“An airplane would be great.”
“Done,” Remy said. “Youknow the drill. But you won’t be able to contact me. I got tooclose, and I’m being burned.” She paused for a second, then said,“You’ll be on your own.”
Megan thought about all the people in her life. “No,I won’t.”
“I’m going to send everything I know to Special AgentWalker, including proof you have nothing to do with this.”
“What?”
“Proof—so they can’t keep blaming you for being incollusion with Zimmerman.”
**
Adrian walked right behind them as agents Peters andBryant escorted Rear Admiral Frampton (retired) and Captain St.Germaine to the waiting SUV. They’d even called in the localtactical team from their office. Plenty of guns watching.
Looking for Zimmerman.
Other agents and local cops plus state police wereall over the place. The convention center had been evacuated, andpeople were still filing out.
It was over. But they hadn’t found Zimmerman yet.
Adrian would be happy about it if he didn’t have thatniggling feeling this would only cause Zimmerman to go to theground. He had to remind himself that lives had been saved today—onmore than one front. Zimmerman could go somewhere else. Hit a newtarget. But they’d prevented an attack on innocent livestoday. They had the two Navy officers. That meant a goodshot to figure out where those might be. Information was what theyneeded right now; all the details they could get about what hadhappened. Adrian would add a whole lot of prayer, so that hopefullythey could figure out the blackmailer’s identity.
The SUV door shut. Bryant turned back and held outhis hand. “We’ll get them secured andtalk with them. I’ve got your number and your email, so I’ll keepyou posted on what we learn.”
Adrian nodded. He’d doneall he could. He’d arguably saved the day, getting the conventioncenter and the two men secured.
But why did he feel that niggling…whatever it was …atthe back of his mind? That it might not have been enough.
They still didn’t know where Zimmerman was.
Megan was still being implicated.
“Thank you,” he said anyway. “I appreciate it.”
He couldn’t discount the fact these two men mighthave been bought by the blackmailer, but he’d checked them out withtheir boss. The speed with which they’d called in the full force ofthe Denver FBI office had been impressive. These weren’t lonewolves acting under duress.
They drove off, and he turned back. Consideredcalling Megan’s mother again. Sylvia had been a lifeline duringthis, making calls to powerful people. He figured some of the FBI’sarrival here had been due to her. The agents had been clear theywere supposed to look for Zimmerman, and not Megan. Her motherlikely had FBI contacts from her days as an agent’s wife. But thatwas just speculation.
He pulled out Megan’s phone, but there were nonotifications.
His own had been quiet, as well. The agents at hisoffice back in DC had confirmed that Hank’s duty issued phone wasturned off. Still no way to trace where he’d gone.
Where he’d taken Megan.
“Adrian!” A slender woman climbed out of a cab andraced toward him. It was like looking at Megan in thirty years. Andthe future was bright.
He met her halfway. “Mrs. Perkins?”
She nodded and made it all the way to stand in frontof him. “Megan just called me. She’s on her way here right now, ina private plane.” The older woman held onto his biceps. “She’s allright.”
Relief swept through him. They’d talked more thanonce in the last few hours, and he figured it had slipped that hewas worried about Megan. Maybe even that he cared about her.
He said, “That’s great.” Two words, soinadequate.
She grinned. “She sounded tired, but what’s importantis that she’s all right.”
Of course Megan had called her mother first. It madethe most sense. He was here and busy, and she probably didn’t wantto bother him. Even if he wanted to be bothered. Especiallyby her.
Adrian blew out a breath. She was all right.
He’d made the right call. Thank You, Lord.Could this be the beginning of the end of this journey they’d allbeen on?
He said, “We’re stilllooking for Zimmerman. This isn’t over.”
She nodded. “But our girl is safe.”
Adrian wasn’t sure he’d go that far just yet. Heneeded to see if Megan wanted to have that title in his life. Shemight not feel the same way about him that he did about her. But heprayed he would get the chance to find out soon.
Adrian looked at the glass front doors of theconvention center, then at the surrounding area. Plenty of placesfor Zimmerman to hide with his sonic weapon, even with the policesweeping the area.
“We should head to the airport and meet her.”
Adrian nodded before he looked at Megan’s mother.“I’ll let them know I’m leaving, but the SAC here doesn’t need me.His team will take up the hunt for Zimmerman here.”
Adrian was one man. It was the FBI as a whole thatwould bring him down. Right these wrongs.
Sylvia said, “You think he left?”
“When we gave the evacuation order, most likely. Heprobably saw us escort his two targets out of here, and now he’llhave to check in with the blackmailer on what to do next.”
She frowned. “Will he follow them and try to hurtthem at the FBI office or in a safe house?”
Adrian said, “It’s possible, and the agents will bewatching for that. But he needs the exact frequency of the materiala building is made out of if he wants to bring it down. It’s not aseasy as pointing and shooting.”
“Okay.” She nodded, but didn’t look muchrelieved.
“If we can get Megan to the FBI office as well, thenwe can get her to give a statement. And I can tell them about Hank.We can get all this figured out and squared away.”
“That would be good.”
He was still convinced the truth, utilized by thelaw, was the way this would be resolved. Remy could find anything,apparently, but only when applied to the justice system would theblackmailer’s plans be thwarted.
Adrian kept an eye on Megan’s mother while he checkedwith the SAC on scene. He didn’t need anything to happen to her onhis watch. It was the guilt making him do it. Megan had gone
