them?”
“A lot of people in government do know, but they’re not saying anything. I know what you’re thinking, but this isn’t just a wild conspiracy. Medusa is real. I can prove it.”
His eyebrows flicked with curiosity. “You can prove it? How?”
“I have a mole.”
This time she scored a direct hit. He couldn’t keep the surprise off his face. “A mole? You mean—”
“I have a source inside Medusa,” Abbey told him.
“Who?”
“I can’t say. Not yet.”
Carson backtracked. “Oh, of course. Obviously.”
“But my source is high up in the organization. He says he was a true believer, but the violence has gone too far for him. He thought New York—the assassination, the riot—was a mistake. He saw my articles and reached out to me, because he wants the story to come out. The thing is, this guy knows everything. He knows details of their operations and how their technology works. Plus, he’s got a list of contacts in the government and private sector who have been compromised by Medusa.”
“Impressive,” Carson replied evenly, but she could imagine the ocean wave of terror rolling through his mind. “Did he give you any names on this list?”
“Not yet.”
“Well, how exactly can I help?” Carson asked.
“My source is going to need a lawyer. Someone who can guide him through the system. You know this story is going to lead to hearings, criminal investigations, prosecutions. He’ll need immunity in order to talk. Plus witness protection.”
“Yes, definitely,” Carson replied. Then he added with studied casualness, “Did you already give him my name? Did you tell him you were going to talk to me?”
“No, I just said I knew a lawyer who could help. I wanted to reach out to you first. I’d like to get the two of you together. Would you be willing to meet with him?”
“Of course, but I need more details before I do that.”
“No more details,” Jason said in her ear. “He’s hooked. He’s scared. Let him twist.”
Abbey bolted to her feet from the bench. “I’ll get back in touch and tell you everything soon. I just needed to know you were in, Carson. Thank you.”
“Abbey, wait, if I’m going to research the legal issues, I need to know more of what we’re facing. What is this person’s role inside the organization? What crimes has he been involved with? That will affect any immunity discussions with the feds.”
“Let me talk to him first,” Abbey replied. “He’s cautious, because his life is in danger as soon as he goes public. I’ll share everything you told me, and I’ll make sure he knows he can trust you.”
“Abbey, you have to be careful what you say to him. There could be legal conflicts with me or my firm that need to be cleared before we can move forward. I’m worried about my name getting out before I know who I’m dealing with.”
“Don’t worry, Carson,” she said. “I’ll be careful. We’ll work it all out. I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll call you, and we’ll meet soon.”
“When? Where?”
Abbey didn’t answer him. She put her head down and disappeared into the crowd.
*
PHASE One was done. Now it was time for Phase Two.
Once a target is off balance, keep him that way. Don’t let him recover.
Treadstone.
Bourne fell in behind Carson Gattor as the lawyer headed under the arch out of Washington Square Park. The man walked as if in a daze up Fifth Avenue, not looking behind him. Abbey had done well. Gattor was scared. His pace was quick; he needed to get back to the safety of his office; he needed to make a phone call to Medusa.
Now it was time to ramp up the fear.
At the stoplight, Bourne came up immediately behind the lawyer. He whispered in his ear. “You handled that well, Mr. Gattor.”
The man began to spin around in shock, but Bourne hissed, “Don’t look back. The feds could be watching. Take out your phone and pretend you’re making a call.”
Gattor did as instructed, but Bourne could see sweat on the back of the man’s neck. “Who are you? What’s going on?”
“We’ve been watching Abbey Laurent. We were wondering who she would meet with.”
“Why?”
“You heard her. This is a mole hunt, Mr. Gattor. We’ve known for some time that we had a leak. Operations have been compromised. Agents have been killed. Whoever it is has been very careful, but now he’s shown himself. When Ms. Laurent calls you again, we need you to set up a meeting. We’ll have someone standing by to eliminate both of