Long Road to Mercy (Atlee Pine, #1)(114)

With his free hand Dobbs immediately held up his badge and barked, “Federal agents, weapons down.”

Not a single combat weapon was lowered. The armored men formed a wall across the width of the room, shoulder to shoulder, their long guns pointed at the FBI contingent across from them.

“FBI!” barked Dobbs again. “I said weapons down.”

Still, not a single weapon was lowered.

“Who are you with?” demanded Dobbs as his men nervously fingered their pistols.

Twelve auto assault rifles wielded by armored shooters against seven semiauto pistols held by agents in suits in a confined space would not be much of a fight.

Suddenly, the middle of their ranks parted and a man in his fifties, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, striped tie, and scuffed wingtips, stepped through this void.

He appeared to be in charge of the assault team.

Dobbs focused on him and barked, “We are the FBI, so unless you put your weapons down now, you’re going to be in a world of trouble.”

The man said, “I was about to tell you the very same thing.”

There was a commotion in the other room. The next moment, five ICE agents carrying AR-15s burst into the room and pointed their weapons at the armored men and the man in the suit.

Half the armored men pointed their guns at the ICE agents while the other half-dozen kept their guns trained on Dobbs and his agents.

“Federal agents,” cried out the ICE point man. “Weapons down. Now!”

The three groups of armed people seemed to be in a standoff.

Dobbs stared triumphantly at the man in the suit. “Okay, we’ve got you surrounded. So now you’re going to put your weapons down.”

The man said calmly, “No, we’re not. We’re here to collect these two women.” He pointed at Pine and Blum.

Dobbs said, “For what?”

“Treason against the United States.”

One of the ICE agents stepped forward and looked at Pine.

“Bullshit. Atlee Pine is no traitor. Now who the hell are you?”

The man drew out a phone, punched in a number, and spoke into it in a low voice.

He held the phone out to the ICE agent. “Your director wants to speak to you.”

The man blinked. “The director?”

“Harold Sykes? Director of DHS? Yes, he’s on the line.”

The agent took the phone. “Who is this?” He snapped to attention after no doubt recognizing the voice of the head of Homeland Security.

“Yes, sir. What? No. I mean. But she’s an FBI agent. I know her. No, I’m not saying…But a traitor. I…no sir…Yes, sir, right away, sir.”

Looking thoroughly beaten down, he handed the phone back to the man and looked over at Pine with a helpless expression. “I’m sorry, Atlee.”

“It’s okay, Doug, we’ll get this figured out.”

Doug slowly turned to his men. “Okay, let’s move out.”

“Sir?” said one of them.

“I said let’s move out!” barked Doug.

In a few seconds, ICE had vacated the field of battle, leaving the men in armor and the FBI agents.

The man in the suit turned to Dobbs.

Dobbs pulled his phone from his jacket and said, “Okay, I’m calling my director right now, asshole.”

The man smiled. “Better yet, how about I call his boss, the attorney general, and have him order you to turn these women over to us?”

Dobbs glanced at Pine. “There is no way in hell that Pine or Blum are traitors.”

“Your opinion on the subject is absolutely irrelevant.”

Dobbs gathered his composure and began speaking in a calm tone. “Fine. You show me the appropriately signed off indictments issued by a U.S. attorney, and we’ll arrest them right here, read them their rights, take them to a federal holding cell, and then we can move forward through the court system.”

The man had started shaking his head halfway through. “This is national security, not a court matter.”

Dobbs exploded. “I don’t give a shit if it’s jaywalking.” He pointed to Pine and Blum. “These women are American citizens. Innocent until proven guilty. Right to due process. I’m sure these things are familiar to you, that is, if you are an American, which, frankly, I’m beginning to doubt.”

“Okay, we’re done here. Lower your weapons.”

“No!” barked Dobbs. “Go to hell.”

“I can call the AG right now and he can order you to do it.”

“You can call the fucking president and my answer would be the same.”

“You’re way out of line,” barked the man.

“I’m out of line?” exclaimed Dobbs. “We’re federal agents!”

“I said we’re done here. Lower your weapons or they will open fire. Last chance.”

The FBI agents were nervously glancing at each other. They knew, to a man, that this would be a slaughter. Yet they held their line and did not lower their weapons.

“Very well,” said the man, shaking his head, as he stepped back behind the wall of armor. “You can’t say I didn’t give you the opportunity.”

Now Pine stepped forward. “Okay, I think this testosterone show has gone on long enough. We need to begin the negotiations.”