The Chaos Kind (John Rain #11)(118)

Dox put the reticles on Devereaux’s right temple and his finger caressed the trigger. Devereaux was likely the top-level source of what they were up against. The head of the snake, so to speak. Take him out, and their problems could be solved, or at least substantially mitigated.

But Manus had made a good case back at the Motel 6 that Rispel might have been running her own game. If so, dropping Devereaux could improve her position more than it did the team’s. Besides which, if Dox killed Devereaux now, Rispel and company would know there was a sniper in play.

There was risk either way. But the main thing was, killing Devereaux would do nothing to get Labee and the gang out of immediate jeopardy. And would likely make their jeopardy worse.

He blew out a long, steady breath. A moment later, Devereaux and Dutch had disappeared behind the trees. And Dox was waiting again, hoping he had made the right call.





chapter

eighty-two





RISPEL


Rispel watched in shock as first Dutch and then Devereaux got out of the helicopter and started walking briskly toward her. The two of them here could mean only one thing.

She turned and glanced at her men. “Wait.”

Everyone stopped. She turned back toward Devereaux and Dutch, dipped her hand into her coat pocket, and closed her fingers around the butt of her P229 Legion Compact.

The two of them stopped a few feet away. She eyed them coolly and said, “What are you doing here, Pierce?”

He glanced behind her, assessing her team, the prisoners, and probably the odd sight of Grimble in his red, pleated robe.

“I’m taking over this op,” he called out loudly. Not to her, obviously, but to her men.

She couldn’t believe the gall. “The hell you are, you insufferable worm.”

He looked at her. “I’m ordering you, Lisa. Stand down.”

“I know it’s you in the videos, Pierce. Not the president. You. And Hobbs, too, yes?”

The color drained from his face and she knew she was right.

“It’s disinformation,” he stammered. “Disinformation—”

“You pussy,” she said. “I see right through you. I always have. Now get the fuck out of here. This is my op.”

“Dutch,” one of her men called out from behind her. “What’s going on?”

Dutch glanced at Rispel. “I’m sorry, Lisa. It’s chain of command. That’s all.” He looked at his men. “You heard Director Devereaux. Ms. Rispel reports to him, and that means ultimately you report to him. And he has asserted authority over this op.”

She caught the way Devereaux got the title director while Rispel was merely a Ms. She didn’t need to glance back. She could feel her men buying it.

Devereaux looked at her and smiled. It was a smile of triumph, and disdain, and dominion.

Rispel pulled the P229 out of her pocket and shot him in the heart. His hands flew to his chest and his face contorted in shock and agony. His mouth twitched as though he was trying to say something. Then he sank to his knees and collapsed to his side.

“What the fuck!” Dutch yelled. He dropped down alongside Devereaux, who seemed too busy dying to even notice his man’s attempt at succor.

Rispel turned to her people. “What you don’t know is that Mr. Devereaux has been compromised by the Russians. They have kompromat material on him and have been running him for years. This is a counterintelligence operation, and I couldn’t allow him to interfere with it.”

Dutch stood, and before Rispel could react she was staring down the barrel of a pistol.

“Bullshit,” he said. “I’m not buying it.”

From behind her, she heard Tony say, “Drop your weapon, Dutch.”

She turned. Tony was pointing his machine pistol at Dutch. She turned back. Dutch had swiveled and was pointing his own gun at Tony. Without a second’s hesitation, she raised the P229 and shot Dutch in the face.

And then bursts of suppressed gunfire erupted behind her.





chapter

eighty-three





DOX


Dox couldn’t see what was happening beyond the trees, but he could hear Rispel’s half of the conversation. It sounded like old Manus had been right—Rispel and Devereaux were definitely not singing off the same hymnal. She was dressing the man down but good, and told him she knew he was in the videos, and Hobbs, too, none of which surprised Dox a bit. And then a shot rang out, and though it was hard to believe and he couldn’t be sure, Dox thought Rispel must have done Devereaux. Which was fine by him. The more of them that killed each other, the easier it would be for Dox to mop up the rest.

There was another loud shot. And then, just like that, there were a lot more, all suppressed, some single, some automatic fire.

Rispel wasn’t saying anything else. And all Dox could do was listen helplessly to the surreally quiet shooting, and the occasional scream, and watch the empty clearing, and hope no one he cared about was getting hurt.





chapter

eighty-four





LIVIA


Livia crept in, moving silently behind and to the left of them, until she was about twenty feet away. She crouched behind the last tree thick enough to offer meaningful cover and concealment, and listened while Devereaux tried to assert authority over Rispel’s op. Rispel wasn’t having it, but the man Devereaux was with, Dutch, must have had his own authority, because he backed Devereaux’s play. Livia had just finished thinking, I don’t think you want to corner this woman when Rispel pulled a gun and shot Devereaux.