“So he doesn’t realize he failed in Greensboro?” asked Heskith.
Atkins shook his head. “It appears that way, yes.”
Cunningham scratched the back of his neck and shook his head, regretting not asking more about this endeavor before giving his consent to it. “And why did the CIA have a team there?”
“The assassin explained that he’d trapped Adrian Hell in the building by securing a bomb to his chair. The CIA unit was to disarm it upon arrival and take Adrian into custody. Unfortunately, Adrian managed to escape and rig the device so that it exploded as the agents were entering the building.”
Heskith shook his head. “Sonofabitch…”
“Okay,” said Cunningham, leaning forward in his seat. “Dennis, from now on you will personally take control of both Cerberus and the operation to take out this bastard. I want him dead, and I want whatever information he has on his person destroyed.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
He turned to Heskith. “Gerry, I want you to reach out to this assassin. Warn him about Adrian, and tell him to finish his job in New Jersey as planned. Then give him his new target. Do I make myself clear?”
Heskith glanced down at the name he wrote on his pad. “Yes, sir, Mr. President.”
“Good.” He turned back to Atkins. “Director, thank you for your time.”
“Of course, Mr. President. I’ll be in touch.” He stood and took his leave.
The room fell silent. Cunningham leaned back heavily in his chair and stared at the polished surface of the mahogany desk. Next to him, Heskith allowed the president a moment of reflection before producing a file, which he slid across the surface of the table.
“Sir, this is everything I’ve managed to find on Adrian Hell.”
Cunningham opened the file and skimmed through it. The more he read, the wider his eyes became.
“I spoke with Julius Jones about this over at Langley,” continued Heskith. “He knew Adrian way back when because they founded the D.E.A.D. unit together. When he left to pursue a career as a gun for hire, most of what little paperwork existed about him was destroyed.”
“This man’s a living, breathing weapon…” observed Cunningham.
“He’s a dangerous adversary, yes.”
“Matthews should’ve done his homework.”
“Maybe. But his plan to send a snake to kill a snake was still a sound strategy under the circumstances. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we take him out, sir.”
“I’m leaving it in your capable hands, old friend. See that Director Atkins gets this information.”
“I will, Mr. President. So, how are our friends overseas?”
“They’re waiting for our word.” He let out a long, calming sigh. “I tell you, Gerry, this has been a long time coming. And despite GlobaTech’s involvement, it’s still played out pretty much as I expected.”
“It was a smart move awarding them the job of providing foreign aid. Though they probably saw it as something we did in exchange for them keeping their mouths shut about what they knew.”
“Well, I never wanted to include them in anything, but because of Adrian Hell’s interference, I had no choice but to let them conduct their investigations and provide assistance. The public was crying out for it. I knew we could control the flow of information so they would never find anything incriminating. But then they figured out how Cerberus fitted into it all. I was forced to play my hand early and make my statement about El-Zurak being apprehended.”
“I wouldn’t worry, Mr. President. It doesn’t matter what intel Adrian has. We’ll stop him before he can use it.”
“How do you know he hasn’t already?”
Heskith shrugged. “Honestly, sir? If he made his intel public, I’m sure we’d have found out by now. I know how his mind works — he believes he’s only alive because of it, so he’ll keep it close to his chest, thinking he’s safe.”
“See to it you’re right, Gerry. It’s all falling into place, and I want to make sure nothing else gets in the way. We’re ready to take the next big step forward, and we can do so without any of the sacrifices we were expecting to make to our own military forces. It’s beautiful! Is Fielding ready?”
“He is, sir. He’s ready to give the order on your command.”
“Good. I trust Atkins will deliver Adrian Hell to us soon. And I’m leaving Matthews’ retirement to you.” He took a breath and allowed himself a small smile as, for the first time in a long while, he could see a clear picture in his mind of the endgame.
He flipped idly to the back page of Adrian’s file, frowning as he glanced over it.
“Adrian owns a bar in Texas?”
Heskith nodded. “He does, sir. He retired there a couple of years ago.”
“Hmm. I wonder if he has anything else waiting for him back in Texas…”
15
Ruby and I are sitting side by side at a table by a window overlooking the small parking lot and the busy intersection in front of the Applebee’s on the corner of North Michigan and Baltic. Sunshine is periodically glimpsing through the gray clouds above, looking to put an end to the dismal weather of the last few days.
We left our ride at the convention center and continued on foot through the city. The car served us well and made the thirteen-hour journey a little less of a chore.
It’s busy inside, with a mixture of late breakfasts and early lunches. We’re sharing a pot of coffee between us, and I’ve got a plate of actual food in front of me — bacon, eggs… the works. I look at Ruby, who’s regarding her stack of pancakes with reluctance.
“What’s the matter?” I ask. “Do you want me to shove them inside a donut for you?”
I smile as she gives me the finger.
“I’ll shove them somewhere in a minute…” she mutters.
I chuckle and take a sip of my drink. “Right, we need a plan. I’ve contacted Jonas and brought him up to speed on everything since Greensboro. I’ve told him not to get here until midday tomorrow, which gives us a full day to find The European and take him out. I think it’s safe to assume he’s already in the city. He’s not expecting Jonas until tomorrow, so he’ll be lying low somewhere. Now, I’m not sure he knows we’re still alive, so we might be able to get the jump on him, if we can find him. Any ideas?”
She shrugs as she finishes a mouthful of food. “I don’t know. Can’t we just wait for Jonas to get here and use him as bait?”
I shake my head. “Nice idea — and a little ruthless — but no, we can’t afford to just sit and wait. We need to start taking the fight to these bastards. The European is their weapon now, which means we need to find him and take him out of the game.”
“Yeah, fair point. Hey, speaking of ruthless — why did you tell Fernando where Jonas would be, anyway? You practically handed him over on a silver platter…”
I shake my head. “No, I told him because this way we know roughly where that prick will be. It saves us wondering and looking over our shoulders. We know where he is and what he intends to do, so that’s advantage us, the way I see it.”
“Okay, so what’s your bright idea for taking him out before Jonas arrives tomorrow?”
I sigh, take another sip of coffee, and stare absently out the window. “I’m working on it.”
Outside, the traffic is heavy and the sidewalks are cramped. I hear the roar of a loud engine and glance across in time to see a sports car drive into view. The driver’s revving the shit out of it, presumably trying to showing off despite doing the same ten miles an hour that everyone else is in their cheaper, more modest vehicles…