The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,178
and the phone. ‘It was the only thing connecting him to what happened in Islamabad – and I knew he’d want to destroy it, but in some deniable way that wouldn’t incriminate him. A house fire, maybe?’ he asked Harper, who couldn’t conceal his shock at being second-guessed. ‘Yeah, I thought it would be something like that.’
‘If you really thought like me, you’d have killed me by now,’ the DNI rumbled.
Adam fixed him with an icy look. ‘I’ve considered it. Believe me. The only reason you’re still alive is that just because I can think like you doesn’t mean that I have to.’ He pocketed the phone and disk, then turned back to Bianca. ‘I knew I wouldn’t be able to go in there and get it myself. I know all his passwords and security codes, but there’s no way I’d be able to pass myself off as him.’
‘So you got him to get it for you.’ She realised what he had meant earlier. ‘That’s the solution to Levon’s puzzle, isn’t it? There’s no way you can get the diamond out of the vault yourself – so you mug the owner after he’s collected it!’
‘That’s right. Is the override still in the car?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good. Okay, I’ve got to go.’ He marched past her towards the Mustang.
‘What? Adam, wait!’ she cried, not daring to take her eyes off Harper. ‘Where are you going?’
‘I’ve got to get the disk to someone who can use it to bring this son of a bitch down.’
‘Why can’t I come with you?’
‘Because that phone call was probably Baxter trying to warn him that I threw them a decoy at the repository. I need you to make sure that Harper doesn’t tell anyone where I’m going.’
‘But you didn’t tell him.’
‘He knows.’ Adam opened the Mustang’s door. ‘Keep him here for fifteen minutes, then take the car and go.’
‘Why fifteen minutes? What happens then?’
‘If I haven’t delivered the disk by then, I never will. They’ll have stopped me.’ He started to get into the car – then hesitated. ‘Bianca?’
‘What?’
He jogged back to her and, to her surprise, kissed her cheek. ‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘For everything. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have known the truth about what happened in Pakistan – or who I really am.’
‘And if it hadn’t been for me, we wouldn’t be on the run from a bunch of people trying to kill us,’ she pointed out.
‘The glass is always half empty for you Brits, isn’t it?’ He became more serious. ‘I hope I see you again.’ With that, he ran back to the car and jumped in, setting off with a skirl of tyres. The throaty roar of its engine quickly faded as it headed for the Parkway.
‘You won’t,’ said Harper. ‘He won’t make it to where he’s going. And you . . . you’ll be spending the rest of your life in prison. I guarantee that, Dr Childs.’
‘Shut up,’ she said, jabbing the gun at him. ‘Get over by the car and sit down.’
He didn’t move. ‘And if I don’t?’
‘Then I’ll shoot you.’
‘No. You won’t.’ He stepped closer to her; only by a foot, but enough to make a point. ‘I don’t need the PERSONA machine to know how people think. It’s how I got to where I am. I know people – and I know you. You’re a carer, Dr Childs.’ The word sounded almost like an insult. ‘Your career, helping Gray – you do what you do because you care about other people, on an individual level.’
‘Whereas you don’t care about anyone except yourself.’
He shook his head firmly. ‘I care about people – as in, we the people of the United States. My duty is to protect them and their country. And I’ll do whatever’s necessary to achieve that.’
‘Including murder? You let your own Secretary of State be assassinated. In fact, you gave information to terrorists to make sure it happened! You’re not some great patriot – you’re a criminal and a traitor.’ Her face creased with disgust. ‘I’m normally opposed to the death penalty, but in your case I’ll make an exception. I hope they hang you.’
His eyes flicked briefly away from Bianca towards something in the distance, then locked back on to her with a newly calculating intensity. She didn’t miss the change in his attitude, but was unsure how to respond. Was there really something coming along the road behind her – or was it just an attempt at distraction?