Kill Chain (33 page)

Someone grabbed his
shoulder.

Dawson.

“You okay?”

Niner shook his head.
“I’ll live.”

Dawson knelt and checked
Kim’s pulse for himself, confirming what he already knew. “I’m sorry, buddy.”

Jimmy rushed over and
cursed as he saw her body. “Oh, dude, I’m sorry.”

Niner inhaled deeply and
rose, tearing his eyes away, instead focusing on Dawson. “Do we know who’s
behind this?”

Dawson smiled slightly.
“We do now. His name’s Grant Riker.”

The thirst for revenge
grew a thousand fold in the pit of his stomach, hatred written on his face.

“Nobody touches him but
me.”

Seocho District
Seoul,
Republic of Korea

“Look!”

Red spun toward where Wings
was pointing and smiled, a large contingent of South Korean regulars moving
toward them. He handed his weapon to one of the Marines then stepped out from
their cover, hands up high, smile on his face, as he tried to look as far from threatening
as possible.

“I am Special Agent Grey,
United States Secret Service. I have the President of the United States with
me. We require assistance.”

A Major stepped forward
as a dozen weapons were trained on Red, more troops surging into the area,
taking up covering positions, gun battles raging across the city, the artillery
barrage continuing, though abating. The Major spoke into his radio as several tracked
Armored Personnel Carriers rumbled into the intersection. He nodded to no one,
then stepped toward Red.

“Agent Grey, I have
orders to escort you to Evac Point Echo. American forces are waiting there.” He
snapped an order in Korean, the weapons immediately redirected at the buildings
surrounding them, snipers a concern. He shouted something else and one of the
APCs rolled forward then suddenly spun around, its rear ramp lowering.
“Please.” He motioned toward the armored vehicle.

Red turned to the others,
Starling pressed into the side of a building by his team, a human shield
several bodies deep. “Let’s move, now! Into the back of the APC!”

Wings grabbed Starling by
the arm and they rushed forward, the rest providing cover as the South Koreans
joined in, flesh, bravado, and Red’s body armor, protecting the most powerful
man on Earth as they rushed toward the gaping rear of the APC.

Gunshots rang out at the
end of the street and the South Koreans returned a heavy stream of fire as they
pressed forward. Red took up position at the rear of the APC as Wings shoved Starling
inside, pushing him all the way to the back as the Marines piled in, Red last,
the APC immediately rolling forward as the ramp closed.

Red activated his comm.
“Control, Zero-Two. Everclear is secure, I repeat, Everclear is secure. We are
proceeding to Evac Point Echo, over.”

“Copy that, Zero-Two.
Hostages have been secured, all alive.”

Smiles were exchanged
when Red realized that the President didn’t have comms. He leaned toward the
man, the APC tracks loud on the pavement. “Mr. President, they’ve rescued your
daughter!”

Starling’s eyes closed
and his shoulders slumped as he fell back against the hard metal. His lips
moved silently, a prayer of thanks probably just recited. He opened his eyes.
“The others?”

“Everyone’s safe.”

“Thank the Lord.”

“Amen, sir. I’ll try to
arrange a call with your daughter as soon as possible.”

Starling nodded, tears of
relief escaping, the man finally allowed to be a father, the others turning
away to give him as much privacy as one could in such confined quarters.

They had all been there.

There was no privacy in a
foxhole.

Nor the rear of a K200 Armored
Personnel Carrier.

Red activated his comm.
“Control, do we know who’s behind all this?”

“Affirmative, Zero-Two.
You’ll be briefed upon arrival at Evac Point Echo.”

“Good. Just make sure
whoever’s going after them doesn’t leave without us.” He stared at the others.
“I think it’s payback time.”

Operations
Center 1
CIA
Headquarters, Langley, Virginia

“The
money?”

Child shook his head.
“Gone. Like we suspected, it’s already been transferred to a dozen different
accounts, then each of those to another dozen. Proxies have already withdrawn
the money and probably taken their cut, then deposited it into new accounts we
have no way to trace.”

Leroux shook his head.
“That’s how it’s done. Textbook.”

“Yeah,” muttered Child.
“I guess selling weapons on the black market teaches you a trick or two.”

Leroux agreed. “At least
it’s only twenty million. Even if we can’t get it back, it’s not the end of the
world.”

“Do you think they’ll ask
for the other three billion back?”

Leroux shrugged. “I’d
hope so.”

Director Morrison entered
the operations center. “Do we have him?”

Leroux rose, pointing at
the display, an image from a drone showing a large yacht racing west toward
Chinese waters. “That’s him there. We were able to narrow it down. Turns out it
belongs to the owner of the Chinese drone manufacturer.”

“Huh. So he lied.”

“Liars gonna lie.”

Morrison and Leroux both
gave Child a look, the young analyst immediately burying his head in his
workstation.

“I’m a little surprised
Kane didn’t pick up on it.”

“He’s got a stomach flu.
Food poisoning or something.”

“That might explain it.” Morrison
motioned toward the screen. “Fill him in. I have a funny feeling he’s going to
take it personally.”

Leroux smiled. “I’m sure
he will.”

Somewhere
on the Yellow Sea

Grant
Riker smiled as he read the confirmation messages. His money was secure, all
twenty-plus million less a ten percent fee. And once the true story broke,
after he had disappeared, Starling’s credibility would be destroyed.

Though his daughter would
survive.

It was unfortunate, but
destroying the man’s credibility would be enough.

For now.

He had avenged his
daughter, and would now disappear, pull together the necessary contacts, then
eliminate the little bundle of joy in good time.

Starling would feel what
he felt.

And that day would come
when he least expected it.

Though his plan had
failed in that respect, it now gave him a new opportunity to personalize the
torment even further.

He’d have Nancy Starling
killed in front of her father, so her final moments would be burned in that
bastard’s memory for time eternal.

He activated a routine on
his terminal, wiping everything so there’d be no evidence that this had been
his headquarters. He’d advise Hang to destroy the equipment so there’d be no
hope of ever finding the IP address they had pinged.

Though should they
somehow have found the boat, it didn’t matter.

For he had a surprise for
Starling, this no simple yacht.

This was a superyacht.

And should they not reach
the safety of Chinese waters, it wouldn’t matter.

Hang’s toys would save
him.

Evac
Point Echo
South
of Seoul, Republic of Korea

Starling
held out his hand and a Marine pulled him into the back of a Black Hawk helicopter
waiting for them. The Delta team that had saved him were nearby, there a heavy
American and South Korean presence south of the capital.

A capital that burned.

Flames licked the night
sky, the destruction devastating, the stars blotted out by the heavy smoke. He
had no idea what the casualties were, though they had to be in the thousands,
if not far worse. He was out of the loop, desperate to know what was happening,
though if the airpower overhead was any indication, the North was continuing to
take a pounding.

“Mr. President, I have a
call for you.”

He took the headset
offered by the Marine and fit it over his head, adjusting the mouthpiece, the
others in the chopper curiously removing theirs.

Classified briefing?

“Hello, this is the
President.”

“Daddy!”

His head dropped and he
felt his shoulders heave. Though he knew she was safe, he hadn’t dared believe
it—not completely. But she was alive, the last thing that kept him going in
this chaotic world was alive, and from the little he knew, it was the Delta
team he had to thank.

“Hey, sweetheart, are you
okay?”

“I-I’m fine. We’re in a
helicopter. I’m not sure where we’re going, but they said I’d see you soon.
A-are you okay?”

He smiled. “Yes, not a
scratch. I’m in a helicopter too. Let’s hope we’re both going to the same
place. And when we get on Air Force One, we’re eating nothing but apple pie and
ice cream!”

Nancy giggled, it warming
his heart, it the only joy he had felt all day, the happy sound of a man’s
child all he needed to make the ills of the world fade into the background, if
only for that moment.

It was a good moment.

The best.

If only Melanie were
here to share it.

He pushed the depression
away, focusing on the positive.

“Daddy, they say I have
to let you go. We’re landing.”

“Okay, sweetheart, I’ll
see you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too, Daddy!”

He pulled the headset off
and handed it back to the Marine who pointed. “I think that’s for you.”

He looked, puzzled, then
smiled when he saw a chopper set down, Dawson stepping out then helping Nancy
to the ground. He jumped out and rushed across the grass field toward her.
Dawson pointed and she spotted him.

“Daddy!”

They raced toward each
other, the soldiers stepping aside as the two final members of their broken
family slammed into each other, wrapping their arms tightly as they both
sobbed, Starling not caring who in the world saw the tears today.