“Are you gonna tie me up?” Black asked.
“Shut up and let me think,” Reese said, keeping his gun trained on Black.
After a long pause, Reese snatched a roll of duct tape off one of the shelves and tossed it at Black.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” Black asked.
“In a perfect world, we’d start by putting that over your mouth.”
Black scowled. “Look, we both know I can’t tie myself up. If you want me tied up, you’re gonna have to come over here and do it yourself.”
Reese stormed across the room toward his captive. Black took a few steps back, easing into a narrow aisle where rows of shelves flanked him. He figured if he could force a close-quarters combat situation, he would be able to overtake Reese.
“Stop moving,” Reese commanded.
Black ignored the directive and eased back a couple more steps.
“I said stop!”
Once Reese entered the tight space, he staggered to his knees and fell forward with a moan. Acting quickly, Black snatched the gun from his kidnapper’s hand before he hit the floor. Then Black looked up to see Hawk and Alex.
“I could’ve handled this myself,” Black said.
“You looked like you were doing fine on your own,” Alex said. “You were doing so much backing up, I almost expected to hear a beeping noise.”
“That was all part of my plan,” Black said. “Once I got him back here against the wall, I was going to surprise him with a throat punch and maybe add one more for good measure.”
Hawk yanked Reese by his collar, lifting him to his feet. He sneered at the trio who had managed to flip the tables on him.
“You didn’t really think you were going to keep us locked up for that long, did you?” Alex asked.
Black pulled Reese’s hands behind his back and wrapped duct tape around them to temporarily secure him. “Is this what you were wanting me to do with this tape?”
“My secretary will be back here looking for me soon,” Reese said.
“I don’t think so,” Alex said as she typed a message on his phone.
“What are you doing?” Reese asked.
“Making sure she leaves you alone for the next half hour since you want some pastries and coffee from the café two blocks away,” she said with a wink. “And then once she leaves, I’m going to text her and tell her that you’re leaving early for the day.”
“What do you people want?” Reese asked. “Because I get the strange sense that you aren’t looking to donate anything to A Hand Up or sell me computer software.”
Hawk led Reese across the room and forced him into a chair.
“We want to know everything,” Hawk said.
CHAPTER 13
Washington, D.C.
J.D. BLUNT STUFFED HIS CIGAR into his pocket as he entered Tryst, the downtown coffee shop popular among most everyone working on Capitol Hill. Even though he rarely lit up his stogies, just the presence of one would be enough to alarm some of the café’s clientele. As he approached the counter to order, he scanned the area for CIA Deputy Director Randy Wood.
Just before Blunt ordered, he spotted Wood shuffling a deck of cards at a corner table. Blunt ordered his coffee and received his drink soon after. He ambled through the tables and chairs scattered across the floor and eased into a seat opposite of Wood in the back corner of the room.
“It’s too early in the morning to play poker,” Blunt said with a wry grin.
“Afraid you won’t be able to defend your most recent victory over me?” Wood fired back. “That win was quite some time ago, and you’ve been scared to play me since.”
“When you win as much as I do, what’s there left to prove?”
Wood chuckled and then took a sip of his drink. “It’s good to see you, J.D.”
“And you as well. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this invitation?”
“I apologize for calling a meeting in a place like this, but I don’t know where to go that I’d feel comfortable chatting with you about this.”
Blunt furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong, Randy? You’re starting to worry me.”
“Look, it’s just that I don’t know who to trust any more. Quite frankly, you’re the only one outside my office that I trust. And the number of people I believe are on my side—the right side, the nation’s side—I can count on one hand.”
“Is this about Obsidian?”
Wood nodded. “I got a report from one of the few agents I’ve been able to count on over the years who found out just how far and deep their tentacles reach.” He sighed before continuing. “They’re everywhere, J.D. And I mean everywhere. They’re in Congress, they’re in the White House, they’re in the CIA and FBI. It’s hard to swing a stick without hitting one of them.”
“That’s not really news, Randy. I told you this stuff was going on a while back. What made you change your mind?”
Wood took another long pull from his mug before setting it down and responding pensively. “Look, I know you warned me about this. However, you never told me the extensive infiltration that had already occurred. Every branch of the federal government is practically under siege.”
“And how do you plan on stopping them?”
“That’s why I brought you here,” Wood said. “I was hoping you could help come up with something creative.”
“You needed to talk to me about this in person?”
Wood shifted in his seat. “Well, there’s some more sensitive information I needed to discuss with you, and we had to do it in a public place.”
“Just spit it out, Randy.”
“My agent found out who Obsidian was recruiting next.”
Blunt eyed Wood carefully as he slid a manila folder across the table. Opening the documents carefully, Blunt started to peruse the rote reports.
“Is this who I think it is?”
Wood nodded. “The first lady.”
Blunt’s mouth fell agape. “Madeline Young wouldn’t be caught up in something like this.”
“You sound surprised, J.D. And you of all people shouldn’t be. You’re the
