She softened her expression and continued watching him, eventually seeing a hint of conflict.
Finally, he blinked. “My father went through it.”
“Then you understand.”
After a long moment, Tiewater blinked again, more heavily. “It’s not easy, watching that.”
Rhoades sighed. “Especially with your parents. It’s even worse when you’re a doctor, and you can’t do a damn thing to help them.” As she watched Tiewater frown, she also noticed his right hand relax and ease away from his gun.
“You’re not going to turn me in for this are you?”
Reluctantly, he shook his head and motioned to her phone. “No. But you can’t use that here.”
“I won’t again. I promise.” She smiled and moved her hands to her hips. “I think I’m just tired. I’ve got to get some sleep.”
“I’m sure that’s a good idea.”
She gently broke off eye contact and looked around. “Can you, uh, help me move this desk and make some more room? I need to move my things.”
“Sure.”
Tiewater pushed the door open, taking a heavy step onto the new carpet. As he approached, Tricia bent over casually, as if ready to grip the side of the desk, but continued smoothly down, allowing her hand to dip below the top. When she pulled it back up, it was in a single, instantaneous movement.
All Tiewater saw was a blur as she lifted her right hand over the top of the desk and aimed a black, long-barreled gun squarely at his chest.
60
Li Na gasped, only moments before Kanna and Neely whirled at the sound of two muted explosions.
Gunshots.
Both stared at each other and turned to find Li Na desperately trying to get out of the bed. Instinctively, they rushed to catch her as she slid weakly from the edge and onto the cold floor. Her body trembling.
“Get down, Li Na! Get down!” Neely yelled under her breath and laid the girl flat against the floor. She pulled Kanna down over the teenager and twisted around, searching frantically.
Two rounds were all Tiewater fired before his trigger finger stopped.
He blinked, confused, and stared down at the right side of his chest. The dart, a short black cylinder with a yellow tuft, was lodged firmly into his pectoral muscle.
“What the f–”
He raised his head and looked for Rhoades. Her head came into view again, just above the desk. From there she peered up at him, waiting patiently.
“What the–” This time Tiewater’s mouth stopped prematurely on its own. He fought to move his jaw but couldn’t control it. He attempted to aim his gun again at Rhoades but found his hand shaking badly.
His fingers were not responding. Only his arm.
Then his arm itself began to tremble, followed by both legs. Until all at once, Tiewater stumbled and collapsed onto the floor.
He tried to look at his hands and found himself quickly losing the ability to move his head.
With a look of complete panic on his face, he watched Tricia Rhoades slowly stand up from behind the desk. Two bullet holes had buried themselves in the wall behind her, one surrounded by red spatter. Tiewater could see a thick stream of blood running down the woman’s left arm.
He was beginning to salivate heavily, and his chest now felt like it was on fire.
Still holding the dart gun, Rhoades slowly reached back down into her bag with her free hand and retrieved another gun. She then circled around the desk with eyes fixed on Tiewater as he continued struggling.
She lowered herself to a knee and examined her bleeding arm. “You’re very fast. I’ll give you that.” She shrugged. “But not very bright. If only you’d shot sooner.”
Tiewater was desperately trying to move but could only manage slight reactions in his head and legs.
“I’m sorry about this,” Rhoades continued. “We’re supposed to be on the same side.” She followed Tiewater’s eyes to the gun in her hand. “But this is too important.” She set the gun aside and reached forward, carefully removing Tiewater’s Glock from his paralyzed hand. “The drug is called succinylcholine. A paralytic agent that is now shutting down the organs in your body. The end will come relatively fast, but I’m afraid the last few minutes are going to be rough.”
Tiewater’s eyes flared, and he struggled even harder. Breathing erratically through his nose, he could no longer feel the saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But we needed something that wouldn’t leave any traces.” She picked up her gun and stood back up. “I want you to know it was nothing personal.”
Where was it?! Neely dug again through her bag, finally turning it over and dumping it onto the floor in a panic. It had been almost a full minute since the shots and she couldn’t find her gun! Desperately, she searched through her empty bag, finding nothing. Turning to scan the room again, she froze instantly when she saw Tricia Rhoades in the doorway.
Instantly, she yanked her Sig Sauer off the floor and stripped away the black fabric holster.
“Don’t.”
Neely remained still.
“Drop it and raise your hands.”
Neely complied. She then straightened, turning to face Rhoades. She noticed the bloody arm before moving to the woman’s icy blue eyes.
“Now hands behind your head.”
Behind her, Rhoades turned slightly, glancing briefly at the open doorway. “Where’s Kanna?”
“Who are you?”
“I said, where’s Kanna?”
A loud banging was heard from the hallway. Rhoades took a step back and motioned Neely forward with her gun. Together they left the room and moved down the hall until reaching the large exterior door. Neely, just a few feet away, jumped when the banging sounded again. Coming from the opposite side.
Rhoades abruptly shoved her forward. “Open it.”
She stared at the door and reached forward, fumbling momentarily with the lock. Quickly grabbing the handle, she began pulling the giant door inward.
In the doorway, silhouetted by the bright sunlight outside, stood the grim outline of The Anvil. He was dressed in light fatigues and holding a compact assault rifle. Behind him stood several more dark-skinned and exceedingly dangerous-looking men.
61
Kanna froze when the door to Li Na’s room was kicked open. It smashed forcefully against the wall and bounced back halfway before Tricia Rhoades reached forward to stop it from closing. She leered at Kanna, poised with one of Li Na’s arms over his shoulders. His left hand held the girl around her waist, steadying her as they tried to walk.
“And where might we be going?” Rhoades asked as she stepped into the room, closely followed by Anvil.
Neither replied. Nor did the determined look on Kanna’s face change. His eyes remained steady, searching behind them for Neely but not finding her.
“Trying to escape, apparently.” She smiled at Li Na who appeared absolutely petrified. “But I guess we can’t move very fast.”
Kanna’s eyes widened when the Anvil stepped out from behind Rhoades. The man was enormous and looked like a piece of rock, covered in human skin.
But irrespective of his own intentions, Kanna had no time to reply. In a sudden burst, Li Na pulled her arm back and pushed the doctor away from her, hard. He stumbled and fell just as Rhoades pointed her gun and fired. Sending a dart zipping through the space between and cracking one of the monitor screens behind them.
A wobbly Li Na twisted and grabbed the only thing she could reach––a food tray from the rolling table. She whipped around and threw it with everything she had. The spinning tray glanced off Tricia Rhoades’ shoulder and hit the giant man beside her. It left little damage, but Li Na’s speed was enough to surprise them both. Together they watched the girl hop backward looking for something else. Finding nothing, she reached back, grabbed the edge of the rectangular table, and whirled it around herself. The sudden torque sent the table crashing to the floor where it slid and stoppe
d less than a foot from the Anvil’s black boots.
Without a word, Rhoades calmly re-aimed the gun and fired another dart at Kanna, hitting him directly below his rib cage.
62
Less than ten minutes later, the giant door to the outside opened again, this time very slowly.
From opposite sides of the wide frame, Clay and Caesare edged in while peering over the top of their rifles. Silently, Caesare nodded and pressed quickly inside. He immediately backed himself against the wall, followed rapidly by Clay.
In perfect unison, they moved toward the door to Li Na’s room and peered carefully inside. Clay quickly ducked inside to clear the corner, only to find the figure of Dr. Kanna on the floor leaning motionless against the wall. His lifeless brown eyes were frozen and staring at the floor.
Almost immediately, Caesare leaned back against the door jam and yelled. “NEELY!”
There was no response.
“NEELY!”
He looked at Clay as his friend called out for Li Na.
There was only silence.
Together both men moved carefully back into the hall, pressing into any available crevice or opening as they went, methodically checking each room.
One by one, they searched and found nothing but empty rooms. Until they reached the last one. Tiewater’s still frame was in a sitting position on the floor with one shoulder against the wall. Legs apart, he wore a final, desperate grimace on his face, below a set of barren eyes.
Clay stepped forward and pressed two fingers against Tiewater’s neck. There was no pulse.
“No,” growled Caesare. “No! Goddamit, NO!” He turned and smashed the butt stock of his gun repeatedly against the wall. “NO! NO! NO!”
63
Admiral Langford lowered his face into his hands. Emotionally, he felt like he had just been punched in the gut.
Kanna and Tiewater were dead. And Neely and the teenager, Li Na, were missing. Without a trace. All in the span of thirty minutes.
“The only thirty minutes,” he mumbled, “in several days that neither Clay nor Caesare were present.”
Miller nodded, his arms folded across his chest. “Someone not only found us but waited for their opportunity.”
“Jesus Christ,” Langford shook his head, thinking. “Clay, you there?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have anything at all?”
Clay eyed Caesare as he spoke. “Not much. Kanna and Tiewater both have a similar mark under their clothing. Our guess is some kind of fast-moving agent, probably delivered by a dart. It appears like Commander Lawton and Li Na may have put up a fight. But only briefly. It also looks like Tiewater wounded one of them.”
“That’s it?”
“So far. Everything else is clean. Which means they were experienced. No signs of forced entry and no mess. Rhoades, or whoever she is, probably let them in. We have no idea how they got the jump on Tiewater.”
Langford rubbed his eyes with one hand. “Son of a bitch. How in God’s name–”
“Clay,” Secretary Miller spoke up. “Who knew where you were?”
“As far as I know, only the eight of us.”
“What about Alison or the rest of the group?”
Clay paused. The implication was clear. But necessary. They had to consider everything and everyone. What Miller was really asking was whether Clay had told his girlfriend where he was.
“No, sir. She only knew we were on the island somewhere.”
Miller nodded and looked at Langford. “What about Andrea’s friend?”
“Possible, but doubtful.” Miller’s suggestion was also clear to the Admiral. It was not just a question about the friend but Langford’s wife as well.
“If one of their phones were hacked, they could have revealed where the group was without even knowing it.”
Langford nodded reluctantly.
Caesare spoke in a low tone, trying unsuccessfully to contain his anger. “I don’t think…it matters how they found out,” he said. “What we need to know is who they are and where Neely and Li Na are now.”
Miller’s reply was steely. “Keep it together, Commander. Whoever found us needed some serious resources to do it. We need to know how, so we can find out who. Beginning with Rhoades.”
“And how she got past us,” Clay added. “All of us.”
“So how exactly did she?”
Clay hesitated before answering. “She knew too much.”
“What does that mean?”
“She knew too much,” he repeated. “She knew about Guyana. She knew about the bacteria. And about the Valant. Or at least what it’s hiding. There was a lot she didn’t know, but she knew far more than anyone on the outside could have, including where we were.”
“That’s because this thing has turned into a damn mess,” growled Langford.
He was right. All four men knew it. Things were being thrown together so quickly, both on the Pathfinder and on Trinidad, that it was simply inevitable. Something was bound to slip through the cracks. And this was an enormous slip.
“So who knows?” asked Miller. “Who else knows about Guyana? About the Valant? And the bacteria?”
No one spoke. The truth was it could have been almost anyone at this point. The Russians knew enough to attack already, and the Chinese could probably piece enough together, especially after what the Americans had stolen from them. And there were dozens of more countries with spying capabilities rivaling the U.S.
The call was still silent when Miller looked at Langford, already staring intently at him. Yes, it could have been anyone on the globe. But it also could have been a source much closer to home. They could both think of several other high-powered individuals who had more than enough information. Information that could have easily ended up in the hands of an agent like Tricia Rhoades.
Some of the most powerful sources in the United States. All the members of the White House National Security Council.
Worse still, if someone inside the NSC had leaked the information, it meant Miller and Langford had a horrendous problem on their hands. One that would make every other headache they had pale in comparison.
The two men had already read each other’s expressions when Miller spoke.
“Clay’s right. We need to find out who this woman really is. And who she’s working for. Because it’s clearly someone big. The question is who?” Miller said, thinking. He finally looked at Langford. “Where is Will Borger?”
64
From several thousand feet up, Will Borger could clearly make out the northeast coast of Puerto Rico through his small window.
Knowing the island was still recovering from a recent hurricane, he could see dozens of cranes and large areas of construction spread across its vast green hills. Scattered occasionally with small patches of brown, the industrious scene lay within the shadowed backdrop of the island’s distant La Cordillera mountain range.
While he watched the ground slowly rise to meet them, Borger felt the Boeing 737 bank and adjust course, now in its final descent just a few minutes outside of San Juan.
As they drew closer, his eyes nervously returned to the seat-back in front of him while each of his hands slid down to grip their armrest tightly.
For Borger, two times during every flight caused his blood pressure to skyrocket––takeoff and landing, the two points in time during which most airline accidents historically occurred. It was the last thing he wanted to think about but the only thing he could think about at the moment. One of the many drawbacks in being what Caesare called a tad paranoid.
The touchdown seemed rougher than usual, though the sudden scream of the engine’s reverse-thrust provided at least some solace, followed by the familiar shuddering from the craft’s braking system.
When the aircraft turned off the runway, Borger bent forward to retrieve his phone and powered it on. He smiled, relieved, at the woman and her husband sitting next to him, noting how the husband’s youthful appearance was further helped by his ba
seball cap with its wide, flat bill. It reminded Borger of the way surfers and skateboarders wore their hats.
When the satellite phone powered up, he typed in a lengthy security code and immediately saw a text message appear.
It was from Clay. And it was urgent.
“Oh geez.”
Waiting in a lone corner of the airport’s waiting area, Borger sat with his head down. His gray-haired ponytail hung to the side over a wrinkled red and orange Hawaiian dress shirt. “How long ago?”
“Forty minutes.”
“You’re sure about Kanna and Tiewater?” It was a rhetorical question.
“We blew it, Will. I blew it.” Clay’s voice was somber. “And now we need to find out who this woman was, in a hurry. We need to find out where they are,” Clay paused uncomfortably, “and whether Neely and Li Na are still alive.”
“Oh, God.” Borger’s head sank even further. “There’s a chance they might not be, isn’t there?”
“We’re praying they were taken for a reason. But we can’t be sure.”
“Okay,” Borger quickly resolved. He looked up and began forming a plan. “I’m on it, but I’m going to need a place to set up.”
“You still got your tail?”
Borger lowered the phone and brought up the last message from his monitoring program. Someone was still tracking him. “Yep. Which means going back to Arecibo is out.”
“Agreed. We can’t risk them finding IMIS.”
“I’m going to need another hideout.”
On the other end, Clay raised an eyebrow and stared at Steve Caesare. “Actually, I think I have a place. Where no one else would look for you.”
“Is it close?”
Mosaic (Breakthrough Book 5) Page 20
