King and Maxwell (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 6)
“And maybe put them in danger?” pointed out Sean.
Tyler’s face fell. “I didn’t think of that.”
“There is just one other thing, Tyler,” said Sean.
“What?”
“Did you try to contact your dad? After you got the email?”
Tyler shook his head. “I thought about it. I wanted to, but…” His voice trailed off.
Michelle said, “But you were afraid he might not answer?”
Tyler nodded his head. “And if I try to email him now, other people might find out. They’re probably monitoring my emails. You said he was on this important mission and everything.”
“Probably,” said Sean. “But you can write him from another email account. And you can use your code so he’ll know it’s you.”
“How do you know about our code?” Tyler asked, looking suspicious.
“Didn’t we tell you?” said Michelle. “We rock at code breaking.”
Sean added, “Well, at least we know someone who rocks at code breaking.”
“But then they could break the code too,” persisted Tyler.
“Anything’s possible. But we think it’s worth the risk to contact your dad and see what he says.”
“We can’t be sure it’s my dad, not just from an email.”
“No, but I don’t think a face-to-face is a possibility right this instant. For now, we need to get your things and take you where you’ll be safe.”
Tyler glanced up at him. “Where I’ll be safe?”
Sean looked directly at him. “Yes. Because after what happened at the mall today we need to take every precaution we can. Right now, none of us is really safe, Tyler.”
CHAPTER
27
THE MAN HAD A PROBLEM, a large one, but not unsolvable.
Forty-eight hundred pounds was a big part of it, but not all. At least it had gone where he had planned for it to go. But Sam Wingo was still out there. And then there was the son, Tyler Wingo. And on top of that he had lost three men at a mall.
He had assets but they weren’t infinite, and it wasn’t like he could hire the replacements he needed quickly and quietly. It all took time. That was the thing he didn’t have much of: time. He had a lot left to do and the minutes were ticking fast. The window of opportunity was just that, a window. It closed at some point and would not come back. All elements of his plan had to come together at the exact right time.
At this moment he had the two faces imprinted on his brain: Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. Former Secret Service, now private investigators. They had royally screwed up his plans and cost him valuable assets on the ground.
Problems all around. He didn’t like problems. He liked solutions.
He would figure out the solution to each of these problems, including King and Maxwell, and get this mission back on track. He had every incentive to do so. He had been planning this for a long time, assembling the pieces he needed. But soon, if things went as they should, he could finally let it go.
He took a cab to the airport and shortly was on a jet climbing into the sky. He arrived at his final destination and took a moment to slip on the lanyard with his ID badge and his creds settled against his chest. They marked him as a government contractor full of security clearances. He had once served his country in uniform. Now he was really serving only himself.
He picked up his car at the airport garage and drove to the “big house,” as he always had referred to it. He passed through security. His creds would get him into many places here. All the ones he needed to get into, anyway. He walked down one long corridor, turned left, and kept going, passing military personnel all along the way.
Since he was no longer in uniform he never had to stop and salute. But there were so many enlisted personnel and officers here that there were designated “No Salute Zones.” Otherwise, personnel would be spending all their time doing that.
He nodded to a few he knew but said nothing. Everyone was bustling to get somewhere else. It was just that sort of place. No time for much chitchat.