One Rough Man

sweeper, designed to push me into the alley, and certain death. It was a miracle it hadn’t worked. Had I been five feet closer to the alley, I would have immediately sought it out, looking backward at the drive-by shooter, not forward into the alley.

The more I thought about it, the more I began to build into a rage, feeling the anger grow white-hot. For the first time, wanting it white-hot. Savoring the feeling.

Kurt must have set us up in the Homeland Security database. When that didn’t work, Kurt had used my loyalty to the Taskforce as a weapon to kill me. Kurt must have also turned off the CIA from investigating anything further in Belize. Few people in the U.S. government had the power to do all of that, and Kurt Hale was one of them. I was just lucky I had come alone. If Jennifer had been there, I would have reacted differently, and we’d probably both be dead.

I felt an electric jolt of adrenaline. Jennifer’s alone at the hotel. I racked my brain, trying to remember if I had told Kurt where we were staying. I didn’t think so, but I might have. I looked at my watch, wishing the train would move faster. I settled back into the seat, letting the rage flow through me, raw and thumping. If Kurt did anything to Jennifer, I was going to burn the Taskforce down.

* * *

The four men Lucas had assigned to the Metro station entered and fanned out to positions that allowed them to dominate the platform without being seen. One, surveying the crowd simply out of curiosity, honed in on a woman across the tracks, waiting for the Metro going the other way. He keyed his covert radio.

“Brandon, look at the woman to your three o’clock. I think it’s the target.”

Brandon studied the woman. She was acting antsy and pacing back and forth. She carried a laptop case and a backpack that looked stuffed. “Yeah, that’s her. Stand by. I’m calling for guidance.”

Brandon dialed Lucas’s cell. “Sir, this is the Metro team. I’ve got the female target here preparing to board a train. Do you want us to remain behind for the male, or follow her?”

Lucas paused a moment, considering. He went with the bird in the hand. “Follow her. As soon as you get the chance, terminate her. Make sure you can get out clean before you pull the trigger.”

“Roger that. Train’s coming. Gotta go.”

Brandon called the team. “Board the northbound train. She’s the new target. We stick with her until we can smoke her. Hurry, I can see the train approaching. Get to the other side.”

They raced back downstairs, moving under the tracks, then back upstairs to the northbound side. All four members just managed to board before the doors closed. None noticed Pike exit the train on the southbound side.

* * *

In the lobby, Mason had just answered a call from Lucas when he saw Pike blow by him to the elevator.

Lucas was finishing up telling Mason the new plan. “… so they won’t be able to give you early warning. They’re on the girl now. When he gets there—”

Mason interrupted. “He’s here. He just went by me to his room. We can’t do anything in here. All the rooms look into a giant atrium. We can’t even get to his room without anyone seeing us, much less break in. We’re going to have to wait.”

Lucas thought for a moment. “Okay. That’s not bad. He’ll either head to the other target, or she’ll come back here. I’m betting he heads to her. Hold what you got and tail him. I’ll coordinate with the other team. If you guys meet in the middle we can finish this thing. Don’t wait for that, though. You get a chance, kill that bastard.”

75

I went through my room into Jennifer’s. It was empty. All of her clothes were gone and so was the laptop. I went back to my room. For the first time, I noticed that all of my clothes were gone as well. I saw my cell phone where I had left it, only now it was sitting on a piece of paper. Picking it up, I read,

Kurt called. I’m going to the place I went to yesterday. I’ll be getting a bite to eat. Call me when you get this.

I smiled for the first time that morning. Smart girl. She was going to the most crowded place she could find, and she had managed to tell me exactly where without writing it down. She would be in the food court at the bottom of the mall. I didn’t like the fact that Kurt had called, but hopefully she would be safe until I could get there. Kurt clearly just wanted to get her out of the hotel so he could kill her. He probably didn’t count on me still being alive.

I picked up the phone and dialed Jennifer. She answered on the first ring. “Pike? Is that you?”

Thank God. More relief than I thought I had in me coursed through my body. I put on a calm voice.

“Yeah. How’re you? Are you okay?”

“I think so. I just got off the Metro. Kurt called and told me to get out of the hotel. He left his number and told me to call him when I was out and safe somewhere.”

That fucker. “You haven’t called, have you?”

“No, not yet.”

“Don’t. Just go where you told me you were going. I’m on my way. Do not call Kurt.”

“Pike, what’s going on? I’m scared. I think someone’s following me. I keep seeing the same guy. He jumped on the Metro at the last minute, and now he’s been thirty feet behind me ever since. I don’t want you to think I’m paranoid, but I think it’s real.”

I spoke slowly and clearly. “I think it’s real too. Stay in crowded areas. Don’t pay him any attention. If he thinks he’s burned, he’ll either do something drastic or be replaced by someone else. Better to know who’s following you than to have to figure it out. Move to where you said you would meet me. Anybody tries anything, kick them as hard as you can in the balls, then run off screaming. Run in a zigzag pattern. I’m on the way. Can you do that?”

I heard her take a deep breath. “Yeah… Yeah, I can do that. I’m not going to ask why the zigzag pattern. I don’t want to know what you’re going to say.”

“Don’t worry. I’m coming. Hold tight. I’ll be there in minutes.”

* * *

In the courtyard of the atrium, Mason saw Pike leave the room three floors up. He called his teammate. “Get ready. He’s coming down.”

The man was just outside the elevator exit, waiting. He watched Pike exit and head to a stairwell.

“He’s not going to the Metro. I say again, he’s not going to the Metro.”

Mason cursed. “Stay on him.”

“He’s going to the parking garage. If I go into the stairwell with him, I’m burned.”

“Hold on. Sit tight. Let him go. He spots you and we’re going to have a gunfight right here. Don’t take him on one-on-one. Remember, he took an MP5 from the mounted team this morning.”

Mason thought about his options. He decided he needed to punt to his higher headquarters. He called Lucas and relayed the news.

In the Crystal City office, Lucas took the call, feeling punched in the gut with the latest report. Jesus. Predicting this guy’s actions is proving impossible. He knew that he was now going to have to earn his salary. The hard way. It pissed him off. Screw drinking a beer with him. Prima- donna SMU asshole. When I get him I’m going to castrate his sorry ass.

“Let him go. Head back to the office. We need to regroup. This seat-of-the-pants shit isn’t working.”

* * *

I parked the rental and entered the mall. Standing at the railing of the first level, I looked down into the basement level of the food court, spotting Jennifer. I knew that if she’d seen one man, there were several more. Nobody with any training tried to conduct surveillance alone, and these guys had training. I gave her a call, watching as she answered.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. I’m in the mall. Don’t look around, but I’m looking at you right now.” I saw her raise her head and