Necessary Risk (Aegis Group Task Force Book 4)

by Sidney Bristol

  He circled around the back and found her on her hands and knees with the phone camera aimed up. Reflected back at him was a digital face counting down fifty-three minutes and twenty-nine seconds.

  “Get out of here,” he said.

  Ivy ignored him and reached into her back pocket. She pulled out a multi-tool and without looking at it flipped the thing open.

  “Watch the crowd,” she said.

  “Ivy.” He knelt next to her.

  Her focus was on the phone screen.

  “You have to get out of here,” he whispered.

  “How good are you with detonators?” she asked.

  Killam could construct a rough bomb, but that wasn’t his specialty. He’d undergone training as an Air Marshall, but he knew this exceeded his ability.

  He wanted to tell her he was an expert and she should get out of his way. He wanted to protect her. But the truth of it was that he needed her.

  “How long will it take to handle this?” he asked instead.

  “Longer if you keep talking to me.”

  Fighting his instinct, he stood and braced a hand on the closest stand, doing his best to look casual and keep an eye on the crowds.

  Zak and Miran’s people wouldn’t have just set these up and left them. They’d keep an eye on them, which meant someone was watching them right now.

  Would that trigger the attack to proceed earlier? Or would someone try to stop them?

  Fifty minutes.

  Depending on how long this took, the crowds, any opposition...

  They were going to have to split up. They couldn’t stick together.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” a man barked.

  Killam slid his hand into his jacket pocket and turned toward the voice.

  Two men wearing light jackets with SECURITY emblazoned on the chest strode through the crowd.

  They were Caucasian, neatly kept men. Likely not Zak or Miran’s people, but Killam had to be careful.

  “What can I help you gentlemen with?” he asked in a drawling tone. His mask still hid most of his face.

  “Get out from behind there,” the man insisted again.

  Killam twirled the car key on his finger. “I’m sorry, sir. There must be a mistake. This here is my car. Had a little exhaust problem on the way over.”

  Both men frowned and glanced from the keys to the open car door.

  “This is your vehicle?” the man reiterated.

  “Yes,” Killam replied. “Here, I’ll show you.”

  He nodded toward the driver’s seat and away from Ivy’s work.

  The two men followed and Killam demonstrated opening, closing and locking the door with his key.

  The security guards shared a look, then the quiet one shrugged.

  “Sorry about the confusion,” the man said, though he was clearly confused about something.

  Did Killam dare mention that he was going to check on the other cars? Should he ask for a guide? Would that only raise more suspicion?

  “We’re done here,” Ivy announced and stood. She had something in the pouch of her hoodie and was trying to hide it behind the car.

  “Perfect timing.” Killam smiled at the men. “We’ll get out of your hair. Have a great day, guys.”

  He circled around the front of the car and met her on the other side. They both ducked under the barrier and headed off into the thick of the crowd.

  “Man, thirties, blue jacket with a white hat. I saw him when you blocked the security guards,” Ivy said under her breath. “Don’t look yet.”

  Killam turned his head as though he were looking at her. He saw the briefest reflection in his sunglasses of a white hat.

  “You keep going with the crowd, I’ll go left,” he said.

  Ivy gave a single jerk of her head.

  Killam peeled off, striking off at a diagonal that allowed him to look behind him at the figure.

  The man stopped just to the side of the walkway. He swung his head to look after Ivy, then at Killam.

  Which of them looked more important?

  Killam pulled out his phone and slowed his step.

  “Come on,” he muttered.

  As if the man heard him, he took a step toward Killam. He let the man get a good four or five steps in before picking up his own pace.

  There were too many people around. Too many eyes. The mask would only protect him for so long.

  A family playing catch caught his eye.

  Plain sight.

  People saw what they wanted to see.

  Ahead, lines of food trucks were set up doing brisk business.

  A plan took form. Not a great one, but given his options it was the best he could do.

  He scanned the ground until he saw something that fit his needs, then casually strolled over to it and bent. For a moment he pretended to tie his shoe while carefully picking up the lost ball.

  A little closer...

  White hat was only a few yards away now. He’d gotten bold in the crowd.

  Killam whirled and rose, calling out, “Hut, hut!”

  White Hat’s eyes went wide.

  Killam hurled the ball at the man.

  The man’s hands came up either to catch it or shield himself, but his attention was briefly off Killam.

  Killam sprinted at the man, dropped his shoulder and drove into him. White Hat staggered back, losing his balance and sprawling on the grass.

  Killam planted his knee in the guy’s stomach and gripped his gun through his jacket. He grinned down at the man, as though he were some friend.

  “You tell anyone you saw us yet?” he asked and leaned down, pressing the gun into the man’s stomach. “Think real hard about your answer.”

  “No,” he said.

  Little hesitation.

  He was younger than thirty, but big.

  Damn.

  This was a kid.

  Did he even know what he was doing?

  In the big picture it didn’t matter. His actions could still kill hundreds.

  “Hey, you two,” Ivy said brightly. Her shadow fell across them both.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen,” Killam said. “We’re going to stand up and walk behind those food trucks. I’m going to tie you up and leave you there. Killing you would be easier, but very messy. I don’t like messy. Do you understand me?”

  White Hat nodded.

  “Come on, boys. Let’s get you up.” Ivy picked up the hat.

  Killam passed a hand over the guy’s pockets. He pulled out a knife and his phone.

  That was it.

  No gun.

  Strange.

  Killam pushed to his feet. “Let’s go. Stay with me.”

  The kid jerked his head and fell into step with Killam, while Ivy brought up the rear.

  “Don’t think about running,” he muttered and slung his arm around the kid’s shoulders.

  White Hat drew in on himself, hanging his head.

  What the hell was going on here?

  They passed the lines of people and food trucks to the cut through street that had been blocked off for the day.

  “What are we going to do?” Ivy asked in the relative privacy of the street.

  “Sit.” Killam pushed on the kid’s shoulder.

  He sat next to a silver barricade. It wasn’t much, but all they needed was a little time.

  “Hands,” Killam demanded.

  He secured the guy’s hands to the barricade down low, where it would be less obvious. If they got ten minutes, this would be worth it.

  “Someone will come for you.” Killam straightened.

  He didn’t know if it would be the police, the feds or the kid’s own people, but someone would get him.

  “Piers?” Ivy glanced at her phone.

  “Yeah,” he said grimly. “We need to split up.”

  Ivy’s face twisted up.

  He didn’t like that decision either, but they didn’t have a lot of options.

  “Yeah. I figure the cars will be halfway
down on this side, then back on the other all the way down.” He pulled out the keyring. Which did he give her? “What can you tell me?” he asked.

  “Keep the keys. I’ll figure it out. Canisters attached to the exhaust pipes. They’re attached to the detonator.” She said a bunch of other things that went over Killam’s head.

  There was no way he’d be able to disarm this like she could. But she couldn’t be in two spots at the same time.

  He was going to have to improvise. How, he didn’t yet know, but he’d do it.

  “Meet me back at the hotel,” he said.

  She nodded.

  Killam knew time was slipping away from them, and yet...

  He reached out and hauled her up against him, kissing her. Because he needed to. Because if this went wrong, he wanted to do that one more time.

  “You’ve got this,” she said.

  “You, too.”

  “Get going.” She smacked his hip. “Go.”

  He tipped an imaginary hat. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Killam slid his mask into place. He didn’t have a good feeling about this.

  MONDAY. NATIONAL MALL. Washington, DC.

  Ivy glanced over her shoulder, but Piers was gone from view.

  She knew he would be. She’d stuck to her path, striking off diagonally across the green while Piers had taken off at a jog to get to the other end of the lawn before time ran out.

  Time.

  There wasn’t enough of it.

  She picked up the pace, scanning the wide path. There were slightly fewer people, which made it easier to go faster. The further she went without spotting the car, the more nervous she got.

  Where was it?

  Had Piers been wrong?

  She pushed the mask up and slowed her step, peering through the people.

  They couldn’t be wrong. They just couldn’t. The other two cars had to be here.

  “Ivy?”

  Her gaze focused on a woman standing all of six feet away, gaping at her. Ivy opened and closed her mouth. She knew the woman, but she wasn’t supposed to be here. This was all wrong.

  And then it all made sense.

  Kelsey.

  The Task Force.

  They were here.

  The upload must have worked.

  Ivy took a step back as fear reared its head.

  They wanted to kill her. Her and Piers. They’d tried and failed.

  Kelsey lunged forward much faster than Ivy was prepared for. She grabbed Ivy by the arm.

  “What’s wrong? What happened? How did you get here? Jesus,” Kelsey said. Her brow furrowed and her eyes suddenly blazed. “Are you okay? Did Killam you?”

  “Piers?” Ivy’s anger sparked and she pulled out of the shorter woman’s grasp. “You mean your people?”

  “Our people?” Kelsey frowned.

  Ivy reached into the crowded pouch of her hoodie and grasped the gun Piers had given her. “The ones who tried to kill us?”

  “What? No. Oh, no. That wasn’t us. We—there’s a mole, Ivy. A mole. Shit. I told Logan. I fucking told him.” Kelsey shoved her hands through her pixie short hair. “We thought Killam kidnapped you. We thought he’d gone rouge. Turned. We thought...”

  “Piers saved me.” Ivy let that information wash over her. “I can’t trust you.”

  Kelsey stared back at her. “Don’t trust the team then, but trust me. Please? Ivy, I should have been the one they sent. Me. Not you. Me.”

  Ivy shook her head. She couldn’t trust anyone until this was over. Not even her own people.

  “We got the upload,” Kelsey blurted. “We got it and that’s why we’re here. Because you warned us, something was going down and here we are.”

  Ivy didn’t doubt that there were good people on the Task Force, but she couldn’t tell them from the bad ones. She desperately wanted Kelsey to be on her side, but Ivy couldn’t risk it. Not when they were this close.

  “If you seriously think something’s happening, let me go. Let me do what I need to do,” Ivy said slowly.

  “Mother...” Kelsey growled something under her breath.

  The crowd behind her parted and Ivy saw the sleek, almost otherworldly looking black car.

  “I’ve got to go.” Ivy slid her mask back down and gave Kelsey a wide berth.

  She’d see where Ivy went. If Kelsey was on the wrong team, Ivy would know it. She wouldn’t get the wires disconnected in time.

  Ivy dodged and wove her way through the people, all the way to the black nylon barrier. She barely glanced around before hitting her belly and shimmying closer. The detonator and gun in her hoodie pouch pressed into her stomach, but she ignored them.

  She pulled out her phone and slid it under the low-slung car.

  This time the detonator was off to the right while the canisters were clustered on the left. There was less room to work with and she had difficulty working her multi-tool under the car.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” A man asked.

  Gravel crunched.

  Ivy tilted her head to peer up at the man.

  “Beat it,” Kelsey barked.

  Ivy tuned the man out, all of her concentration on the dark image on her phone.

  “Almost...” she muttered to herself. “There.”

  The timer went dark. Ivy yanked it free and pushed up.

  Two down, one to go.

  Come on, Piers...

  Kelsey knelt next to her, one hand on the car. “What the hell is that?”

  Ivy glanced up at the woman. Could she be trusted?

  She pulled the detonator out and pushed up to her knees. “We don’t really know. I mean—”

  A gun fired. It was unmistakable. She’d heard too many in her lifetime to ever mistake that sound for anything else. Ivy dove at Kelsey. The two women toppled back as glass shattered overhead. Tiny bits of it pelted the back of her head and hands.

  Kelsey twisted like a wild thing until she, too, was on her belly.

  “Move,” Ivy barked as another shot took out the taillight right over them.

  People screamed. Ivy didn’t know if they were shot or scared, and right then it didn’t matter. The only thing she could do to protect those people was to stop whatever this attack was. The mass of people heaved, going every which way in the sudden confusion.

  But the canisters under the black car didn’t go off.

  She’d disarmed it.

  Her relief was short-lived. Piers still had to pull through on the last one. And they never had figured out the big question. Why?

  “Where is that shooter?” Kelsey demanded, as if Ivy could tell her. “Where?”

  Ivy kept low and crawled behind the car.

  Just the two shots. Nothing else.

  There was nowhere to get up above the crowd.

  Except the food trucks.

  Where was Piers?

  “Do you see him?” Kelsey asked.

  “No,” Ivy snapped.

  Kelsey glanced back at her, then pointed at her ear.

  A comm.

  She was talking to the rest of the team. They all knew she was here. The good ones and the bad ones. They all knew where Ivy was and likely what she’d done.

  Ivy crept to the front of the car. She straightened just enough to look around at the quickly emptying park.

  The food trucks were abandoned and she didn’t see a shooter.

  She spared a glance in the direction Piers had gone. She needed to buy him time. Seconds mattered now that Zak and Miran’s people knew their plan wasn’t going off as intended. Without really exploring the devices, she had no idea if they could still be triggered remotely or by another method.

  There were too many unknowns.

  A bit of movement between the booths caught her eye. It was in the wrong direction from where Piers had gone. But it was the general vicinity where the shooter could be.

  Ivy gathered herself, watching for a bit more movement.

  There.

  She darted forward.
r />   “Ivy!”

  Footsteps hurried along behind her. Kelsey wasn’t going to let her go.

  Ivy wanted to pull her own weapon out, but unlike Kelsey, Ivy was wearing a hoodie and a mask. Any cop that saw her might very well shoot her.

  “Where are you going?” Kelsey demanded.

  Ivy straightened just a little and sprinted forward.

  Where was he? The shooter where had he gone?

  A grunt of pain spurred her on.

  Ivy skidded around a booth set up along the walkway and yanked her gun out.

  Zak was doubled over, a rifle dangling from his shoulder. Another man held a gun in his left hand and shook his right.

  “I want the truth, Zak,” the unknown man said in Arabic.

  Zak shook his head and glanced her way.

  He roared and whirled, but a tiny blur bashed into him from behind.

  “Hands! Both of you!” Kelsey bellowed, sounding ten times her size.

  Ivy shoved her mask up and edged forward, focused on the other man.

  “No!” the other man wailed and whirled around.

  Ivy was ready for him. She sidestepped the wild attack.

  “I will shoot,” she said in Arabic. “I will, but I don’t want to.”

  The man stared at her with dark eyes so full of grief. He was overcome with it. She didn’t know his story, but she knew that pain. The loss.

  “Fuck you,” Zak spat.

  Both Ivy and the man whirled, guns up.

  She fired before she registered the gun in Zak’s hand.

  So did the other man.

  Zak yelped and dropped the rifle.

  “Jesus!” Kelsey called out.

  Both shots went wide.

  Kelsey grabbed a still stunned Zak by the back of his shirt and pressed her gun to his shoulder, all while muttering curses.

  Ivy shifted, focusing on the other man.

  His shoulders slumped and he watched Zak with eyes gone empty.

  “Are you Nasar?” Ivy asked. It was the only person’s name she knew connected to this besides Zak and Miran.

  “Yes,” Nasar said.

  “I’m going to need you to give me your gun.”

  He held it out properly, offering her the grip, never once looking away from Zak.

  What had Zak done?

  And where was Piers?

  Time was long since up...

  19.

  Monday. National Mall. Washington, DC.

  Killam didn’t have the luxury of being careful. He jogged through and past people, constantly aware of the ticking clock.