One Rough Man - Brad Taylor [128]
When I looked up, Jennifer asked, “How did he die?”
“On an assault. Nothing big, nothing fancy. It was an assault like hundreds of others. This one happened to be a hornet’s nest.”
I changed the subject, not wanting to talk about it. “We need to find a hiding place so we can watch Kurt and whoever else might come in.”
I saw a knoll with a copse of trees about eighty meters away. It looked down on the site of Billy’s grave, with unobstructed views three hundred and sixty degrees. It would work.
“Come on, Kurt should be here soon. If anyone else is coming, they’ll be first, and we need to be hidden.”
Eight minutes later we watched a single individual advance to Billy’s grave. I recognized Kurt’s walk. Rolling over, I winked at Jennifer and said, “You see me drop, get out of here.”
She rolled her eyes, muttering, “Asshole. If I had any sense ...”
I lost the rest, running out to meet Kurt. Within two minutes, he convinced me that he was telling the truth, which gave me no small amount of relief. Finding out he had turned would reset what I knew about the United States government and what we stood for, and that would have been as bad as the trauma I felt when my family died. I was just now beginning to believe again that what I had done with my life was worthwhile. A betrayal by Kurt would have crushed that forever.
After calling Jennifer, we got in the rental and exited Arlington. I asked Jennifer to drive, letting Kurt and me sit in the back and sort out what the hell was going on.
Once outside of the Arlington complex, I told Kurt everything I knew. I ended with Ethan’s analysis and the attempts on our lives.
“So, we definitely have two terrorists, probably still in Norway, who think they have a catastrophic weapon and are intent on using it. On top of that, some sorry sons of bitches here in the U.S. want to ensure they succeed.” I waited a beat, then said, “Well, I’m finished. I think that’s enough information to work on. I’m ready to get out of this business. How soon before you can launch the Taskforce?”
Kurt’s expression gave me a sinking feeling. He appeared to be considering what to say, which meant it probably wasn’t going to be good. When he finally spoke, it was like cracking open a rotten egg.
“Pike, look, I don’t think there’s anything the Taskforce can do about this. I can’t just launch willy-nilly, whenever I feel like it. There’s the Oversight Council to think about. This is more of a problem for one of the Special Mission Units.”
I was speechless. I’d thought he was going to say he couldn’t do anything for two or three weeks, not that he wouldn’t do anything at all. I finally spit out, “What the hell are you saying? Terrorists are about to kill hundreds, if not thousands, of people. We may be on the verge of World War Three. Ethan was skinned alive for this information, and you’re worried about some pissant council oversight?”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jennifer flinch at my statement, then stare into the rearview mirror trying to catch my eye. I ignored her.
Kurt caught the look, apparently realizing we were now treading on classified information in front of a civilian. He held up his hands. “Pike, calm down. You know how it works. That’s the way it is, and I’m not going to talk about it here.”
“Fuck that. Read her on later. She’s lost her fucking uncle and about lost her own life for this. She’s not going to run around spouting at the mouth, and I want an answer. I’ve earned an answer.”
He said nothing for a minute, making up his mind. “All right. You know the answer. Our unit was not designed for and is not capable of a rapid-alert scenario. That’s why the damn Delta Force exists. It takes us months to develop the infrastructure and cover to penetrate a sovereign country and take down a target without it being exposed as an American operation. We can’t simply pick up and haul ass to Norway like an invasion force. It would compromise the unit.”
“Who gives a shit? Jesus, what’s more important? Four people