On the north side of the Mall Harkes spotted the man in the wheelchair. He was being pushed along by his companion. The dark-haired woman marched beside them. Their destination seemed to be ground zero too.
Harkes picked up his pace and reached in his pocket. He had to assume that everyone would be armed. If they weren’t they were fools. He said a few words that were picked up by a communication device in his ear.
He glanced at his watch.
Two minutes to go.
Sean and Michelle were almost there. He tapped Roy on the shoulder.
“One minute,” he said softly.
Roy nodded and put his hands on his thighs, tensing his body.
Michelle said, “See any of them yet?”
“Not yet. But they’re here.”
She nudged him with her arm. “Megan between two goons at five o’clock.”
Sean saw this. “She looks like shit.”
“This is going to be tight. You know that.”
“It’s always tight. Do you see Paul and Bunting?”
She nodded slightly. “Nine o’clock.”
Sean glanced that way. “Do you think she sees Megan?”
“I think the lady doesn’t miss much.”
“Get in Secret Service mode, Michelle. Assess threats from all angles.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing ever since we stepped foot on the Mall.”
Kelly Paul gripped Bunting around the elbow. “Thirty seconds.”
“I know,” he said. “Do you see Riley?”
“Have for the last four minutes. Quantrell’s boys on either side of her.”
“How many more around?”
“At least ten, I would think. I don’t know the exact number.”
Bunting stiffened when he saw the man.
He was gliding along; his movements seemed effortless as he slipped through the crowd. This time he was not wearing a black suit, tie, and white shirt, though. The sunglasses hid his eyes, but Bunting was certain they were registering on everything.
“Harkes! Harkes is here.”
“Of course he is,” said Paul softly. “Where the hell do you think he’d be?”
“He scares the shit out of me.”
“He should. We’ve got ten seconds.”
Bunting started breathing fast. “Tell me this is going to be okay, Kelly.”
She gripped his arm tighter. “Almost there, Peter. Keep it together. Almost there.”
She looked at her watch, picked up her pace.
It was all dead ahead.
This was her world. This was Kelly Paul’s version of the Wall.
CHAPTER
84
THEY FACED EACH OTHER across a two-foot span of grass that in some ways seemed as wide as the Atlantic Ocean.
James Harkes stared at Kelly Paul and she stared right back at him.
Megan Riley, engulfed by her captors, stared dumbly at the ground. Next to Paul and Bunting were Sean and Michelle, with Roy in the wheelchair.
Roy sat up and let his hood fall away.
When Megan glanced up and saw Sean and Michelle her sense of relief was profound.
“Let’s make this easy and simple,” said Harkes quietly. “Send Bunting and Roy over here. And you get Riley.”
“Doesn’t seem fair, does it?” asked Paul. “You get two and we only get one.”
“That was the deal,” said Harkes.
“No, that was the proposal.”
Harkes eyed her with interest. “Do you really want to renegotiate now? My men have ten prearranged targets to hit if I give them the signal. If you want to be responsible for innocent people going down it’s up to you, I guess. But I would advise against it.”
“I can see the logic, Harkes, I really can.”
“But you still disagree?”
“Not necessarily.”
“We don’t have unlimited time here. I need an answer.”
“Suppose we give you Bunting.” She grabbed Bunting’s arm and pushed him forward. He jerked free and scowled at her.
“So I’m the sacrificial lamb,” he snapped. “Blood thicker than water?”
Harkes shook his head. “We need the package.”
“He’s my brother.”
“Half brother.”
“Still,” she said calmly.
“Do you want a demonstration of my intent?” Harkes pointed to a little boy holding a cup of hot chocolate. “I raise my hand he gets a third eye.”
“You’d do that? A kid?”
Harkes looked at her with a blank expression. “I can take out a granny if you’d prefer. The point would be the same.”
“You’re a real bastard, you know that?” she said.
“A remark which gets us nowhere. Shall I raise my hand?”
“You’ll just kill my brother.”
Harkes looked over at Roy, who sat there in the wheelchair. “What if I tell you that won’t happen?”
“Why should I believe anything you say?”
“His brains are a gold mine. Who throws away gold?”
“You mean not for this country?”
“That would be problematic.”
“I’m not a traitor,” said Roy.
“You’d be alive,” replied Harkes. “Your choice.”
“You probably won’t even let us out of here alive, even if we do give him up,” said Paul.
“I give you my word that that won’t be the case.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“I don’t blame you. I don’t trust you either.”
“I hope they’re paying you enough to commit treason.”
“Your words, not mine.”
“When did you sell out, Harkes? Do you even remember?”
Harkes’s features hardened for barely a second. “I’m going to raise my hand unless Edgar Roy gets out of the wheelchair and walks over here with Mr. Bunting. Right now. Do you want the kid to be able to finish his hot chocolate?”
Sean and Michelle eyed the little boy. Michelle tensed her body to leap.
Roy rose from his chair.
