“Okay, I’m making a move,” he said casually. “Let me know what you find out. I need an exit.”
Chapter 105
Heckler felt like he had been running around in circles. The display on the operative’s XHD3 had first led him up the stairs to the second floor, and now it was telling him he was standing directly on top of the cell signal that had been flagged for alert. He needed to see who the owner was before going ahead with the planned meeting.
There were no performers on the stage, so he weaved his way through the crowd while the patrons worked their way back to their seats. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noted two men who looked out of place. They were in suits standing in the large, open lobby area that led to the theater. He approximated the location where his target should be standing and slid the device into his pocket.
He quickly identified the empty seat that matched his ticket and noted his appointment was still there, waiting. He moved along the three sets of blood-red curtains until he saw a large man in a suit peering into the theater. He judged that the angle of the man’s stare matched up with where his seat would be. His position also matched the location of the proximity signal.
The man suddenly flinched just before the curtains between them exploded to reveal a man in full sprint. Heckler pushed the material out of the way in time to see the suited man begin his pursuit. Heckler took two quick steps forward and threw a stiff shoulder that slowed his progress.
“Pardon me,” he said under his breath.
The operative he had come there to meet had already disappeared up the stairs by the time he noticed two more suits had taken off after him. His eyes spied three more men sprinting off in the opposite direction. Heckler headed toward the stairs and saw another man start up the flight at the other end of the theater.
“What the hell is going on here?” he muttered to himself.
Chapter 106
She was still on a high from her performance as the armored Bentley Mulsanne sped through the streets of Chicago. It didn’t take long for Victoria Eden to realize there was a problem. A big problem. Excitement could only mask the dark intentions of her chaperone for so long. The car was eerily quiet as it whisked through the streets at an uncomfortable pace. She shared increasingly awkward glances with Pavel Kozlov. Her anxiety grew with the searing silence until she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Pavel, where are you taking me?” she asked nervously.
“We’ll be there soon,” he said. His voice was void of emotion.
“What’s going on?”
The mood in the car was tense. Her nervousness escalated to fear as they entered an industrial section of the city. Some of the buildings were run-down, and the streets were empty.
“Pavel?” she pleaded insistently.
He wore a mask of disdain when he turned to her. “One can never be too careful of the company we keep,” he said.
“What’s that supposed…?” She stopped herself midsentence. Her eyes filled with recognition as she conjured up the image of her mysterious acquaintance. He was attractive, confident, even kind, but she would never forget the words he spoke, and the tone with which he delivered them. “I’m no good for you,” he had said so adamantly. “You’ll just have to trust me on that. Maybe in another life.” She bit her lower lip as she replayed their chance encounters in her head, the silent tension they had both felt. Then she considered the man sitting next to her. Russian. Wealthy. A man who collected instruments worth millions and, judging by his hands, probably couldn’t play a note.
Her body tensed up as she put the pieces together. Pavel was a powerful man — that much was clear. She now found herself tangled in the world the man she had begun to fall for had warned her about, and she desperately needed to find a way out.
Chapter 107
Jake Sanders winced from the blow. He wasn’t expecting the target to run up the stairs, but it didn’t matter. Even though his forward motion had been slowed by one of the patrons, there was no way he would have been quick enough to cut him off. The two local agents were just ahead of him as he navigated the stone stairway two steps at a time. He was about to pass the slower of the two men and barked out an order for him to watch the stairwell as he passed. The FBI agent immediately hunched over and dropped his hands to his knees. Sanders knew it was the best way to keep all the assets he had in the game.
He continued to gain on the agent still in front of him. The man was in good shape but still no match for the HVT Squad leader. Both men reached the top of the stairs at the same time. The stairway spilled out into the front row of the third floor’s amphitheater-styled seating. Each had an injection device loaded with M99 in his hand with enough of the substance to knock out Mike Tyson.
“I’ll go after him alone,” Sanders said as he tried to catch his breath. He didn’t want the opportunity blown because a novice got in the way. “Stay here. Be ready for anything.” He lifted his sleeve to his mouth and said, “Rudy, get to the lobby and keep your eyes peeled. Let me know when you’re ready.”
“Roger that,” Pagano confirmed.
He went over the layout of the third floor in his head. He reasoned that the target was crouched behind the chest-high divider situated behind the final row of seats. He pushed the FBI agent back a couple of steps. Sanders wanted to keep him out of the line of fire in case things turned hot. He wished he had a way to deliver his payload without having to get up close and personal, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that now.
“Ready when you are,” Pagano said.
Sanders removed the plastic cap from his syringe and pushed the plunger just enough for a few drops of the liquid to drip out onto the floor. He had already recovered from the dash up the stairs and was mentally preparing himself for what needed to be done.
He lifted his sleeve to his mouth and said, “Preparing to engage.”
He pulled his sidearm out of his shoulder holster and took a deep breath.
Chapter 108
Trent Turner had made it to the top floor first. He knew there were at least four men after him, but he also spotted three unknowns who fired him an unsettling glare as he headed toward the stairs.
“The top looks good from the plans,” Millar confirmed. “You’re right. The air return will take you out to the third-floor common area next to the theater. From there you can head down the fire escape on the south side of the building.” There was a momentary pause before Millar continued. This time his excitement had turned to nervousness. “It looks like two of them are at the top of the stairs. One stayed behind on the second-floor landing. The PMD hasn’t been able to mark number four yet.”
Turner remained crouched in the back corner of the third-floor viewing area. He was low enough that nobody could see him. There was only one set of stairs that could bring them up.
“One of them is starting to close in,” Millar said.
The operative pulled a tool out of his pocket and snapped off the screw heads securing the cover for the ventilation system’s return duct. The theater had just been renovated, so he hoped the floor plans he had studied weren’t out of date.