Free No Honor Among Thieves: An Ali Reynolds Novella (Kindle Single) by J.A. Jance Page A

Tactical Team.
    An officer in full battle dress emerged from the Sprinter. As he hurried up to Joanna’s Yukon, she buzzed the window open.
    “Is everybody here, Deputy Ruiz?” she asked.
    “Not yet. We’re still short two, including Detective Carbajal,” he told her. “In the meantime, we’re collecting spike strips. You got any with you?”
    She nodded. “In the back,” she said, clicking open the rear lift gate.
    He reappeared a moment later holding an armload of strips. “Turns out Deputy Stock is short in the spike strip department,” Ruiz reported. “Once we deploy ours, we’ll need to see if there’s enough to reinforce his supply.”
    “Which may leave your guys in the middle when all hell breaks loose,” Joanna objected.
    “Yes,” he agreed, “but we’re in better shape to deal with that than you are. We’re armor plated. You’re not.”
    “Yes, Chuck,” Cami’s voice said from the backseat. “I can hear you.”
    “Wait, Deputy Ruiz,” Sheriff Brady said. “Let’s see if there’s an update.”
    Cami delivered the pilot’s words in the rapid-fire fashion of a trained interpreter. “Just flew over. They seem to be forming up in a convoy. Four of the trucks are already in line.”
    “Crap,” Joanna muttered, turning to Deputy Ruiz. “We don’t have much time, so don’t wait around for Jaime any longer. Whoever doesn’t show up doesn’t show up. Those trucks have three miles of dirt road to travel. Even if they leave right now, they won’t be going fast. You should be able to get your strips down and be past Holzmann Road with additional ones for Jeremy before they hit the highway. Go now. It’s going to be a squeaker.”
    Ruiz was off in a flash. “Okay, Chuck,” Cami was saying. “Thanks so much.”
    “Wait,” Ali said. “Don’t hang up. Ask him if he can do us a favor and come get us.”
    “Come get us?” Joanna demanded. “Are you kidding?”
    “If this is war and you’re the general,” Ali said, “wouldn’t we all be better off if you’re somewhere that will allow you to see all the action as you direct your troops?”
    Joanna turned to Cami. “Ask the pilot if he can keep us out of range of automatic weapons fire.”
    Cami asked the question and came back with another. “He wants to know what the bad guys are carrying?”
    “At least one AK-47 and maybe more.”
    There was another brief pause. “Chuck says that he flew over AK-47s in the Middle East, and unless they have grenade launchers handy, his bird will be just fine.”
    “Then I guess we’re going airborne,” Joanna said. “Tell him to land on the highway just in front of the roadblock. Come on.” She clambered out of the driver’s seat.
    Stunned by Joanna’s sudden change of heart, Ali started after her, just as her phone began to ring. Ali knew who was calling: B. If she answered and told him what was happening, she also knew exactly what he’d say, too: Don’t go. Instead of answering, she let the call go to voice mail. By the time Ali was on the ground, Joanna had opened the autolocking back door so Cami could step out of the Yukon.
    “Wait,” Cami said, not moving. “Does this mean I’m coming, too?”
    “Everybody’s coming,” Joanna said, “but only if you want to. Can you handle a weapon?”
    “No,” Cami stammered.
    “Doesn’t matter. You’re our dedicated com girl for the day, in charge of keeping us in touch with the mother ship. What about you, Ali?” Joanna asked. “Is that weapon in your small-of-back holster just for decoration, or do you know how to use it?”
    “I can use it,” Ali said. “But I’d rather not need to.”
    Joanna gave her an appraising look. “That makes two of us,” she said.
    •   •   •
    On the one hand, Joanna Brady knew she had no business involving civilians in what was bound to be a dangerous operation, but without Cami’s and Ali’s capable help they wouldn’t be here right now. The GPS evidence that had brought