growled. “Do whatever is required.”
Stone set the phone down, and looked up to see Spencer Malik watching him expectantly.
“What’s happening?” the soldier asked.
Stone settled himself into the plush leather seat, thinking for a moment before replying.
“Change of plan. It’s time to start clearing up this mess and get on with the business of looking after ourselves.”
Malik nodded, and the Texan turned his head to watch the sun rising over Jerusalem’s Old City.
“Are the surgeon and Lucy Morgan still in position?” he asked.
“They haven’t moved,” Malik confirmed.
“Good, then we bring this to a close right now. Organize your men and have them conduct a rescue operation. Ensure that Patterson’s imbecilic surgeon suffers an unfortunate accident while you’re there.”
“I’ll take care of that personally. What’s happening in Washington?”
“Patterson’s losing control of Senator Black, but I don’t give a damn now we have a chance to close the deal on the Valkyrie drones. What about Warner?”
“He’s escaped Israel’s custody. We can’t be sure, but my guess is that he’s going to try to rescue Lucy Morgan.”
“Not if we destroy everything first,” Stone growled. “Let Warner enter the area and then have your men engage him; send Cooper and Flint to lead the defense. I want no trace left. Have the remaining Valkyrie drone launched to cover the operation, then vaporize any evidence.”
Malik nodded and climbed out as Byron sat back in his seat and ran everything through his mind one more time. As long as Malik could ensure that every loose end was destroyed and every loose tongue permanently silenced, then there was no longer anything to fear.
A shame, Byron reflected, about Lucy Morgan.
FIRST DISTRICT STATION
M STREET SW, WASHINGTON DC
Lopez stood outside the door of Captain Powell’s office and hesitated, her knuckles touching the cheap wood. She could hear the captain talking on his phone and it gave her a moment to reconsider.
Tyrell was going too far, she couldn’t deny that. There were political channels to consider, etiquette to ensure a senator’s compliance with any investigation. Tyrell’s crusade would get Lopez far deeper into the shit than she was prepared to accept, and though she’d struggled with the decision for two hours, it was time to make a stand.
Warring against her determination to avoid a catastrophic black mark against her name was a sense of loyalty to Tyrell. It felt as though she was ratting on a classmate, a stool pigeon butt kissing her way into—
“Are you coming in or are you going to stand there all goddamn day?”
Powell was off the telephone. Lopez opened the door and stepped into his office.
“What is it?” Powell demanded, surrounded by teetering mounds of paperwork.
Lopez took a deep breath.
“Tyrell is headed for Senator Isaiah Black’s offices in the District. He’s looking for help to link a pastor named Kelvin Patterson to the homicides at Potomac Gardens yesterday.”
Lopez expected Powell to spontaneously combust in fury. Instead, the captain leveled her with a somber expression.
“When did he leave?”
“A couple of hours ago, but he doesn’t have an appointment.”
Powell set his pen down.
“Let me take care of it,” he said. “I’ll head down there and have the Capitol Police pick him up before the damned fool can do any more damage.”
A weight lifted from Lopez’s shoulders at the same time as an unfamiliar self-loathing churned deep inside her.
“Tyrell wanted me to run a few checks on some of the leads we were chasing. I’m going to head down to see Larry Pitt and try to figure out what Casey Jeffs might have to do with all of—”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Powell growled, standing up behind his desk and leaning forward with his balled fists resting knuckle-down before him. “You’ve wasted enough time on this.”
“It ain’t right to leave it.”
“It’s not right,” Powell agreed, “but it’s necessary. Tyrell’s crusade’s getting in the way of the department’s work. You’ve done the right thing, Lopez. I don’t want to see your name dragged down with Lucas Tyrell’s charades.”
“He’s onto something,” Lopez said.
“Yes, he is,” Powell admitted, “but we’ve been here before. The guy can’t investigate anything without thinking it’s the work of a secret cabal of nymphomaniac vampire zombies.” Lopez shot him a curious look. “You know what I mean.”
She sighed.
“I’ve worked with him for three years and he’s never been wrong about anything. Sure, he gets big ideas about small fry but what’s the deal with that anyhow? There’s too much about this case that doesn’t fit without the players being somehow connected, and I can’t see the sense in