The Switch

76

Move it,” Will said, a little louder.

Tanner sat up abruptly and stood up. Was he about to jump at him? No. Will kept the gun leveled to make sure he didn’t do anything.

“How the hell did you find me?” Tanner said.

“Hands in the air.”

Tanner obediently put them up. “Look,” he said, “I already told you, I don’t know where the hell that laptop is. It’s gone!”

“No,” said Will. “It’s not lost or stolen. Don’t bullshit me. Where’d you hide it?”

“Put the damned gun down.”

“Where is it?”

Tanner inhaled and exhaled noisily. He looked tired, defeated. “Okay,” he said quietly. “This is not worth my life. I just need a guarantee that my wife and I are protected.”

Finally. Will almost smiled. “Excuse me,” he said. “Who’s got the gun?”

Tanner shook his head. “I need a guarantee.”

“If it’s the senator’s laptop and you maintain absolute silence on what you saw, we’re good. Where is it?”

“It’s in my office.”

“Wrong. The NSA already broke into your safe.”

“I didn’t put it there. That would have been too obvious. It’s hiding in plain sight.”

“Where?”

“On the desk of one of my employees.”

“Which one?”

“Sal Persico, the name is.”

“All right,” said Will, “you’re taking me to your office. Move it.”

“Why do you need me there?” Tanner said. “Here’s the keys.”

Will shook his head, kept the gun leveled at Tanner, and made sure he stayed a comfortable distance away. “Let’s go.”

Tanner looked athletic. He looked like someone who would do something crazy, like try to grab the gun off him.

When Arthur Collins had loaned him the gun, he’d told Will it was a Philippine knockoff of a 1911. It didn’t have any serial numbers cast into it. Therefore untraceable. Will had bought some ammunition off of Arthur, a handful of.45 cartridges, as big as thumbs. If he needed more, he knew he could buy ammo without a license anywhere in Virginia. But he had a feeling he wouldn’t need any more after tonight.

He thought about the.45 cartridges loaded in the pistol.

A bullet that big and powerful would tear an immense hole in a person.