Zander shook himself loose and turned to see the waitress standing behind the bar with her hands on her head. Cracking sounds and grunts erupted from the violent mass on the floor, and then the motion stopped.
The hacker was frozen as the Russian stood up. His face was bloody, and his clothes were torn. Zander trembled violently, and his heart thumped. His legs felt like they were glued to the floor. The soldier took his first step toward him, when a shrill scream demanded their attention.
The waitress launched herself through the air like a wild cat and sank her teeth into the Russian’s face. The hacker felt like he had been transported into some kind of zombie flick and quickly scrambled out the door and took off into the night.
Chapter 49
Senator Soller had been in his office for most of the day and through the evening. The Director of the FBI had just filled him in on a new development in the case concerning an incident at a Dulles Airport TSA security checkpoint. His anger had risen to a boiling rage as he paced back and forth. His cell phone broke the silence, and when he saw the number on the display, he was ready to unleash his fury.
“What do you want?” he said coldly.
“Someone has taken Maria,” Matilde Soller said with a hint of panic.
The senator fumed as he processed the information. There was no compassion left in the man.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Her boyfriend was with Max when he was killed. Nobody knows that.”
“She was dating Francis Millar?” the senator said angrily.
“Yes. You know?” she asked, sounding confused.
He gritted his teeth and said, “I do now.”
“He asked us to check on his sister. When we went to see if she was okay, some men took her away.” There was desperation in her voice. “I had to call Addy. He’s going to help.”
“You stupid bitch!” Maximillian Soller yelled. “Do you even know that man anymore?” His face turned to a scowl. “I’ll tell you the answer. You don’t!”
He put this information together with the news the FBI director had just given him, and he was sure his lifelong enemy was involved. The thought of the man targeting his children and then pulling the wool over his dipshit wife’s eyes enraged him.
She breathed in audibly. “You don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t understand.” He clenched his fist, and his face reddened. “If you knew half of what I do about your would-be boyfriend, especially with what I was just told, you’d slit his throat yourself!”
“Did you hear me?” she said loudly so he couldn’t interrupt. “Some bastards took our daughter! All you can think about is your poor, jealous, deflated ego. You’re pathetic!”
“You wouldn’t know pathetic if it smacked you in the face, woman,” he yelled. His temper was beyond the point of no return. All he cared about now was getting in the last word. “Gullible as you are, you shouldn’t find it hard to believe that your Mr. Perfect has his hands in all of this. And I’ll tell you another thing, I’m going to take him down if it’s the last goddamn thing I do. Don’t you worry those sagging cheeks of yours: I’ll make sure the FBI knows what’s going on and acts accordingly.” He shook his head defiantly and spitefully ended the call by saying, “You two deserve each other.”
His breathing was heavy as he fought the urge to smash his phone against the wall, but he stopped short, knowing he would need it for his next call. He barely interacted with his children, but they were his, so the fact that Addy Simpson was using them to get back at him wasn’t terribly surprising. He resolved to make this their final battle, and he planned on winning. He punched the screen on his phone, and the man picked up on the first ring.
“Yeah,” FBI Director Culder answered.
“I want you to take him and his organization down.” His voice was seething with hate. “I don’t care what you have to do, but make sure you get it done.”
“I know, I’m working on it,” Culder said.
“Simpson and his goons have taken my daughter,” he said, the paranoia creeping into his voice, even more so than during their previous call.
“What are you talking about?”
“My bitch wife called, and our daughter’s been taken,” Soller spat. “The fucking bitch called him for help.”
“Any details on what happened?”
“No, but you can damn well be sure you’ll find her when you find Millar. No question about it. She told me my daughter was dating that bastard, and now that we know he’s on Simpson’s payroll…” There was a long pause as he considered the implications of the sighting at Dulles airport. “It’s not rocket science,” he said confidently. “He’s fucking with my life, and he’ll damn sure regret it.”
Soller decided Culder wouldn’t be too surprised about Simpson targeting his kids. He knew the director had seen crazier things when it came to the actions of politicians and spooks, and this went beyond that — the hatred between the two men was personal.
“Understood,” the FBI director said. “I have the goods for just such an occasion.” He couldn’t help but smile at the timing of it all. “You’ve always said this day would come.”
“Can our special friends make it to the airport in time?”
“If he’s not there already, he should be any minute.”
“Don’t call me unless it’s good news.”
Chapter 50
Less than fifteen patrons were scattered throughout Moe’s Grill & Bar. Trent Turner looked them over carefully from a distance, feigning interest in the posters on display and the flat-screen TVs bolted to the wall. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The man sitting alone at the table in the back had everything set up as expected. It was a go. This would be the big test for Heckler. Trent knew it would be easy to set him up here, if that had been his intention.
Turner placed his bag on the ground and pretended to send a text message. In the corner of his eye, he saw the man casually pull out enough cash to cover his bill and pick up his large earth-tone carry-on. Turner headed to the men’s bathroom in search of a pair of empty stalls. Once he decided on the location, he entered the stall on the left and latched the door behind. He placed two squares of toilet paper on the floor just inside his stall as someone approached. The footsteps stopped before they reached him. He heard a loud cough, and the operative cleared his throat in response. The man entered the adjacent stall.
Two other stalls in the long row were occupied, which gave Turner some cause for concern. He’d have to play it by ear. Another cough erupted from the stall next to him. Turner tapped his foot just before sending his bag under the divider. It was quickly pulled in by the man on the other side. He heard footsteps as new patrons filed in the restroom. Turner waited, somewhat amused by the gurgling soundtrack of a bad meal playing a few stalls down. He had to question whether it could be a distraction, but if it was real, at least the smell of bleach was strong.
A toilet flushed as footsteps approached. The man stopped in front of Turner’s stall, seemed to survey the place and headed back to the other end of the bathroom. Turner waited anxiously as he listened to the rustling sounds from the stall next door. He smiled as the expression “Getting caught with your pants down” came to mind. He heard another cough and responded by tapping his foot. He grabbed the blue bag on offer. It was identical to his but weighed significantly more. He made a quick check of the contents as the bagman left the bathroom, then quickly followed suit.