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Kurt gave me the pager, saying, “One more thing. You really will be on the Impossible Mission Force for this one. You get caught, and you’re going to be hung out to dry. You won’t get any official sanction from here.”
“I didn’t expect it. I won’t get caught. I haven’t been yet.”
We pulled into Arlington and switched to Kurt’s car. We spent the majority of the time it took to drive to the Dulles FBO listening to Kurt set up an aircraft for me. Finally, it was done, and I got to ask about the men who had tried to kill us.
He said, “I’ve been thinking about that quite a bit, but really have no idea. Whoever it is has a lot of power, but all the people with power like that simply wouldn’t do it. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I can’t even figure out why they would want a terrorist attack to occur in the first place. The whole thing is screwy. Anyway, it’s no longer your concern.”
“Huh? It’s exactly my concern. They aren’t trying to kill you. They’re trying to kill Jennifer and me.”
Kurt’s face became hard. “That’s not what I meant. You focus on the terrorists. I’ll find out who killed Ethan and tried to kill you. Don’t worry about them. They have ceased to exist. I can’t bring back Ethan’s family, but I promise you the men who did that will pay.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jennifer visibly blanch. I’d purposely not told her the grisly details of Ethan’s family to spare her feelings, but she had now connected the dots between the body count and who was dead. Maybe realizing for the first time that doing the right thing had consequences outside of our control, and that the good guy doesn’t always win.
Kurt continued, pulling into the general aviation section of Dulles, “Whatever you do, don’t call my cell phone until I have it scanned. Those assholes are tracking either you or me, and I don’t trust my own equipment at this stage. I’ve got the thing dismantled in my pocket right now.”
We pulled into Signature Air at the Dulles FBO. He parked the car and turned around. “Well, I couldn’t get you a junky airplane. All we have available at short notice is the rock-star bird.”
I grinned. “Perfect. Nothing like riding in style.”
Jennifer looked from me to Kurt, asking, “What’s the rock-star bird? Are we flying on a Greyhound tour bus?”
“Better than that. It’s a Gulfstream IV. Just like the rock stars use.”
Then the second part of her question hit me.
“And ‘we’ aren’t flying on it. I am. You need to head on back to Charleston and go back to school.”
She was silent for a second, the words not sinking in. When they finally did, she exploded. “What? Bullshit! I’m going with you.”
I glanced at Kurt for support.
He gave her a look I’d seen a hundred times. “We appreciate everything you’ve done, but let’s face it, you’re not capable of providing help here. Pike will work better alone, without having to worry about you. You don’t have to go back to Charleston if you don’t want to. I have some safe houses here in D.C. you can use for a while. You’ll have the protection of the Taskforce until this thing is over.”
That seemed to really piss her off. “You didn’t even believe the story in the first place. You have all of this talent and resources at your disposal and you’re sending Pike by himself. You don’t have the right to even talk to me. I’m the one that figured this thing out. I’m the one that got Pike to start this hunt. Me. Not you. All you’ve done is spit on our efforts, cloaking yourself in some bullshit tale of higher patriotism.”
She ignored Kurt, turning her back to him and facing me. She looked into my eyes the same way she had when she asked me to go to Guatemala. I could see the hurt on her face, like I had broken her trust.
She said, “I haven’t been a liability. I’ve earned it. You can use me on this and you know it. They won’t suspect a woman of anything.”
I said nothing, conflicting emotions churning away. I considered the question, trying to leave my confusing, sorry-ass feelings out of it. Looking at it dispassionately, the truth of the matter was she had a point. I was already at a disadvantage for the work ahead. I had seen what the terrorists looked like when they mugged me, which meant they also knew what I looked like.
True, she wasn’t a badass counterterrorist commando, but she had the raw talent. Beyond the physical ability, which she had in spades, she was very good at solving problems under pressure. She had proved that less than an hour ago with her circus stunt in the mall. This trait, above all others, was prized in the Taskforce, and was the cut line that kept otherwise outstanding soldiers at the level below. With a modicum of internal talent, you could teach anyone to surgically shoot, run all night, or do hand-to-hand combat, but the ability to think on your feet and solve problems in real time was the prize. She had the mettle necessary for operations, only lacking the experience. She was a quick learner, though, and had gotten quite a bit of experience over the last few days. I made up my mind.
“She’s not a liability. She’s going.”
Jennifer gave me a radiant smile, then turned and glared at Kurt.
Kurt exploded. “Have you lost your mind? She can’t go. She’s a damn civilian. She’ll compromise the whole operation!”
“Sir, I appreciate your support, and your opinion, but you’ve already told me I’m hanging my ass out on my own. I’m also a civilian. It’s my call, and I say she goes. I need the help. Unless you want to launch a team with me, that is.”
Kurt grimaced but backed down. “You’re going to be the man on the ground. Your call.”
“Thanks. We’ll contact you when we get in-country. What’s the name of the corporation we’re supposed to be flying with?”
He gave us both a down-and-dirty dump of the cover of the aircraft we would be on, ending with a caveat.
“Remember, you don’t work for the corporation. You have nothing to do with the corporation. The plane is only stopping to refuel. You get off, and the plane flies away. You simply hitched a ride because you know someone who knows someone who got you a free seat. Happens all the time. You only need the cover story when you land. Once you’re in-country, never mention the corporation again. You’re tourists, or whatever else you want to be, but you’re not connected to me.”
Moving through the FBO to the flight line, I grinned. “Like old times. Except for that little ‘you’re on your own’ thing.”
Kurt wished us luck, holding his hand out to Jennifer. She graciously returned the shake.
He shook my hand, saying, “Look, I want to stop this as much as you do. Do what you do best and we can both rest easy.”
I returned the handshake, feeling a little embarrassed at my outbursts earlier. “Sorry about yelling at you. I understand your position. I won’t let you down.”
I held his hand a little longer than necessary and locked eyes with him.
“Don’t let me down either.”
PART FOUR
