Takedown

by L. T. Ryan

  Private jets apparently came with expensive bottles of whiskey, which meant Bear drank as many as it would take to knock him out on the trip back home. It resulted in some pretty restless sleep and more than one crazy dream—not to mention the hangover—but it got the job done. Bear didn’t remember the plane ride.

  “And how exactly did you convince them?”

  Sadie blew a piece of hair out of her eyes. “You were there in Costa Rica and again in Korea. You’re a pivotal part of this investigation and of particular interest to Thorne. Plus, with Jack missing, I told them it was best to have the person who knows him best on board. It was a lot of phone calls and emails, but in the end, they knew it was the best call.”

  “For who?” Bear asked, under his breath. He looked up at the prison entrance that housed Thorne, waiting for the pair of them to be buzzed in.

  He wanted to be here, sure. He wanted to look Thorne in the eyes and ask him what the hell was going on. But he also knew Thorne wasn’t going to give up his answers easily. And any answers he did give would probably be part of the plan. They were playing right into Thorne’s hand and they both knew it. But what other choice did they have?

  “Any word on Maria?” Bear asked.

  Sadie shook her head. “As soon as they landed back in Virginia, she gave her detail the slip. No one has seen or heard from her since.”

  “Who made up her detail?”

  “Two of Winters’ men. Apparently, they’re just as pissed as we are.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Sadie looked at him from the corner of her eye. “What makes you say that?”

  “I don’t trust Winters.”

  “She’s been more than forthcoming with us. She could’ve stopped us having damn near any involvement in everything that happened in London, but she didn’t.”

  “That doesn’t mean she wasn’t still withholding information.”

  “Why does it sound like you know something I don’t?” Sadie asked.

  “I have a friend at MI5,” Bear said. “Actually, she’s a friend of Jack’s.”

  “The one who knew Jack had been in London.”

  Bear grunted in assent. “She told me to be careful around Winters. Said she’s a good person but that she plays things close to the chest. Winters might not go out of her way to make things more difficult for us, but that doesn’t mean things won’t get complicated if she’s not telling us the whole truth.”

  “She was awfully helpful.” When Bear shot her a look, Sadie continued. “Have you ever met the head of a foreign intelligence agency that is willing to let us in on their operations?”

  “That’s the problem,” Bear said. “It was too easy. Like she wanted to keep us close. Something else has gotta be going on here.”

  Sadie looked hesitant. “Look, I get being paranoid. And I’m not trying to convince you that you’re wrong here.”

  “But?” Bear asked. He knew it was coming.

  “It’s nice to think someone is being straightforward for once.”

  “Well then we’re in the wrong place,” Bear said. “Don’t hold your breath hoping to get a straight answer from Daniel Thorne.”

  “You’re not wrong,” Sadie said. “But I’m hoping we can trust Winters. It would be nice to have someone like that on our side.”

  Bear didn’t say anything in return. Instead, he watched as a pair of guards finally met them at the prison entrance and silently checked their credentials. They took a little longer looking at Bear’s visitor pass, but in the end, they waved both of them through.

  The prison was high security, and Thorne was held in the most closely observed section. Sadie had explained that Thorne was a bit of a celebrity around here, both with the prisoners and the guards. He had a way of worming into a person’s psyche. He had to be kept in isolation and his personal guards were switched out every few weeks so no one person was around him for too long.

  The prison itself looked as high tech as they came, which didn’t exactly sit well with Bear. Thorne was smart, and if there was a way to hack into the system, he’d find it. Or one of his many, many lackeys would. They needed to make sure there was a good old-fashioned bolt on the outside of Thorne’s door just in case.

  Bear filed away the note to bring it up later.

  For now he followed the pair of guards down a series of hallways and through a number of gates that could only be opened when they both put their key cards against the digital readers. A loud buzz echoed around the hall each time, and the four of them moved in unison from one section of the prison to the next.

  It took a solid fifteen minutes to make their way to the interrogation room where they’d be meeting Thorne. There would be no cameras and no mics inside. Even a piece of shit like Thorne had the right to meet in confidence with his lawyer, and this was the room he would be allowed to do that in.

  But they weren’t taking any chances. Two guards would be stationed outside the room in case Thorne decided to cause any trouble. Sadie had a recorder in her pocket, too. He probably wouldn’t give anything away—he was too smart for that—but on the off chance he let something slip, she wanted to be able to play it back again and again.

  Bear wasn’t arguing. They were desperate now.

  The two guards ahead of them stopped in front of a room with a solid steel door and no window. There was another dual digital lock here, but they didn’t open it right away.

  “You have half an hour,” the man on the right said. He wore a hat that he kept low over his eyes. “We open the door after thirty minutes exactly, whether or not you’re done.”

  “Understood,” Sadie said.

  “Do not underestimate him,” the man said. He sounded tired, like he’d seen firsthand the kind of manipulation Thorne was capable of.

  “We appreciate the warning,” Sadie said. “But we know who we’re dealing with.”

  Bear leaned forward, like he was sharing a particularly interesting secret. “We’re kind of the ones that put him in here.”

  Bear could tell the man’s eyebrows shot to the top of his head, even while they were hidden by his hat. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  Sadie folded her arms across her chest. “Why not?”

  “He was ecstatic to get to see you.”

  “Trust me,” Bear said, “that makes perfect sense.”

  The two guards exchanged looks but didn’t say anything further. Instead, they stood in front of their respective lock, held out their key card, then looked at each other and nodded. After a countdown, they pressed their badge against the reader, and a loud buzz filled the air.

  The man in the hat stepped to the side while the other guard pulled open the door and gestured for Bear and Sadie to walk through. After exchanging a look of their own, the two visitors entered the room one after the other, uncertain as to what exactly they’d be able to accomplish today.

  Thorne sat at the table in the center of the room, his hands and feet chained down. He looked the same as ever, only without his usual flair for style. Still, Bear thought he made the orange jumpsuit work. His hair wasn’t in disarray and he was still clean-shaven. The smile on his face seemed genuine. It made him look almost normal.

  Thorne spread his arms as wide as the chains would allow them to go. “Bear. Sadie. You are both a sight for sore eyes.”

  36

  “You’re looking well,” Sadie said. It didn’t sound like she meant it as a compliment.

  Bear kept his greeting to himself. It wouldn’t have gone over very well.

  “Working with what I have,” Thorne replied. He ran a hand through his hair. “Everyone here is quite cordial despite the circumstances.”

  “Too bad,” Bear said. He and Sadie sat across from the man who had caused them so much trouble over the last several months.

  Thorne laughed. “Yes, I’m sure it would’ve been nice to see me roughed up a bit, huh, Riley?”

  “You’ve still got plenty of time yet.”

  “I do, I do.”
Thorne didn’t seem too concerned about it, though. “By the way, you can put that recorder in your pocket on the table, Sadie.”

  Sadie clenched her jaw but brought the recorder out, regardless.

  “There is one issue, though.” Thorne brought his own device.

  “Is that an audio jammer?” Bear asked. “How did you get that?”

  “Not easily,” Thorne said, turning it on. “I have one or two friends around here. Even so, it’s been mighty hard to hang on to. I’m glad you came when you did. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having a private conversation right now.”

  Bear didn’t know how to answer that, and it seemed Sadie was at a loss for words, too.

  “I think this is going to work best if we’re both one hundred percent honest with each other, don’t you?” Thorne asked.

  Bear laughed. “Are you even capable of that?”

  “Oh, yes. Especially when it benefits me.”

  “That sounds about right,” Sadie looked at Bear. “You wanna go first?”

  Bear leaned in. “Where to start?”

  “Let’s start with Jack,” Thorne said. “How is he?”

  Now it was Bear’s turn to clench his jaw. “We haven’t talked in a while.”

  Thorne’s face fell. “That’s unfortunate.”

  “Jack and I will be fine. You should be worrying about yourself.”

  “Oh, I am,” Thorne said. “It would’ve been a lot easier if Jack could’ve explained his role in all of this. You don’t exactly have a history of trusting me.”

  “And for good reason,” Sadie pointed out.

  Thorne waved the comment away. “Water under the bridge.”

  “For you, maybe.”

  There was a seriousness to Thorne that Bear hadn’t seen before. He didn’t necessarily look afraid, but for once he looked out of answers.

  “Something not go according to plan?” Bear asked.

  “You could say that.” Thorne tugged on his sleeves like they were the cuffs on a dress shirt. “Can’t say I’m too surprised.”

  Sadie slid her palms across the table. “Are you going to start making sense anytime soon?”

  Thorne looked around the room like he was searching for hidden cameras. “If I tell you this, there’s going to be a target on your back. A big one. To be honest, there probably already is. And if you run, you can’t stop until you get to the end of this.”

  Bear was used to threats, but this felt heavier than that. Like a warning. Except it sounded like Thorne was trying to help them. Was he even capable of that?

  Sadie must’ve felt the gravity of the situation, too. “I’m listening.”

  “We’re gonna need to start at the beginning,” Thorne said.

  “London?” Bear asked.

  Thorne shook his head. “Costa Rica.”

  Sadie stiffened. That place didn’t hold good memories for any of them.

  “Do you know why I wanted Goddard dead?” Thorne asked.

  “The pipeline.” Bear dragged the memory forward like it had been stuck in mud. “You had a stake in it.”

  Thorne rolled his eyes. “Too easy. No, that’s not the reason. What about you, Sadie, do you have a guess?”

  “Cut the bullshit and just tell us.”

  “You guys don’t know how to have any fun.” Thorne sat up a little straighter and folded his hands in front of him. “He was a traitor.”

  Bear and Sadie remained silent. Bear, at least, wasn’t going to believe a word Thorne said without some evidence. But he was at least going to listen.

  “Senator Goddard was collecting secrets and selling them to the highest bidder. The pipeline was just the tip of the iceberg. He was blackmailing half of congress into making sure the deal went through, but that was only his day job. At night, he was selling national secrets to foreign powers.”

  “And you were the guy sent in to take him out?” Bear asked. “Seems a little below your pay grade.”

  “It’s not,” Thorne said, shooting him a withering look. “But no. My job was to monitor the good senator. Collect evidence. See what he was really doing in his spare time. To be honest, most people knew about his hobby. He wasn’t exactly keeping a low profile. There’s a reason why he went into politics instead of the CIA.”

  “If everyone knew about it,” Sadie said, “then why didn’t anyone take care of the issue before?”

  “Believe it or not, he was helping us.” When Sadie and Bear gave him a blank stare, he continued. “Those who knew about his little side job made it a point to keep tabs on where the information was going once it left his hands. We’d find out someone was interested, we’d track them down, and then take out the threat before they ever had a chance to make use of the intel.”

  “And no one got suspicious?” Sadie asked.

  “No one important. Certainly not Goddard. Sometimes we’d let little bits of information go free. Nothing too devastating. Just so he could keep his reputation as a solid informant.”

  “People got hurt, didn’t they?” Sadie asked. “When you let the information fall into the wrong hands.”

  Thorne shrugged. “It was necessary to the overall cause.”

  Sadie banged her fist on the table. “We’re supposed to protect people.”

  “And we are,” Thorne said. “Sometimes sacrifices need to be made. I’d love to live in your idyllic little world, Sadie, but it’s not realistic. I don’t like it any more than you do.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Bear asked.

  “I’m an asshole,” Thorne said. “Not a psychopath.”

  Bear snorted. “That’s to be determined.”

  “Are you going to continue insulting me or do you want to hear the rest of what I have to say?”

  “I’m not making any promises.”

  Thorne shot him a look, but didn’t argue. “Goddard was a good asset until he wasn’t. He got his hands on the wrong information.”

  “Korea,” Sadie supplied. “He found out about the government’s hand in North Korea’s current regime.”

  Thorne nodded sagely, like Sadie was his star pupil. “Correct. After Goddard’s death, we had some cleaning up to do.”

  “You keep saying we,” Bear interjected. “Who?”

  “Quite a few people and organizations. Your friend Frank, for one.”

  “He’s not my friend.”

  Thorne ignored Bear. “The CIA, for another. But there are others.”

  “You had cleaning up to do,” Sadie said, shooting Bear a look that told him she didn’t like that Thorne had gotten off track. “How?”

  “The usual methods. For those he was blackmailing, we let some off the hook. For others, Goddard was simply replaced by someone else. As for the people he leaked information to, I made it a point to pay them all a little visit. Some were taken out, while others were allowed to live—for a price.”

  “And Korea?” Sadie asked.

  “Korea was more complicated.” Thorne’s voice was almost wistful, like he had enjoyed the challenge. “We had to track the information Goddard had sold, then figure out the best way to infiltrate the government and take care of the problem.”

  “And you figured the best way was us?” Bear asked.

  “You had impressed me in Costa Rica,” Thorne said, with a shrug. “I wanted to know what you were both capable of and see how long I could keep my hands clean of the situation.”

  “Then we threw you a curveball,” Sadie said.

  “You threw me a curveball,” Thorne said. His voice was a little tighter now. “It was a good one, too. Unfortunate for us all, but impressive nonetheless. Your resume is on a lot more desks these days. I wouldn’t be surprised if a promotion was in the near future for you. If there’s a future for us at all, that is.”

  Sadie scoffed, but Bear cut her off. “Why is it unfortunate for us all?”

  “Because now I’m exactly where they want me.”

  “Who?” Sadie asked.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I to
ld you.” When Bear tried to argue, Thorne held up his hand—at least as far as the chain would allow him to. “That’s where Jack was supposed to come in.”

  Now it was Sadie’s turn to cut off Bear. “One thing at a time. First, why is it unfortunate you’re in here? I feel a lot safer at night.”

  “You shouldn’t,” Thorne said. His face had transformed back into the serious, almost-scared version of itself. “I was your last line of defense.”

  “Stop being cryptic,” Bear said. “You wanted to spill your guts, so spill them. Our time is running out.”

  “That it is.” Thorne closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, it looked like he had re-centered himself. His voice was calm and neutral. Any fear that had been dancing around the surface of his face was gone. “Goddard had a lot of secrets in his back pocket. Like I said, most of them were pretty harmless. One was not.”

  “Korea?” Bear asked.

  “Worse than that.” Thorne tried to put his hands in his lap, was stopped by the chain, and put them back on top of the table. “We found out that someone very prominent, someone the average person would know by name, was putting pieces into place that would cause wholesale destruction the likes of which the world has never seen before.”

  “That sounds dramatic,” Bear said. “And Goddard was just sitting on this information?”

  “Of course not.” Thorne sounded offended now. “He was an idiot. He had all the puzzle pieces, but he didn’t even think to put them together. I did.”

  “Lucky for us,” Bear said.

  “Lucky for everyone,” Thorne said. He leaned forward, his face serious again. “I’m not kidding, Riley. I’m not putting on theatrics. We’re talking about the start of World War III. This has been in the works for some time now. The dominoes have been set up. All they need is a good push. That’s what I’ve been trying to prevent. That’s what you stopped me from doing when you threw me in here.”

  “Then why are you even in here?” Sadie asked. “If all this was in service to the United States, why are you still locked up?”

  “Haven’t you been listening?” Thorne looked like he was losing it for the first time since they stepped foot in the room. “I’m right where they want me. They’re not going to let me out now. Not until everything is set in motion.”