One Rough Man

by Brad Taylor

  I heard her take a deep breath. “Yeah ... Yeah, I can do that. I’m not going to ask why the zigzag pattern. I don’t want to know what you’re going to say.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m coming. Hold tight. I’ll be there in minutes.”

  IN THE COURTYARD OF THE ATRIUM, Mason saw Pike leave the room three floors up. He called his teammate. “Get ready. He’s coming down.”

  The man was just outside the elevator exit, waiting. He watched Pike exit and head to a stairwell.

  “He’s not going to the Metro. I say again, he’s not going to the Metro.”

  Mason cursed. “Stay on him.”

  “He’s going to the parking garage. If I go into the stairwell with him, I’m burned.”

  “Hold on. Sit tight. Let him go. He spots you and we’re going to have a gunfight right here. Don’t take him on one-on-one. Remember, he took an MP5 from the mounted team this morning.”

  Mason thought about his options. He decided he needed to punt to his higher headquarters. He called Lucas and relayed the news.

  In the Crystal City office, Lucas took the call, feeling punched in the gut with the latest report. Jesus. Predicting this guy’s actions is proving impossible. He knew that he was now going to have to earn his salary. The hard way. It pissed him off. Screw drinking a beer with him. Prima-donna SMU asshole. When I get him I’m going to castrate his sorry ass.

  “Let him go. Head back to the office. We need to regroup. This seat-of-the-pants shit isn’t working.”

  I PARKED THE RENTALand entered the mall. Standing at the railing of the first level, I looked down into the basement level of the food court, spotting Jennifer. I knew that if she’d seen one man, there were several more. Nobody with any training tried to conduct surveillance alone, and these guys had training. I gave her a call, watching as she answered.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s me. I’m in the mall. Don’t look around, but I’m looking at you right now.” I saw her raise her head and couldn’t resist teasing her. “I said don’t look around! ... Just kidding.... Listen, I need you to—”

  “Jesus, Pike, this isn’t a joke!” she said, speaking in a fierce whisper. “Come get me! The man I saw is directly behind me. He’s been sucking on that small Coke for twenty minutes.”

  I spoke in soothing tones. “Okay, okay, slow down. Everything’s just fine now. I need to identify who else is with that guy. I need you to get up and walk toward the stairwell to your left front. Just casually get up and walk that way, going up the stairs. Don’t rush.”

  I watched the crowd. As soon as Jennifer began moving, a man to her right front stood up, moving with her, slightly behind. One. I watched Coke man. Coke man looked over at another man, who rose as well, moving toward the stairs ahead of Jennifer. Two. Jennifer was halfway up the stairs, one man in front, one man behind, when Coke man rose. Three. He must be the last one. I faded into a store.

  I called Jennifer. “You have three of them on you. We’ve got to slim it down. I need to get you with just one guy. Go into a store for a little bit to give me time to set up. I’ll call back in a minute.”

  I heard a little panic in her voice. “Wait! Don’t hang up. I don’t know who they are. They might kill me here.”

  “Jennifer, trust me. They won’t do anything here. If they were going to, they would’ve already done so. As long as they think you don’t know they’re on you, they’ll be content to follow. If you push them, they might try something to keep you from running. You’ll be all right. It’s almost over. Go drool over some shoes or something.”

  She waited a second before answering. “Pike, you’re an asshole. Don’t wait too long to call, or I might run just to make you work.”

  “I’ll only be a minute. I’m sure they’re wondering who you’re talking to, so act like this’s nothing. One more call and we’re done. Hang in there.”

  I hung up and sprinted to the nearest anchor store, a Macy’s. Taking the escalator stairs two at a time, I exited on the second level. Looking around, I thought it would work. I could put my back to the elevator next to the escalator exit and not be seen by anyone coming up.

  I gave Jennifer a final call.

  “Hey, here we go. This is the endgame. I need you to go to Macy’s. Take the escalator up to the second level. The escalator will act as a funnel. They’ll hang back, so that by the time you exit you should have only one man on you, with the other two staggered behind. Exit the escalator and turn left. I’ll be right there, so don’t jump. Just walk on past into the store. I’ll do the rest. Got it?”

  “Yeah. I got it. I act like I’m shopping and you kick their ass. I think I can do that. You sure this’ll work? What if two follow?”

  “Then I’ll improvise, but these guys are pretty switched on. I don’t think they’ll pull any amateur shit. Key here is to move naturally. These phone calls have got to be making them antsy. Don’t act like you’ve got some sort of instructions to do something. Whatever you do, don’t look down while on the escalator or look back while walking. You ready?”

  “Yeah. See you in a couple of minutes. I’m moving now.”

  I pressed myself into the small opening for the elevator door and waited. Four minutes later, Jennifer exited, walking by me at a natural pace, looking like a shopper who didn’t have a care in the world. She didn’t so much as give me a glance, making me think she had missed me. Then I noticed she was giving me an “A-OK” sign with her hand, her arm still swinging easily. I blinked. Huh. Cool as a cucumber.

  I moved into a slight crouch, resting on the balls of my feet. Nine seconds later, I could hear the man following talking to someone on a radio. “... no, don’t wait on me. If you have a clear opportunity to kill her and get away, take it.”

  Damn. I missed someone. They must’ve had a floater in the mall.

  76

  The man exited the escalator still giving instructions on his concealed radio, looking a little strange babbling into thin air. “... we’ll link back up at the garage. Just remember, no gunfire....” It was Coke Man. He saw me, the recognition causing his eyes to widen. “... holy shit ...”

  Great last words. I grabbed him by his shirt and whirled him around, pinning him against the elevator door. He immediately began to struggle, trying to tie up my arms. Before he could, I reached up with both hands and grabbed his head by the hair. I slammed it as hard as I could against the steel elevator support, hearing his skull crunch. I dropped him and took off in the direction Jennifer had gone, hitting redial as I went.

  “Hey, I screwed up,” I said. “They had a floater running around the mall and he’s on you now. Get to a crowded area as fast as you can.”

  “I’ll try. I took the first left and I’m in some baby section. Nobody’s here.” She paused, then said, “Oh, shit. Pike, I looked back ... I saw him ... he knows I saw him ... he’s walking right at me. I can’t get out of here without going by him.”

  I turned the corner and spied her about seventy-five meters away. The man following her was closing in at a fast walk, giving up any pretense of being a shopper. She was right. The only way out was through him. She was pinned in by a corner wall that opened up to a balcony on the third floor. Unfortunately, no shoppers were up there looking down. The killer would feel safe.

  “I see you. I see you.” Too far away. I’m not going to make it. At least the man hadn’t started running at her yet, giving me precious seconds.

  She said, “Get ready. I’m going to set this guy up for you.”

  Huh? What the hell is she talking about? “Jennifer, listen to me—”

  Before I could say anything, she dropped our backpacks and the laptop and took off running toward the wall below the third-level balcony. The killer began sprinting, rapidly closing the distance to her. I dropped the phone and followed suit, running flat out, as fast as I could. What the hell is she doing? There was nowhere for her to hide or defend herself. The killer closed the distance to five feet just as Jennifer veered directly at
the corner. Now she zigzags.

  I was thirty feet back, unable to do anything to prevent the man from catching her. I was just about to scream to distract the man when Jennifer launched herself in the air. She planted one foot on the left wall of the corner and pressed off, rising another four feet. She repeated the sequence with her right foot and got high enough to grab the railing of the third-floor balcony. She pulled herself over the rail, leaving the killer looking up, stunned. And alone.

  I sprinted right at him. He was two feet off the wall, his head cocked back, completely unaware that I was coming. Wow. This is going to leave a mark. I hit him just below the shoulder blades like an NFL linebacker, snapping his head straight back and driving him completely unprotected into the wall. I heard his ribs crack like dry kindling and felt a spray of blood from something damaged. When I dropped him, I saw his face was a gory mess. Ouch. I looked up and saw Jennifer, white as a bedsheet but smiling.

  I smiled back, showing her that I thought this was just business as usual, although my face was probably white too. Jesus, that was close.

  “Get your ass down here, spider monkey.”

  “I can’t get down from here. Only up. Keep heading around the corner. There’s a stairwell in back. Meet me there.”

  I ran back and gathered up my phone and our luggage, then ran in the direction she had indicated. I met her coming out the door. Knowing we were about five seconds from being seen by the other guys tracking her, I grabbed her hand and began dragging her toward the nearest exit.

  “Come on, we aren’t out of the woods yet.”

  We made it to the garage and the rental without getting spotted. I jumped into the driver’s seat while Jennifer ran to the passenger side.

  After closing her door, Jennifer leaned over and wrapped her arms around me in a fierce squeeze. She was trembling, adrenaline still coursing through her.

  She said, “I thought you were dead or in the hospital. What happened? Why did Kurt call?”

  I said, “Let’s get the hell out of here while we still can. I’ll tell you while we drive.”

  I started the car and exited the parking garage. “Before that, though, what on God’s green earth was that Flying Wallendas bullshit back there? What were you going to do if you missed? Fall on top of his head?”

  “No way was I going to miss. I told you, I used to do that stuff for a living. And somebody had to do something after your brilliant plan went to shit.”

  “Touché. So we had to flex a little bit. All part of the strategy.” I grinned at her. “I will say that was some pretty switched-on thinking back there. Scared me to death, but worked out very well.”

  I told her what had happened and my fears about the Taskforce.

  Jennifer didn’t seem to buy the theory. “You were the one that said it couldn’t be the Taskforce. Now you think it is?”

  “I can’t come up with any other explanation.”

  “Why on earth would the Taskforce do that? What possible good would it do?”

  “I have no idea, which is why I’m going to call Kurt right now. Where’s his number?”

  Jennifer got out the number and dialed the phone, handing it to me.

  I heard Kurt answer and said, “Guess you missed, huh, asshole?”

  “Pike, is that you? What happened at Four Courts? Where are you?”

  “You’ll find me soon enough, you son of a bitch. I still want to meet, but on my terms.”

  “What’s your problem? What’s going on?”

  “My problem is that you tried to fucking kill Jennifer and me. I’m willing to meet so you can tell me why. I’m sure there’s an incredibly good reason.”

  “Have you lost your mind? Why the fuck would I do that?”

  “Cut the shit. You were the only one who knew where we were meeting. You fed me that bullshit story about Ethan, then laid out the trap. I want to know why.”

  “Pike, Ethan is dead.”

  Kurt waited for me to say something, but his tone threw me off. He didn’t sound like he was playing a role. When I didn’t say anything, he continued.

  “His whole family is dead. His older girl ...”

  “Emily.”

  “Yeah, Emily, was tortured to death. Both her eyes were punctured and four fingers were cut off from her right hand. Ethan himself was missing an ear and had all of the skin flayed from both of his thighs. The wife and other daughter were tied up and shot in the back of the head. This wasn’t random. It had something to do with what you talked to him about.”

  What he said left me speechless. I tried to process it but couldn’t.

  “Pike? You still there?”

  I refocused. “That’s still just a story from you. I don’t know it’s true. All I know is that only one person on earth knew where I was going, and I walked into an ambush.”

  “There’s another explanation. Either your phone or my phone is being monitored.”

  I considered this. “You still want to meet?”

  “Yeah. Name the place.”

  “Meet me in ten minutes at the last place we saw Billy Donatelli. You aren’t there in ten minutes I’m gone. You come to that place, alone. If you’re still a warrior, you’ll feel a set of crosshairs on your skull. If I see anything strange at all, anybody attempting to set up a long-range shot or ambush, I’m not going to just leave. I’m going to let you get in position and then blow your head off. After you’re dead, I’ll leave. Is that understood?”

  “Yes. It’s understood. I’ll be there. Don’t turn the maintenance guy into the bogeyman.”

  I pulled into our destination, parking the car and hanging up the phone.

  Jennifer looked around, confused. “What are we doing at Arlington National Cemetery? Where’s the last place you and Kurt saw Billy?”

  “Here. I was his troop sergeant major, Kurt was the commander of the Unit. He died in Iraq in 2004.”

  77

  Kurt hung up the phone, realizing that Pike had picked the perfect meeting location. One, the reference to Billy was something that only he and Pike would know. Two, it was close enough to the Taskforce—only a mile as the crow flies—that Pike could force a very short timeline, thereby preventing Kurt from setting up any type of trap if he was so inclined. Three, Billy’s grave would be in the middle of a vast expanse of white stones, no cover or concealment anywhere to hide a hit team. Four, the reservation was blanketed by patrols of either National Park rangers or military police, all investigating anything out of the ordinary in an attempt to prevent vandalism to the hallowed ground. Fifth, and perhaps most important, the location was sacred to both Pike and Kurt, and Billy’s headstone would send a message that some things were worth more than whatever politics Pike believed Kurt was involved in.

  Kurt grinned in spite of himself, wondering how long it had taken Pike to think of it. He’s still the best under pressure.

  He hit the timer of his watch and set out at a trot to his car, yelling at the duty officer that he would be back in an hour.

  LUCAS AND HIS TEAM HEARD THE ENTIRE EXCHANGE at the Crystal City office. Lucas knew there was no way to figure out where both of these guys last saw the man named Billy Donatelli. He would have to rely on the beacon embedded in Kurt’s pager. One thing was for certain: With two men in the hospital for a cracked skull and broken ribs, and two failed attempts, he wasn’t going to launch out of here at the first opportunity. Pike had proven that he could thwart even well-laid plans. Now that he knew he was being hunted, he would be treated like the threat he posed. Should’ve pushed Standish on the collateral damage. Should’ve used a car bomb.

  I STOOD STILL, looking but not seeing the cross bearing Billy’s name, my mind a thousand miles away on a combat action years ago.

  When I looked up, Jennifer asked, “How did he die?”

  “On an assault. Nothing big, nothing fancy. It was an assault like hundreds of others. This one happened to be a hornet’s nest.”

  I changed the subject, not wanting to talk about
it. “We need to find a hiding place so we can watch Kurt and whoever else might come in.”

  I saw a knoll with a copse of trees about eighty meters away. It looked down on the site of Billy’s grave, with unobstructed views three hundred and sixty degrees. It would work.

  “Come on, Kurt should be here soon. If anyone else is coming, they’ll be first, and we need to be hidden.”

  Eight minutes later we watched a single individual advance to Billy’s grave. I recognized Kurt’s walk. Rolling over, I winked at Jennifer and said, “You see me drop, get out of here.”

  She rolled her eyes, muttering, “Asshole. If I had any sense ...”

  I lost the rest, running out to meet Kurt. Within two minutes, he convinced me that he was telling the truth, which gave me no small amount of relief. Finding out he had turned would reset what I knew about the United States government and what we stood for, and that would have been as bad as the trauma I felt when my family died. I was just now beginning to believe again that what I had done with my life was worthwhile. A betrayal by Kurt would have crushed that forever.

  After calling Jennifer, we got in the rental and exited Arlington. I asked Jennifer to drive, letting Kurt and me sit in the back and sort out what the hell was going on.

  Once outside of the Arlington complex, I told Kurt everything I knew. I ended with Ethan’s analysis and the attempts on our lives.

  “So, we definitely have two terrorists, probably still in Norway, who think they have a catastrophic weapon and are intent on using it. On top of that, some sorry sons of bitches here in the U.S. want to ensure they succeed.” I waited a beat, then said, “Well, I’m finished. I think that’s enough information to work on. I’m ready to get out of this business. How soon before you can launch the Taskforce?”