Free Finders/Keepers (An Allie Krycek Thriller, Book 3) by Sam Sisavath Page B

completely understand, but would it be okay if we stayed here for just a few more hours?”
    “Sorry, no can do. Like I said, private property.”
    “One hour—”
    “No, sorry,” the man said, cutting Reese off. His voice rose slightly when he added, “You guys gotta go, or we’ll have to report you. Owners are real strict about this, and that means we gotta be, too.”
    Reese and Dwight exchanged a wordless glance. It was very brief—not even a second as far as she could tell—but it was apparently all they needed.
    Oh, dammit.
    “You guys have to go,” the guard said again. He had casually switched the flashlight over to his left hand while resting his right palm on the grip of his holstered revolver. It wasn’t a very subtle move, an attempt at intimidation if she had ever seen one, and Allie thought, You have no idea what you’re up against, you poor bastard.
    “Are you sure we can’t talk about this?” Reese asked.
    “Sorry. I’d let you stay as long as you needed if it was up to me, but it’s not.”
    “We understand,” Reese said.
    He held out his right hand—for a handshake—and took a step toward the guard, and at the very same instant she glimpsed Dwight reaching behind his back.
    No, no, not again.
    Allie started reaching for her gun, praying the two men behind her didn’t take that as an indication to do the same. If she could grab a brief moment of surprise, maybe—just maybe—she could find a way to save the security guard and herself, and then Sara and the girls. She might have laughed out loud at the odds against her accomplishing any of those things if she took even a second to actually think about it, but thank God she didn’t have the luxury at the moment—
    Bright headlights came out of nowhere and washed over Reese and the guard before it moved over to the Ford and Dwight, who winced at the sudden brightness and turned his body to protect not just his eyes, but also the sight of the gun still in its holster behind him. Allie gripped the Sig Sauer at her back but didn’t draw it, even if her chest tightened.
    She turned toward the source of the lights—a golf cart, its motor whirring in the darkness—gliding smoothly across the parking lot floor toward them. The security guard with white hair glanced over his shoulder before turning and waving.
    Reinforcements?
    She looked back at Reese and Dwight and saw another quick exchange between the two men before Dwight casually brought his right (gun) hand out from behind his back. Allie did the same thing, then glanced over at the two men behind her. They hadn’t moved from their spots, and their hands remained exposed at their sides.
    Allie looked back at the approaching golf cart and saw a single head bobbing behind the steering wheel. She couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, not that it mattered. It was one more gun, which meant the odds had improved significantly.
    Or had they?
    They were security guards. What were the chances either one of them were ex-law enforcement and had any experience? What were the odds they could stand up against Reese and Dwight in a gunfight? Both Reese and Dwight were killers. Reese, in particular, was going to be a handful.
    Kill him first. Then Dwight. Then…the two behind you.
    She was wrong. The odds weren’t any better. As soon as she shot Reese or Dwight, the two behind her would open up…on her. Could she really count on the two security guards to back her up? Maybe, maybe not. The only thing the guard standing in front of her right now knew for certain was that she was a part of Reese’s group. To him, she wasn’t a potential ally. To him, she would just be a stranger with a gun.
    Not yet. Not yet…
    The decision was easier for her to stomach because Reese and Dwight weren’t going to act. If there had been just the one guard, they wouldn’t have hesitated. But with two, and potentially more out there somewhere…
    “I guess we should get going,” Reese was saying to the