Take Down (The Men of the Sisterhood) by Fern Michaels Page B

outside.
    “Mrs. Gellis keeps a supply of candy and crackers in the linen closet. I saw some blankets in there, and there are drinks in the minifridge. Are you all okay with this?”
    A chorus of “No!” rang out. To which Maggie replied, “Tough!”
    Jack didn’t know why he did it, but he walked over to Bell, who towered over him when he stood up. He held out his hand and said, “Just remember, we’re the good guys. And I really am sorry about all of this.”
    “Obviously you all have someplace you need to get to. I learned a long time ago never to sweat the small stuff.” The handshake was firm and hard. Jack nodded as he followed Dennis and Maggie out the door.
    “What was that all about, Jack?” Dennis asked.
    “Never you mind, kid. Just do what you need to do and let’s get out of here.”
    Dennis raced down the hall and activated the locking mechanism. He winced at the sound of the hydraulic hiss as the lock shot into place. “Oooh, we screwed up, Jack. We didn’t check the other offices to see if anyone is in them.”
    “Oh, well, no one is going to freeze if they have to spend the night. We are good to go, so let’s go. Anyone call in?”
    “No. Well, yeah, they did, but they’re still on the road. No one has a definite ETA as yet. Roads are bad because it’s snowing harder. This is three glitches now. That’s my limit,” Dennis snorted as he raced for the front door. “C’mon, c’mon, why are you lagging behind? Yeah, yeah, first one out has to clear off the snow. Man, I always get the shit detail,” Dennis grumbled.
    “What did I tell you about FBI agents? They do not whine; nor do they dither. As in ever.”
    “Shove it, Jack. I’m not an official agent. Make-believe does not count.”
    Jack’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket for the seventh time since they had arrived at the Andover headquarters. Now he could finally see who had been calling him.
    Uh-oh.
    “What?” Maggie said as she saw the expression on Jack’s face in the light spilling out of the lobby.
    “It’s Nikki. She’s home and wants to know where I am. Each message is a little more frantic. She said if I don’t return her call in the next five minutes, she’s calling the police and the hospitals.”
    “Well, crap!” Maggie said succinctly. “Now what?”
    “Try Plan B,” Dennis shouted as he gave the back windshield one last swipe.
    “Just get in the damn car and drive while I figure out what to do,” Jack said with a groan.

Chapter 11
    It was a tense ride to the home of Martha Gellis. While Jack and Maggie marveled at Dennis’s expert driving on the slippery road, they also knew he was at the mercy of other drivers, who weren’t as cautious as he was. And then there was Mother Nature, who didn’t seem to care who was driving what kind of vehicle. The wind whistled sharply, sending the swirling snowflakes into a sideways avalanche. The windshield wipers fought valiantly, but it was a losing battle, so all Dennis could do was keep his eyes on the tiny pinpoints of red taillights in front of him and hope that the driver knew where he was going.
    “You’re doing good, kid, just take it easy. Take deep breaths. This truck is like a tank. We’re good here, so don’t panic. According to this blabbering GPS, we’re only a mile from our destination.”
    Dennis clenched his jaw so tight he thought it would crack. Somehow, he managed to get the words through his clenched teeth. “Okay, Jack.”
    “Maggie, what are the others saying?”
    “Abner said they are two miles out. Their ETA at Otto’s home, he’s thinking, is about another hour. Very slow going, and Harry is like a wet cat on a hot griddle, according to him. But he did say he’s a good driver.
    “Espinosa said they are a half mile from Philip’s home. He said it’s snowing heavily, but they managed to get a few cars behind a snowplow and are holding steady. That’s the good news. The bad news is, I don’t know if we’re going to be able