"Hello?" Felix instantly began sweating through her shirt as she spoke into Jordy's cellphone. There hadn't been time to concoct a plan for dealing with Donovan if he called, but everyone seemed to think she was the logical choice to handle the task.

"Miss Taylor? Where is Jordy?" Donovan sounded suspicious. No surprise there.

"Oh, he's taking five."

"Taking five? Explain to me what that means."

"Well, it could mean a lot of things, taking a nap, resting after a workout..."

"What do you mean, Miss Taylor!"

Felix held the phone away from her ear as Donovan shouted into it. The guy had no temperance. "In this case, Jordy is unconscious."

"Unconscious! How could he be unconscious?"

"You know I box, right?"

"I find it hard to believe you were able to render Jordy unconscious."

"People can do unbelievable things when they have the right motivation. Jordy was threatening to kill me because I refused to teach him the code. He wasn't going to understand it anyway. I mean, the guy is about as sharp as an eraser. But, now that I have you on the phone, I thought we could make a deal."

Felix shrugged at her audience as she gave herself license to make shit up. At the worst, it would buy the feds more time before Donovan bolted again.

"Where are you, Miss Taylor?"

"I'm in the car at the motel. I wanted to put some distance between my body and Jordy when he woke up. I also have his gun, just in case I have to defend myself again. The shitty thing is, Jordy didn't have much cash on him, so I don't think I'll get very far. What I'd like to know is, how badly do you want to keep your business running? Would it be worth, let's say, five hundred thousand dollars? That's petty cash for you, isn't it?"

"Are you attempting to bribe me?"

"I'm attempting to secure my future. If you can find me someone with half a brain...actually, I need someone with at least three quarters of a brain, I will train them to do Andy's job and you won't have to worry about losing your precious ill-gotten booty. But I need two things in return, five hundred thousand dollars and your promise that you will leave me and my family alone. I want a normal life again."

Donovan breathed heavily into the phone, and Felix pictured him pacing in his dark mahogany study clutching a highball glass filled with expensive liquor. Naw, he wasn't that classy.

"Let's say I'm interested in your proposal. What do you suggest we do now? Are you still sitting in the parking lot?"

"Yes. I never talk on the phone while I'm driving, but I figure I better leave soon. I don't want to be within ten miles of here when Jordy wakes up."

The distant echo of barking dogs rang through the phone, and Felix heard Donovan's muffled shout. "See what's got the dogs fired up!"

She glanced at Agent Bronson, who had been keeping one ear trained on her conversation and the other on his cellphone. He gave everyone a thumbs-up. Had the feds triggered Donovan's dog alarm? The next thing she heard confirmed her suspicions.

"What the fuck!"

Felix's hands had begun to tremble, but she found it hard to stifle a grin. "Are you feeling okay, Donovan? Your breathing sounds erratic."

"You're going to regret this, Miss Taylor! Mark my words!"

The phone went dead and Felix set it on the table, glancing around at the faces in the room. Everyone looked stunned, except Ryan. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"That went well, don't you think?" she said, her voice shaking slightly as the reality of the situation sunk in. "I don't know about you guys, but I could go for some Chinese takeout."