“The other shooter is down.” Sadie’s voice was still ragged, like it hurt to breathe too deeply. “The meeting has been compromised. I don’t think anyone is coming out of the woodwork to talk with us now. We need to move before the cops get here.”

  Bear could already hear sirens in the distance.

  “I think we’ve got a bigger problem than the cops,” Jack said.

  Bear could hear it in his voice. He was thinking the same thing Bear was.

  Sadie was brave enough to ask the question. “What?”

  “This whole meeting was a setup. It was to get us away from Cara. She’s the real target. She’s the one they’re really after.”

  Bear didn’t respond. He couldn’t. He just took off running in the direction of the hotel. He didn’t want to even imagine the worst-case scenario, but years of living this life meant it was easy to drum up those images. Cara could be dead. Or worse.

  Losing her meant losing another person who could speak to Hughes’ ulterior motives.

  It also meant more blood on Bear’s hands.

  And that, more than anything, he didn’t think he could live with.

  32

  Bear didn’t bother being discreet. Time wasn’t on their side, and he needed every second he could get. Once they got to the hotel, they wouldn’t be able to stay. Didn’t matter what he found there. He needed to get in and out as fast as possible.

  With Cara in tow.

  He heard Sadie and Jack shouting through the earpiece he was still wearing. Bear ignored them. He had a one-track mind, and right now, it was focused on making sure Cara Bishop was safe and sound where they had last left her.

  He barreled through the revolving doors of the hotel, ignoring the startled bellhop standing by to help guests with their luggage. Bear didn’t bother with the elevators. He took the stairs three at a time up to the eighth floor. His lungs burned. His head felt light. He bent over and caught his breath.

  Bear pulled out his pistol, pointed it at the floor. He ran the risk of startling the other hotel guests, but that was a chance he was willing to take. The other option was not having enough time to retrieve his weapon if he needed it. That outcome led to certain death.

  He pulled open the door to the eighth floor and stuck his head through the opening. He looked left, and then right, and then left again. No one was in the hallway. The entire level was quiet.

  It didn’t put him at ease.

  He heard footsteps in the stairwell several floors down. They echoed up to where he had paused in the doorway. They could’ve been Jack’s or Sadie’s, but he didn’t want to run the risk of it being someone else. He slipped through the doorway and let it click shut behind him.

  They had put Cara in a room of her own halfway down the hall. They sprang for a nicer hotel to make her feel safer and more comfortable. Security was also tighter in a building like this. They had cameras and security guards, unlike the places she and Bear had been staying the last couple nights. They hadn’t been too worried about her. Why would anyone go looking for a girl they knew would be at the contact point at noon?

  Because they had somehow known about the switch, which meant everything they thought they knew about the meeting had just gone out the window.

  The door to Cara’s room was closed. A do not disturb sign was hanging off the handle. He had told her to keep the curtains drawn and the lights off. Don’t make a lot of noise. Sleep as much as possible. Try not to worry about what was going on outside these four walls.

  Bear pulled a keycard out of his back pocket and listened as the lock clicked open. He waited a beat, but when he didn’t hear any noise on the other side, he swung the door open and aimed his pistol forward.

  Whatever he had been expecting, it was so much worse.

  The entire room was trashed, from top to bottom. The blankets and sheets had been pulled off the bed and strewn onto the floor. The television was tipped over, along with the chair. Even the bathroom had been turned over.

  What had they been looking for? A flash drive full of information? One of Cara’s notebooks? Any indication that she had hidden some information that could be used against Hughes if it got into the wrong hands? All three options were likely scenarios.

  What made everything worse was the amount of blood on the floor. Cara wasn’t a fighter, which meant she either got extremely lucky, or everything on the ground was from her. Had this occurred as they tried to get her out of the room, or had they tortured her for information? He didn’t dwell on it.

  Bear made his way through the room, looking for any evidence. The gun they had left for her in the drawer was still there, untouched. He had warned her not to order any room service and not to open the door for anyone but him. That meant someone had probably opened the door with a keycard.

  Someone in the hotel had given away her position.

  Bear heard footsteps down the hallway and turned in time to see Sadie cross the threshold of the room. Her eyes went wide as she took in the scene. Bear didn’t bother explaining his conclusions to her. He saw her make the same assumptions within seconds of going through the room herself.

  “Jack thinks the guy at the front desk gave her away.”

  Bear didn’t respond. He just followed Sadie out of the room and back down the stairs, tucking his gun away as he went. He recalled the kid who had been behind the desk as they had checked in. Bear and Jack had been sitting in the lounge area while Sadie had checked in with Cara. The two of them had gone upstairs, and ten minutes later, Bear and Jack had followed. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary at the time.

  Now he was kicking himself for not being more vigilant.

  “Don’t do that,” Sadie said.

  “Do what?”

  “Blame yourself for this. I can see it in your eyes. You’re pissed.”

  “Damn right I am.”

  “It’s not your fault, Bear. Everything is against us here. We knew there was little chance this wasn’t going to go sideways.”

  Bear didn’t respond. That was true, and Bear had resigned himself to the idea that he, Jack, or Sadie might be taken down in the process. That was the job. That was the life. But Cara deserved better than this. She deserved more than he had provided her.

  Sadie shook her head, probably knowing nothing she could say would change how Bear felt. He was grateful she didn’t push the matter. He’d feel better once they found Cara—preferably alive—and had Hughes in handcuffs.

  Sadie pushed through the door at the bottom of the stairs and walked out into the lobby. She made a beeline to the entrance of a small room behind the check-in counter and Bear followed close behind her. There was a small line of people waiting to be checked in, and Bear assumed it was because Jack was keeping the concierge employee otherwise occupied.

  And as soon as Bear walked into the back, he saw that he was right.

  The kid was maybe twenty-five years old. Jack had him sitting in a swivel chair in the middle of the room. He wasn’t tied down, but by the way he was gripping the arms of the chair, Bear assumed Jack had threatened to do something inventive if he tried to bolt.

  Sometimes that held better than any length of rope.

  “Did you have to break his nose?” Sadie said. “We’re trying to keep a low profile.”

  “We’re also short on time,” Jack said. He turned back to the kid. “Okay, Marcus. Tell my friends what you told me.”

  Marcus didn’t even hesitate. “I got a phone call yesterday from one of our contacts who sets up rooms on behalf of certain politicians. Sometimes they tell us the names and sometimes they don’t, depending on who it is. If it’s someone big, they’ll use a fake name. But depending on who calls to set it up, you can usually narrow it down to a few obvious choices.”

  “Get to the point,” Bear said.

  Marcus grimaced as he licked his lips. “Yesterday, one of the contacts called. Didn’t say who was staying here. We’ve talked a few times. She knows I’m a good employee, that I keep my mouth shut. I’ve seen a lot of things they wouldn’t want to get out into the papers, you know? But they slip me a couple hundred dollars and I keep it to myself.”

  Jack turned to Bear. “Loyalty isn’t really Marcus’ thing. He does like money, though.”

  “I have a lot of student loans. I—”

  “Save it.” Bear took a step forward. “I don’t give a shit. Keep talking.”

  “The lady on the phone said her boss was going to surprise his niece, but that he couldn’t remember which hotel she was staying in. They were calling all the local hotels trying to figure out. She sent over a picture of the girl. Said I’d get a grand out of it if I told them when she showed up and which room she was staying in.”

  Bear crossed his arms over his chest. “And you didn’t think that was strange?”

  “I don’t know, man. Not really. You’d be surprised the things they get up to in here.”

  “I really wouldn’t.”

  “I thought it was kind of nice, you know?” Marcus shifted in his seat, but never stopped gripping the arms of the chair. “I wanted to help.”

  “I bet the thousand dollars didn’t hurt either.”

  “Look, I’m sorry—”

  “Save it,” Bear said.

  Sadie stepped forward. “The woman on the phone, who did she normally represent?”

  “Lots of people,” Marcus said. “But she usually sets up appointments for the bigwigs.”

  “Like who?”

  Marcus shook his head. “Lots of people. I’ve seen the attorney general a couple times. The secretary of defense. Even the Vice President showed up once. But I only knew that because my cousin saw him in the hallway. They always come in a back entrance.”

  Bear had already tuned him out. He looked at Sadie, and then at Jack.

  “It’s him. He has her.” Bear couldn’t help the way he spit out the man’s title like it was poison. “The Vice President has been in on it from the beginning.”

  33

  “So, what’s the plan?”

  Jack was sitting in the driver’s seat of a panel van Sadie had rented for them. Someone had smoked in it recently, and it smelled like a mix of ash and corn chips. It was a little more conspicuous than Bear would’ve liked, but the extra room for all their gear was a nice addition. They were going to need it.

  Sadie was sitting in the passenger’s seat. She had taken her hood off and removed her vest. There were already a couple of purple bruises blossoming across her chest. They were going to hurt like hell for a few days, but it was better than the alternative.

  Bear was in the back of the van, sitting in a seat against one of the walls. He didn’t want to be cooped up back there, but between the scene in the park and the scene at the hotel, they all figured it’d be better to keep their faces hidden for a while.

  But just thinking about the hotel made him want to start punching things.

  “What’s the plan?” Jack asked again.

  “I don’t know,” Bear said.

  “We need to find Hughes,” Sadie said.

  “But Adams has the girl,” Bear said. “We should be going after him?”

  “The Vice President of the United States?” Sadie’s voice was even, but Bear could detect the incredulity. “He’s untouchable.”

  “No one is untouchable.”

  “Well, he’s as close as it gets.”

  “I gotta agree with Sadie,” Jack said. When he noticed Bear’s glare, he held up his hands. “But the VP isn’t our only problem.”

  “Then we go after Hughes,” Bear said. “And he leads us to Adams.”

  “Hughes is hardly a better target.” Sadie and Jack must’ve exchanged a look because she continued with a much more positive note in her voice. “But there is a chance we can get to him.”

  Bear took a deep breath. He had to reign it in. He didn’t ignore the rage building inside him. It was useful. But he did have to compartmentalize it. Now was the time for a clear head and a plan of action. The anger would come in later when it was time to get the job done.

  “How?” Bear asked. “How can we get to the Director of National Intelligence?”

  “You said he goes home to his wife every night, right? We stake out his house.”

  Jack shook his head. “Look, I’m all for this plan, but this guy isn’t going to be easy to get alone in a room. We gotta be careful. He’s gonna have all kinds of security.”

  “So, we take it out.” Bear was already thinking about what weapons he was going to bring along.

  “That’s all fair and good,” Sadie said. “But we need to be smart about this. His wife is probably going to be home. He could have men stationed around his house that have no idea what’s going on here. They’ll be innocent.”

  It sounded like she added that part for Bear’s sake.

  He got the message.

  “Okay,” Sadie said. “So, how do we be smart about this?”

  Both Sadie and Bear turned to Jack.

  “Brandon can get his address. He can probably also find work records to figure out what sort of security system he has. Might be able to crack it remotely, or he can tell us how to do it on-site.”

  “He’s not going to like that,” Bear said. “We’ve already tapped Brandon for what he’s worth.”

  “Let me handle him,” Jack said. “We’ll have to scope the area to figure out who’s stationed there, either out in the open or undercover. Hughes has been doing some shady shit for quite a while now, which means his men are probably dirty, too. But since we don’t know that for sure, we’ll have to incapacitate and secure them. After that, we just have to get to Hughes and his wife.”

  “I’d prefer to get Hughes alone,” Sadie said. “He might be more unpredictable if he’s worried about her safety. We want the most ideal scenario for interrogation.”

  “Which won’t be easy,” Bear said. “He’s a military man. He’s the Director of National Security.”

  “But there’s three of us and one of him,” Jack said. “I like our odds.”

  Bear agreed. “Nothing to do now but get it done.”

  Jack and Sadie looked at each other and then back to Bear. They nodded in unison.

  It was time.

  Night had fallen and Bear, Jack, and Sadie were huddled in the back of the panel van parked a few blocks down from Hughes’ brownstone. Brandon had come through for them, obtaining the man’s home address, the layout to his house, and the work orders for his security system. He had sent everything to Sadie’s phone, which was a bit more sophisticated than what Jack and Bear usually carried.

  “The house is pretty straightforward,” Sadie said, holding her phone close to her face. “It’s got two floors and a basement. Everything flows from one room to the other. We should be able to clear it pretty quickly with just the three of us.”

  Jack didn’t take his eyes off the 9mm he was inspecting. “Any indication of a panic room?”

  “None, but I wouldn’t discount it.”

  “He probably wouldn’t want that to be on any blueprints that might get into the wrong hands,” Bear said.

  Sadie hummed her agreement. “Next up is the security system. Brandon said he’s got 24-hour detail at the front gate. Just one guard. The digital security system is a completely different story. It’s…complicated.”

  “With any luck, we won’t have to deal with that,” Jack said.

  Bear checked his watch. “Brandon should be calling any second now.”

  As if on cue, Jack’s phone lit up. He put it on speaker and placed it between the three of them. “We’re all here, Brandon. What you got for us?”

  Brandon hesitated. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”

  Bear and Sadie exchanged looks.

  “Good news or bad news?” Jack asked.

  “A bit of both.”

  “Fill us in,” Bear said. He was trying to keep his voice even, but as the hours dragged on, his patience got thinner and thinner.

  Brandon cleared his throat. “Hughes’ system is run by Star Security. They’re a top tier security system. Hacking into them wasn’t difficult, but going about it undetected was the hard part.”

  Jack leaned forward. “I’m guessing you were successful?”

  “I was.” Something squeaked in the background while Brandon shifted in his seat. “Long story short, think of Star Security as an entire house full of doors. On the first floor, all the doors require a normal everyday metal key to open their locks. The second floor required a four-digit code. The third floor required a six-digit code and so on.”

  “Which level is Hughes’ account on?” Sadie asked.

  “We’re talking the fifteenth level. He requires a security code and a retina scanner. The whole nine.”

  “Is there any good news here?” Bear asked.

  “The good news is I cracked the code to get onto his floor. The strange news is that his door was already open.”

  Bear looked up at Jack, who’s expression matched his own.

  “How is that even possible?” Sadie asked.

  “I don’t know. There should be alarm bells screaming at me right now,” Brandon said. “But everything is quiet.”

  Bear shifted closer to the phone. “What do you think happened? Best guess.”

  Brandon sighed. The static crackled on the phone, distorting his voice for a word or two. “Best guess? Someone beat us to the punch. They hacked their way into their system and shut down his security. But they didn’t bother closing the door behind them because they stopped any notifications from going on.”

  Sadie asked, “What do you mean by notifications?”

  “Okay, imagine every door also comes with a security dog. When the door is opened, the dog starts barking. If he recognizes the intruder, like someone who works at Star Security, he stops barking and no alarms go off.”

  “So, you think the hacker works at the company?” Bear asked.

  “That was my first guess,” Brandon said. “But I’m looking through the log right now, and there’s no record of anyone opening this door. It’s like they wiped the whole thing. The only way Star Security would know something was wrong would be if someone manually checked this account.”