responsible for approving Tara Doyle’s load of ordinance for her F-22.
American Special Forces had fought October blizzards to accompany CIA paramilitary officer Karen Hunt back to the Pari School, high in the Wakhan Corridor of Eastern Afghanistan. Along with a stash of Vietnam-era U.S. Army uniforms, they found the charred remains of nine adult men and seven boys ranging in age from five to fourteen. All the boys had been shot multiple times before they burned in an apparent explosion within the mountain. Karen found the body of Sam, the boy who had befriended her, in an ice cave a half mile from the school. He, along with eleven other children, had been strangled and left to rot, presumably because they were too softhearted to carry out the doctor’s planned jihad against the United States.
Quinn felt Ronnie shift behind him, taking off her helmet. Her long hair tickled the back of his neck as she shook it free.
“So,” she said, “after all that, the queen of West Texas bitches was only the backup plan?”
“Yes and no,” Quinn said. “According to Bundy/ Shadan, Amanda Deatherage was the one with the primary mission to blow herself up at the wedding. Badeeb thought Doyle would be shot down too quickly if she started with Governors Island. But with all the military overwatch tied up there, she’d have a virtual free rein with her F-22 over downtown Manhattan. The plan was for her to drop half her bombs on Times Square, then finish up over the panicked crowds at the wedding after Deatherage blew herself to pieces. Dr. Badeeb was a man who liked to control every detail. Shadan could see to it Deatherage followed through, but once Tara Doyle was in the air, they would have no tether to her. She would become a loose cannon.”
“An attack over Times Square…” Ronnie whispered. “She would have killed hundreds. And if the president and vice president had both died at the wedding…”
“That would leave the speaker of the House next in line.”
“So,” she said turning to look at the Capitol dome. “You think he’s in there?”
Quinn nodded. “I do. As the new speaker, he’s moved from his basement office to a ritzy suite off the rotunda.”
“Did Shadan give you anything you could use on him?”
The media had reported that Sean Bundy had been among those killed in the suicide blast at Governors Island. In actuality, he was being held off American soil in a secret facility outside Parham Town in the British Virgin Islands.
Quinn shook his head, still gazing at the lighted Capitol dome. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure Bundy knew he was involved. Badeeb was awfully good at keeping his operations compartmentalized.” He shot a glance over his shoulder to look Garcia in the eye. “But Drake’s a mole. There is zero doubt in my mind. I pulled a copy of his wife’s autopsy. Cause of death was drowning, but she had bruising and scraping consistent with being kicked in the face.”
“You think Drake killed her?”
“I do.” Quinn nodded. “The sympathy from her death gives him a load of public support. If Deatherage had been able to follow through and kill both the VP and the president, Drake would have waltzed right into the Oval Office. As POTUS, he could do untold damage to the stock markets, our national defense, homeland security… you name it.”
“So, there he sits,” Ronnie sighed. “A terrorist, two heartbeats from the presidency.”
“Yeah, well, I’m working on that,” Quinn mused.
“I’ll bet you are,” Ronnie chuckled, rubbing her cheek softly against Quinn’s shoulder. “You know, I’m not sure I ever really thanked you for saving my life.”
Quinn turned to catch another glimpse of her face. The subtle odor of jasmine wafted toward him. “We’re even then. I was just returning the favor,” he said. “Speaking of you saving my life, I wonder if they’ll let us back in Cubano’s after I tore up their men’s room. Something spicy and ethnic sounds pretty good about now.”
“It does, does it?” Ronnie nestled herself even tighter against his back, thighs warm along his hips. The buzz of her breath in his ear made him heady. “You know what I wonder? I wonder what the elevation is in Washington, D.C.”
Quinn shrugged, holding back a grin. “Not much above sea level, I guess. Why?”
“Oh, I was just thinking how you told me once you weren’t likely to have much resolve against my advances at elevations below ten thousand feet…”
“Resolve…” Quinn nodded his head slowly as he thought, lost in the enveloping warmth of this supremely beautiful and capable woman. “That’s an interesting ques-”
The phone at his belt began to buzz. He picked it up, sighing when he saw the caller ID. It was Kim.
Ronnie patted his belly and gave him a playful squeeze. “Who is it?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Quinn said, more resolved than he had ever been in his life. “Let’s talk some more about these advances of yours.”
He returned the phone to his belt and let it ring.
