**
Adrian paced the hall and clutched his phone, on theline with Hank. “Yes, both of them were South American. The samemen who tried to abduct the boy’s mother at the hospital.”
It was too obvious of a connection to dismiss.Zimmerman had a connection to El Cuervo, and these men mighthave been the same nationality. Were they El Cuervo’s men?Traffic cams would hopefully get their images. Or they’d tracetheir identities from the vehicle details. The man the police hadtaken into custody at the hospital could talk.
One way or another they would figure out who theywere.
“They really waited for you?”
Adrian said, “Yes,” and had to bite back the urge tocall him Hank. Megan was rubbing off on him. “Sir. They were intheir car across the street when we exited Almonde’s building.Pulled out of their parking space and opened fire.”
He hadn’t seen it. Witnesses at the scene had toldthe police what happened. Eventually those cops would show up herefor their statements as well. Adrian was just thankful he and Meganwere alive to give them.
Hank blew out a breath. “Glad you guys are okay.”
“You and me both, sir.”
“She’s really all right?”
“It’s a bad graze, but it’s agraze.” Kind of like her hip.
Adrian figured she’d downplay it, pretend she wasstill at full strength.
“Take care of her.”
“Will do.” He had every intention of making sureMegan stayed “okay” for the remainder of this manhunt forZimmerman. And while they found the blackmailer. It was his part inthis operation. “The link betweenZimmerman, these South Americans, and El Cuervo is known.But what about the think tank? I don’t believe it was a randomlychosen target.”
“You think it’s about what the think tank wasworking on?”
Adrian squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Geneticweapons aren’t as far off as people think. Not with the stridesscience is making in that field. We can do incredible things withDNA splicing, and experimentation. Weaponizing it is never far off,no matter what the method.”
Whatever breakthroughs science made, there werealways people who wanted to use that to destroy their enemy.
Hank said, “You think Almonde is in on that? Hefunded the think tank. He had to know what they were doing.”
“If you’re asking whether I think he’s patriotic or athreat, I have to say I don’t know. He seems like a businessman. Avisionary and an entrepreneur, just like the brochure says. But hewas more interested in impressing Megan than showcasing the thinktank’s work. Maybe he just threw money at it to see what came ofit. If they made a breakthrough, he could claim ownership and getthe credit.”
Hank made a “huh” sound. “So it was about one of thevictims?”
“Pretty big lengths to go to in order to killsomeone. Especially when it’s easier to come up to them on thestreet and pull a trigger.”
“Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
Adrian figured it was more likely there would be anote made in his file that he needed a psych eval. “I just meanthere are easier ways to kill someone than this elaborateplan.”
“Unless it’s all a smoke screen. Overcomplicating itso we’re running in circles, trying to figure out what is goingon.”
Adrian nodded. The doctor passed him in the hall andlifted his chin. Adrian did the same. He was done with Meganalready? Adrian needed to get back in there. He didn’t want toleave her alone. And not only because he wondered, in the back ofhis mind, if maybe she’d bolt at some point. He just couldn’t get afull grasp on her.
She was elusive.
He wasn’t getting where he wanted to be. Which meanthe wasn’t fulfilling his duty to her. Hard to take care of someonewho didn’t want to be taken care of, but he’d been making it workso far.
He moved closer to the door to her room and saw anurse head inside with a yellow paper. She was getting discharged.The woman needed a nap, but he figured he’d have to wait for her topass out like the last time.
Not wanting his thoughts to return to that hotelbathroom—and the fear after he’d heard her collapse—he asked Hank,“Any updates on the think tank destruction?”
“The second body they found in the rubble.” Hank wasquiet for a moment, then he said, “Retired Army General EricThomas.”
“Do you figure he was the target?” They for suredidn’t have all the pieces of the puzzle they needed to answer thatquestion. But Hank had resources.
There was no way to find Zimmerman unless they knewwhat the blackmailer’s next target was, or where he was hiding.Adrian didn’t figure the think tank was the end of it.
“Can’t see how any other answer makes sense,” Hanksaid.
“Anything else?” Adrian asked.
“Like Zimmerman’s family? Can’t find them anywhere. Isent crime scene techs to the house. They say there are indicationsthe family might have been taken. It isn’t obvious that they werekidnapped, but it’s a possibility. In fact, it was so notobvious it was actually missed at first. Like someone cleaned upafterwards.”
Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose. “They wereabducted?” He’d heard “clean up” way too many times during thiswhole thing to pass over that as well. “The blackmailer took them,and then hid that fact. So is that the leverage he has overZimmerman? He’s holding the man’s ex-wife and children hostage toforce him to do his bidding?”
“It’s definitely a possibility. Which confirmsMegan’s idea that Zimmerman tried to make contact with her for areason. Maybe he was planning on telling her that he was under theblackmailer’s thumb.” Hank paused. “I passed the kidnapping over toa new group of agents. They’re working that case.”
“Okay, good. If we can find them then the blackmailerno longer has Zimmerman under his thumb.”
Could Zimmerman really be nothing but a pawn in thiswhole thing? And his family dragged down into it as well? Moreinnocent people suffering because of the whims of one man.
A blackmailer.
“I’ll keep you posted.” Hank ended the call.
Adrian stowed his phone away and went to give Meganthe news about Zimmerman’s family. Knowing the man had been coercedinto destroying a building
