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Grayson tapped his earphone and shook his head.
Donavan gave him a perplexed stare. “You’re really going to let him go?”
“Hell, no. Once I get that virus, I’ll turn him over to Homeland Security. He’ll wish that he had died with the others on Deimos.”
“Does it sound like he’s going to cooperate?”
“He said that he’d get back in touch with me. He’s not concerned about Sylvia like I had hoped. I need more leverage.”
Beatrice spoke over the intercom. “Grayson, Hodges from Team Two called and said that they have found Magnus.”
“Thanks,” Grayson replied. He glanced toward Donavan. “Looks like this day is getting better all the time.”
***
Magnus rode in the rear of the cab. Up ahead at an intersection were two black Jaguars with dark-tinted windows. They were parked catty-cornered, blocking a narrow side street. He recognized the pickup truck being blocked as the one Mick and Troy had given him a ride in. Two men had Mick pinned against the side of the truck. A third man held Troy’s arms tightly behind his back. Troy was in evident pain.
He tossed the driver a handful of twenties. “Stop here!”
The cabdriver slammed the brakes. The tires squealed.
Magnus hurried from the cab and slammed the door. Magnus ran in a slow jog and as he approached he could hear what the men were saying.
“Where’s the man who gave you this ferret?” the biggest man asked. He was dressed in black fatigues, had a crew cut and was possibly ex-military.
“I swear I don’t know,” Mick replied.
The large man pressed his arm tighter against Mick’s throat. “He just gave it to you?”
In a strained whisper, Mick replied, “For a ride . . . to Vegas.”
Digger chattered inside the truck.
“For some reason, I’m finding that difficult to believe.”
Mick’s eyes stared past the militant man and widened. The TAC leader turned and was greeted by Magnus’ huge right fist. The impact caused the man to loosen his grip on Mick. He spiraled, grabbed for the side of the truck, but instead, he hit the ground.
The second man holding Mick turned, and Magnus punched the man in the gut. The man dropped on his hands and knees, gasping and wheezing for air. The man holding Troy punched Magnus in the stomach. The man grabbed his hand and rubbed it in obvious pain. Magnus smiled.
Magnus struck the man in the stomach several times hard. The side of the truck prevented the man from falling. He leaned over, holding his stomach and Magnus struck the man’s jaw.
Mick grabbed Troy and moved to the rear of the pickup bed.
Magnus kicked the second man in the gut as he tried to get up. The leader with the crew cut scrambled to his feet and reached for his gun. Magnus charged toward him. The gun fired but the bullet struck the pavement. Magnus grabbed the man’s wrist and slammed his hand against the hood of the truck several times until he released the gun. Magnus grabbed the gun and pressed it against the man’s ribs.
“Why are you bothering them?” Magnus asked.
“We were trying to find you.”
“Well, you found me. Was it worth the search?” He pressed the gun harder into the man’s ribs and glanced toward Mick. “You two okay?”
“No thanks to you. Take your damn ferret and get the hell away from me and my son.”
Magnus frowned. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”
“Ask that asshole,” Mick said, pointing at the man Magnus held the gun on. “The whole reason they stopped us was because they were tracking Digger. Now take the ferret and go, so we can get out of here.”
Magnus gripped the man’s shirt and shoved him back against the truck. He notices an I.D. patch on his shirt. “Hodges?”
Hodges nodded.
“Is what he said true? Digger has a chip?”
“Yeah.”
Magnus shook his head. “Dammit. I never even thought to check him. So why do you want me?”
“Why do you think?”
“Grayson?”
“Yep. He hired us to bring you in.”
“Not going to happen,” Magnus replied.
With the gun trained on Hodges, Magnus backed up and retrieved the two unconscious men’s guns. Partially kneeling, he removed the earpiece from one man and tucked it into his front pocket.
“Cuff your partners. One wrong move and I’ll drop you right here. I have nothing else to lose, now do I?” Magnus said.
Hodges kept his left hand raised and removed plastic zip-ties from his belt. He cuffed both of his partners. Magnus took a third plastic zip-tie and fastened it around Hodges hands.
“Which vehicle is yours?” Magnus asked.
Hodges nodded to the one closest. “That one.”
“Let’s go.”
Mick grabbed Digger from the truck to give to Magnus. Magnus shook his head. “No. He’s yours.”
“I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in,” Mick said, “but we want no part of it.”
“Sir, I assure you that it’s not what you think, but none of these men will bother you about Digger again. I can promise you that.”
“Whatever it is, you’ve put our lives into danger. I don’t appreciate it one damn bit. Now, here, take him.”
“Da-a-ad,” Troy said.
“Digger belongs to Troy,” Magnus said.
Mick looked at Magnus with suspicion. “You’re certain they won’t bother us again?”
“Trust me. They won’t. It’s me they were after.”
Troy hurried to his father and took Digger.
“Let’s go, Troy,” Mick said.
Magnus said, “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Mick slammed his door. Neither of them looked back as they rode away.
Magnus opened the passenger door of the black Jaguar. “Well, Hodges, get in.”
Hodges sat down and Magnus took another zip-tie and tied Hodges’ cuffed hands to the handhold above the passenger door. Magnus shut the door and then opened the trunk. He dragged both of the unconscious men and tossed them inside the trunk, and then he slammed the trunk lid shut.
Magnus got in the driver’s seat and started the vehicle. “I suppose finding me wasn’t the best thing for you, was it?”
“You came up on my blindside or things would be a lot different.”
Magnus shrugged and laughed. “Doubtful. You talk big for someone roughhousing a thin old man back there.”
“You didn’t knock me out, did you?”
“No, you can take a punch, I’ll give you that.”
Hodges smiled. A bruise was swelling on his face. “And you can deliver one, too.”
“To be honest, I was holding back.”
“Yeah, right.”
“You can’t talk if you’re unconscious, so I’m being honest. I could have hit you a lot harder.”
“I’m not all for chit-chat, so you would have done yourself a better service if you had knocked me out.”
“I don’t want to talk to you, but you’re going to do some talking. Or else.”
Hodges gave him a confused stare.
Magnus adjusted Hodges’ earpiece. He placed the other one in his ear but snapped off the mouthpiece. “You tell Grayson that you have me in custody. Nothing more or . . .”
Hodges eyed the gun and swallowed hard.
“You understand?” Magnus asked.
“Perfectly.”
“Good. Because I don’t need this gun to hurt you.”
“I said that I understand.”
***
Grayson tapped his earphone. “Yes?”
“Hodges calling in.”
“Okay. You have news for me?”
“We have Magnus in custody, sir. What do you want us to do with him?”
“Any sign of Carter?”
“That’s a negative, sir.”
“Then bring Magnus in.”
“Roger that.”
***
Carter slipped into a trancelike state for several hours. Methodically, he worked on the silver briefcase. Using a small toolkit and some hardware he had delivered to his room, he connected springs, buttons, and screws near the handle. After he fastened the final button into place, he grabbed the phone and punched numbers without any real thought. When the phone rang on the other end, he shook his head and awakened from the trance.
“Yes?” Grayson asked over the phone.
“I’m ready to meet,” Carter said.
“Great!” Grayson said. “Where?”
“2010 Valley View Road in the abandoned parking lot in an hour. Bring Sylvia. No one else. If I see any of your security team, the deal’s off.”
“Have you considered my job offer?”
“Let’s see how the exchange works out.”
“Fair enough.”