Falcon: The Quiet Professionals Book 3 (46 page)

“Asuka’s robot went rogue and started killing?”

Nausea roiled through her.

“And Shinji was forced by his father to shoot and kill the robot Asuka was in?”

“Kiew—”

“Remember how angry and upset Shinji was?”

“Kiew, please talk to me. Where are you?”

“I’m afraid, Cassandra, that you may have to be my Shinji.”

CHAPTER 41

Kabul, Afghanistan
10 April—1915 Hours

T
ides were shifting. But with tides, when one thing shifted, another invariably got knocked around. For Sal, the tides had started with the little girl.

No, no it was before that. Seeing Cassie again. All those old memories and images catapulting to the front of his mind. But he’d taken control of them, managed them. Contained them with bonds of determination.

Until the little girl obliterated those bonds, unleashing a flood of revelations that had tethered him to new determination—to change.

Then Cassie had to go and show up in that hot little number tonight. Way to mess with a guy’s focus. He’d lost sight of her for a few minutes earlier, but once he reacquired her location, he hadn’t let her vanish again. She stood very still, her expression taut.

When her eyes widened, Sal tensed. What was she seeing? He tried to follow the direction of her gaze but only saw dozens of guests. Nothing discernible. She whipped around and her eyes locked on to him.

Something in those baby blues yanked him forward. Sal was halfway across the room in a purposeful stride before he knew it.

What did his heart good was that she was heading his way, too.

She met him. Caught his arm. “Kiew—she’sgoingtodosomething-butshewantsmetostopher. Idon’tknowwhatitisbutIhavetofindher.”

“Cass—”

“Shetalkedtome, toldme.”

“Slow down.” Sal held her bare shoulders. “You said something’s going to happen?”

She nodded, her hair loose and curling around her shoulders. “Yes, she”—Cassie touched her forehead—“it’s a long story, but she told me to stop her.” She licked her lips. “I think. I mean—”

“What’s happening?” Dean came up behind her.

Cassie yanked around. “You were right—it was Kiew. I put the earpiece in and she was there.”

“What’d she—?” Dean froze. His face washed white.

“Captain?”

His nostrils flared, lips pressing into a pinched line.

Sal slowly glanced around. “Dean, you okay?”

“Nianzu—the Lion,” he said through gritted teeth.

Over his shoulder, Sal spotted the Asian who’d been responsible for torturing Dean. Enabling the rape of Double Z. The visceral response from Dean set off alarms in Sal’s head. He shifted to block Dean’s view of the man. “You got it together?”

Dean balled his fists. “I knew he’d be here, but I didn’t expect…” His words tremored with pent-up anger. “I didn’t expect to want to take him down.”

“Then you weren’t thinking,” Sal said. “Because any normal person would have. Once Meng-Li and Ramsey are on deck, we’ll be ready to put the game in play.”

“Ramsey’s here but keeping a low profile,” Dean said. “I’ve narrowly avoided him twice. He’s too full of himself to think we might actually know what he’s up to.” Venom coursed through Dean’s words. “And Nianzu—I’m going to make sure he sees justice for what he did to Zahrah.”

“Hooah,” Sal said. “Be nice to have that resolution before you marry her.”

Dean sighed. Shook his head then shifted—saw Cassie. “Sorry.” He blinked. “You—what did Tang say to you?”

Cassie launched in a hurried explanation of some anime with rogue robots and how one character had to kill the other to prevent what the rogue forced it to do.

“She told you that—to kill her?”

“Well, she told me I might need to be her Shinji.” Cassie looked up at him, her face awash with the pain.

“It won’t come to that,” Sal said. “We’re stopping them. Tonight.” No way did he want her living with the torment of taking her friend’s life.

Relief rushed through her pretty features. She leaned into him.

“But where is Meng-Li? If Tang is here, why isn’t he?” Dean sought an answer from Cassie. “Do you know?”

“She only spoke to me through the earpiece.” Cassie touched the device.

“Keep it in,” Dean said. “She might reach out to you again.”

“It’s more important now than ever that I get to her, stop her. Let Kiew know we’ll help her.”

Across the room by the ice sculptures and drink fountains, Kiew Tang in her cream gown stood out as a lily placed on black lacquer. The suits around her stuck close. Not business acquaintances. Security. “I doubt they’ll let you get anywhere near her.”

“Agreed. Meng-Li might not be here, but his security team is—and they’re attached to Kiew. They haven’t left her once. Even when she used the restroom, they stayed outside.”

“Look,” Sal mumbled with a nod as Nianzu entered the protective perimeter around Tang without a glitch. Expected and accepted. “If that’s not proof he’s complicit…”

“He’s mine when it goes down,” Dean growled.

“Who’s the American with them?” Cassie asked.

“Where?” Sal shifted closer to follow her visual line. “Son of—that’s Slusarski!”

“Who?” Cassie turned—and their noses nearly touched.

“Okay, team, we have a full deck except Meng-Li.” After giving him a slap on the shoulder, Dean started away, speaking into the coms, “Stay eyes out and ready.”

“We have a problem.”

Could things get any worse? Sal pivoted, hand going to Cassie, who stepped into his touch, and found Takkar standing shoulder to shoulder with Dean. “My team believes Meng-Li is not coming.”

“Why?”

“Tonight was a distraction—”

“Right.”

“No, Meng-Li also used tonight as a distraction just as we hoped to do. My team monitoring his facility said he has not left.”

“So, he has us here to…”

“Keep us distracted.” A storm had moved into Takkar’s eyes and morphed into a full-on hurricane. “He is manipulating me. It has been his way from the beginning, but I believed I could turn and control things. My attempts to forge cooperation and unity were tossed aside like a dog.”

“Then why is Kiew here?” Cassie had singular focus where her friend was concerned. “Oh, look. Brie is there. She’s going to talk to Kiew.” Cassie started forward. “If she can—”

“No.” Takkar cuffed her by the elbow. “Stay.” His word came out like a hiss. “Watch.”

Once more, just as with Nianzu, the security detail parted. Brie walked over to Kiew Tang and greeted her. Not entirely unusual but—

“The hands,” Takkar said.

The fingers did a little dance. Then Brie walked away.

“Brush pass,” Dean muttered, disbelief coloring his words.

Immediately, Sal searched the crowd for Titanis. No doubt, just as Sal had kept tabs on Cassie as quietly as possible, the Aussie had done the same with Hastings. Sure enough, Titanis had the fury of being betrayed all over his face.

“Ramsey,” Dean breathed. “He’s with them.”

“My friends,” Takkar said. “I believe this is the most opportune time to realize your goals. Meng-Li will not be coming. You have three of the four targets in one circle.”

“One heavily armed circle.”

“I have but one request,” Takkar said.

Sal and Dean waited.

“Slusarski is mine.”

What? Since when did Takkar get rights to American soldiers? “But he’s—”

“Mine,”
Takkar said.

Dean didn’t seem to like the situation either. “Meaning you want to kill him or you own him?”

“Meaning, he’s not to be harmed.” Takkar strode off.

“Get ready,” Dean said as he started for the corner. “Alpha and Sierra teams, we are a go. Move into positions.”

CHAPTER 42

Kabul, Afghanistan
10 April—1945 Hours

E
amon did as ordered, but his mind and thoughts were hung up on seeing Brie pass something to Kiew Tang. Instead of moving toward Ramsey, Eamon cleared a path straight toward Brie.

“What’d you do?” he growled. “What was that?”

Brie’s face blanched. Her lips parted.

“Yeah, I saw it—and so did the team. What’d you do, Brie?”

“How dare you—”

Eamon closed a hand around her wrist.

“Let go of me!”

“What’d you do?” He hated it. Hated what he’d been thinking. The pieces had fallen into place when he saw her enter the building tonight. Tracked her moves. He didn’t want to believe this, not of a woman he’d hoped to bring home to meet his dad. She was the one handing off the codes to Kiew Tang. Brie had been the mole. Then what… what about Ramsey?

She struggled against him. “Release me!”

With a twist of her arm, he anchored her against his chest. Had her tight. “It’s you—you’re the mole.”

Her lip lifted in a sneer. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Anxious to believe that, to believe she wasn’t really betraying her own country or friends, he searched her face. Searched for a sign of shock at being accused of something so terrible. But there was no fear. Just flat-out panic at being caught. “I think I do.”

He hauled her toward the door, toward the FBI waiting on the third floor, monitoring movement with Takkar’s men.

“Do I still intrigue you, Titanis?”

“I’m intrigued to know how you can live with yourself.”

“Easy to say coming from someone who could buy his way up any ladder he wanted. Try fighting it.”

“So, what? They offered you money?”

“A butt load. And respect—”

Eamon let out a laugh.

“Five years as Burnett’s lackey and no promotion.”

“Promotions are earned, not handed out. Maybe you didn’t get one because he saw through your facade.”

Surprise flickered through her blue eyes.

“Burnett might’ve been gruff, but he wasn’t blind.”

“Yeah, and what good did it do him? They killed him.”

“
You
killed him, you mean.”

“No.” Her eyes flashed. “That wasn’t me. That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Hmm, maybe you should’ve told them. They would’ve listened, right, with all that respect you earned.”

“Go go go!” Dean rushed forward, weapon cradled in both hands as he approached Nianzu’s men.

The man had unbelievable instincts. As if something in the air alerted him, Nianzu snapped straight. Three men closed around him.

“Lee Nianzu,” Dean called.

The circle of men herded the man toward an exit.

“You don’t want to do that,” Dean said, his heart thudding. “Authorities are waiting out there.”

The bubble swung around. “I thought you better than this,” Nianzu said, his British accent present even now.

“Yeah, well, I guess you ripped the ‘better’ out of me.” Dean closed in on him, weapon at the ready.

Guns faced him, but Dean noted in his periphery as Riordan and his SEALs formed a protective arc behind Nianzu and his men.

“You have wanted this,” Nianzu spat, realizing he was cornered.

“I want justice.”

“What man wants justice when he can have vengeance?” Nianzu shifted, looking around, probably for a safe exit.

“I don’t play to that tune.” Though he had to admit the only tune he’d wanted for a long time was a death march for Nianzu. His mind became clogged with images of Zahrah lying in the hospital bed, hair butchered. Body butchered. He’d broken her. And yet… he hadn’t.