The gunman at the rear glanced back. He shifted his weapon to fire.
Steve took cover.
Bullets clanged into the metal of the car beside him. He crawled back toward the SUV. “Bradley! Let’s go!”
“Copy that!” His friend yelled back, but Steve couldn’t see where he was.
Sirens were getting louder now. Time to leave.
He moved past the fallen agent. Blood now pooled on the concrete around her leg. He stowed his weapon then pulled his shirt open. Buttons skittered across the ground.
She gave him a look. “Nice moves hotshot. Too bad I’m going to have to arrest you.” She lifted her weapon from the ground and pointed it at him one-handed.
Steve ignored her. He lifted her leg only enough to get the shirt under, then tied it around her leg and pulled the material tight.
She hissed.
Steve said, “Maybe next time.”
He raced away. She didn’t fire at his back. He’d have to send her a thank you note later, along with a box of cookies.
Steve climbed in the front passenger seat. Bradley jumped in the driver’s door and said, “What are you thinking?”
“Cookies.” He buckled up. “And hit the gas, or we’ll never catch them.”
The street was chaos. Bradley used the SUV to shift two vehicles apart enough they could slip between. Steve winced at the crunch of metal on metal. Bradley turned the corner just as two black and white police cars tore down the road toward the scene. Plenty of agents down. A fugitive loose. A gunfight on a Washington DC street.
They would be busy for a long while. And as far as Steve had seen, no other agents had gone after the gunmen and their charge.
“Take the next left.”
Bradley did as Steve ordered him to. They cut through a side street and came out on a parallel street, busy with cars. Bradley said, “We’ll never catch them in this.”
Steve wanted to believe it wasn’t true. Still, he could hope. “I know him.”
“The hacker? Who is he?”
“I don’t know.”
Bradley cut in front of a Mercedes and ignored the driver laying on his horn. “Talk it out. You might remember.”
“I’ve seen him,” Steve said aloud. “It was the turn of his head, that line of jaw. The gray hair.” He tapped his fingers on his leg as Bradley sped down the street. “He looks like someone I’ve seen recently.”
None of his teammates were old enough, and there wasn’t one man from the Venezuela group that he hadn’t spoken with—except, of course, those he’d heard were dead.
He kept his finger tapping, thinking through everywhere he’d been.
Nicola’s apartment.
Rachel’s house.
The VP’s study.
He tried to remember details, but couldn’t place anything. Bradley swerved and Steve grabbed the handlebar at the top of the door. “See them?”
“Nothing. But we don’t know what car they’re driving, right?”
Steve said, “Unless the FBI got it. Or they can look on traffic cameras.”
He no longer had the clout to ask such a question. He was a fugitive. One who had stashed the sniper rifle he was supposed to use to kill the president in a safe place. Maybe he would just leave it there until after the summit. Or send it by courier to Adrian, c/o the FBI office. They could do all kinds of processing on it. But that was assuming the blackmailer had made a mistake and left evidence behind. Not likely.
Steve didn’t figure they would find a fingerprint on the case. At least, not one that didn’t belong to him.
Bradley tossed Steve his phone. “Call Mint first. I want to know where he is.”
“So do I,” Steve said, dialing the number.
No answer.
“Last I heard, he was going to the safety deposit box with Emma to retrieve what was in there.”
Bradley nodded. “He hasn’t called me since.”
“If he got mixed up in something, he might have dumped his phone and gone dark.” What about Emma? They would be together—but were they okay?
“Call Adrian.”
Steve ignored the fact it was an order and did it. Good idea.
When he answered, Steve put him on speaker. Adrian said, “Kinda busy cleaning up a mess.”
Steve held the phone out but didn’t say anything.
Bradley said, “Not our fault.”
“Yeah.”
Steve didn’t know how to interpret that. He wasn’t happy, but he didn’t blame them?
Bradley got in the left lane, his blinker on. “They were pros. A team of operators.”
“Hired as a group.”
“You can tell by the way they moved,” Bradley said. “Totally in sync. No words or commands. They’ve done this before, in some shape or form.”
“Okay, I’ll run what we have against military databases. Thanks.”
“No problem. One thing, though.”
“What?”
Bradley said, “Can you send me a picture of the hacker? My friend here thinks he recognizes him from somewhere.”
“Will do,” Adrian said. “Keep me posted on that. It might help.”
“I hope so.” Bradley paused a second. “Let Alexis know we’ll be back in a while.”
“She left.” Adrian’s voice was distracted.
Bradley’s face whipped around to the phone. “What?”
“Megan’s with her. She took Alexis and Rachel to the hospital to check on that reporter who got shot.”
Bradley took the left turn. As soon as there was a gap in oncoming traffic he flipped a U-turn. “Gotta go.”
Steve hung up the phone, while Bradley muttered about his wife and sister.
Megan hung back. Rachel knocked on the door and cracked it, Alexis right behind her. The woman on the bed turned her head to see who was at the door. She clearly recognized Rachel.
“Is it okay if I come in?”
“Sure. I’m already bored of staring at the walls.” Nicola spoke as though pained. Her face was pale, dark under her eyes.
“I won’t stay long. I just wanted to make sure you’re all right, so I can pass that information along to our mutual friend.” She stepped into the room, but left the door open.
Alexis stayed in the doorway, Megan on duty in the hall. Their own personal protection detail. It was a risky move, but Megan had given them instructions they’d followed to minimize danger.
“If you’re really not okay, I can leave.”
Nicola said, “I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t hurt. But it’s more discomfort than pain. They gave me some good stuff.”
“Good.” Rachel smiled at her. She’d heard of Nicola Starns and had read some of her work, but they’d never met. “I’m—”
“Senator Rachel Harris.” She looked more curious than anything else. “Steve told me about the blackmail. He’s kept me updated in case I can find information that might help clear his name.”
“So you know he only acted under duress, firing at the FBI. He’s been dragged into this even though it has nothing to do with him. It’s all about a mission carried out by a colleague of his.”
Nicola nodded. “The general who died at the think tank.”
It was good she knew that. Even while it rubbed Rachel a little the wrong way that Nicola had talked to Steve. She had to remind herself that the two of them had a professional relationship these days. Nicola’s career as a reporter made her the perfect person to advocate for Steve. No one else could.
Rachel would try. But even when she did, everyone wrote it off as the aftermath of trauma. Like she was losing her mind. “Have you been able to find out anything?”
Nicola shook her head, a tiny movement. “Steve’s plan was to find other members of his team so that if he didn’t go through with the mission, he could keep anyone else from going through with it. In case the blackmailer has a backup plan in place.”
“Oh.” Rachel had only just found out about the presidential assassination. It seemed like Nicola knew more than she did. Had Steve managed to find any members of his team?
“I’m going to call the Secret Service today. Let them know there might be an attempt on the president’s life at the summit. I just can’t sit back and not say anything. I would never forgive myself.” Nicola paused. “Not if something happened.”
Rachel tried to figure out why she hadn’t thought of that. Instead she’d done nothing, which meant she was allowing an attempt on the president’s life. She’d been convinced Steve was joking. And then, when she’d wondered if it was a real assignment from the blackmailer, she’d been sure he would never do it.
Was there someone else contracted by the blackmailer to take a shot at the president if Steve didn’t do it?
She needed to talk to Steve. Make sure he had a plan in place. Of course he did, and okay, maybe it was the senator in her that needed to be kept abreast of the situation here. But that was who she was. Committees and meetings. So many meetings. Feeling like she was out of the loop on something this important wasn’t fun.
“Adrian just called.”
Rachel spun around. Megan stood beside Alexis in the doorway. The former FBI agent said, “The transport was attacked. The hacker was set free by a team of mercenaries.”
Rachel yelled, “What?”
Nicola gasped, then groaned.
“Are you okay?” Alexis wandered over to speak to her in that low, soothing voice she had. “Do you want me to call a nurse?”
“I’m okay,” Nicola said.
Rachel didn’t believe her. “I think you should call for some protection to keep you safe while you’re here.”
Nicola bit her lip.
“Is there someone who can do that?”
Nicola shifted one shoulder. When she didn’t elaborate, Megan said, “I can have the FBI send over an agent to sit at the door.”
Rachel wondered if she’d have called Steve, if he hadn’t been a fugitive at this present moment.
Nicola said, “Thank you.”
Alexis backed up. Megan headed for the hall and spoke over her shoulder, “Two minutes.” Her phone rang and she continued on her way out while she pulled it from her back pocket. “Perkins.”
She disappeared into the hall. Alexis moved back over to the doorway but stayed inside.
Rachel turned to Nicola again. “We don’t know each other.” This was weird, but she didn’t know how to say it other than to just say it. “But I’m glad you didn’t end up as just another victim of this blackmailer.”
Nicola’s lips shifted, not precisely a smile. “Me too. Though I don’t think I’ve ever felt worse.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll leave you to it.” Rachel smiled her “senator” smile. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Nah,” Nicola said, a gleam of humor in her eyes. “That isn’t why you came. Not totally. You wanted to feel me out. See about me and Steve.”
Rachel heard Alexis snort a tiny laugh but ignored it. She tried to sound as innocent as possible when she said, “There’s a ‘you and Steve’?” Like it was a perfectly reasonable question.
Nicola said, “A long time ago. He’s a good man.”
Rachel nodded. “He really is.”
Something moved across Nicola’s face. Rachel didn’t know what it meant. The reporter said, “The tricky part is convincing him that that’s true.”
“Let’s go,” Megan called out from the door.
Rachel laid her hand on the reporter’s for a second. “I’m glad you’re all right.” Would it be weird to ask if she wanted to hang out when she was better? Nicola beat her to it.
“Coffee, when I’m out of here? Or dinner?”
Rachel smiled. “That would be great.”
Right now she needed as many friends as she could get. Even if this one was only just a potential friend at this point.
She waved and strode out.
“Feel better?” Alexis slid her arm into Rachel’s as they walked.
“Yes.” How had she known that?
“You always did like field trips.”
Rachel chuckled as they turned toward the elevator.
“Stairs.” Megan’s tone left no room for arguments.
Rachel eyed her. Just a few weeks ago the woman had multiple broken bones. Rachel pulled open the door to the stairs. “How are you feeling, Megan?” There was a limp, but just like Bradley, Megan covered it well.
“Fine.” Her full attention was on the environment around them as she watched for danger. Hand close to her holstered gun. The lines on the outside of her eyes were pronounced.
“You look like you need a nap.”
“And you don’t?”
Rachel smiled.
Alexis covered a yawn. “I seriously do.”
Rachel’s smile grew to laughter. “It’s tiring trying to right wrongs.”
“Don’t I know it?” Megan smiled at her, and they proceeded to the bottom of the stairwell where they stood by the exit door. “Hold up. Our ride is almost here.” She looked at her phone, but Rachel noticed she shifted her weight quickly to take the pressure off the knee that had been replaced.
Rachel didn’t figure there would be many times like this before the summit—quiet moments where nothing was happening. She hadn’t been expecting it to happen now, but it was nice that it had. They could pretend, for a minute, that they were three regular friends sharing a moment of humor. Then life would intrude upon them again.
The blackmailer.
An injured woman who fought for her life.
Their only lead into the blackmailer’s activities? Out on the streets again.
“We have a ride?”
Megan nodded. “I think you’ll like it. I know I’ll enjoy listening to Bradley ask Alexis why she left the cover of the FBI office while he was gone.”
Alexis groaned. “I feel nauseous.”
Rachel pulled her in for a side hug. “I’ll protect you.”
Megan’s phone screen flashed. “Let’s go.” She opened the door, where an SUV was parked outside with the engine running. An older gentleman stood holding the back door open.
Rachel did a double take. “Steve?”
He cracked a smile. It made his face look weird. “I guess it’s not that good of a disguise.”
They all got in. Bradley shot his wife a frosty look but pulled away from the curb. Alexis buckled her seatbelt. “Megan was protecting us.” She motioned over her shoulder to the former FBI agent, sitting in the back row with her eyes closed.
Neither of them said much after that.
Rachel broke the silence. “Where are we going?”
Bradley’s phone buzzed. He handed it to Steve.
“It’s Adrian with that picture.” Steve swiped the screen.
Rachel leaned forward so she could see as well. Steve glanced at her, and they shared a smile. He was okay. Right now, at least. And in the moment, couldn’t that be enough?
He frowned, his attention on the screen. “I do know him.”
“You—”
“The father,” Steve said.
Bradley glanced over. “Whose father?”
“In the picture I found in the VP’s safe. It was a family album, and all the pictures were from Venezuela. Probably before whatever happened.” Steve paused. “The hacker looks like the vice president’s father.”
Rachel didn’t want to disturb the flow of his thoughts, but she had to say, “Which means…”
“The only thing that makes sense, is if…the brother. Of course. He’d be the right age now. Mid-forties.” Steve said, “The hacker is the vice president’s younger brother.”