As they neared the water, the team leader turned on a flashlight with a red lens covering the bulb. He saw the reply—a green glow from a flashlight about fifty meters away in the dark water.
A few seconds later, they watched a Zodiac rubber raft crest the last breaker and reach the sandy beach. As the group quickly turned the inflatable assault boat around in the shallow surf and climbed aboard with the stretcher, the team leader lifted the severed hand of Senator Coleman Harrison and tossed it onto the beach. Maybe the crabs would eat it, or maybe some seagulls. Perhaps some infidel would stumble upon it. It didn’t really matter—that’s what the man in Paris had told him to do.
The 150-horsepower Yamaha motor was running and the Zodiac headed back out to sea. From his pocket, the team leader opened a small mobile phone and texted two people the same single word:PROPHET. Then he threw the device as far into the ocean as he could.
One more rendezvous and the mission would be complete. The money the man in Paris had promised would be deposited by the next morning. He watched as the lights of the kill zone faded from sight and they sped toward the vessel.
CHAPTER 44
Baxter Road, near Harrison HQ
“Fortunately, that was the shittiest IED I’ve ever had the pleasure of disarming,” Wolf said.
“Fucking Christmas-tree lights. They barely even connected them to the battery. What the fuck is going on, Nat?”
“My spidey sense tells me this isn’t your typical Nantucket episode,” Meg observed, looking over her shoulder.
She and Oliver formed a security perimeter around us as the rest of Team Rhino huddled over the failed explosives laid out on the hood of my truck. JP, Wolf, and I surveyed the pieces of the killing device.
My mind raced over the intelligence we’d gathered. A loud fucking explosion behind us. A near miss from a runaway truck. An IED on the road to my house and Senator Harrison’s HQ.
We solved the absurd calculus simultaneously.It’s gotta be about Harrison.
I jumped back in the driver’s seat as everyone climbed inside.Wolf scooped up the pieces of the IED and slammed the back door. Everyone assumed combat posture, scanning in all directions for another threat as I drove while coming up with a plan on the fly. In case of another IED, I kept my high beams on. It seemed a safe bet that whoever had left the first one wasn’t sticking around for a fight.
“Get Tristan on the phone and give him an update. The unbelievable is happening. Though we have no idea what it is, we know it means bad news.”
I didn’t address anyone in particular, but knew that Meg or Oliver would be on the phone immediately. I could hear them punching in the codes as we headed toward the senator’s house.
The immediate threat was about half a mile ahead. We would have to be prepared to drive straight up the gut with zero backup.
“Watch your asses and let’s see what’s up there.”
I cut the lights as we made the turn onto Baxter Road. I could see my house near the corner. It looked intact, though I had no idea what lay ahead.
“Okay, guys, eyes open. Clear the perimeter. Oliver, you and JP go left. Wolf, Meg, and I are going right.”
I stopped the Defender just past my driveway. We slipped out of the SUV and began our movement toward the senator’s house. There was no movement anywhere. Guns at the ready, we searched for threats particular to close-quarters battle.
“Two KIA, they look friendly,” Oliver called out. Meg and Wolf were a few steps ahead of me.
“One KIA on the south side,” Meg whispered. “Definitely Secret Service.”
Despite the subpar IED, taking out a Secret Service protective detail was clearly the work of professional killers.Holyfuck—what about Rowan?I blinked my eyes to clear my mind.Where was she?
I paused for a second at the porch steps, keeping my weapon trained on the front door while the team cleared the perimeter. In less than a minute, they joined me back at the steps.
“Oliver, Wolf, and JP, take the first floor. Meg and I are going up.”
JP slid past me to assume the lead position in entering the house. Wolf was right on his back while Oliver, Meg, and I followed. I felt a familiar tightness in my stomach as my team flowed toward the open door.Here we go again, guys,I thought.
JP went left and deep, Wolf went right, and Oliver took two steps inside the doorway, leaving room for Meg and me to slip past him toward the stairs. I heard JP’s voice calling out casualties as they took down the first floor. Meg was on my hip with her weapon over my left shoulder, prepared to eliminate any threat around me as I focused on our movement toward the second floor.
Stairways suck no matter how good you are at close-quarters combat. The enemy has the higher ground, and fighting against gravity is difficult.
We reached what appeared to be the main bedroom and immediately saw signs of forced entry.
I did a half-assed scan, taking in handcuffs on a headboard and dark bloodstains on expensive white sheets. As I moved farther into the room, I saw a body on the floor. Meg followed behind, finishing the cursory search as I moved to get a better visual.
