The Collectors (Camel Club 2)

doing a one-to-one exchange. We get Caleb, you go free.”

“How can I be sure of that?”

“The same way Caleb can be, you just have to trust. Now get up!”

Trent rose on shaky legs and looked at the others arrayed around him in the back of the van. “Are you the only ones who know? If you’ve called in the police—”

“Just shut up,” Stone snapped. “And I hope you have your fake passport and plane tickets ready.”

Reuben opened the van doors and they all stepped out, with Trent in the middle.

“My God,” Trent said, “what the hell is going on here?” He was looking at a sea of people.

Stone said, “Don’t you read the papers? It’s the National Book Festival on the Mall.”

“And a march against poverty,” Milton added.

“Two hundred thousand people total,” Reuben chimed in. “What a great day in the capital city. Reading books and fighting for the poor.” He gave Trent a poke in the side. “Let’s get going, ass-wipe, we don’t want to be late.”

The National Mall stretched for nearly two miles, bracketed on the west by the Lincoln Memorial and on the east by the Capitol and encircled by vast museums and imposing government buildings.

The National Book Festival, an annual event, had grown to over 100,000 attendees. Circus-size tents had been erected on the Mall emblazoned with banners reading Fiction, History, Children’s Literature, Thrillers and Poetry, among others. In these tents writers, illustrators, storytellers and others held large crowds enraptured with their readings and anecdotes.

On Constitution Avenue the March Against Poverty was ramping up, with its destination the Capitol. After that, many of the marchers would join in the book festival, which was free and open to the public.

Stone had carefully planned the exchange point with input from Alex Ford. It was near the Smithsonian Castle on Jefferson Street. With thousands of people around, it would be nearly impossible for a shooter to get off a clean shot even at a distance. In his knapsack Stone carried the one device that would allow him to complete this mission the right way, for once he had Caleb back safely, Stone had no intention of allowing Albert Trent and his fellow spies to escape.

Reuben said, “Up ahead, two o’clock, by the bike rack.”

Stone nodded, and his gaze caught Caleb standing on a small grass plot partially encircled by a waist-high hedge, with a large and elaborate fountain beyond that. It offered some privacy and a buffer from the throngs of people. Behind Caleb were two men with hoods pulled up and wearing dark sunglasses. Stone was sure they were armed, but he also knew that federal snipers were stationed on the roof of the castle, their beads no doubt already drawn on the men. Yet they would only fire if necessary. He also knew that Alex Ford was around helping to coordinate the operation.

Stone eyed Caleb, trying to get his attention, but there were so many people around, it was difficult. Caleb looked panicked, which was normal, but Stone detected something else in his friend’s eyes that he didn’t like: hopelessness.

And that’s when Stone saw the thing around Caleb’s neck.

“My God!” he muttered. “Reuben, do you see it?”

The big man looked stricken. “Those bastards!”

Stone turned to Milton and Annabelle, who were following behind. “Stay back!”

“What?” Annabelle said.

“But, Oliver,” Milton protested.

“Just do it!” Stone snapped.

The two stopped. Annabelle looked particularly stung by Stone’s order, and Milton seemed paralyzed. Reuben, Stone and Trent moved on until they came face-to-face with Caleb and his captors.

Caleb moaned over the sound of the fountain in the background and pointed to what looked like a dog collar around his neck. “Oliver?”

“I know, Caleb, I know.” He pointed to the device and said to the hooded men, “Take that off him. Now!”

Both men shook their heads. One held up a small black box with two buttons sprouting from it. “Only when we’re safely away.”

“You think I’m letting you walk away leaving a bomb locked on my friend’s neck?”

“As soon as we’re away, we’ll deactivate it,” the man said.

“And I’m just supposed to trust you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then you’re not leaving, and if you detonate the bomb, we all die.”

“It’s not a bomb,” the same man said. He held up the black box. “I push the red button, enough toxin to kill an elephant goes right into him. He’ll be dead before I let go of the button. I push the black button, the system is disengaged and you can take the collar off without releasing the poison. Don’t try to take the control from me forcibly. And if a sniper shoots, my reflex will involuntarily push the button.” He let his finger hover over the red button as he smiled at Stone’s obvious dilemma.

“You enjoying this, asshole?” Reuben spat out.

The man kept his gaze on Stone. “We’re assuming you’ve got cops everywhere just waiting to take us once your friend here is safe. So excuse us for taking obvious precautions.”

Stone said, “And what’s to prevent you from triggering it once you’re gone? And don’t give me the trust answer again. It’ll make me upset.”

“My orders were not to kill him unless our escape was blocked. If you let us go, he lives.”

“What exact point do you need to get to before you deactivate the poison?”

“Not very far away at all. In three minutes we’ll be gone. But if we wait too long, I push the red button.”

Stone gazed at Caleb, then at the furious Reuben and back at Caleb. “Caleb, listen to me. We have to trust them.”

“Oh, God, Oliver. Please help me.” Caleb didn’t appear willing to trust anyone.

“I will, Caleb, I will.” In desperation Stone said, “How many loaded darts do you have in that damn thing?”

“What?” The man looked startled.

“How many!”

“Two. One on the left and one on the right.”

Stone turned and gave his knapsack to Reuben and whispered. “If we die, don’t let us die in vain.”

Reuben took the knapsack and nodded, his face pale, but his manner rock-steady.

Stone turned back around and held up his left hand. “Let me slide my hand under the collar so the left dart will hit me instead of my friend.”

The man now looked totally flustered. “But then you’ll both die.”

“That’s right. We’ll both die together!”

Caleb stopped shaking and stared directly at Stone. “Oliver, you can’t do that.”

“Caleb, shut up.” Stone looked at the man. “Tell me where to put my hand.”

“I don’t know if this—”

“Tell me!” Stone shouted.

The man pointed to a spot, and Stone squeezed his hand in the narrow space, his skin now resting against Caleb’s.

“Okay,” Stone said. “When will I know it’s been disarmed?”