Like any proper intelligence officer, he had plans in place that would ensure his survival. Of course he’d hoped to never need those.
If only he’d known Elio’s whole history. Liman should have pushed, demanded to know. That ignorance was going to cost him everything. And the worst part was that it didn’t have to.
It would have been easy to send someone else after the Aegis team in the beginning. Of course it would have been a five or ten-man team rather than just Elio, but that was the point of having the manpower. It gave them options. Instead they’d flirted with disaster, and in the end got burned.
Liman picked up the three pill bottles he’d salvaged, each near bursting with the stims. He’d taken a single pill once, just to see what it was like.
Without the proper gene therapy prior to taking the pills, the enhancement was minimal. He’d been a little stronger, seen the world a little clearer, but that was it. However, with Elio out there, if it came down to living or dying, that added edge could be the deciding factor.
Someday he was going to find Elio and kill him for this, but today was not that day.
TUESDAY. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
Melody sat in the passenger side of the car, alone, and briefly considered how easy it could be to call out for help. Of course the real danger was that anyone who answered her might end up dead.
And that was why she continued to sit here, a silent prisoner in an unlocked car.
She’d been on scene for many a kidnapping, barricaded person and hostage case. Nothing she’d ever seen was as crazy as the situation she now found herself in.
Melody had at least convinced Ethan that he didn’t need to drug her for traveling. Of course that was before he’d pulled out of the driveway and Melody realized that they were just a few hundred yards from Aegis Group Headquarters and Grant.
God, she’d felt so stupid and hopeless in that moment.
She sucked down a breath then blew it out.
If she’d known could she have signaled someone? Made a run for it? How far would she have gotten? Who else could have been injured if she’d done something like that?
Melody lifted her right hand and rubbed at her temple. She was keeping her left under a jacket she’d found in the backseat of their latest stolen car. The facts were that Ethan had decided he needed her. If she got away, if someone helped her, she risked their lives and she wasn’t about to do that. Even the lives of her own people.
Either she got away on her own or she saw this thing through. Maybe once Ethan had caught up to Liman this would all be over?
She leaned her head back and peered around the parking lot.
Where was Ethan?
He’d left her here almost twenty minutes ago with no order or warning. He’d just gone.
A bit of movement in the side mirror had her turning around, right as Ethan opened her door.
“Jesus.” She pressed her hand to her chest.
“Come on.” He gestured for her to get out. His English was good, without accent, clear.
What were the chances he wasn’t re-learning as much as remembering?
“Where are we going now?” She kept her arm and chain concealed as she slid out of the car and straightened. She kept her leash as far from Ethan as she could given how he’d blocked her in.
“This way.” He took off, not once reaching for the chain.
Well, that was minor progress.
Ethan led her across to another row of cars. A white pickup idled just under a street light. He opened the driver’s seat and gestured. “Get in.”
“I’m...driving?”
His cool stare made her skin crawl. “Don’t make me regret letting you do this.”
“Understood.”
She climbed into the seat and waited for him to shut the door.
It would be so easy to lock the truck and take off. But again, if she did that, who paid the price? What would he do?
Right now Ethan viewed her as an ally. In the bigger picture, maybe that meant they were a tiny bit closer to helping him remember who he really was? She knew this was so beyond her skill set to deal with, and yet, if they’d taken her or Grant, wouldn’t she want someone to try to help?
Ethan had a family out there somewhere. They should know he was still alive. He should get to see them again someday.
He got in the passenger side and buckled his seatbelt.
“Drive,” he said.
“Where to?”
“Doesn’t matter.” He reached down to the floorboard and pulled out a laptop.
Melody cringed inwardly, but shifted into drive and eased into the light traffic. The truck, just like that laptop, were obviously stolen. With any luck, they were crimes of opportunity and no one else had gotten hurt.
She drove in a continual S pattern, winding through city blocks, working her way steadily south and closer to Aegis Group Headquarters. She didn’t think they’d get there, but if she was picking their destination, that’s where she was going.
After a half hour of complete silence save for the tapping of keys, she gave in to her need for information.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Finding Liman.”
“How?”
He glanced at her. “Are you going to understand?”
“Your English is very good for someone who claims to not understand it. If you can explain what you’re doing, I bet I’ll follow.”
He refocused on the laptop. “Liman took over much of my training a few years ago. He taught me therefore I know what his next move will be because it’s the same thing I would do.”
“And that is?”
“Exit the country as fast as possible. To do that, he needs a new passport and identity. As a Middle Eastern brown man, his papers have to be perfect or your TSA will stop him.”
“Your government?” She glanced at him. “You’re an American, too. Even if you don’t remember it.”
“Maybe. That’s not the point.” He lifted a shoulder. “Documents like what he needs, done quickly, will be expensive. He’s also limited to the funds he had on him or could take off the bodies. His first move was to no doubt come up with more cash. There are a couple ways he’d do that, but those are a waste of time to dig into. Chances are he’ll reach out on the dark web or through a network of expats here in Chicago to find someone to help him. I find out who he’s hired, I find him.”
There was no hesitation in his words, no stumbling. Ethan hadn’t just learned English. Somehow that memory had been unlocked, and that meant his other memories could be recalled, too.
“You think you can do that?” she asked to keep him talking.
“I know I can.”
“How?”
“I’m telling them that Liman is an American spy trying to trap them.”
“Wait.” Melody turned to look at him as they stopped at a light. “You’re doing it now?”
“Yes.”
Someone laid on their horn behind them, startling Melody into driving once more. She stared ahead of her. This was going to come to a head far sooner than she’d expected.
18.
Tuesday. Aegis Group Headquarters, Chicago, Illinois.
Grant pushed up off the cot. Some thoughtful person had brought four of them into the ops room at some point. He’d actually managed half an hour of sleep. It was better than he’d gotten trying to crash back in his room. Something about being near the constant buzz of activity helped ease his mind.
He stretched, paying attention to the twinges of muscle protesting. The soreness was worse now post-crash.
How was Melody feeling? Did she have any injuries?
Watching the video, the ambulance had more or less driven off the road and tipped over. With any luck she wasn’t badly injured.
Grant gave Marco and Luke a wide berth. Both men had chewed his ass out for potentially risking Hannah and running into a situation by himself. Grant wasn’t keen on rehashing that. Instead headed for the computer in the corner
where Ghost had set himself up. Most people avoided him, which was fine for Grant. He didn’t have to like the guy to use his skills.
“What?” Ghost said upon Grant’s approach.
“How’s the search going?” He leaned against the corner of the desk.
“The man has no internet presence, no credit cards, no cell phone records. He doesn’t technically exist. Finding him is going to take a very long time.” Ghost pulled his hands from the keyboard and swiveled to face Grant.
There was something about the way Ghost looked at him.
“You have another idea?” Grant asked.
“I do, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” Ghost leaned back, elbows on the arm rests, hands in his lap.
“Give it to me.”
“We refocus on Liman. We find him, he can show us how to find Ethan.”
“How do we know that?”
“Because Liman has been Ethan’s handler for the last two or three years.”
Grant frowned. “How do you know that?”
“Because I’ve heard things about an operative in that part of the world who was too good to be true. And because people like us,” Ghost gestured to himself, “don’t deal with change well. If Ethan was working with Liman, it’s because he’s worked with the man for a long time.”
“Why would I like this idea less?”
“Because we’d need to refocus everyone on finding Liman. That means no one’s looking for Melody.”
Grant’s knee-jerk response was a big hell no to Ghost’s proposal. Melody was the focus, not Liman or Ethan. Melody.
Ghost leaned forward. “Think of it this way? We’re relying on dumb luck right now to get us a hit on either Ethan or Melody. Every trick we’ve tried, cameras, stolen vehicles, bank records, they’ve yielded nothing. The only way we find Ethan is if he screws up. The man’s had months of thinking through this escape. He’s not going to be easy to catch.”
“Why take Melody in the first place?” Grant asked.
“My honest opinion?” Ghost flopped back and dragged his hand across his mouth. “He’s used to working with someone. Liman. Ethan doesn’t know how to be on his own. Liman and his team were Ethan’s only tethers to being human. Without that, he’s a seal on land, or something. He’s an alien here. Melody at least knows him, she’s familiar in a way. I’m sure he’s rationalized some reason he needs her, but the truth is humans aren’t solitary creatures. No amount of genetic fuckery can change that about us.”
Grant let Ghost’s words roll over him. He couldn’t begin to understand what Ghost and Ethan had gone through, but he understood the concept of wanting to be with someone.
Melody was his someone.
Grant stared at Ghost, watching for any hint that the guy wasn’t being honest. “You think she’s safe? With him?”
“Safe? I never said she was safe, but so long as she cooperates and is smart about it, he should see her as part of his team. Even if she’s not willingly with him.”
“She’s a former hostage negotiator and cop.”
“Then she’s probably better equipped to be in that situation than anyone else.”
Grant nodded. “Then let’s do it. Let’s look for Liman. You think that’ll be easier?”
Ghost spun toward the computer. “He’s a government official visiting another nation. He’s going to be much easier to track.”
“Who’s your human tether?”
“If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.” Ghost glanced up. “Literally speaking.”
Who was it that Ghost was this protective over? So far the man had been more machine than human. It was interesting to learn otherwise.
“Anything I can do?” Grant asked.
“You can shut up and leave me alone?”
“That I can do.” He chuckled.
“Actually.” Ghost paused and glanced up. “Find out about census records, where there’s clusters of Middle Eastern immigrants. Liman will probably want to deal with people he’s familiar with.”
“On it.”
Ghost muttered, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s dealing with the same contacts I’ve used now that I think about it.”
Grant perked up at that. “You looking into it?”
“I will if you stop bothering me.”
Grant backed up, hands held high then strode across the room, glad for a job he could do.
His strengths might be in the field, but he knew how to work a computer, too.
TUESDAY. HOTEL, CHICAGO, Illinois.
Liman sat up, the ringing sound waking him from a deep sleep. He scrubbed a hand over his face and reached for the room phone. Without saying anything, he picked it up and held it to his ear. He held his breath and listened.
“Your order is ready ahead of schedule.”
The line clicked dead.
He pulled the phone away from his face and frowned at it.
So early?
He’d been told tomorrow was the quickest it could be done.
Liman grabbed the burner phone and checked the date.
Still Tuesday.
He had said he’d pay extra if the job could be completed ahead of schedule. Perhaps that was the difference?
Whatever the reason was, he didn’t have the luxury of going elsewhere. He needed to get out of this country and fast.
He packed up his few belongings in a backpack and donned the oversized clothes. Lastly, he put one of the pill bottles in his pocket. They were his secret weapon, his last resort if he was truly out of options.
Liman checked out of the hotel and headed for the L-train. He used that time to make a flight reservation under his new alias leaving later tonight. So long as his papers were as good as he’d been led to believe, his hours here were limited.
Two stops later he got off the train and headed into the northern part of Chicago. It was a poorer neighborhood where being brown man didn’t make him stand out. He was just one of many.
Good.
He’d taken a taxi to the shop before. It was a different experience walking to it. The smells of the restaurants were similar to home. Even some of the conversation he caught as he walked was in his native tongue.
This was his future.
Liman knew he couldn’t return home. He was going to have to live the rest of his life as an expatriate somewhere else. Of course he’d planned for this. Anyone who worked in intelligence had, but he didn’t like it.
The first stop he’d make would be to Switzerland. His smallest savings account was there and he had contacts that would help him, no questions asked. If he could lie low for six or eight months his chances of survival increased.
He almost didn’t spot the sign for the notary’s office. The neon lights were switched off.
Strange.
It was getting late in the day.
Maybe this was normal?
He glanced up and down the street once more. Nothing was out of place, no one was paying him any mind.
Liman opened the store door and stepped inside. Half the lights were off. A bottle of water and a half eaten bagel sat on the counter, as if someone had just stepped away.
This was normal.
“Hello?” he called out.
“Come on back,” a man called out.
Liman put his hand in his pocket and gripped the Taser. Just in case. A gun was more ideal protection, but he wanted to get in and out of the shop without drawing attention. Though he wasn’t sure a single shot in this neighborhood would garner much attention.
“I was surprised to hear from you so soon.” He strolled past the counter and through the doorway. A short hall connected the front and back of the shop with a small bathroom between them.
The moment his gaze met that of a familiar Asian woman standing with her hand on a stereo Liman knew he’d been played. The gun pressed to his temple was just a confirmation that his student had out maneuvered him.
“Elio, I was wondering where you were.” He kept looking at the woman, no
ting the chain still attached to her wrist.
What were the chances he could even the odds? Take Elio on without her interference?
“Hands,” Elio barked.
Liman’s heart beat in double time, adrenaline pumping through him.
He slowly lifted his hands from his pockets, waiting until the last possible second. He ducked and brought the Taser up, connecting with Elio’s stomach and pumped a million volts through the other man.
Elio barely flinched. He grabbed Linman by the wrist and yanked.
Fuck.
Liman drew back and punched Elio, aiming low and for the throat. He connected with soft flesh. Ethan staggered back and Liman darted into the bathroom. There was no escaping Elio. Even without supplemental stims the man was at least twice as fast as Liman could hope to be. No, there was only one way he was getting out of this.
He shoved the door shut, locked it, grabbed the short bookcase and dragged it in front of the door not a moment too soon. Something—Elio more than likely—rammed the door.
Liman whirled toward the sink, turning the tap on and pulled out a bottle of the stims.
There was one last loose end to tie up.
TUESDAY. FORGERY FRONT, Chicago, Illinois.
Melody stood frozen to the spot, the visual of the crackling electricity up lighting the faces of Ethan and Liman burned into her mind. It was like something out of an action movie.
Ethan hauled back and rammed the bathroom door with his shoulder. He roared his rage.
Liman was trapped. There was no way out of that bathroom. Eventually Ethan would get in or Liman would have to come out. Either way, it was going to be an explosive conflict.
This was her chance to get out of here. The back door was unlocked. She could slip out and be gone. Call the cops, Grant, anyone more capable to deal with this. And yet she remained rooted to the spot, unable and maybe a little unwilling to move.
They’d already left Ethan once and look where that got him.
Ethan planted his back against the wall and kicked. She heard the pop of hinges. Another kick and the door clattered to the floor. Her stomach clenched. Ethan shoved off the wall, only to be hit with a small bookcase. Leather volumes flew left and right.
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