Blunt watched as the pundits sparred verbally over the impact of his arrest and how it was effecting polling numbers. None of the discussion was encouraging to Blunt, and even more devastating to Young’s hopes of staying in the White House.
One of the agents leaned against the doorjamb leading into the living room.
“See, I told you that you wouldn’t wanna watch this.”
Blunt felt sick to his stomach. Whatever had transpired over the past twenty-four hours while he was held up in the FBI headquarters wasn’t good for him or for Young’s campaign.
Blunt felt the urge to get out of there and do something about it—and fast.
CHAPTER 19
ALEX DIDN’T HAVE TIME to grab her go bag before the FBI agents had stormed her apartment. All that she was left to survive with was the money she’d crammed into her pocket as she attempted to keep all the incriminating evidence hidden. She knew she could likely talk her way out of anything and get Blunt to help her out by pulling a few strings, but there wasn’t time to plead her case and explain the urgency behind her actions. Hawk was in danger, and she needed to help him—only now she couldn’t. Without a computer and thousands of miles away, Alex was left to scramble for help and hope that she’d still be able to make contact with Hawk once she was back up and running.
Following her beat down in the alley, she trudged to the street corner and caught a cab ride to a seedy motel on the edge of the city limits. Washington was pricey, but there were still a few places with cheap motels, though not the kind she ever wanted to frequent. But she had no choice.
She barely slept the night before, subjected to raucous noises from the room next door. After the third set of couples took up residence at 4:00 a.m., she questioned whether the place was actually a motel. She finally managed to get a long stretch of sleep between 5:00 and 8:30 a.m. before housekeeping rapped on her door.
“Come back later,” Alex said with a groan.
“Sorry, toots,” the cleaning lady said. “Time’s up. Check out is at 8:00 a.m. for the rate you paid.”
Alex walked over to the door and cracked it open. “I’m going to get another day then. Come back later.”
“No can do, lady. Boss man’s orders.”
“Fine,” Alex said before stumbling out of the room and purchasing another night.
When she returned, she found the room barely cleaned. Her bed was still messy, and nothing had been thoroughly wiped down.
Alex stepped back outside and called out toward the woman. “You call this clean?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have made such a big mess,” the lady replied. “Besides, you wanted me to come back later anyway.”
Alex sighed and retreated inside her room. She took a shower, hoping it would clear her head. She needed to get back online but required the kind of help she couldn’t afford at the moment. While she was washing her hair, she remembered that she still had one ally she could reach out to who just might be able to help.
If anybody can help me, Mallory Kauffman can.
Due to her fugitive status, Alex was reticent to involve Mallory. But Alex was desperate. Hawk was flying solo in the middle of the desert, yet she had no idea what was happening with him or if he was even still there. If he needed her help, she didn’t know it.
Once Alex got dressed and straightened up her room, she called Mallory.
“Long time, no see,” Mallory said as she answered the phone.
“These days, the no see is kind of the point,” Alex said.
“Trouble always seems to follow you, doesn’t it? What’s the problem this time?”
“I’m not sure I want to get into it over the phone, but I do have a problem that I think you can help me out with.”
“Tell me what you need, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Some punks stole my laptop yesterday, and I need to get it back.”
“Of course,” Mallory said. “Not sure I can help you with that though.”
“It’s not that complicated. I just need you to look up the location on a website for me and go with me to that place and get my computer back.”
“If it’s that easy, why do you need my help?”
Alex sighed, unsure of how much to divulge on the phone. “Look, I don’t want to get you in mixed up in the middle of all this, and I wouldn’t unless it was absolutely necessary.”
“So, it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Let’s just say at the moment that I don’t have access to any computer, nor do I have enough money to do so.”
“You need to fill me in,” Mallory said. “Give me the website address and your current location, and I’ll come pick you up.”
Alex shared the information with Mallory and waited for a few moments while she looked up everything.
“What are you doing staying at the Beltway Motel? I’ve heard stories about that place.”
“Trust me,” Alex said. “They’re all true. If you’ve ever heard about a senator coming here, just know they are either working with an organized crime group or hiring a hooker.”
“Classy place, huh?”
“You’ll see it for yourself when you pick me up.”
“Can’t wait,” Mallory said. “And, oh, I’ve got a hit on your laptop tracker. It’s still active. It’s in a shady part of town too. You sure you don’t want to call someone else?”
“Just bring your gun and your badge. We’ll manage.”
“Be there in half an hour.”
Alex hung up and waited. She imagined the worst when it came to what happened to her computer: The punks who stole it stripped it clean—or worse. She wondered if they’d already reformatted the hard drive. Both were nightmare scenarios.
When Mallory knocked on the door, Alex hesitated before opening it. Her situation was an utter embarrassment, especially for someone who used to have a dream job at the CIA. Instead,
