“I disarmed him with a sultry glance,” Mia joked.
The two women broke into laughter.
When they stopped, Shields picked up her phone. “Let’s call the rest of the team and give them the news.”
Black answered his phone on the first ring. “Did you get anything?”
“Well, that depends on what you were after,” she said. “If by anything do you mean watching Falcon Sinclair die? If so, then yes.”
“What?” Black asked.
The shock in his voice jarred Shields. “You heard me. Sinclair is dead.”
Black repeated her news to the rest of the team.
“Did you kill him?” Black asked.
“No. The cowardly bastard popped what looked like a cyanide pill as I was questioning him.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Black said. “A narcissist like that isn’t going to allow anyone to arrest him and be humiliated in front of the world.”
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee that Obsidian is no longer a threat. In fact, it makes our job more difficult in some ways.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
“Where are you?” she asked.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere after breaking out Blunt. And we’re headed to a place to hideout and figure out what to do next.”
“We want to join you.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Black said. “They are hunting us, and if you try to get back into the country, they’re going to catch you.”
“We have good disguises and plenty of aliases,” she said. “We’ll be fine.”
She could hear Hawk and Alex pleading in the background for them to stay put.
“As you can probably tell, nobody in this vehicle thinks coming back to the U.S. is a good idea.”
“We can’t stay here forever,” Shields said. “I feel like we’re more likely to get caught here the longer we stick around.”
“Then go somewhere else, maybe back to Lisbon. Just don’t come here.”
“Okay, fine,” Shields said. “We’ll go somewhere else, and we’ll be in touch.”
Shields hung up and looked at Mia.
“From the half of the conversation I heard, it doesn’t sound like they want us,” Mia said.
“They’re just being cautious,” Shields said. “But we have some other options. I just don’t want to stick around here and risk getting fingered for Falcon Sinclair’s death.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Good,” Shields said as she dug out a handful of passports from her bag and tossed them on the table. “Let’s sort through these aliases and figure out the best ones to travel under.”
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING, Shields adjusted her blonde wig before approaching the ticket counter at the Sydney airport. She and Mia presented their fake passports to the agent, who purchased them a pair of tickets.
“Do you have any bags to check?” the man asked.
They shook their heads.
“Excellent. Just proceed to your left and head around that corner. Continue straight until you see the security checkpoint for your terminal on the right.”
Shields glanced up at the television as they waited in line. With Falcon Sinclair being such a rich and powerful person, she was surprised not to see a report detailing his death from the night before on the local news. She noticed a pair of police officers stroll past the line of passengers and check them out. One of the officers approached the security guard checking tickets and passports and whispered something in his ear. Then the two policemen eased back from the security kiosk and walked away.
“Did you see that?” Shields whispered to Mia.
She nodded. “Should we be worried?”
“I think we’re fine.”
A couple minutes later, Shields approached the checkpoint and presented her passport and ticket. The man studied her documents before signaling to the cops. The two men rushed over to Shields. One handcuffed her, while the other set his sights on Mia. Her attempt to run was cut short as she tripped over a woman’s bag. Before Mia could do anything else, she was face down on the airport floor, her hands cuffed behind her back.
Shields shook her head. “What is going on?”
“We’re taking you to the U.S. Embassy,” the officer said.
“What for?”
“You’re wanted in connection with a couple of murders last night.”
“Murders? Me?”
“That’s right. You, Miss Shields.”
“Shields? That’s not my name. I’m—”
“Save it,” one of the officers said.
“Who says I murdered anyone last night?” Shields said, struggling against her bindings. “I was with my friend here.”
“That’s why we’re bringing her in too. We need to question both of you.”
Shields sighed. “Who in the world is accusing us of murder?”
“Oh, nobody that important,” the other officer said. “Just a guy named Falcon Sinclair.”
CHAPTER 39
Bellegrove, Maryland
WHEN ALEX AWOKE the following morning, she needed a minute to remember where she was. A handful of birds perched outside her window serenaded her with various tunes, making her bolt upright. Peering through the blinds, she admired the towering pines surrounding the house with Savage Mountain looming in the distance. She scanned the room and found Hawk curled up asleep on a small couch against the far wall. He wasn’t moving, so she tiptoed across the floor the second the aroma of coffee wafted beneath the door.
She shuffled into the hallway and found Big Earv, his megawatt smile on display as he held up a mug.
“Want some?” he asked.
“Do I ever,” Alex said before settling onto a barstool at the kitchen counter.
“Do you take cream or sugar or both?”
“Usually I like mine loaded, but I’ll drink it black if it means I can have it right now.”
He placed the mug in front of her. “Far be it from me to deprive a woman of her coffee in the morning.”
She managed a smile and then tucked her hair behind her ears.
“Is Hawk up yet?” Big Earv asked.
“Nope. It’s been a few days since he’s been able to sleep like this. He sleeps like a bear in hibernation after these big operations.”
“Well, with Blunt out of custody and Sinclair dead, I’m hoping we can all get some sleep soon,” he said.
“We really appreciate your help last night, especially since this will probably cost you your job.”
Big
