Fallen: A Leopold Blake Thriller (A Private Investigator Series of Crime and Suspense Thrillers Book 5)

by Nick Stephenson

  “And how are you involved again?” she asked.

  “That’s classified.”

  “Of course it is.”

  Kane opened her mouth to respond, but Ward cut her off.

  “Not the time, ladies,” he said. “Leopold, you have a possible location?”

  “Yes. A commercial slip near Greenville Yard. If we get moving, we can be there in less than thirty minutes. Do you have our support?”

  Ward nodded. “ESU has a SWAT unit primed and ready. Just waiting for the order.”

  “Then make it,” said Leopold. He glanced at Jerome, who sat opposite. “We’ll need to be involved.”

  “Not going to happen,” said Ward. “No civilians.”

  “This isn’t a request.”

  Mary sighed. “Leopold, you’re not exactly trained for this kind of thing. Maybe you should stay here, where it’s safe.”

  Leopold shook his head. “We need every advantage we can get. I know how my father’s mind works. I can help.”

  “He won’t expect to see Leopold alive,” said Jerome. “I hate to say it, but that could give us an edge.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be the one keeping him out of trouble?” said Ward. “Isn’t there some kind of bodyguard oath or something?”

  Jerome shrugged. “Nothing anyone here can say will stop him from going. At least this way, I can keep an eye on him.”

  Ward looked at Mary. “It’s your call, Jordan.”

  “Why is it her call?” said Kane. “Who put her in charge?”

  “I did,” said Ward. “Deal with it. If you’re going to help, then help. Otherwise, go back to Langley.”

  Kane bristled, but didn’t say anything. Mary took a moment.

  “There could be tens of thousands of lives at risk here,” she said, eventually. “As much as I hate admitting it, their needs come first. Even if I have to put more people in danger, even a slim chance of stopping a major terrorist attack is worth it.” She looked over at Leopold. “You’re in. Just make sure you keep out of trouble. And follow orders.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  Kane stood up. “Enough chit-chat. It’s time we put a plan together and move out.”

  “I’m all ears,” said Mary. Leopold suspected she didn’t mean it.

  “Blake’s plan is to destabilize the stock market, right?” said Kane. “If he succeeds, he’s opening the door for other vulnerabilities. There are countless groups out there looking for ways to mess with us – I don’t want Blake setting any precedents. If Director Ward’s intel is correct, and he has the emergency evacuation protocols, then it could take us months to put new ones in place. Until then, there’s nothing stopping others from trying the same thing. It’s imperative that we make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  “Your point?”

  “My point is that this isn’t some Boy Scout reconnaissance mission. This is a full-blown smack down. We need to show these assholes that nobody messes with the United States. Our end goal should be to take these bastards down. No prisoners.”

  Ward folded his arms. “If they surrender, we take them in.”

  “They’re not going to surrender,” said Kane. “This is all-or-nothing for them. They’ll die before giving up.”

  “Let’s hope you’re wrong,” said Ward. “But you’ve got a point. We need to plan for the worst.”

  “I recommend two teams. The first will mount a frontal assault, while the second will infiltrate from the rear. Blake and his men will be preoccupied with keeping the main attack at bay, he won’t notice the others.”

  “In theory,” said Mary.

  Kane smirked. “Theory’s all we got right now.” She looked at Leopold. “And I want him part of the frontal assault. Once Blake realizes his son is out there, he’ll slip up. Get distracted.”

  “Out of the question.”

  “Look, I know you two have a thing,” Kane made air quotes with her fingers, “but we need to do what’s best for the operation. We can’t let out personal feelings cloud judgment. You should know that, Jordan. Leopold makes a fine distraction, one that we can use to get the others inside.”

  “I told you – it’s not going to happen.”

  Leopold stood up. “It’s okay, Mary. She’s right. The whole point is to keep my father preoccupied. I’m in a unique position to make that happen.”

  “I don’t like it,” said Jerome. “What’s to stop him from killing you? He’s already tried that once. That we know of.”

  “We have a highly trained SWAT unit to keep us safe. All we need to do is find a well-covered position and defend it until the secondary team gets inside. They’re the ones taking all the risk, not us. We’re just there to wave our arms and make noise.”

  Jerome frowned. “I’d like to go on record and say I think this is going to get you killed,” he said. “But I suppose you wouldn’t listen anyway.”

  “It’s time I learned to fix my own messes,” said Leopold. “I’m not letting other people die because I wasn’t willing to help. This is happening.”

  “Finally, the guy shows a little backbone,” said Kane. “And, don’t worry. You’re right. It’s the secondary team that’s going to be taking most of the heat.”

  “And who’s going to lead them?” asked Mary.

  “I have fifteen years’ tactical combat experience,” said Kane. “And five years running my own operations. I’ll take point. I can get us inside.”

  “CIA has no jurisdiction here,” said Ward. “It’s Sergeant Jordan’s final decision.”

  Mary leaned back in her chair. “Hell, if she wants to get herself shot at, I’m all for it. So long as she knows what she’s doing.”

  “I got his ass back here, didn’t I?” said Kane, pointing at Leopold.

  “What’s your problem with him?” Mary asked. “Anything I need to be aware of?”

  “Nothing that’s going to get in the way of what needs to be done. I’m sure if we get out of this alive, he’ll tell you all about it.”

  Leopold felt all eyes on him. For a moment, nobody spoke.

  Mary broke the silence. “Speaking of getting out alive, what do you plan on doing once you get inside?”

  “In order for the devices to activate at the right time, they’ll need to be controlled from a central location,” said Leopold. “We should be able to shut them down from inside Thanatos. In theory.”

  Ward checked his watch. “It’s nearly eleven. If we’re going to do this, we need to move out.” He headed for the door. “Get down to the basement. The SWAT team is assembled and waiting with transport.”

  “Weapons?” asked Kane.

  “All taken care of. You can pick yours up downstairs. Let’s move out.”

  Leopold waited for Mary and Jerome to get to their feet before following Ward and Kane out the door. The tension was palpable, but there was no turning back now. He had meant what he said about fixing his own problems, and wasn’t about to go back on his word. Not with everything that was at stake. Whatever might happen, however the operation went down, he knew he had a lot to answer for.

  He only hoped he was up to the task.

  Chapter 67

  HAWKES LOOKED UP from his desk as Robert Blake entered the office. The Smart Glass was still set to privacy mode, blocking out the view of the room outside.

  “The team just got back, sir,” Hawkes said. “Washington Heights was the last drop point.”

  Blake crossed the floor and stood behind the colonel’s chair, glancing over his shoulder at the monitors. “Good,” he said. “I trust the remote activation protocols are ready to go.”

  “Yes, sir. Fifty-three minutes before the Times Square device releases its payload. Thirty minutes after that, it’s primed to detonate. It’ll be one hell of a show.”

  “What’s the response time for that part of the city?”

  “Six minutes, sir. If they’re not already looking for us.”

  “You have a line to the media?”

  “Yes,
sir. The prerecorded video will hit the blog and streaming sites immediately after the first device goes live. I’ve set up the RSS feed to alert the journalists we selected. Within twenty minutes, this thing will go global.”

  Blake nodded. “Our trades are ready?”

  “The Blake Investments fund is at your disposal, sir.”

  “Excellent work, Hawkes. Once this gets started, we’re going to have the entire country looking for us. It won’t take them long to figure out where we are. The distraction will only work for so long.”

  “The cell signal we’re using to control the devices uses the same frequency range as the mobile phone network. It will take them some time to isolate and trace it back to us. But once the final sequence is programed in, we can move out of range. We can be in international waters within an hour.”

  Blake headed back for the door. “Once the team checks in, I want you all upstairs. This place needs to be locked down. I don’t want any unwelcome guests snooping around.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Blake left the room. Hawkes took a deep breath and checked the monitors. The team had boarded less than ten minutes ago and were waiting in the mess room.

  The colonel got to his feet. He could feel his heart racing, beating a frantic rhythm against the inside of his chest. Shaking off the nerves, he took a deep breath and headed for the door, checking his watch as he stepped out into the main control room.

  Fifty-one minutes. Game time.

  Chapter 68

  THE BALLISTIC ENGINEERED Armored Response Counter Attack Truck, or BearCat, was a twenty-foot-long nine-ton armored vehicle powered by a three- hundred horsepower Caterpillar diesel. Two SWAT unit officers sat up front, dressed in dark body armor and helmets, navigating the hulking vehicle down the I-78 toward Greenville Yard.

  Leopold, Jerome, and Mary, sat in the back with six other SWAT officers. The interior was spartan; a pair of facing benches with no seat belts the only notable feature. Kane and Marshall were riding in the second BearCat, a few car lengths behind them.

  “ETA is less than ten minutes,” said Mary, shouting over the noise of the engine. “We’re going to have to slow on approach. Satellite surveillance gave us a well-covered spot about two hundred feet from the ship – we’ll approach on foot from there.”

  Leopold flinched as the BearCat lurched to the side, overtaking a slow moving mini-van. He glanced out the inch-thick window as they passed by.

  “Not exactly subtle,” he said, turning back to face the other passengers. “What if they see us coming?”

  Hunter, the SWAT unit commander sat opposite, looked back at him. “Relax, you’re in good hands,” he said. “The approach is well covered. We can get close without straying into open ground.”

  “And when we get on board?”

  Hunter smiled. “My men and I will keep you safe, don’t worry. Just remember what I told you. Stay slow, stay low.”

  “When do I get my gun?”

  Jerome rolled his eyes.

  “You’ll be issued a weapon once we get there,” said Mary. “But the plan is that you won’t have to use it. We need you and Hunter’s team to draw attention, that’s it. So don’t try anything stupid.”

  “Assuming he doesn’t shoot himself in the foot,” said Jerome, “I’ll make sure he stays out of trouble.”

  “What about Kane?” Leopold asked.

  “Her team will approach through the water,” said Hunter. “Intel got hold of the ship’s specifications – there are emergency ladders at the bow and stern, both port and starboard. Once we get the target’s attention, Kane and the others will board and make their way to the bridge.”

  “It’s risky,” said Leopold. “What if they’re expecting us?”

  “We’ll be ready for them.” Hunter glanced around the passenger bay. “Won’t we, fellas?”

  “Yes, sir!” the other SWAT unit officers responded in unison.

  “Just let them do their job,” said Mary. “It’s what they’re trained for.”

  Leopold nodded. He felt the BearCat speed up.

  “And I need to know – what’s the deal with you and Kane?” Mary asked.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Just give me the CliffsNotes.”

  “Is it really that important?”

  “If we’re going to trust her with our lives, then yes. Spill it.”

  Leopold sighed. “It was a few years ago. Kane was assigned to a team looking into money trails linked to ISIS militants in Syria. I found out some of the Blake Investments subsidiaries were under investigation.” He paused. “Completely unfounded, of course. But let’s just say, I went out of my way to make life difficult for her.”

  “You obstructed a federal investigation? I’m surprised Kane didn’t have you arrested.”

  “She tried.”

  Mary shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”

  Leopold grinned. “Look, it’s all water under the bridge. Hopefully, after this, she’ll let it go. I did her a favor, after all.”

  “Speaking of favors, how the hell did you manage to get back into the US without anyone noticing?”

  “Classified, I’m afraid.”

  Mary groaned. “Fine. Tell me some other time. We’ve got more important things to focus on right now.”

  Up front, one of the SWAT officers turned around in his seat. “We’re getting close,” he said, voice raised. “Game faces, people. Five minutes.”

  “You ready?” asked Mary.

  “As I’ll ever be,” said Leopold. “Let’s just hope this little father-son reunion goes as planned.”

  Mary shook her head. “There’s a first time for everything.”

  Chapter 69

  THE DRIVER KEPT the BearCat at low speed and headed for the slip, and Leopold peered out the tiny window and took in the view. To the north, the bright blue waters of the New York harbor glistened in the midday sun, dotted with the dark silhouettes of cargo ships and ferries going about their business. He could make out the jumbled skyline of Manhattan in the distance, and Jersey City just across the water.

  The vehicle rumbled to a dead stop and the driver killed the engine. Leopold saw the second BearCat pull up next to them.

  “Time to move,” Hunter said, reaching for the rear doors. “Let’s hustle, people.”

  He wrenched the doors open, and Leopold felt the cool breeze hit his skin. The SWAT unit filed out, and Leopold followed, with Mary and Jerome at the rear.

  Outside, the rest of the unit waited. Kane and Marshall stood nearby, another seven SWAT officers next to them. Kane waved them over. She was dressed in tactical gear, like most of the others. Marshall was still wearing his suit.

  They were parked up in what looked like an old shipping yard. Steel containers were piled up near the waterfront, providing ample cover for the bulky vehicles. Several disused cranes littered the scene, their metal arms reaching up into the sky. A handful of freight trucks stood close-by, shut up behind a wire fence, waiting to be loaded.

  Peering past the nearest container, Leopold took in the rest of the scene. About two hundred feet to the east, he could see half a dozen large ships moored up. They were mostly cargo vessels, from the look of them, but Leopold noticed what he assumed to be Thanatos at the far end. It was a modern-looking yacht only slightly smaller than the other ships, moored up parallel to the slip. He could see what looked like a cargo hatch, easily the size of a barn door, roughly level with the blacktop.

  Running the perimeter of the yard, a gray metal fence kept the cargo areas separated from the loading bays. A locked fence kept the two zones secure.

  “Everyone check weapons,” said Kane, examining her own sidearm. “And huddle up. We don’t have long to run through this.”

  Hunter addressed his men. “Split into your two teams. Seven with me, seven with Agent Kane. You know your groups.”

  The SWAT officers step
ped into line, forming two groups. They each sported a submachine gun, Leopold figured MP5s, as well as a sidearm. A few of the officers looked a little edgy.

  “The objective here is disarmament and neutralization,” Kane said. “This is not a hostage situation. We are not here to negotiate. Lethal force will be used, if necessary.”

  “My team will board the vessel first,” said Hunter, addressing the congregation. “We have two civilians with us. Our objective is to provide a distraction and make sure they don’t get hurt. Once we’re on board, follow me to cover. We’ll hold our position while Kane’s team infiltrates from the rear.” He looked at Leopold and Jerome. “Collect your body armor and weapons now, gentlemen.”

  “I’ll need some armor,” Mary said.

  “You’re staying put, Jordan,” said Kane. “I need you and Marshall to run tactical from here. You’re linked up to our headsets – the radios are inside the vehicles.”

  “This is my operation. I’m going in.”

  “Wrong again,” said Kane. “This is a tactical operation now, which means it’s out of your hands. I need to do what’s best for my men, and that means you two stay here. Ward cleared it with your captain. Deal with it.”

  “We’re more use out here,” said Marshall. “Someone needs to coordinate the teams. We can get them a direct line to the RTCC. It’s the right call.”

  “If anything goes wrong, we need someone who knows what they’re doing feeding us intel,” said Kane. “The decision is made. You two are the best candidates for the job. Can you handle it?”

  Mary clenched her jaw. “Fine. But if anything happens, I –”

  “You’ll be the first to know,” interrupted Kane. “And you’ll need to make sure we’re in a position to handle it.”

  Mary checked her watch. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, time is not our friend.”

  “Gentlemen, I’ll need you to suit up,” said Hunter, changing the subject. He handed Leopold and Jerome an armored vest each. They slipped them on.

  “You’ll need these too,” Hunter said, holding up two handguns, complete with holsters. “SIG Sauer P226. Just check the safety.” He looked at Leopold. “You know how to use one of these?”