“Still running his facial,” Jill said. “Wait. Okay, we got a hit. Identity is unknown, but his face is attached to contract killings in Europe. The Agency has code-named him. They’re calling him Deep Space.” She added, “He’s an assassin. He’s currently sought for killing a German arms manufacturer last year, and he’s suspected of involvement in—”
Hanley said, “He was around when I was DDO. Did other jobs for the Russians. A thing in Rotterdam, another op in Iceland. We caught his face in our files, gave him a code name, but we don’t know shit about him.”
Court turned to the stairwell door to the Ritz-Carlton Residences behind him and began running for it. He interrupted Gumdrop. “We know he’s going for Irene. And we know he’ll get to her before I do!”
“What’s your plan?” Hanley demanded.
“I’m going to pick a lock, then get into the Ritz residences. I’ll have to take the stairs, get into a unit adjacent to her condo, get out to a balcony, and make my way over.”
“But…from the balcony? How do you dothat?” Gumdrop asked.
“I’ll figure something out,” he said, his voice labored as he ran.
“How long is that going to take?” Hanley demanded.
“Five mikes, minimum.”
“Youmighthave three.”
—
Hanley next spoke over the net to Travers. “Teddy, you reading?”
“Affirm.”
“You have a tag number on that Audi yet?”
“Got it.” Travers read the tag; Jill typed it into the farthest laptop on her left. “Running it.” Seconds later, she said, “It’s registered to a Gauntlet Group office in Maryland.”
“Of course it is.” Hanley sighed, then turned and looked away from the binos, back to Jill. “We need to buy Irene some time. Call her. Tell her to get somewhere safe, to hide, to…to whatever. Tell her help is on the way.”
“Yes, sir.” She grabbed her phone. “I can spoof any number. Make it look like it’s her work calling her.”
“Do that.” Hanley thought a moment. Said, “We have to slow Spiral down somehow.”
A new voice came over the team’s earpieces. It was Hightower. “I have an idea.”
Hanley started to protest. Hightower wasn’t officially operational, but he stopped himself because Hanley himself was fresh out of ideas.
Hightower said, “Teddy. Make contact with the driver of the Audi. Act like a cop or something, tell them to get out of the vehicle.”
“I don’t have my ICE uniform. It’s in your van.”
“You got a gun and you’ve got an attitude. Just do it. We need Deep Space to know that the people he has at ground level watching his back are getting jammed up. It might slow him down, or maybe even cause him to break off his attack.”
Zack Hightower then spoke to Court. “And Six?”
“Go for Six.”
“I’m heading for the Expedition, but you better be hauling ass. This plan of mine sucks, but it’s all I’ve got.”
“What are you gonna do, man?” Court asked.
Zack blew out a sigh, then said, “I’m about to do a full immigration check on what I expect to be a truckload of lily-white assholes.”
At the same time, Travers, Court, and Hanley all said, “What?”
Twenty-Nine
