Black displayed his credentials to the parking attendant at the Capitol Hill deck before parking. He removed his weapon from his trunk and checked all the pieces. If he could sneak his rifle inside while entering as a normal citizen, he would have serious concerns about the level of security.
He hustled up the steps and strode into the line for the metal detector. Removing his jacket and belt, he placed them on the conveyor belt along with his briefcase. The first two objects breezed through the scanning process, but the guard inspecting the x-rays paused for a long time on the bag housing Black’s rifle. After a few seconds, two of the agents conferred with each other before starting the belt again.
“Sir, is this your case?” one of the security personnel asked.
Black nodded.
“I need you to come with me for further inspection.”
“Sure,” Black said.
Maybe this screening process is tighter than I thought.
The guard dropped the briefcase onto the sterile metal table and opened the lock. He poked around inside for a few seconds before taking a small piece of cloth and wiping down random areas inside. Once he finished, he placed the swath into a machine and waited. Ten seconds later, a beep signaled the end of the analysis.
“You’re all clean,” the guard said as he handed the case over to Black. “Now you’re good to go. Have a nice day.”
Black smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”
Unbelievable.
He grabbed the handle and resumed his ascent up the steps. Meandering around the upper floor of the chamber, Black maneuvered past a couple guards. He already knew the blind spots in the security system, which hadn’t been changed in years.
Black worked his way along the catwalk, avoiding detection from the man patrolling the upper floor.
If I was going to do this, I’m not sure I’d change a thing from several years ago. This is still the best blind in the chamber.
Black eased into a prone position and pretended as if he was going to sight in the president at the podium.
Then his phone buzzed.
I swear I’m never going to get a moment of peace.
The number was blocked. Black got to his feet and shuffled across the catwalk to a nearby storage room. Once inside, he answered the call.
“This is Black.”
“Titus, it’s so good to hear your voice,” Fortner said.
“Listen here, I won’t be at your beck and call twenty-four hours a day,” Black said. “If you’ve got something to say, save it until—”
“I just texted you a link. Open it.”
Black glared at his phone and swiped to his message. After tapping the link, he watched a live webcam feed appear on his screen. His sister was struggling to get away from a man wielding a knife. Her hands and feet were bound, and her muffled screams could still be heard despite having a gag shoved into her mouth.
“I think you need a gentle reminder that you’ll do as I say,” Fortner said.
The man with the knife went up to the camera, looking into it with wild eyes and made a throat-slashing sign with his knife while grinning.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, Fortner, but you’re going to pay dearly for all of this, that much I can guarantee you,” Black said.
“More empty threats and idle promises,” Fortner said. “Your sister’s life literally depends upon you doing what I say, and you continue to behave as if you somehow have control over what’s happening. Here’s a cold dose of reality for you since you’re not exactly getting this through that thick skull of yours: I am in charge, and you will do as I say or your sister will die. Are we clear?”
“What do you want?” Black asked.
“Nothing really. I just need you to assassinate the vice president.”
“Sure thing,” Black said. “I’ll squeeze that in after my morning run.”
“Tomorrow night during the State of the Union speech, I want you to shoot the VP.”
Black sighed. “That’s a suicide mission.”
“Is it now?” Fortner said. “I believe you’ve gotten away with murdering someone in the chamber before.”
“This isn’t the same,” Black said. “If I do this, I won’t.”
“If you don’t, your sister dies. It’s a simple choice.”
“And a strange one. Why not have me kill the president instead?”
“It’s not your place to question the assignment. You just need to complete it.”
Black chuckled. “That’s because you aren’t really calling the shots, are you? You’re just passing along orders from someone higher up the food chain. And once you’ve worn out your usefulness, you’ll become expendable, just like you think I am.”
“I find your speculation amusing. If you want to share all your conjectures with me instead of fulfilling the assignment, I’ll just kill you and your sister and move on.”
“Fine, I’ll do it,” Black said. “But after this, I’m done.”
“You’ll be done when I say you’re done,” Fortner said with a growl. “Just be ready for my signal.”
Black hung up and exhaled, seething over the impossible situation he’d found himself in. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake that image of Laura from his mind, the sheer terror she was experiencing, the trauma Fortner had wrought upon her with one of his goons.
Black needed to find a way to flip the tables on Fortner—and fast.
CHAPTER 12
HAWK AND ALEX ENTERED the Phoenix Foundation offices and marched upstairs to the conference room. Blunt was already waiting for them along with CIA Deputy Director Randy Wood. While Blunt snipped the end off a cigar and then jammed it into his mouth, Wood stirred his cup of coffee.
“What’s taken you two so long?” Wood asked. “This meeting was supposed to start five minutes ago. Did you two fight over which route to take to work?”
Alex rolled her eyes and then looked at Blunt. “You’re actually friends with this guy?”
“Cordial acquaintances,” Blunt said. “I’m not quite ready to start sharing my scotch with him, especially the expensive kind Hawk brings me. Well, the kind he used to bring me.”
"Sorry. I didn't
