"Nic, when the name the NYPD provided was run through our database, we got a hit on an alias for one of our own assets." Zane's gritty voice filled the cabin area.
"You mean a member of Guardian built the bomb?" Nic's gut clenched.
"No. No, he is not Guardian, but we used his talents about two decades ago. NYPD has his alias. His real name is Montgomery Allen. He made the best remote trigger pieces in the business and was one of the good guys when Guardian was doing business with him."
"But he isn't now?" Jade asked as she came to a stop at a traffic light.
"No. He was on a government sponsored vacation upstate for ten years. Got out and disappeared. The FBI tied devices of his design to the bombing of those three financial institutions on Wall Street six years ago. Talking with a few contacts I have, we believe the Triad protected him while he was inside in return for the use of his abilities. Using that theory, we've been able to tentatively tie several previously unrelated incidents to Allen's designs and consequently the Triad. I'll have Jewell send you his picture. However, there is one flaw in our reasoning. The guy would be almost eighty now."
"So you think he took on an apprentice." It wasn't a question. If the Triad had protected him, the man could have taken on someone and taught him or her how to make the remote triggers.
"Most likely scenario."
"This last known address. How reliable is it?" Jade threw the question out.
"All things considered it probably isn't a valid address unless someone was feeding us the information for a reason." Jewell's voice came across the airwaves.
Nic scrutinized Jade. "It could be a trap." She considered him and nodded in agreement. "Jewell, we need to run down any known aliases Allen has used in the past. Dig into the Guardian archives. If he was using an alias when the NYPD tracked his last known, it could be a habit, and he may be using old aliases to fly under the radar. New identities aren't cheap, and the Triad wouldn't provide him an alias. They'd keep him under wraps, so if this guy is still alive and not a prisoner, he is using an alias. Also, check prison records. Who were Allen's cellmates? What known member of the Triad did he have contact with inside? Compare work details, lunch breaks and recreation hours. Is there any record of visitors for Allen? Family members or friends that the Triad could leverage? Pull up any bank accounts for Allen or known family members. Scour anything you can to see if we can substantiate the Triad is either forcing Allen to participate or paying him to do so."
"You got it, Nicster." Nic could hear furious typing in the background.
Zane came back on the line, "Be careful. This entire situation reeks. I'll brief Jason and Jared, and we will get you the information on Allen." The line went dead. Nic drew a deep breath and focused on the scene outside the window. They were rolling through what appeared to be a warehouse district-massive, sprawling compounds with inadequate lighting, fencing with gaping holes and graffiti splattered across limestone and brick. The area looked like a demilitarized zone. Jade pulled over and stopped. Nic inspected the GPS app and noticed they were about three blocks from the destination.
"We can come in from different sides. I'll take the west side. You take the east." Jade spoke as she opened the center console and took out two earpieces and small transmitters. Nic clipped the transmitter to his collar and put in the earpiece as she did the same.
They both exited the vehicle and headed toward the rear compartment. Jade opened the mobile weapon armory. They both grabbed ammo belts, extra magazines for their primary weapons, and clipped on pouches filled with 5.56. Nic unlocked the rifle rack and handed her an M-4 before he took one. They each chose an ankle holster and strapped on a smaller weapon. Jade pulled an Interceptor 911 and clipped the knife to her ammo belt. Nic shut the vehicle, and they locked and alarmed it.
Nic stood at the back of the vehicle and stared at the woman getting ready to walk into a potentially deadly encounter with him… beside him. Jade would stroll through the fires of hell and whistle as if she was on a day trip through the park. She was the antithesis of the women he'd dated in the past. Jade had flowed into the cracks and fissures of his life. She freely shared a strength that infused him with determination. He would be the man she could walk beside, not the player he'd been in the past. She deserved a man who understood her and stood with her, not in front of her. Jade looked up, questioning his stillness. He reached and tugged her into him. "Don't be a hero in there." He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her, hard and fast.
A wicked, evil smile spread across her face. God, the woman lit up from the inside and Nic could tell she lived for moments like this. Jade confirmed his suspicions when she reached up and pulled him down for an equally hot and fast kiss. "Don't worry about me, pretty boy. Just try to keep up."
Chapter Twenty-Four
" Pretty boy?" Jared's humor-filled voice echoed in her earbud. "That is the second time in as many hours that my sister has called you pretty, my man. Don't suppose you'd want to tell us what is going on between the two of you, would you?"
"No, he wouldn't, and who is on this frequency?" Jade lifted her hand to Nic's chest and tapped it twice over his heart before she turned and headed out to her position at a slow jog.
"Jason."
"Jacob."
"Jewell and Zane."
Each of her siblings sounded off in turn. "And me, of course," Jared added.
"Nosey bunch of assholes aren't you? Stand down, transitioning." Jade murmured as she slowed. She needed to be able to hear, so she requested the stand down on comms. She walked quietly to the corner of the building at the end of the block and listened. The noises of the night and the sounds of the city in the distance blended. There were no footsteps, scrapes of a boot against the pavement, or rocks kicked down the cement. Most importantly there was the continuance of ambient noise. Crickets chirped in unison and no animals silenced in alarm or warning. Jade peeked around the corner and took in the scene. After the building she was taking cover behind, she had a full block without cover.
"Jason, can we black out the neighborhood? I'm fucked if they have someone on the rooftop."
"One power outage coming up." Jason's voice rumbled in her ear.
"Nic, status?" Jade listened as Jared sent out the question.
"Clear. I'm covered to the back entrance. Three hundred more feet." Nic's hushed voice came over the comms.
"Stand down outside the facility. Do not enter." Jacob commanded.
"No shit, asshole. I don't feel like punching my ticket today. Not a fucking rookie or an idiot." Nic muttered his reply.
"Don't be a jerk or I'll call your backup off." Jacob taunted.
"No, you won't. Your sister is with me." Jade could hear Nic breathing as he moved forward. "In a safe position. Standing by."
"I need five minutes. Jade are you in a secure area?" Jason's voice made her jump. The man was too damn loud. Jade pushed back into the darkness and confirmed her safety.
"So what do we do for five minutes? I know! Let's play twenty questions!" Jewell's voice floated into her ear.
"Let's not." Jade and Nic said the same words at the same time.
"Oh, this is too good to be true." Jacob laughed for a moment. "Teams will be with you in less than ten minutes. Recommend standing by with the power outage until all personnel are in position."
"Acknowledged. Nic, do you see any movement?" Jared's voice chimed in.
"Standby." Jade counted to a slow ten before Nic's voice returned. "I have lights on in the facility. Bottom floor southeast corner. Unknown occupants."
"Copy that." Jared acknowledged the report.
"Soooo… how long have you two been dating?" Jewell's laughter broke the brief silence.
"Need to concentrate right now, and thank you very much, Jewell. I'll remember this." Jade hissed the words at Jewell and was rewarded with another laugh, this time it sounded like
all her siblings laughing keyed the voice activated mic's they were wearing.
"That wasn't a denial," Jacob interjected.
"I have street cams up. Doing a sweep of the local area." Jewell interjected before she agreed with Jacob, "Nope, it wasn't a denial, but Jade doesn't date…"
"Lights out in six minutes. Status of your teams?" Jason's voice cut through Jewell's teasing tone.
"Thank fuck someone is concentrating on business," Nic chimed in.
"I am," Jason confirmed. "But I'd like to know what your intentions towards my sister are, DeMarco."
"Fuck you." Jade and Nic responded simultaneously, triggering another round of laughter.
"Teams are four minutes out." Jacob dropped the information.
"Traffic cams show no movement. There is no power at the facility to your left Jade. I recommend you take the team across the street to move forward. If there are emergency generators in the compound you are taking shelter behind, they may cut on and spotlight you." Zane's voice came over the comms. That was weird. As many operations, as she'd done, it had always been a family member on the comms. Zane's sudden addition into the mix still surprised her. "Lights out in two minutes." Zane's voice again. Damn, she needed to get used to that.
"Teams arriving on scene," Jacob commented.
"Lights out in one minute." Adrenaline coursed through her veins at Zane's countdown.
"Teams deploying. Standby for arrival." Jacob reported the information. Jade would wait for them until the lights were out, then she was going in, the team could catch up. Of course, everyone on the comms would assume that bit of information, because, hello…she always did her own thing.
"Lights out in thirty seconds." Zane continued the countdown.
Jade heard the shuffle of footsteps behind her and waited until she could confirm the team's identity before she lifted from her crouched position and revealed herself. The team leader acknowledged her and called in that he was on scene.
"Ten, nine, eight…"
"In position." The second team radioed in. Jade released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Nic had backup. Ten pounds of tension slipped from her shoulders.
"…three… two… one."
The entire grid catapulted into darkness.
Jade moved out, trusting the team was right behind her. She crossed the street and sprinted down the block. The tactical belt and equipment made a minimum of noise, but the entire team running at the same time made a racket. Jade pulled up at the door to the warehouse.
"In position." She breathed the words through her comms.
"On three."
Jade listened to Zane count them down and took the high position as the door opened. The team leader took the low position. She cleared to the right and stood aside. The team had NVG's, and they were experts at urban warfare. Clearing buildings like these was what they did. She followed through listening to the two teams clearing the facility. A hum pulsed through the facility and lights flickered back on. The team lifted the NVG's, probably blinded by the unexpected return of electricity.
"Could have warned us." Nic's censure echoed her own thoughts.
"Not our doing. Some overachiever at the power company no doubt," Jewell responded.
They continued forward, but this time Jade was an active participant in the search. They split into two teams and cleared the west side of the building working toward Nic's team.
"In position." Nic's voice over her comms brought instant relief.
Jade said a prayer of thanks for the speed of the team assigned with her. The door that led into the next room was propped open about two inches. Instead of risking giving away their position, she reached up to her transmitter and clicked it twice, the established code for acknowledgement when silence was necessary.
Nic's voice floated to her. "On three."
Jade focused on the team leader, and he motioned low. She stood and leaned against the wall outside the door and listened as Nic counted down the entry. On his whispered "three", they exploded through the door at the same time as Nic's team entered at the rear of the room.
Two people sat at a workbench. Conventional wisdom would tell you they would jump at the explosion of movement, but they didn't. Jade drew down on them, as did Nic. The teams did their jobs and cleared the room. From opposite directions, they walked toward the two men. Jade noticed the bindings keeping them in the chairs. One was slouched forward. Blood coated his left side. The grey pallor of his skin told her the man was dead or close to it. The other man lifted his head. Montgomery Allen. Nic reached him first and pulled the gag from his mouth.
"Get out." The old man wheezed horrendously. "You have time, but you must go now. The detonator is simplistic. It runs on a timer. The timer is hardwired to the electricity in the building. The power outage gave you time, but it also activated the device. Go! Go now!"
"Cut the power again!" Jade pulled her knife out and cut the man's bindings.
"No! You must not! It has a failsafe. Another outage will trigger it immediately. Go, find them! They have four more remote detonators and C4."
Jade pulled the earbud out of her ear. The explosion of voices and yelled commands damn near deafened her.
The man reached for her arm. "I will only slow you down. Go."
Nic grabbed her by the arm and moved her out of the way. He bent and lifted the old man over his shoulder.
"Clear out! Follow Nic's team leader! Let's go!" Jade bellowed the command to her team before she ran after Nic and his team.
They sprinted through the halls, directly to the exit. Jade could hear sirens as soon as she emerged from the building. She wedged her earbud back in her ear as they ran. They raced across the street and took cover behind a sturdy brick building down the block. Nic bent slowly and controlled the elderly man's crumble to the sidewalk. Allen held his head in his hands, wheezing and coughing.
Jade bent down to talk to the man. "Do you know where…"
The percussion of the explosion pushed her to her hands and knees. She moved on instinct, covering the elderly person. Nic wrapped them both in his arms. A shower of bricks and mortar imploded to their left. The cover of the building they were leaning against prevented any of the debris from hitting them. Billowing cushions of smoke, dust, and dirt swirled around them.
"Report!" Jason's voice bellowed over the comms.
Jade listened to the team leaders rattling off information and details. An NYPD cruiser and an ambulance pulled up to the scene. Jade and Nic gave their M-4s and ammo belts to the team leads to lock up. Jade listened to the back and forth between CCS and the teams. She moved out into the street and took in the remains of the building they had abandoned. A shiver ran up her spine. The specter of death surrounding them was strong. She glanced at Nic. He'd been brushed by death twice in the last twenty-four hours. First, his mother, then the random woman he'd tried to protect. She dropped her eyes to the old man. Would he be the third? God, she hoped not. They needed that man… alive. Jade returned her attention to Nic. As if he felt the weight of her stare, he turned his head and met her eyes. The emptiness in his spoke volumes.
Jade walked back to him and grabbed his hand as it dangled by his side. He squeezed her hand gently.
"We are taking him to County, it is the closest." The EMTs lifted the gurney into the back of the ambulance.
Nic and Jade moved as one.
"We're going with him." Nic's reply brokered no room for argument.
Montgomery Allen was their only lead, and they needed as much information as the man could provide. If he could provide it. The tinge of blood on the man's lips prevented her from assuming he'd be able to help.
Jade made a move to get into the back of the bus. Nic held her hand preventing her from moving. She stopped and took a hard look at the ambulance. It was the company that had taken his mom to the hospital. She got his he
sitation to assume the same position as when they had transported his mom.
"Get in the back. I'll ride shotgun."
He nodded, squeezed her hand and moved to the back of the vehicle.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nic strode down the hall of the hospital. Thankfully it was a different facility than the one that had taken in his mother. Jade had 'acquired' a set of scrubs and a pair of old tennis shoes for him from the doctor's lounge. She'd also located a vacant room with a shower, and Nic took two minutes to wash the blood, brains and bone fragments along with the explosion's debris from his body. He carried his weapons, credentials, and cuffs under his arm, rolled up in his soiled clothes.
He turned the corner and saw Jade leaning against the wall outside Montgomery Allen's room. Two NYPD officers had accompanied Allen to radiology. Not that the man was a flight risk. The worry now was the Triad, or the injuries he'd sustained, would kill Allen before he could answer questions.
Nic took up the position with her, leaning against the wall. She peeked up from her phone giving him an appreciative once over. "Now, there's the pretty boy I know."
Nic chuckled despite the exhaustion he felt. "You're not going to stop calling me that, are you?"
"Naaahhh. I mean, it bothers you when I do it. A win for me. But seriously, all modesty aside, you must admit you are one pretty fucker, aren't you?" She elbowed him and smiled as she taunted.
"Yeah, yeah I am."
Jade threw back her head and laughed at his response. The sharp, happy sound reverberated down the hallway. A nurse popped her head out of the room across the hall and shushed Jade, throwing in a scathing look for good measure. Jade slapped her hand over her mouth and continued to laugh, albeit in a quieter fashion.
He shook his head and tried to stifle the smile that spread across his face. The woman was irreverent as hell.
After a moment to gain control of herself, Jade nudged him with her elbow again. "What's the game plan?"
Jade (The Kings of Guardian Book 9) Page 22