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I sighed. There was no way Rodriguez would allow us anywhere near Chapman. “If we’re going to get involved, then you’d better do the talking,” I told Will.
I followed him and Jager toward the police cruisers. Behind the blockade of cars, the officers huddled around Rodriguez, many with their hands on their hips and their heads down.
“Sir, we don’t have any experience with hostage situations. We’ve never had to deal with something like this.”
Rodriguez crossed his arms and looked back at the farmhouse. “She’s the governor. I’ll have to call the FBI’s Hostage Negotiator. That could take hours by the time he arrives.”
Hours? We had no idea if the governor was shot or bleeding in there. We didn’t have hours. We had to do something now.
Fortunately, Will was on the same page.
“Sir,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Respectfully, you do not have that sort of time. The governor can be hurt, and if he’s taken her here and not made any attempts to contact you with demands, the situation may be more dire than it seems. We need to move immediately.”
Rodriguez’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t tell Will to leave. “What would you have me do, then? Send officers into the farmhouse, potentially triggering the individual to shoot the governor?”
“No, sir. I would suggest sending a specialized operations team trained in successfully rescuing hostages.”
He narrowed his eyes, as though Will was mocking him. “And where would I find a team like that in Wellington?”
I stepped forward, standing side by side with my brothers. “Right here.”
The officers around Rodriguez stared at each other and then at us, wondering if we were serious. We stood perfectly still, our faces blank of expression. “We just need the go-ahead.”
“Are you serious, Devereux?”
“As a heart attack, sir,” I repeated the words I’d used in his office.
He looked back at the farmhouse and then at us.
“I think you should send them in, sir. Sounds like they know what they’re doing.”
The man’s voice seemed hesitant. He wasn’t looking forward to storming the farmhouse if it came down to it.
“Sir?” I asked.
“I’m thinking,“ he shot back. “If this goes south, it’s on my head, Devereux. Mine.”
I waited as he rubbed his face and stared at his officers. “Fine. We try it your way, first. But if you think you can’t rescue the governor, you get the fuck out. Got that?”
“Got it,” I said, then turned to my brothers. “Let’s go.”
We walked away from the officers, back toward my truck. “Do you have a plan, Jake?” asked Jager. “We need to keep this guy from doing something reckless.”
He was right. “I think I have something that will keep him motivated.”
“What?” asked Will.
“It’s not what, but who.”
Will and Jager both looked at each other, then at me, so I explained. “I have Ed’s girlfriend in the car, Maxine. You know, the governor’s personal assistant.”
“No shit,” said Will. “You brought her here? Ballsy.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hardly. They gave me no choice.”
“They?” asked Jager, chuckling to himself. “I should have known Nikole was behind this.” He smiled, with a hint of pride.
“Don’t you start encouraging her now,” I warned.
