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Hawk stared at the plasmas on the wall in the command center and shook his head.
“It's insane,” he said. “Maybe, if we had a day to prep and to plan, we could come up with something. But a couple hours?”
Viper turned around from her laptop and looked up at the screens. Hawk was leaning against the counter next to her chair, his arms crossed over his chest. She studied the plasmas for a moment in silence and was inclined to agree.
“Unfortunately, we don't have a day,” she said. “This is all we've got.”
Hawk rubbed his face with both hands and sighed heavily, then re-focused on the plasmas. The one in the middle showed an aerial view of Independence National Historical Park, where both the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall were located. The one on the left displayed a map of the park and surrounding areas. The one on the right was broken up into several quadrants, with each one showing multiple camera views of the park, the monuments, and the buildings.
“Even if we ignore the camera surveillance for the time being,” he said, “the buildings themselves are a security haven. The Liberty Bell is in a glass building. Glass. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to conceal anything, and that's after you get past security. Independence Hall is a little easier in that regard, but you still have the problem of getting around security. Then, once we're past it, we're still in the middle of a national monument with hundreds of school kids. It will be a zoo!”
Alina glanced up at him.
“Security can be handled fairly easily. We'll treat it like an Embassy; no guns, but that's not really a big deal. We'll just go old school.”
Damon snorted.
“You hate that as much as I do. Don't try and pretend.”
“Agreed, but we don't have a choice. Even if we managed to get a gun past security, we couldn't use it. It would be too risky with all those kids swarming around. It’ll have to be hands on anyway.”
Hawk shifted his gaze to the camera angles.
“Those are the cameras inside the park?” he asked, glancing down at her.
She nodded.
“They're the external ones. I can't find the ones inside the buildings, which means they're on a closed circuit on-site and don't run through an external server like these.”
“And we won't have time to hack in and override them on-site. So we don't have any way to avoid them once we're in. Fantastic. And Charlie thinks this is a good idea?”
Alina shrugged. “We're the closest and most skilled.”
“We're also the ones with the most to lose,” he muttered, turning his broad shoulders so he could reach for the beer on the counter behind him. “Shouldn't Harry be handling this? Isn’t this what the DHS was created for?”
“Yes, but Charlie wants us to do it.” Alina looked back at the plasmas. “We were already trying to find out when Kasim was attacking, and we'd already decided to stop it. So Charlie made it an op. What's the difference?”
“The difference is the time frame. We don't have time to plan this properly.”
Viper looked at him, amused.
“I've planned ops with less time, and I know you have too. Stop your bitching. You sound like a little girl.”
Hawk gave her a disgruntled look and sipped his beer, turning his blue eyes back to the screens on the wall.
“At least all of those cameras can be disabled,” he said thoughtfully after a moment. “I can create some blind spots and carve a path out for both of us. Chances are the inside cameras are visible. If they are, we can avoid them once we're in, but getting past the first one will probably tag us. Odds aren’t great that we’ll be able to avoid it.”
“It's not just the park cameras we have to worry about,” Alina said, turning to her laptop. She clicked on the map on the left plasma and shifted it so a different part was displayed. “There's a US Courthouse on this corner, and next to it is the IRS. Then, behind that?” She zoomed the map in. “Say hello to Stephanie and Company.”
Damon choked on his beer.
“The FBI building is around the corner?” he exclaimed. “Really?”
“Like I said, it's not just the park we have to worry about.”
Alina turned and picked up her glass of wine. When she had descended into the command center after talking to Charlie, she’d come armed with alcohol. She knew they'd need it, and they did.
“Not only do we have to get in and prevent two bombs from being detonated, but we have to get out without getting tagged by a boat load of CCTV and security surveillance.”
Damon glanced at her.
“After leaving two dead bodies in the middle of a bunch of kids? Good luck! Hell, we'll be lucky to make it out of the buildings before the screaming starts, let alone out of the park.”
Alina nodded absently, staring up at the map on the plasma. They fell silent for a moment, thinking.
“The only safe way out is south,” she said after studying the maps for a moment. “All the Federal buildings are northwest of the Hall and Bell. The park continues for four blocks east. We'll have to go south and then head east to the river.”
“What kind of street is Ransteadt?” Hawk asked, also studying the map. He pointed to the side street. “Is that residential? Commercial?”
“It's commercial, but it's fairly quiet. What are you thinking?”
“We park here. From the Liberty Bell, we could exit down Ransteadt to 4th Street, go south to Chestnut, then take that out to the riverfront.”
She shook her head.
“No good. Philly is a grid. Ransteadt runs west, not east.” Alina got up and went over to the plasma screen. “Ludlow, the next street over, runs east, but it also takes you right past the Mexican Consulate.”
Hawk glared at her. “You didn't mention the Consulate. We have foreign surveillance too?!”
She shrugged.
“I didn't think it was important. We deal with foreign surveillance every day. What difference does it make if it's in Philly or Bangladesh?”
“It means Ludlow's out, that's the difference.” Hawk took a long gulp of beer and set the bottle down. “That just leaves Chestnut Street.”
“That's the best route if we can beat the alarm,” she agreed, sipping her wine. “We’ll need transportation nearby.”
“Where?”
“Here.” She pointed on the map. “Library Street. It's close enough to get to quickly, runs east, and will spit us right out onto 4th Street, going south and away from the action.”
Hawk nodded slowly.
“Ok. So that's how we're getting out. Now, how are we getting in?”
Alina went back to her chair and sat down.
“Well, that's a different problem,” she murmured, setting her glass down and rubbing her neck.
Hawk looked down at her, watching as she rubbed her neck tiredly. He reached out and grabbed the back of her chair, spinning it around so her back was facing him. Settling his hands on her shoulders, he began to massage them with strong fingers, looking over her head at the three plasmas.
“I'll take the Liberty Bell,” he said after a few moments of studying the area. “I'll come in from Market Street. Is there a subway nearby?”
“Mmhmm...” Alina murmured, her eyes half closed as his fingers worked all the tension out of her shoulders and sent shock waves of awareness down to her toes. “On Market, I believe.”
“Then I'll take the train in. If any camera does pick me up, I'll blend in with the rest of the locals.”
Alina's head bent forward as her shoulders relaxed. She knew she should get to work, but what he was doing to her felt too good to stop just yet. She felt him shift behind her, then his lips pressed a soft kiss on the tender spot behind her ear. He knew it drove her crazy, and she sucked in her breath as passion shot through her.
“How will you get out again? It's best if we...use separate transportation. You won't have time to get back to the train.”
Her voice sounded breathless even to her own ears and she stifled a groan, forcing herself to focus on the problem at hand. A low chuckle sounded behind her and his lips brushed the side of her neck. Alina bit her bottom lip. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, the jerk. Forcing the desire aside, she lifted her hand and pushed his head away, sitting up in her chair and spinning around to slide over to her laptop again.
“What happened to the motorcycle you always ride when you come here?” she asked, taking a deep breath and zooming in on the area around Independence Park. “You don’t have it this time. Do you have it stashed away?”
“In a storage unit,” Damon answered, his lips twitching as she focused her attention on the laptop screen. “Why?”
“You could drive it in, park it, then double back and catch the train at the previous stop. The next stop would be here, at 2nd Street station.”
Damon leaned down to look at the screen, his cheek near hers. He had one arm braced on the counter next to the laptop and the other resting across the back of her chair, effectively surrounding her with the musky, fresh scent that she knew so well. Alina inhaled and felt her heart thud against her chest again.
“What's this?” Damon asked, his deep voice rolling over her as he pointed to the map.
Alina swallowed and clicked on the satellite icon in the bottom left of the map. The image on the screen changed to a satellite view and she zoomed in where he was pointing.
“It's a hotel,” she said, forcing her voice to remain steady, no small feat when every nerve ending in her body was screaming at the proximity of his body heat.
“It's right across from the Bell. The roof would give you a bird's-eye view of the whole area, but especially Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Zoom in some more.”
Alina obliged, and they both tilted their heads at the same time, studying the top of the hotel.
“Is that a...?”
“Rooftop garden or restaurant,” Alina finished his sentence.
She opened another tab and typed in the name of the hotel. A second later, they were looking at glossy photos of a swanky, rooftop bar.
“Well, it doesn't get any prettier than that,” he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. “It's perfect. You can hop in the nest and see everything.”
She nodded.
“Too bad there’ll be kids everywhere,” she said. “I could take them both out before they ever got to the buildings, but it's not worth the risk. Still, you're right. I'll get a great view from up there.”
“That's settled, then. I'll come from the station here, and cut across to the Bell. I can hack the cameras and create a path here, making me invisible to surveillance inside the park. You can observe from the roof, then come down and cross here to Independence Hall,” he said, motioning on the satellite map. “I’ll clear the cameras for you here. You can exit through the back garden here, and I'll come around this way, crossing Chestnut here. I'll continue to my bike and you can make it to your vehicle. It's better that we're not together even once with all the street cameras. Which car will you take?”
“The Shelby. It's fast and more maneuverable in the city. Speed will be crucial.”
“That's why you suggested the bike?” he asked, turning his head to look at her, a smile on his lips. “Good call.”
“I know these streets. Trust me, you'll be glad you have it.”
Alina turned to look at him and found his eyes inches from hers. Her eyes dropped to his lips, and she swallowed hard. Her heart resumed thumping a rapid beat inside her chest, and she took a deep breath. Before she could let it out, Damon's lips were on hers, moving softly at first, then with increasing urgency as the powder keg that was always present between them exploded.
He pulled away, his eyes dark cobalt, and lifted her out of her chair, hauling her against him. His mouth descended on hers again, this time with enough raw passion to sweep aside any lingering thought. Alina wrapped her arms around him, losing herself to the maelstrom of desire and emotion swirling through her. It didn't matter that Kasim and Tarek were going to carry bombs into two of the country's greatest symbols of freedom tomorrow. It didn't matter that Stephanie was tracking her every move. It didn't matter that someone in Washington was doing everything they could to kill her. All that mattered in that second was Hawk's arms around her and his mouth moving from her lips to her neck in a relentless quest.
His hands tugged at the hem of her tank top, lifting and then pulling it over her head. As soon as his rough, calloused hands touched her skin, Alina knew they were done for the night. Thoughts of rooftop bars, target acquisition and exit strategies faded into the distance as she pushed his shirt up and over his shoulders. Their eyes met as he pulled it over his head, and Alina saw the rest of her life in the deep blue depths. An emotion deeper and stronger than anything she had ever felt slammed over her, robbing her of breath, and her lips parted as she inhaled deeply. Before she could give any thought to the strange, overwhelming feeling, Damon bent his head, pulling her against him again as his lips captured hers.
She would analyze that strange emotion another time. It could wait. Kasim, Tarek, Stephanie, the leak...everything could wait.
Viper touched the button on her watch that connected the Bluetooth hooked in her ear to the vibrating phone in her back pocket.
“Yes?”
She answered with her customary brusque greeting as she held a scope to her eye and studied Independence Park. She was on the roof of the hotel, the swanky rooftop bar below her to the left. The business was closed this early in the day, giving her freedom to survey the park across the street unseen and uninterrupted. Perched eleven stories up, she had a fantastic view of both the Liberty Bell building and Independence Hall.
“Hey, it's me. I'm not interrupting, am I?” Stephanie asked.
“If you were, I wouldn't have answered,” Viper murmured, watching as Hawk crossed Market Street and entered the park. She shifted her gaze to the right, zooming in on the National Constitution Center two blocks away where school buses were lined up, dropping off their mini human cargo. “What's up?”
“Just checking in,” she said easily. “I'm sitting in traffic on my way into work. How are things going? Everything ok?”
“Why wouldn't it be?”
“I don't know. Last week you had someone shooting at you in a church. Just making sure you're still good.”
Viper lowered the scope, her lips tightening ever so slightly.
“As good as can be expected,” she said shortly. “How's the leg?”
“It's getting there. Last night it was really bothering me. I think I've been over-doing it.” Stephanie paused for a moment. “Have you made any progress finding out who had John killed?”
“I'm getting closer.”
“I talked to Matt last night, and I still think of him as the Basement Gnome,” she said slowly. “I didn't think it was possible to miss someone this much. Every time I turn around, it's like I hear his voice in my head, making fun of something.”
The dull, empty ache that had taken up residence when John died welled up within her, and Alina's throat tightened. She swallowed, forcing the sudden onslaught of emotion down again.
“It hasn't been a month yet. It's going to take time to adjust and grieve. You have to give it time.”
“You're not grieving,” Stephanie pointed out. “How do you do it? You're just going on with life as if nothing happened!”
Viper's lips twisted and she lifted the scope to her eye again, scanning the park area in front of the Liberty Bell building, then shifting to the left and studying Independence Hall.
“I've been a little pre-occupied,” she murmured. “Amazing what a good distraction can do.”
Stephanie grunted.
“So have I, but I still think about him every waking moment.” She was silent for a long time, then she sighed. “You know how I feel about what...you do. I understand the need for it, and Lord knows you've saved my skin more than once in the past year, but you know how much I dislike what you've become. The fact remains, though, that if anyone can avenge John, it's you. Lina, promise me you'll find the bastard who did it and make him pay.”
Viper lowered the scope again, her face hardening.
“Oh, he'll pay. Don't you worry,” she promised, steel laced through her tone. “I made John a promise. I intend to keep it.”
“What? When?”
“In the hospital. He asked me to find the person who totaled the Firebird.”
Stephanie was quiet for a moment.
“You never told me that.”
“There was no reason to.”
“Well, technically you did that already. Tito was responsible for the actual accident, and he's dead now.”
“Tito was following orders,” Viper said coldly. “John didn't know that. If he had, he—”
She stopped abruptly as the almost choking feeling of hollowness reared again.
“He would have told you to kill the son of a bitch,” Stephanie finished for her. “Yeah. John would have wanted blood.”
“And he'll get it. We all will.”