Shaken from their reverie, Orrin's disciples rushed to surround him. They were armed with swords and guns, but Alex ignored them. He just smiled faintly at Orrin and picked up the black sword.
"I guess that's it for the Ramsden family," he said.
Orrin couldn't move, but he could still speak. "The Ghosts won't let this go. This still isn't over."
"It's about to be over for you," Alex said.
His words put Orrin's followers on alert, and they raised their weapons. They were ready to keep the fight going.
A crash interrupted as an SUV drove through the gates, followed by five more, all with Maryland license plates. The lead car stopped, its headlights illuminating the scene.
Orrin grinned. "Maybe not," he said. "Not tonight, anyway."
Maria heaved a sigh of relief when she noticed the plates on the SUVs, and she stepped toward them with her hands up and waving. She had obviously been expecting them.
The six SUVs pulled into a blockade formation. In unison, the doors of each vehicle opened, and moments later, there were more than twenty uniformed men and women with weapons drawn, covering every person in the yard.
One of them, a woman with a cold, hard expression, stepped forward and sneered at Alex.
"Federal agents. Drop your weapon," she ordered. "You can't escape. If you want to make it out of this alive, then do what I say and get down on the ground."
"Who are you?" Alex asked.
"I'm Agent Joanna Sherridan," she said, holding up her badge. "That's all you really need to know."
"Oh," Alex said, nodding. "Okay. Just give me a second. I have to kill this guy first. Then we can figure out what the next step is. See, he's got a lot of reasons to want me dead, so it's important that he goes first."
There was a chorus of clicking noises as Joanna's agents chambered rounds and lifted their weapons into a firing position.
Joanna was furious. "Do you think this is a game?" she snapped at him. "Do you know who you're talking to? You know who that is, don't you?" She gestured at Orrin. "You're the prime suspect in his son's murder, and I don't even have time to list the other charges against you. And you're going to blatantly threaten to kill him in front of a team of federal officers? It's like you think laws don't apply to you."
She held up her badge again. "I'm telling you one last time—drop that weapon and step away from Mr. Ramsden. You're under arrest, and I am just about done being polite. No one's going to ask too many questions if a suspected killer dies during an arrest."
Her agents' weapons were still trained on Alex, but he was distracted by Joanna. He couldn't figure out why she seemed so familiar. Then he thought of Hugo Sherridan. She looks a bit like him, he thought, wondering if they were related. Maybe she's looking for a little revenge of her own.
"I didn't kill Gabriel," he said with a sigh. "The Demons did. I didn't have any reason to hurt him, and his own brother knew I didn't do it. But he came after me anyway, so I was forced to defend myself. That's all any of this has been about." He pointed at Orrin. "Even this is about self-defense. The Ramsdens have come after me several times, and I don't want to press my luck and wait around for the next time."
"None of that matters when I'm standing in front of a man armed with a sword and threatening the life of someone who clearly can't defend himself," Joanna said firmly. "Whatever story you've cooked up can be discussed later, but right now? Right now, you're going to drop your weapon and come with us."
Her eyes were defiant. "You surrender, or you die," she said.
"Agent Sherridan," Orrin said, his voice weak, "this man is a killer. He murdered my sons, and he'll kill me, too. You must bring him to justice."
Alex rolled his eyes at the performance.
"I will, sir. Don't worry." Joanna nodded at Alex again. "Last chance. Drop your weapon and get down on your knees."
"There's more going on here than you know," Alex said. "Or is there? How do you know so much about the Ramsdens?"
"That's none of your business," she snapped. "On the ground. Now." She drew her own weapon and pointed it at his chest. "I will shoot."
Alex was about to respond when they were interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle arriving. It threaded its way through the SUVs before coming to a stop a few feet from the standoff. The rider ignored the armed agents and walked over to Alex while removing his helmet. It was Sawyer.
Joanna's eyes widened in recognition, and she lowered her gun. "Sawyer? What are you doing here? Step away from him, please. He's under arrest. Please don't interfere."
Sawyer didn't even look at her. "We had dinner plans," he chided Alex in a gruff but warm tone. "You can only reheat a decent chili so many times before it tastes like dog food."
Alex grinned. "I'm sorry. I had some business to take care of, and time got away from me."
Sawyer glanced at Orrin. "Is the job done?"
"Not yet," Alex said, shrugging. "It's taking longer than I thought."
With his boot, Sawyer nudged the broken sword on the ground. Then he leaned over and picked it up, gauging its weight.
He turned to Orrin and threw the broken sword at him. His aim was true, and the sword lodged itself in the center of Orrin's chest. Before any of Orrin's disciples could react, Sawyer reached into his jacket and came away with several throwing knives in each hand. For a moment, he whirled in place, flinging knives at Orrin's followers with pinpoint accuracy.