The third floor of the FBI building was swarming with activity, but no one was moving fast enough. “Slap a bandage on it. No hospital. And where is Sarah? I need her… Lexie needs her.”
Jason put the last piece of tape over the bandage and stood. “She’s on her way up now.” He planted both hands on either side of the arms of Mac’s chair. “I know you’re pissed and scared to death for Lexie, but if you take this shit out on Sarah, you’re going to have a busted lip to go along with two black eyes. Got it?”
A hint of reason slipped through his consciousness. The last thing in the world he would do was hurt Sarah.
“Got it.”
“Mac, we have the street footage of the attack,” said one agent across the table.
“Play it.”
The next several minutes were hell on earth. His brother stood close behind him, his body shaking with tension. It had been less than a year ago that Sarah was taken by a madman. Mac stood by Jason, and for the first time, he understood completely the horror of what those two went through.
The instant Ryan’s fist hit Lexie on screen, something lethal exploded inside Mac. He could feel Jason’s hand on his shoulder, but everything else in the room narrowed to tunnel vision. His guilt mutated into a cold, hard rage. “The son of a bitch is a dead man walking.”
“Easy, Mac. Find your control because this isn’t what Lexie needs right now.” Jason didn’t back down but held his stance. “I know where your head is at. Shut it off and act like an agent-in-charge before Díaz has you removed from the room.” His stance eased. “She’s a fighter, but she’s counting on us to find her.”
Closing his eyes, Mac focused on Lexie as he sucked in several deep breaths. Jason’s words slid past the rage, and his lungs filled with healthy air. When he opened his eyes, the pinpoint vision changed and the entire screen came into focus.
Ryan had set up the roadblocks, practically mirroring Mac’s route. “Rewind the tape one minute.”
It was like watching a well-choreographed dance. Each player had a job, and they executed it to perfection. From the moment Mac’s convoy exited MoPac, Ryan’s men manipulated their route.
Mac couldn’t help glancing at each member of his team. This group didn’t betray the oath they took.
“What do you see?” Jason asked quietly at his side.
“We have a mole feeding information to Mick Ryan.”
“I agree,” Sarah said from the doorway. “But maybe not the type of mole you are thinking.”
Mac glanced at the sleeping babies, and the rage in him subsided a little. Nothing like a reminder of the best this world could offer to give a man a new perspective.
“Ryan somehow found a back door into our system, and he had our plan the instant we texted to you. I don’t know how he did it, but until I do, I suggest we go black.”
Díaz stormed into the room. “Sarah, I promise you’ll get some time alone with your children soon.” Without missing a beat, he asked Mac, “Should you be in the hospital?”
“No, sir.”
“I know Ms. Trevena means something to you, but we are quite capable of—”
“Lexie means everything to me. She needs me here, not stuck in an ER waiting for an X-ray I don’t need.”
Díaz studied him, then said, “So show me how we need you.”
Mac reached for his laptop, but Sarah slammed the lid shut just as he was about to type.
“Black, remember. Use mine.”
Mac grimaced and held his chair out for his sister-in-law. “Are you tracking the silver Lexus?”
“Of course. If it passes by a traffic camera, we’ll see it. It would be difficult, but my only concern is Ryan could crash the traffic camera network. If that happens, we’ll lose him.”
“Can you continue to track Ryan and pull up a map of the Texas-Mexico border?”
“Sure.”
The scene of the attack disappeared and the map replaced it.
“No one is seeing this but us, right?” he asked Sarah.
“Completely secure.”
Mac took the next five minutes to fill Díaz in on what Lexie witnessed on the walls of the ranch house. “Our assumption that Ryan is trying to force a full-scale border closing is looking more valid. Lexie noticed a red flag pushpin somewhere in this region.” He used a pointer to highlight a small area in northern Mexico around Nuevo Laredo. “From what she told me, I think the next drone attack will come from the land controlled by the Tortello cartel.”
“Is Tortello working with Ryan?” Díaz asked.
“No, sir. I think he’s setting them up just like he set up Lexie. If he releases the drone from that territory into the United States or from Juarez, it would appear that the cartels have joined together to retaliate against the drone attack in Matamoros a couple of days ago.”
Díaz hissed out a breath. “That would force us to send in the military to guard the borders from Brownsville to San Diego.”
Mac nodded. “And the Mexico military, instead of fighting the cartel war, will be reassigned to the borders.”
“But Ryan has possession of only one drone.”
“That we know of. He could have one of every shape and size.” Sarah moved her laptop in front of her. “Ryan could attack several areas at once with a drone small enough to be a centerpiece on this table. He couldn’t launch rockets from a small drone, but he could load it with C-4. Flying it into the right location could take out a building.”
“Sir, Lexie noticed lines from the spot on the map connected to the three major border crossings. There just isn’t enough information to predict what he’s going to do, but my gut tells me the next attack will come from Mexico into United States.”
“Taking Lexie from us in plain daylight was messy.”
“I agree,” Mac said. “Ryan’s making his move today. Whatever is going on is happening now.” His own assessment sent a chill through his spine. So many people had let Lexie down in her life. He would not add his name to that list. There was only one person who could shed some light on this nightmare. He turned toward one of the agents across the table. “Has Senator Ramirez been released from the hospital?”
“Yes, this morning. He’s giving a press conference at one.”
“Are you sure?” Mac demanded.
“He wanted to assure everyone he’s fine and working to find out who did this.”
“The idiot. What’s he thinking?” Mac shoved his fists in his pockets. “Where is the conference being held?”
“The Capitol building.”
“Shit! That’s it. Pull up the Capitol building.”
“What is it?” Jason stood.
“Ryan will use Lexie to make Senator Ramirez confess his involvement with the cartels on live television.”
“Ryan couldn’t predict the news conference,” Díaz added.
“Yeah, he could, sir. That was the plan all along—to steal a drone and send it into the home of the man he hates. Ryan knows everything there is about Ramirez, especially the senator’s love of the limelight. It would be easy to predict that Ramirez would plant his face in front of a camera.” Mac paused, then said almost to himself, “He planned everything down to the last note, and we’re all playing our parts so well. The only thorn in his side was that I took Lexie and he had to get her back.” Mac yanked his torn sport coat off of his chair and charged for the door. “Ryan and Ramirez can fight it out, but I’m getting Lexie out of the middle of their war.”
“Mac! Wait.” Sarah’s voice, always so calm, came out high, almost pitchy.
“What?”
“The drone’s online. I don’t know how long it’s been airborne, but it signaled its location.”
“And where is it?”
“Let’s just say if you’re right, you have less than half an hour to rescue Lexie.”
“Can’t you stop it?”
“Have you heard of GPS spoofing?”
He shook his head, the adrenaline pumping through his veins made him
impatient enough to jump out of his own skin. “Do I need to know about it now, Sarah?”
“Only that I’ve never done it before. I have to create a false GPS signal that will trick the drone’s GPS receiver into thinking nothing is off. If I can do that, I’ll be able to direct the drone on a new navigational course.”
“And what are the odds you can do that?”
“Next to none without Ryan’s tech team finding out and working against me. Get her out of there, Mac.”
Twenty-Four
As dreams go, this one sucked. And since when did dreams come with the stench of burning rubber, blood, and pain.
Lexie tried to lift her hand so she could press it against a stabbing ache on her right cheek. Crap, that hurts. A groan escaped from her throat just as full consciousness hit. Everything rushed in at once: Mac’s eyes closed, his head tilted to the side as blood streamed down his face. Dear God, let Mac be alive.
“That’s it, Lexie. Now open your eyes.”
Ryan, the bastard.
She tried to talk but couldn’t get her mouth to move. Something thick pressed her lips tight against each other. Her eyes flew open and she came face to face with Senator Ramirez. A man she didn’t recognize stood at his side. Nothing else registered except the pain in her cheek and her throbbing shoulder.
“There you are. I didn’t think I slugged you that hard. You dropped like a rag doll.”
Ryan’s voice came from the public address system. The creep didn’t even have the balls to stand before her. Instead, he hid like a filthy rat in his hole.
Lexie looked at her hands and fear sharpened her focus. Her arms and legs were pinned with several wraps of duct tape. He even circled her waist with tape, shoving her spine against the hard slats of the wooden chair. The senator was tied to his chair in a similar fashion.
She scanned her surroundings. It had been years since she had toured the Senate Chamber. They both sat in the middle aisle in front of each other, Lexie facing the dais podium while Ramirez looked toward the rear of the chamber. Several men with assault rifles roamed the floor, their postures alert and ready for attack. Between her and the senator was a large camera connected to a free-standing tripod. Two men lay, either dead or unconscious, next to it. Her stomach flipped over. Ryan really did plan to use her to force a confession from the senator.
She jerked on her arms and feet, but she was locked so securely, she couldn’t move an inch.
“You’re struggling for nothing, dear Lexie, and making this harder on yourself.”
When she attempted to speak, only a muffled sound came from her mouth.
“Remove the tape.”
Lexie searched the chamber, trying to locate Ryan as the man closest to her picked at a corner of the tape. His hands smelled of garlic and machine oil. The scent caused the nausea in her stomach to churn up into her throat. He peeled enough of the tape to get his fingers on it and gave it a quick pull, taking a layer of skin with it.
“You sick bastard. If you hurt Mac, I’m going to kill you with my bare hands.”
“I don’t think so.”
Lexie never wanted to hurt anyone more than she did Ryan. “Let me go.”
“No.”
The man began to replace the tape and Lexie twisted her head.
“Where the hell are you?”
“Where I have always been. Watching. We all have to do our part to keep our country safe. It’s now your turn.”
“That’s a noble speech from a man who doesn’t have an honorable bone in his body. You’re a disgrace to the men you served with.”
The man again tried to cover her mouth and she made the same evasive move. “You’re just a chickenshit, with balls the size of peanuts. What do you hope to gain? This―whatever the fuck this is―isn’t how you get what you want.”
“Lexie, stop.”
She turned toward the senator. She still refused to think of him as her father, even though deep concern edged in his features.
“Just relax,” the senator pleaded.
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do. You have no right.” How she wished his mouth was taped as well, but how could he give Ryan the confession with tape across his mouth.
“I know.” Ramirez’s eyes filled with tears.
If anything, his tears only made her angrier. The signs of another major panic attack were only moments away. She couldn’t break here, not in front of any of them.
“Lexie, remember the mantra I taught you at the ranch house? Use it.”
“Fuck off.”
“Please stop!” Ramirez’s voice came out in a hoarse whisper and his eyes darted to the men beside her.
A man she wasn’t aware of came from behind and placed both his hands on either side of her head. She tried to yank free, but he tightened his hold. The steroid-induced goon in front of her pulled off a wide band of duct tape and pressed it against her lips.
She tensed her muscles and allowed the shiver to slice through her.
Mac, where are you?
Lexie had to find her calm and fast, but closing her eyes was out of the question. Instead, she located a point on the balcony over the dais and focused everything on Mac, his strength, his integrity, even his sexy-as-hell body. He was alive because her heart would know it if he weren’t. He had asked her to trust him more times than she could remember. This was put-up-or-shut-up time. She trusted that stubborn, opinionated, warmhearted agent-in-charge. He would get her out of here, and when he did, she wasn’t ever going to let him go.
Mac knows about the Capitol. The thought had her heart pulsing, but her breathing relaxed.
“Good, Lexie. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up. I don’t have time to talk you through a panic attack.”
Lexie twisted her head, trying to locate Ryan. Ramirez cleared his throat and she faced him instead. For the first time, she noticed the cuts and bruises on his face, neck, and hands. She searched his eyes and couldn’t miss the pain.
“There’s blood… are you okay?”
Lexie glanced at her clothing. She didn’t even feel the wound on her right arm, but it bled through her blouse sleeve. Her adrenaline had to be blocking the pain. She didn’t look forward to the moment it drained from her body.
“Lexie?”
Since she couldn’t speak, she nodded her head.
“I’m just so very sorry.”
Don’t be polite to me. Lexie bit down on her jaw and shoved the burn in her throat into her gut. No tears.
“Okay, before you two get chummy, let me tell you the rules of our interview.”
A man approached Lexie holding what at first looked like a straitjacket. He unfolded it and placed it over Lexie’s chest. He then took the two long straps on either side of the vest and wrapped them around the back of her chair. He pulled the top two tight, binding the vest to her chest and tied a knot just above her shoulder blades at her spine. He knotted the lower straps at her waist. Pulling the straps around to the front, he again knotted them, one over her breast and the other at her hip. It was so tight, she had trouble expanding her lungs.
“What the hell is this?” Ramirez yelled. “She had nothing to do with me.”
Lexie’s attention was so focused on what the man was doing, she hadn’t noticed the vest. Her gaze went to her chest, and any calm she had established moments ago flew out the window.
Two rows of four pockets filled with some type of plastic were sewn down each side of the vest. Wires connected each of the pockets across the middle and attached to a smartphone.
“Get that off her now!” Ramirez struggled with his bindings.
The men around them took several steps back, and the others moved to guard the exits.
“That’s all up to you, Senator Ramirez. The vest will only ignite if the cell phone rings. You control that.”
“What are you talking about?” He too scanned the chamber, trying to locate Ryan’s position.
“The group of men with you, as well as myself, have pledged our l
ives to protect this country. You are not only a disgrace to the office you hold, but a threat to our way of life. That ends today.”
“If you have a problem with me, then let her go. You have me.”
Ryan let out a laugh. Lexie could almost see the smirk that undoubtedly crossed his face.
“Now, what fun would that be? Your daughter is an incentive to keep you honest. That phone attached to the vest has a nine-digit number. We’re going live in a couple of minutes, the feed being broadcast to every news station in Austin. This can be over in a few minutes, or you and your daughter can share eternity together.”
Ramirez choked down a sob. “What do you want from me? Let Lexie go and I’ll give you anything.”
Lexie was powerless to keep the tears from falling this time. She closed her eyes, focused on Mac’s face and repeated over again, I love him. The words gave her power.
“That’s the easy way out, Senator, and I’m not in the mood to make this easy. So, I’ll ask a question, and if I don’t like your answer, I’ll dial a number. Understand?”
“You fucking bastard. You won’t get away with this.”
“Like I said, we are prepared to die today, but not without taking you to hell with us.”
Twenty-Five
Streams of sweat rolled down his spine the closer Mac got to the door of the Capitol building. He kept his pace even, using the cane he held in his right hand to control his rhythm.
Mick Ryan’s tech guru had to be watching everything. The fact Ryan wasn’t in the Senate Chamber proved he wasn’t a normal lunatic looking for his ten minutes of fame. He behaved like an officer on a mission, sending his infantry into battle ahead of him so he could continue to command from a protected position.
“Mac, slow your pace. I need you to sit on the last bench before you reach the entrance.”
Jason’s voice came over the device in Mac’s ear. The tension was hard not to miss.
“I don’t have time to sit.”
“Sarah is sending you an image to your phone.”
Keeping in character of an elderly man out for a visit of the Capitol, Mac slowly moved toward the bench. He eased down and pulled out his phone. He scanned the few pedestrians roaming the grounds before he glanced at the image. It slipped from his hand, hitting the walkway. Lexie sat facing her father with a bomb vest attached to her chest. He leaned over and picked up his phone, whispering, “Get the bomb squad…”
In the Shadow of Pride Book 4 Page 16