The man’s finger twitched again. “Hurry up.”

  Bear could see beads of sweat rolling down the man’s face. He wondered what he’d been told about Bear. Was he considered armed and extremely dangerous? Did he believe Bear had killed Mateo, and maybe others? Was he being fed misinformation that was much worse?

  Bear wanted to ask the rookie who he worked for, but he had a gut feeling that any further conversation would get him an accidental bullet in the shoulder. Or somewhere worse. So, instead, he took a deep breath and acted.

  Instead of dropping his other knee to the ground, Bear surged upward, bringing the computer around to smack the gun out of the man’s hand. It went off, but the bullet went wide. The gun skittered down the alley and out of range.

  The rookie’s eyes went wide. He was already pale, but Bear saw the blood drain from his face, turning him into a ghost. The man’s hands immediately shot up.

  “Please don’t kill me.”

  “Whatever they told you about me, they’re wrong,” Bear said.

  The rookie was a withering mess.

  “But I do have to apologize.”

  The man managed to get two words out. “For what?”

  “This is going to hurt.”

  Bear cocked his arm back and threw it forward. His fist connected with the rookie’s temple and sent his body crumpling to the ground. He’d wake up with a sizeable bruise and a killer headache, but all things considered, he was getting off easy.

  The rookie wouldn’t be out for long, so Bear didn’t waste any time. He turned back to Cara, who was still kneeling on the ground.

  “Get up,” he said, handing her the computer. “We need to go.”

  Cara scrambled to her feet. “Go where? Who was that?”

  “I’m going to figure that out along the way.”

  Bear didn’t bother making sure Cara was following. By now, she knew she had to keep up or risk getting left behind. They only had seconds to lose their tails. Every move they made had to be calculated a hundred different ways.

  But this was what Bear lived for. This was what he was good at.

  The pair ran away toward the other end of the alley and away from Main Street. Bear rounded the corner, half expecting an entire fleet of police cars to greet them. There was no one. Maybe the people after them hadn’t been informed as to who he really was. If they had, there’d be a lot more manpower on the street right now.

  Their mistake.

  Bear took off down the street, not bothering to blend in. They needed to get as far away from the café as possible. He had to assume the truck was compromised. They’d need another car as their getaway vehicle.

  Luckily, they were in a college town with plenty of clunkers that would blend right into the everyday grind.

  They were at least five blocks away by the time Bear had slowed to a walk. Cara was half a block behind him but keeping pace. Her face was flushed and she was breathing heavy, but she didn’t complain. It was either run or end up in a jail cell. Or worse.

  Not great odds.

  Bear’s eyes were roaming left and right, looking for the perfect car.

  Cara held a stitch in her side. “What’s the next move?”

  Bear didn’t answer right away. He waited until his eyes landed on what he was looking for.

  It was a 1997 Honda Accord. Silver, with a busted side mirror and a dent in the bumper. Perfect.

  “I’m tired of running,” Bear said. He made a beeline for the car. “We’re gonna bring the fight to them.”

  28

  “Bear?”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s working.”

  Bear slid closer to the computer to get a better look at it. There was a single message at the top. It just read I don’t have much time.

  Bear leaned back. “Good. Neither do we.”

  He had driven them directly to Washington D.C. They stopped at the first café they found, ordered a coffee, and opened up the computer. They had waited half an hour before moving on. They walked a couple blocks, got another coffee, and repeated the process.

  This was the fourth café they had stopped at and the first time Adams had been online.

  “He’s asking how I am, what’s been going on.”

  Bear kept his eyes out the windows and not on the computer. “We don’t have time for that. We need to know what the plan is.”

  Cara tapped away at the keyboard. Bear trusted her to relay the message.

  “He wants to meet up.” She hit a few more keys. “Tomorrow. He wants to talk face-to-face.”

  “I still don’t like it.”

  Cara looked up and Bear met her eyes. She looked scared and determined all at once. “Do we have another choice?”

  “We have a lot of choices,” Bear said. “But this one will get us the biggest results.”

  “At the highest risk.”

  Bear grinned. “Now you’re learning.”

  “Constitution Gardens. Tomorrow. Noon. He’ll have a contact meet us. Someone he trusts.”

  Bear shook his head. “That’s no good. I don’t trust him let alone whoever he trusts.”

  “He’s the Vice President of the United States.” Cara’s voice was so quiet, Bear had to lean forward to hear her. “He’s not going to meet us out in the open like that.”

  Bear’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and smiled at the number that popped up. “Fine, but I’m going to have a backup plan.”

  “I’d expect nothing less.”

  While Cara went back to the computer, Bear flipped his phone open. He kept his voice even, but his heart was pounding. “Got anything good for me?”

  Brandon’s voice filled Bear’s ear. “Yes and no.”

  “Hit me with it.”

  “Hughes is currently in D.C. As far as I can tell, he’s not planning on going anywhere. His official schedule has him locked up in meetings all week. He goes home to his wife every night. Visits with his grandkids on the weekend when he can.”

  “I feel a but coming along.”

  “But,” Brandon emphasized, “he’s been making a lot of phone calls. Talking to a bunch of interesting people.”

  “Like who?”

  Brandon sighed. “Look, I know you know this, but I have to just say it out loud. I had to pull in a lot of favors for this. Like, top tier favors that I probably won’t ever have again.”

  “I appreciate that.” Bear kept his voice measured. “You know the stakes here.”

  “I do.” Brandon sighed again. “I do, and it’s going to be worth it if we can nail this guy to the wall. I’m just saying—I’ve tapped the well for a while, okay?”

  “I understand. I appreciate it. Anything you need, you let me or Jack know, okay? Anything.”

  The sound of typing filled the other end of the phone. “So, these phone calls.”

  “Who’s he been talking to?”

  “A lot of people.” More typing. “Ex-military. The kind the military doesn’t admit to having employed. Snipers, mostly. They’re not good guys. Pair of brothers. Their names are Craig and Sean O’Reilly. From what I can tell, you only hire them when you’ve got one shot to take out a target.”

  Bear’s eyes slid to Cara. “Any idea who they’ve got their eye on?”

  “Couldn’t find anything. They’re old school. Like to meet in person, keep physical logs. They’re quick, clean, and meticulous. Do you think they’re coming after you?”

  “Maybe.” But Bear had his doubts. “What else is going on?”

  There were a few more keystrokes before Brandon answered. “A lot of people in D.C. respect Hughes, but they don’t necessarily like him. They think he gets the job done, but some of them are worried about the price it costs.”

  “I suspected as much.” Bear looked at the clock on Cara’s computer. They were running out of time. “Any details I can use?”

  “Maybe.” Brandon paused in his typing. “I have one person, a low-level guy, claims he found some incriminating evidence against Hughes. He sent it to me right before he disappeared.”

  Bear sat up straighter. “Disappeared?”

  “I can’t find him. Maybe he went off the grid. Maybe they found out.”

  There was a chance they’d never find out which it was, and Bear had a feeling Brandon already knew that. “What did he send you?”

  A few more clicks. “My buddy tapped his phone. I don’t know how he managed it, but I have two clear recordings of Hughes talking to someone about a possible attack.”

  Bear lowered his voice. “He is the Director of National Intelligence. That’s his job. I’m going to need something more—”

  “I mean,” Brandon interrupted, “they’re talking about hiring a group of insurgents to plan an attack. They’re arguing about the best possible place to do it. In the two recordings I have, they don’t say where, but they list a few options.”

  Bear glanced at the clock again. Time was up. “Any idea who the other guy is?”

  “I couldn’t pinpoint who it was.” The frustration was evident in Brandon’s voice. “The phone distorts it, so running comparative analysis is proving…difficult.”

  “Keep working that angle. Send it to Jack. This might be exactly what we need to blow this thing wide open.”

  “I know you’ve been in a lot of sticky situations before,” Brandon said, “but this one feels different. Bigger. These guys are smart. Calculated. The way they were talking about killing thousands of innocent people…”

  “I’ll be careful,” Bear said. “And we’ll be smart.”

  “See that you do.”

  “Thanks, man. I mean it. I know you stuck your neck out for me. For all of us.”

  “Just do me a favor and take this guy down.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Bear hung up the phone and turned to Cara. “We’ve got to go.”

  “We’re all set here.” She disconnected from the server and closed the lid.

  Bear stood and made his way to the front of the store. Cara followed him after executing a command to wipe the laptop hard drive. They left the laptop behind. One of Hughes’ men would probably interrogate the barista who would end up finding it, but it didn’t matter. He and Cara would be in the wind.

  “We’ve got to find a new car, don’t we?” Cara asked.

  “You are a quick learner.” Bear headed away from the busy street they were on, his eyes constantly on the lookout for some beat up old car that would blend into the crowd. “But there’s something else we have to discuss first.”

  “Your conversation with whoever was on the phone. It sounded serious.”

  Bear didn’t know how else to break the news to her, so he just said it. “This meeting is going to be dangerous. There’s reason to believe we’re not going to be the only ones in attendance.”

  Cara looked up at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “A pair of brothers. Snipers. They might be on the lookout for us.”

  “Might be?”

  Bear shrugged. “There’s a good chance.”

  “You don’t want me to go, do you?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  Cara ran a hand through her hair. She found a knot and worked her way through it. “You know I have to be there. Adams’ contact isn’t going to talk to anyone but me.”

  “We just need to give ourselves enough time to find the snipers and take them out.”

  “So, what? We get a body double?”

  Bear stopped and turned to Cara. He looked her up and down, a grin forming across his face.

  “Yeah. And I’ve got the perfect person.”

  29

  Bear approached the storage facility with caution. It was in a self-accessible warehouse, which meant there was no telling who was inside. If you had the keycode, you could get in. If anyone had gotten wind that he’d be there today, they could be lying in wait.

  He held out his arm to stop Cara from walking forward. She looked up at him, her pupils dilated with fear. She was doing better at keeping it together despite their situation, but it took years of training for logic to outweigh an emotional response. She wasn’t quite there just yet.

  Bear punched in the five-digit keycode he’d been given. The door buzzed and released. He put his hand on the knob and pulled it open slowly. His gun was tucked out of sight, and he didn’t want to bring it out unless necessary. Better to lay low in case there were any civilians around.

  Cara followed him through the door and let it click shut behind them. An electronic buzzing indicated it was once again locked. The young reporter jumped at the noise and then exhaled loudly. Bear heard her mutter a couple curse words under her breath.

  “Quickly but quietly,” Bear said.

  Cara nodded.

  He led them down the length of the building, heading for the final row on the far side. The storage units were larger here. They could house multiple cars or an entire three-story house full of furniture. They didn’t come cheap. But they did offer plenty of privacy.

  The hallways were clean, the walls sterile. Bear felt trapped by the building. The innumerable rows of units were oppressive. The bright fluorescent lights were harsh, but the lack of shadows in any corner of the building offered a modicum of comfort.

  Halfway down the row, Bear stopped and Cara came to a halt behind him. Unit 2552. It looked like all the others, but inside offered them the solution to their current problem. Or so he hoped.

  The door to the unit was painted bright red, like all the others. It lifted like a garage door. It looked sturdy enough, but not bullet proof. Normally, that wasn’t a deal breaker for the kind of people who were looking for the services offered here.

  For Bear, it almost made him turn around and walk the other way.

  These doors weren’t on an electronic system like the front. Instead, they were attached with a physical lock to the ground by a bolt in the cement. This one had already been opened. The lock was missing and the latch was flipped open. Someone was already inside.

  He knocked twice, waited a count of ten, and then knocked two more times.

  The door began to lift. Despite its size and heft, it was quiet as it rolled up, first revealing a pair of black boots, then dark jeans, a plain shirt and bomber jacket, and finally the face of the one person who could pull off doubling for Cara.

  “Hello, Riley.”

  “Hello, Sadie.” Bear couldn’t help but grin. It was nice to see her again. “How’re you doing?”

  “Not bad.” Her eyes shifted to Cara. “You must be Ms. Bishop.”

  Cara stuck out her hand. “Cara is fine.”

  “My name is Sadie. Come on in.”

  Bear ducked through the opening with Cara right on his heels. He watched as Sadie dropped the door back down before looking at the space they were working in. It wasn’t much, just an open area with a couple tables in the center. A pair of construction lights managed to illuminate the unit, but nothing nearly as bright as what was outside. It took Bear a minute for his eyes to adjust.

  “Get here okay?” Sadie asked.

  “Yeah.” Bear pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. “We stayed in a motel outside of the city.”

  “Accommodations okay?”

  “I’ve had worse.”

  Cara snorted. “Seriously?”

  Sadie smiled. “Do I need to apologize on his behalf? Bear can be a little gruff sometimes.”

  Cara looked at Bear, and he could’ve sworn there was a softness in her eyes. “We got off to a rocky start, but I think we’re doing okay now.” She turned serious. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay him—either of you—for what you’ve done for me.”

  Bear held up a hand. “Don’t mention it.”

  “Seriously, don’t mention it.” There was a twinkle in Sadie’s eye. “Bear gets uncomfortable if we emote too much.”

  “Ha, ha.” Bear tried to scowl, but he couldn’t help his grin. “You been good? Anyone give you any trouble recently?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. Couple people have been nosing around. As soon as your face popped up on the news, I knew someone would come around. Couple guys tried to get me to tell them where you were. I said I had no idea. We hadn’t been in contact. I had nothing to hide and there was nothing to find.”

  “We both know having nothing to hide doesn’t mean they wouldn’t find something to keep you detained.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve kept my head down since the last time I saw you. I’ve been diligent. Work and sleep, that’s all I’ve been doing. Sitting behind a desk hasn’t been ideal, but it’s kept me close to the paper trail. I’ve picked up a couple things here and there, quietly. There’s been inquiries, but they know where I am every day. They can keep an eye on me. They started looking elsewhere.”

  “And now?” Bear asked, motioning to the unit around them. “They’re gonna wonder where you went.”

  “Let me worry about that.” Sadie put a hand on Bear’s shoulder. “If we do this right, if we get it done quickly, they won’t have time to know I’m missing.”

  “Did you find anything else out about the O’Reilly brothers?”

  Sadie grabbed a folder from the table and handed it to Bear. “Nothing good. These guys are the best. And I mean that literally. I’ve never seen a track record as good as this. They work as a pair, so there’s always a contingency plan. They don’t miss, Bear. Not ever.”

  “We’ve had worse odds before.”

  “I haven’t.” Cara’s voice was quiet. “This is insane. You know that, right?”

  Sadie’s face softened. “You’re going to be far away from here when this goes down.”

  “But you won’t be.” There were tears in her eyes now. “You could die.”

  “I know this probably sounds crazy to you, but that’s part of the job. We knew what we were signing up for.” Sadie gestured to Bear. “There’s only two people on this entire planet I would trust to keep me safe, and one of them is sitting right there.”

  Bear flipped through the file he had been given. “Even so, with two shooters, we’re gonna need backup. There’s no way we can trace and take them both down.”