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When we’re together again, I have so many questions. Where are his people headquartered? How many people does he have working for him? What did he do with Timo Thor and Lincoln Waterston’s families? How did they pull off the attack on the ranch? How did they manage to kill Hamza Bin Khaled? That couldn’t have been easy.
More importantly, how the hell did Ingram survive getting shot? Did someone on the island help him escape? If so, who? When Colette came to me the other night, she knew something — but how much? Does that mean Mr. Hardt was involved? And what about the crash of his jet? Are his operatives alive? I might not have had a close relationship with any of them, but they were loyal to Ingram. I hated believing they were likely dead too.
I can’t know for sure, but I have a strong suspicion they’re alive — and that they were the other men in the van with Ingram earlier. I thought I recognized the accent on one of them — was that Eyal? Either way, he had help today — and they must have been with him in Saudi Arabia and Kentucky.
Soon my mind races at all the implications that Ingram is behind Anarchy, Inc. Anton was at that meeting with Bin Khaled, wasn’t he? Was Anton there to buy something, or sell it? If he was buying, then did Ingram get it?
When Ingram and I had our plan to expose Anton fall through and we knew we were in trouble, I believed that as long as Ingram is alive and had access to a phone, there’s no place on Earth where Anton could be truly safe. I was right. Ingram’s put together a powerful force.
Anton ought to be afraid. He has no idea who he’s dealing with — literally.
—
Nick wakes me up in the morning and informs me that the FBI would like a word. We’ve long-since landed at the Enclave, so he leads me to the harem and takes me into a private room. As we walk, every guard we see stares at me. They must have seen the news, but have they been told that Anton got almost thirty of them killed? Are any of them thinking of quitting? Probably not — there’s only one way to leave the Masters’ employment on short notice.
Along the way my stomach roars, seeing as how I hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday. Even Nick can hear it, so he has Colette bring me plain oatmeal and water once we arrive. As I eat, Nick coaches me on the story I’m going to tell. For two hours, he quizzes me on the details as well as the delivery.
“Your phone has been ringing all night,” Nick explains. “The FBI is going to be surly. You need to act like you do on TV: combative and overconfident.”
“Okay.”
That shouldn’t be a problem. Even when I was a serious journalist, I was never a great friend of the FBI: they’re too good at keeping secrets.
When we’re ready, Nick calls in Anton. When he enters, he sets his cell on the table. It rings within two minutes. He nods at me; I nod back. He activates the speakerphone and takes the call.
“Is this Kate Atwood?” says a deep, male voice.
“Yes.”
“This is Special Agent Mason Cole from the FBI field office in Manhattan. We’ve been trying to reach you since last night. Are you okay?”
“Sorry, yes. I had my phone on silent. I needed some time.”
He sighs.
“Well, we need to talk about what happened to you yesterday. Can you come in to our office to be debriefed?”
“Absolutely not,” I snap. “I am in a safe place right now with people I trust. We can talk over the phone.”
“Ms. Atwood, if you’re in danger, we can send a car to pick you up. We can keep you safe.”
I fake a derisive laugh.
“Oh, like you kept me safe yesterday? If it wasn’t for my very expensive security detail, I’d be dead! Are you really going to tell me you had no clue they were coming for me? What is it you all do, exactly?”
“Okay, Ms. Atwood,” Cole groans. “Do me a favor and tell me what happened.”
“What do you mean? You saw it. Anarchy, Inc. tried to assassinate me! They killed three of my bodyguards!”
“What about the men who abducted you? We have security footage of you being taken away.”
“Those were my bodyguards too,” I lie. It’s a crime to do that, but seeing as how I don’t have a choice…
“Excuse me, what?”
Yeah, I’m sure that’s not what Cole expected to hear.
“They were there for backup. Ever since this Anarchy shit started I knew I’d be on their list. So I got an extra detail, one that stayed undercover. They took me to a safehouse and we waited until the coast was clear.”
