taken care of, he turned and retraced his steps through the building.
A few minutes later, he reached the front doorway and walked outside. Willy joined him. “Jack and Beck arrived at Sea-Tac and will chopper over as quick as they can. They asked for you to stay put.”
Alena stood on the helipad, staring out beyond the cliffs to the sea below. She seemed alone in the midst of all the activity. As he looked at her, Gerrit could not shake Kane’s last words. A few minutes later, she walked toward the cliff’s edge, never looking his way.
He heard men grunting behind him and turned to see two men carrying Joe on a stretcher. As they passed, Joe yelled out, “Put me down for a moment. I need to talk to my nephew.”
The man in the lead looked at Gerrit for direction. “Just give us a minute. Then he’s all yours.”
Joe tried to sit up as they laid the stretcher on the ground. Gerrit squatted and held him down. “Just relax. Let these guys do all the work.”
His uncle gave him an exasperated look but lay back, looking up. “We don’t have time to go into all the details, Gerrit, but you need to know that you can trust Alena. That everyone-including me-makes mistakes. She has more than made up for her past sins.”
“And the death of my father and mother,” he said, raising his voice. “Has she made up for that?”
Joe tried to raise himself again. “That’s what I am trying to tell you. Kane recruited her many years ago. She didn’t know what he and the others were all about. She thought they represented the U.S. at the time.”
“So he used her to kill my folks? Your brother?”
“Hear me out. At first, she thought your father was a threat. That Kane-through his government contacts-had been sanctioned to neutralize that threat.”
“Neutralize the threat? Give me a break. Dad was never-”
“I know that. And later, so did Alena.”
“What do you mean later? After my parents were killed?”
Joe shook his head vigorously. “That’s what I’m trying to get through your thick head. She came over to our side before your parents died. But by then, it was too late.”
Gerrit said nothing, waiting for his uncle to continue. One of the choppers lifted off and began heading toward Seattle.
Alena had moved closer to the cliffs, standing on the ridge looking down. Joe saw her standing in the distance and pointed toward her. “She was sent in by Kane to get close to Thomas. To find out where your father might be vulnerable so a second team could come in and take him out if need be.”
“So she spied on them? Betrayed Mom and Dad?”
“Would you put a cork in it for a minute and let me finish?” Frustration tightened his uncle’s features. “She got to know Thomas and your mom. They even invited her over for dinner. That’s where she first saw your photo and heard stories about you.”
Gerrit clenched his jaw, remembering the peace his parents’ home always seemed to bring when he visited. When he and dad weren’t arguing.
“She came to learn that your dad was not a threat to anyone, and that what Kane and the others were doing was actually a threat to our country. She warned your father about the danger, and he contacted me. Right after that, Kane’s men took me to that high-rise and had me do a midair dance.”
“So how did my father get lured into the garage? Why didn’t he have a security detail on him?”
“There was security. But he slipped away from the detail to be with your mother. He wanted to have a private dinner alone with his wife. It was a stupid mistake and it cost them their lives.”
Another thought came to Gerrit as he listened. “Does Alena know who triggered the bomb. Who actually killed my parents?”
Joe shook his head. “She was feeding information to Kane until she came to know and care for your folks. She cut off all communication with Kane and began her own preparations to live off the grid. Once she heard of the bombing, she hunted me down and helped me disappear. That’s when I contacted Travis, and he put me in contact with Beck Malloy.”
Gerrit’s shoulders sagged. His search for the actual killer would still continue. Sure, Kane called the shots, but Gerrit wanted to get his hands on the person who literally built and detonated the bomb. He wanted to find that person and put a bullet in his worthless brain. With Kane dead, he might never find out the truth. Or who, higher up, might have been involved.
He motioned to the medical team. “Can you guys get my uncle on the chopper? Need to have him checked out at a hospital.” Joe started to protest, but Gerrit waved him off. “I’ll come to visit you as soon as Beck and the colonel get here. Just relax and let these people take care of you.”
Resigned, Joe leaned back. “Talk to Alena, Gerrit. Let her tell you her side of the story.”
Before answering, Gerrit glanced toward the cliffs and saw her still standing on the edge, peering into the night. “I promise. Now, just let these guys take care of you.”
Joe seemed satisfied. “Okay guys, let’s get this over with.” They scooped him up and made their way to the second chopper.
Chapter 66
Washington, D.C.
Stuart leaned back in his banker’s chair, the red leather creaking under his weight. He glanced at the clock; it was now three hours after midnight. Still no word from Kane. Other reports came in about a firefight at the lab in Washington. Outcome unknown.
He fingered the phone for a moment before dialing his contact in Seattle. The phone rang three times before he heard someone pick up on the other end.
A man’s voice, tense and alert, answered. “Yeah?”
“This is Stuart.” He waited for a moment to let the name sink in. “Kane’s associate.”
“Yes, sir. What can I do for you?”
“Do you have any word on how our friend is doing?”
“Kane?”
“Exactly.”
“I’ve been monitoring radio transmissions and sent a text message a while ago. Got nothing. Now I’m copying that federal authorities have been alerted. FBI. ICE. Secret Service, and CIA. I think our friend and his people may have…fallen.”
Stuart thought for a moment before speaking. “I need you to sit tight. Take no chances. I may have you pick up where Kane failed. Are you up for the job?”
Stuart could almost hear the greed in the man’s voice. “You bet, sir. I will have to close things down here first. I assume you want me to relocate to your area.”
“Yes. As soon as possible. We need to start assessing the damage and moving forward on our other projects.”
“Give me a week.”
“Two days.” Stuart hung up.
He sat back in his chair, waiting; he knew another call would be coming in at any moment. He grimaced as his phone vibrated on the desk. He picked it up and saw The White House identified on its face.
Stuart listened to the caller speak, then cleared his throat. “Project Megiddo has been launched, but the main facility has been compromised.”
The caller rattled on as Stuart patiently waited for the man to stop speaking. “No. We need to regroup and push on. This is just a temporary setback. We are taking all necessary steps to sanitize the situation.”
Again, the caller launched into a tirade Stuart knew he had to endure. “Yes, sir. I promise you, there will be no blowback. I have already taken steps to make sure this never happens again. Even if they try to live off the grid.”
He quietly hung up and stared out into the night.
The war has just begun.
