by Ken Fite
“Do you know where they’re keeping your husband?” I asked.
She stared at me and nodded slowly. “I was watching as they drove,” she said. “I know how to get there.”
FIFTY-ONE
WE HURRIED OUT and climbed back into Chris’s SUV. Chris drove and I sat next to him. Jami sat behind me next to Patricia Hayes. We waited in silence as the woman got her bearings. After a short time, she pointed north and told Chris that was the way they had come from. He started the motor. We started moving as she worked her way backward from where we started to help us find the location.
Jami asked why they moved her. Patricia said she didn’t know. They had been kept in a house, and the men who had her husband decided it would be best to split them up. They took her daughter first, before he got there. Then they moved her.
Chris continued to navigate the streets as I continued to think about Willis. Every few seconds, Patricia pointed and told Chris when to turn. She told him to slow down whenever she wasn’t sure. At one point, Chris stopped the vehicle and pulled off to the side of the road as she turned to look out the window, trying to decide which way we needed to go. Five minutes later we found the right street.
“It’s down there,” she said, pointing again.
Chris stopped the SUV and put it in park. Kept the engine running and stared across at me, looking worried. “I know the place.”
I furrowed my brow. “How?”
“It’s a safe house used by the Bureau,” he said. “Willis must’ve known about it. Last place anybody would have looked. Omar Malik might as well have been operating from the basement of the Hoover Building.”
Silence in the car as we all stared down the dark street.
“Do you know the layout?” asked Jami.
Chris nodded. “I’ve been inside a few times.”
I glanced back at Patricia Hayes. “Tell us about who’s inside,” I said. “How many men do they have now?”
She stared past me at the house in the distance. Grew quiet and thought about it. “Five, I think.”
“Are there still five in the house?” I asked. “Or did some of them go to the place where we found you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said nervously. “I’m sorry, I can’t think straight.”
I watched as Jami put a hand on her shoulder, and Patricia turned to look at her behind me. Jami said she’d stay back with the woman. We sat in silence for a moment. Then Jami moved to the driver’s seat. Chris and I left together and approached the safe house from the south. He told me it would be hard to get in from the back. Said there was a keypad by the front door, and he knew the combination. Said it was the same one used at another safe house on the other side of town. I reached for my Glock as we moved. Gripped it with both hands as we got to the door. I watched Chris punch in the code and grab the handle.
There was a chime from the alarm system as it opened. I entered first and Chris followed close behind me. I turned a corner. Found a man sprawled on the floor. I scanned ahead. Saw two more men. Both dead.
Chris moved ahead of me. He knew the layout, so it made the most sense. We turned another corner, and it opened up to a large room. There was another man on the floor, surrounded by a pool of dark red blood. The TV was on and set to a news channel with the volume low. We kept moving. Got to the kitchen. Found another body. We moved fast and cleared the first floor; then Chris pointed up to the second story.
We took the stairs and started clearing the other rooms. Got to a bedroom, and that was when I saw him.
Omar Malik was sitting on the floor, handcuffed to the metal post of a bed. He glared at us as we entered. Chris moved past him and checked a bathroom as I stayed back and kept my weapon trained on the man.
“All clear,” said Chris as he stepped back into the room. “No sign of Willis. Or the override device.”
I nodded. Stared down at Omar Malik and gripped my weapon tight. I studied his face. Saw the same scar I’d seen fifteen years earlier. Malik looked up at me but said nothing. Just glared and sat there motionless.
“Start talking,” I said. “Where’s the override device?”
Malik said nothing.
“Where’s Curt Willis?”
He made no reply.
“Your men are all dead,” I said. “The override device is missing. And you’re handcuffed to a bed.”
Malik just glared at me.
I crouched down and got eye level with the man. I paused for a brief moment as I looked him over. “Remember me?”
Malik narrowed his eyes. He studied me for a second, but remained quiet.
I glanced up at Chris, then lowered my gaze back down. “Fifteen years ago. My partner and I came for you.”
He narrowed his eyes further. “That was you,” he finally said. “My family died that night because of you.”
“And my friend died because of you ,” I said. “So believe me when I say that I have nothing to lose.”
Malik said nothing. Chris remained standing and silent. “Where’s the device?” I said. “Where’s Willis?”
Malik shook his head and looked away. I stood. Rested the muzzle of my weapon on Omar Malik’s head.
“Last chance,” I said. “It’s obvious what happened. Curt Willis took your men out. He made sure you were incapacitated so he could come back and arrest you so you can take the fall for the attack on the president. But Willis has the override device. He wants to be the one to take out Keller.” I paused. “So where is he?”
Malik took in a deep breath. His wrist was held secure to the heavy bed, and he stretched out as far as he could and turned his gaze downward. I heard him laughing. “You’re too late,” he said. “So do as you wish.”
My hand was shaking as I gripped my gun tighter. “Ten-eighteen, Jon,” I said to myself. Assignment complete .
I started to squeeze the trigger when Chris’s cell buzzed. I kept the muzzle tight against Malik’s head. Chris stared at me as he answered. His eyes grew wide and I watched as the blood drained from his face.
“Blake,” he said as he stretched his hand out, offering me his cell phone, “you need to talk to Morgan.”
FIFTY-TWO
I STARED AT Chris for a moment. Glanced down at Malik and lowered my weapon, then holstered it. Stepped closer to my friend and took his phone. Pressed it against my ear. “What is it, Morgan?”
There was silence for a long moment before he spoke. “I have news to share with you, mate.”
“What is it?” I said again.
Silence on the line. I waited. “There was an airstrike against Air Force One . Keller was still on board.”
I glanced at Chris. He looked pale and stunned. I looked down at Omar Malik. He was watching me. The man smiled and he started to laugh again. I turned and stepped out of the room and moved to the hallway. Morgan wasn’t speaking. The line was completely silent. I put my back against the wall and leaned on it.
“How?” I said.
I heard Morgan take a deep breath and let it out. “I received an interagency bulletin five minutes ago. President Keller ordered his Air Force pilots to land. Air Force One was out on the tarmac at Andrews. Just sitting there. The FBI was apparently monitoring the whole thing. Mulvaney set up a secure line. Keller said he was on the ground and was in contact with Malik. The aircraft was struck by two missiles.”
“Morgan, I was with Tom Parker at the Hoover Building. He said he was going to talk to Keller. He said he wouldn’t let him go through with it. He said he’d think of something.” I paused. “Call him, Morgan. There’s got to be some kind of mistake.” My mind was racing. I took a breath. “Morgan, I want proof.”
There was more silence on the line. Morgan breathed again. “I have the proof, mate.”
I said nothing.
“There was video footage the drone captured. I’ll send it to Chris’s phone. Hold on a sec.”
A few seconds later, I saw it come through. I held the phone out and watched the grai
ny black-and-white video from a drone high above Washington. It was hovering over a tarmac and a large Boeing aircraft. Thirty seconds passed. I watched as the view zoomed in. I stayed leaning against the wall; then I slid down on it and sat, waiting and watching and holding my breath. A few seconds later, there was an explosion. The screen flashed brightly. It went completely white for a brief moment. Then the tarmac came into view again. All I saw was a black cloud and the video ended. Morgan was calling for me as I was trying to speak.
“Morgan,” I finally got out, “are you absolutely sure that was Air Force One? ”
“I’m sure, Blake,” he said. “The aircraft has a very specific identifier. A signature, if you will. I verified it.”
I sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. I stared blankly at the wall across from me. I thought about James Keller and the promise I’d made to my father to protect his friend. A promise I’d broken.
“I need you to find Willis,” I said. “He thinks I’m dead. He tried to kill me. He took out Omar Malik’s men. He left the guy here to pick up later. He’s got the override device. Morgan, I need to find him. For Keller.”
“I’ll do my best, mate. What are you going to do?” he asked, but I said nothing. Just disconnected the line and sat on the floor as reality sank in: the President of the United States was dead.
FIFTY-THREE
I REMAINED SITTING for a full minute. Then I pushed up off the floor and got to my feet. I dropped Chris’s phone into my pocket and stepped back into the room. I saw Chris standing next to Omar Malik. I looked down at Malik and watched as he slowly glanced up at me. He studied me briefly. Then he smiled.
“They’ve confirmed it, haven’t they?” he asked.
I stepped closer. Reached for my Glock and aimed it at his right leg and pulled the trigger. “You killed him, you son of a bitch,” I said as I rested the muzzle of my Glock on the top of the man’s head.
He started screaming and grabbed his leg with his free hand and writhed in pain. Then he fell silent and started laughing again. It was faint at first. Then it grew louder. I kept my hand gripped tight on my weapon. I watched as Chris Reed put a hand on his own weapon, but he did not draw it. I looked back down. My hand was shaking. Blood had splattered everywhere. It was pooling underneath him.
“You kill me and thousands of people will die,” Malik finally said.
I stared down at him and said nothing. Tried to read his microexpressions, something I’d been trained to do as a SEAL. I watched him carefully.
“I have information you need if you want to stop Curt Willis,” he added. “For me, eliminating the president was the end goal. The only thing that mattered. But for him, Keller is only the beginning.”
Chris stepped forward. “Tell us what you know.”
Malik shook his head. “First I want immunity,” he said. “And safe passage back to my home country.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I said. “How about you tell us what you know, and maybe you get to live.”
Malik shook his head again. I moved the weapon and fired a round into his other leg. Malik let out a loud scream from the pain. My hand was still shaking. I moved the weapon back to the top of his head and kept it there for another couple of seconds, but then I took a step back from Malik. The man was in extreme pain now. Sweat had formed on his brow, and he was rocking himself back and forth slowly. But Omar Malik spoke no other words. He stared up at me, trying to control the pain, and said nothing more.
I holstered my Glock. Put my hands on the back of my head and slid them down my neck and started to pace. Chris was watching me. Letting me decide what we should do. I looked aside, thinking about it. I didn’t know. I stepped back into the hallway, trying to put some space between Malik and myself. I needed to think it through. Chris followed me out and put his hands on my shoulders so I’d stop moving.
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
I took in a breath and let it out. “He’s telling the truth,” I said. “About Willis. He’s planning something.”
“You sure?”
I nodded and looked past my friend, back into the room before responding as I thought through everything I knew up to that point. “Willis shot me and left me for dead,” I said. “Then he came back here and let them take out Keller. Then he took out Malik’s men and left Malik here. Willis double-crossed him. Willis took them all out to cover his tracks. And maybe to finish the job he started at the Bureau. Then he left with Hayes and took the device. Why would he do that?”
Chris shrugged.
“Because he’s not done yet.”
“What else is left to do after you kill the president?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I said. “But neither does Omar Malik. He’s lying about that part.”
Chris made no reply.
“Willis is a dangerous man,” I said. “We need to find him and stop whatever he’s doing.”
“I’ll call Simon,” said Chris. “I’ll see if he can find Willis. Maybe he can use his vehicle’s GPS.”
I shook my head again. “Morgan can’t get a hold of Simon. He’s probably busy helping Parker.”
“Then I’ll call Morgan directly and I’ll have him do it.”
“No,” I said. “Call Mulvaney. Tell him to send his Bureau people down here to pick up Omar Malik.”
“What about Jami and Patricia Hayes?”
I thought about it. “I’ll send them to the Hoover Building,” I said. “Jami can take her to see her daughter. Call Mulvaney. Tell him to leave some of his people with you after they take Malik. In case Willis returns.”
Chris nodded. “What about you?”
Before I could answer, Chris’s phone buzzed in my pocket. I reached for it and answered. “Morgan?”
There was a pause on the line. “Blake,” said Simon followed by another long pause. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
I cupped the phone and told Chris it was Simon. “Have you heard from Parker?” I asked.
There was more silence on the line. “I haven’t talked to him,” he finally said, sounding despondent.
I narrowed my eyes, confused by the conversation. “Morgan’s been trying to contact you.”
“I’ve been busy,” he said, and I heard him put me on speakerphone at his desk. “I’m trying to reach Chris.”
“He’s right here, hang on,” I said and handed Chris Reed’s phone back to him.
He took the phone and asked Simon what he needed. I crossed my arms and paced the room. Heard Chris talking about the CIA’s drones and asking questions. Then he asked Simon if DHS had fleet trackers for their vehicles. A second later, he nodded and looked disappointed. Chris told Simon we needed to find Willis. Chris listened to the response. Then he clicked off and dropped his phone into a pocket.
“Simon wanted to know where I was,” said Chris. “He said DHS doesn’t have a fleet tracker, so he can’t help us find Willis. He told me he’s still trying to take back control of the CIA’s drones for Parker.”
“That’s not what Simon told me,” I said, confused by the conversation. “He said he hadn’t spoken with Parker.”
Chris said nothing.
“And Morgan can’t seem to get a hold of him. Why’d he ask where you were?”
Chris stared at me blankly. “I don’t know.”
My heart was beating fast. “He said he was glad I was okay. How would he know what Willis did to me?”
Chris made no reply. Just shook his head slowly and furrowed his brow, trying to understand what my point was.
“Call Mulvaney,” I said. “Get his people over here and hang back like I said, in case I’m wrong.”
“Wrong about what?” asked Chris as I walked away from him.
I glanced over my shoulder as I moved toward the staircase. “I think I know where to find Curt Willis.”
FIFTY-FOUR
I STEPPED OUTSIDE and found Chris Reed’s SUV. Went to the back door and knocked on the glass. Jami unlocked t
he door, and I slid into the backseat behind Patricia Hayes, who was in the passenger seat. Jami turned around and looked at me. Questions in her eyes. I explained everything that had happened. Told her about Omar Malik and how Chris was going to call Mulvaney and have his boss send more Bureau guys down to pick up the terrorist. Told her Chris was going to hang back and wait for Willis in case he returned. Patricia Hayes looked worried. She turned to look at me as I spoke.
“What about Robert?” she said. “Did you find him?”
I shook my head in the dark. “I’m sorry, he’s still missing.” I glanced at Jami. “Along with the override device.”
Jami asked me what we should do next. I told her to take Patricia Hayes to the Hoover Building to see her daughter. Asked if she’d first take me to Homeland’s Nebraska Avenue Complex. Jami asked me why. I lied. Told her Simon had called, needing my help. I said I was going to help him track down Curt Willis.
She looked me over. Narrowed her eyes. I figured she could tell there was more to it, but then she turned back and started the motor and put the SUV in gear. We were on the road for less than ten minutes. Jami pulled up close to the NAC, and I told her to drop me off out front. She wanted to know why. I said I’d walk the rest of the way and talk to the security guy at the guardhouse. Told her after she reunited Patricia Hayes with her daughter that she needed to find Parker. She asked how she’d get in touch with me. I said I’d be in touch with her. I stepped out and watched her make a U-turn and head south toward downtown.
I watched the brake lights from the sidewalk. They glowed brightly and grew fainter as she drove farther. Then she turned a corner and disappeared. I turned back and moved toward the guardhouse. Didn’t see the old guy. I reached for my weapon and gripped it with two hands as I drew closer. Saw a bullet hole in the window. I got to the back door. Looked inside and saw the old guy on the floor. The door was locked.