hand. A quick glance into the rearview mirror showed Maggie waving hers for his benefit.
    Dennis eased up even more on the gas pedal and coasted to a stop in front of the security hut. A man in uniform stepped out and held up his hand. Dennis rolled down his window just as Jack climbed out of the car to walk around to where the guard stood. He flipped open his billfold like he’d been doing it for years.
    “FBI. I’m Special Agent Anthony Lupine. The driver is Special Agent Donald Ryder, and the agent in back is Special Agent Lucinda Collins. We’d like permission to enter the premises, but I need to tell you, we’re going in with or without your permission. We have a warrant,” he said, waving a folded sheet of paper he’d withdrawn from the inside of his suit jacket.
    The guard, whose name tag said he was Arthur Spinelli, took his time looking at the credentials before he said, “I have to call Security.”
    “No, Mr. Spinelli, you do not have to call Security because we do not want you to do that. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Maybe you don’t understand what a warrant is. This piece of paper says I can do whatever I want when I want to do it. No one gets the opportunity to hide what we are looking for before we get in there. So, what’s it going to be? The easy way or the hard way?”
    “I can lose my job if I don’t call you in. I need this job.”
    “Lucinda!”
    Maggie was out of the car in a nanosecond and inside the hut, where she quickly ripped out the monitor and the phone, then demanded that Mr. Spinelli hand over his cell phone. But not before she patted him down for any weapons.
    “Hey, you can’t do that!”
    “I just did. Now, come in here so I can tell you what you are going to do and not do. We can’t have you alerting anyone of our presence until we want it known. We can arrest you right here on the spot and hold you for seventy-two hours. Think about it. What’s that going to do to your New Year’s Eve plans?”
    Maggie looked over at Jack. “What do you want to do about him? We can open the gates and leave them open for anyone arriving or leaving.”
    Jack walked over to the Humvee and lowered his voice. “Does this nifty set of wheels have any kind of special locking devices? Like can we park this guy in it and feel safe he can’t get out till we finish up our business?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “What if he leans on the horn?” Jack asked as he looked at his watch.
    “Jack, once this baby powers down, it’s like Fort Knox. No in, no out; not until I press the code on my remote. Dump him in.”
    That was all Jack needed to hear. He opened the door of the hut and pushed the guard into the back of the Humvee. “Sorry about this, Mr. Spinelli, but in the interests of national security, we have to do this.” He called over his shoulder to have Maggie open the massive gates. “And make sure you lock the door so no one can get into the hut.” Jack was back in the Humvee