The Sixth Man (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 5) - Page 194
“You really think they’ll come?”
“Frankly, I can’t control what they do, Secretary Foster. All I can do is create an atmosphere where the probabilities are that they will do what we want them to do. And I think that we have.”
“How do you see it going down?”
“They get Riley. We get Roy and Bunting.”
“I disagree. Kelly Paul won’t let it go that easily. When she trapped me in that bathroom at Lincoln Center she was very clear. She wanted her brother back. If she has him she won’t let him go without a fight. It’s just not possible.”
“She lied to you,” said Harkes. “She had her brother the entire time. She was trying to turn you against Quantrell. If she didn’t have her brother, why would she have agreed to come to the exchange? We called
their bluff and it worked.”
“You’re right, I’m still not thinking clearly.”
“But I don’t disagree with you about Kelly Paul’s intentions. She’ll try to offer up Bunting only on this exchange. They’ll figure we won’t retaliate if we get something in return for giving up Riley.”
“But what about Roy?”
“I have a plan for that.”
“You mean follow them back to where they’re holding him?”
“Something even better. Look, I’ve got to go. Things are starting to heat up.”
“James, I will be very appreciative when this is all over. I mean that.”
“I understand… Ellen.”
After she put down the phone, Foster gazed thoughtfully out the window of her bedroom. She had not told James Harkes the exact truth. She had kept something back.
Her fail-safe.
And she had done that for one simple reason. While she trusted Harkes, there was only one person in the world that Ellen Foster trusted fully.
And that was Ellen Foster.
* * *
Harkes looked down at the Mall teeming with people rallying to restore peace in the world. They were completely unaware that the potential for violence lay right in their tranquil midst. Down there were a dozen of Quantrell’s paid mercenaries set up in precise tactical positions. They were armed and unafraid to use their weapons. They took orders from James Harkes. It was his job to make sure they were where they needed to be. Also down there somewhere was Kelly Paul.
Harkes walked briskly down the steps.
On the way he checked his watch.
One hour and twelve minutes to go.
CHAPTER
83
KELLY PAUL GAZED up at the Washington Monument. If she were going to have an observation post here, that would have been the one she would choose. As she continued to watch, her surveillance seemed to pay off.
James Harkes exited the monument, turned left, and headed toward ground zero. She followed his path until he disappeared into the crowds.
Paul walked for a while longer before glancing at the man next to her.
Peter Bunting was dressed in faded jeans and a college sweatshirt. A ball cap was on his head and he was holding a sign that read, Make Babies, Not War.
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