“He’s dead, boss,” Ruiz said over the comm link.
“Daly is dead?” Reyland said, standing before the wall screen.
“Yes. And all of his New York squad guys, too. I just got off the bird in Central Park. I’m at the scene.”
“Yeah, okay. We see you on the UAV,” Reyland said as he scanned the live feed they had over Lexington Avenue.
“Actually, they’re working on Janowski,” Ruiz continued. “But it’s no use. Three-quarters of his skull is gone. This guy blew everybody away. All pop tops, too. He must have had help, right? These men were no weekend warriors, Reyland. I was in Fallujah with Daly. He was one of the best I ever saw. What the hell is this? Did you see it?”
“No. That doesn’t matter. Ignore Janowski. You need to find them.”
“We have a problem,” Arietta called out.
“What?” Reyland said.
“We just got the feed from the 19th Precinct security camera. The guy in the Carhartt went in there five minutes ago. He’s in there right now with Everett.”
“Whoa, whoa. What? The police precinct?” Reyland said.
“Yes. They’re in the 19th Precinct right now,” Arietta said. “On one of the upper floors. I’m not sure which one. Only the ground floor has cameras.”
“What!” Emerson said. “The precinct? We’re done! This guy who grabbed her must be a cop or something. That’s it. We’re cooked, Reyland. This is... This whole operation is... We’re done!”
“Get a hold of yourself, Emerson,” Reyland said as he pressed the comm link to Ruiz. “Our targets are around the corner in the 19th Precinct. We need you and your men to go in, Ruiz.”
“Go in where?” Ruiz called back.
“The 19th Precinct.”
“Go in? They’re cops!” Ruiz said. “How can I go in?”
“I don’t give a shit. It doesn’t matter. Eliminate those targets. That’s a direct order. You need to go in there and do it.”
“But they’re cops. My freaking dad was a cop,” Ruiz said.
“You want to go to jail, Tommy?”
“You can’t cover this,” Ruiz said.
“I can cover anything. You think this is the first time I’ve done this? When the well is on fire, you have to use dynamite, Tommy. Now go in.”
“How will you cover it?”
“That’s my lookout. The entire building is empty. You have to go in right now.”
“I can’t believe this. You’re actually crazy.”
“Crazy like a fox, Ruiz. Go in. We’re all in here, buddy. You, me and every last damn one of us. We’re halfway through, and the other side is paradise. Or you might as well shoot yourself. The graveyard or paradise, Tommy. Which one?”
“Double, then. Double our fee. For me and all my men.”
“Done. You’re a millionaire now. Congrats. Now go in.”
“Fine. Give me a second to think,” Ruiz said.
“We’re out of those, Ruiz. Get in there and kill them.”