She sipped her champagne again. “The book I’m writing. It’s about Gauntlet. Their overreach, their shady hiring practices, their tight relationship with people in the government who are falling short of their oversight. Their contracts with oppressive regimes in other countries.”
“What other countries?”
“They have secret foreign subsidiaries. I have people behind the scenes telling me that Gauntlet-affiliated partners are working contracts for Egypt, Nigeria, even China. They use other names, other bank accounts, but Gauntlet leadership in the U.S., it is my belief, is running it all.”
Court said, “Christ. And what was Rudder’s connection to all this?”
“David Rudder was a pilot for Gauntlet. He said he was copilot on a flight that flew a woman from Italy to the U.S. last week. They listed her as cargo when they came into the country, landed at JFK. There was no immigration check; the woman just climbed into a Gauntlet minivan and drove away.
“He said he thought it was shady, but Gauntlet does a lot of shady things. It was only when he brought a man here from Slovenia two days later—they landed at Dulles with no immigration checks, then the assassinations started and the Belarusian hit man, Kravchuk, was killed over inWashington Circle—that he suspected he had brought one of the killers into the country.
“Whether or not the killers are working for Gauntlet, he was sure that Gauntlet brought at least one of them here. Maybe all of them.”
Six nodded, as if what she’d said just filled in some holes. He said, “Did he describe these people?”
“He snuck out his phone, took a picture of the man on the tarmac at Dulles,” she said. “He’d promised to show it to me today.”
—
Court Gentry’s eyes scanned the reflection in the window of the restaurant just next to where he sat, trying to see if he could make any of the pedestrians on this residential street who didn’t belong. He was about to address Catherine again when a voice came through his earpiece. Gumdrop said, “This is overwatch. Video canvas shows movement two blocks to your west. A motorcycle just double-parked, and a lone man climbed off.”
Court held a finger up to Catherine, and then, to Gumdrop, he said, “Can you get an ID?”
“He’s on the sidewalk, heading east on foot. Wait, he’s taking off his helmet, putting on a ball cap. Can’t see his face yet. He’s got a backpack. All Gauntlet elements detected in the neighborhood are holding position. No sightings of anyone else on foot that the software is pinging as hostile. The new arrival will be on you in two minutes.”
Court said, “Get me that ID, Gumdrop.” He looked to Catherine now. “You might wanna drink up.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Remember how I said we should be fine as long as it’s just the interdiction and isolation element?”
“It’s not?”
Gumdrop’s voice came over Court’s earpiece. “Visual attained. Subject approaching from the east is code-named Snare, he’s a Jordanian national who—”
Court spoke over her. “I know that asshole. ETA to my poz?”
“At present speed, about ninety seconds.”
To Catherine, he said, “What kind of exercise do you do?”
The question seemed to come out of left field. “Huh?”
“Anything for fitness?”
Confused, she said, “Pilates.”
“Yeah, that’s not particularly helpful. Anything else?”
“I have a mountain bike. I like to ride the trails here on weekends, or my mom’s place up in Maryland when I can get away.”
Court nodded. “Excellent. Next question. Do you want to get out of here alive?”
King had consumed almost all the champagne now. She took a few breaths to compose herself, then spoke softly, looking into Six’s eyes. “I’ve always said that I would very much like to live long enough to where my obituary did not contain the word ‘untimely’ in it.”
“Then I hope you are okay with a dine-and-dash.”
“What?”
