The Foundation: Jack Emery 1 (24 page)

She prompted him. “This can go away, if you do what I ask.”

He laughed darkly. “You think I can get McGhinnist and the others to call off an investigation against you and your colleagues? It doesn’t work that way. Besides, what’s stopping the journalist from releasing it all publicly? He’s already named you, after all.”

“I can deal with Jack Emery.” Michelle lowered her voice menacingly. “I just want you to play your role.”

For several minutes, Kurzon seemed to think through the ramifications of the situation, for himself, his family, the Foundation, the country. With a single stroke of a pen he could protect both of them. She was sure he’d make the right decision. She was surprised when he shook his head and sighed again. She waited patiently.

“Michelle, for a moment or two I considered your deal. But I’m afraid that, no matter the cost to my professional life, I will not work, collaborate or otherwise be involved in anything you’re peddling.”

“You’re mad.” She was shocked, but wouldn’t show it. “May I ask why?”

“Because I spoke to McGhinnist prior to this meeting, and discovered that your organization was probably responsible for the death of my friend, that’s why. Ernest was no saint, but he deserved a hell of a lot better than a bullet in the neck. I’ll try my luck with the press, Ms Dominique.”

“They’ll crucify you, Mr President. Your administration will be destroyed.”

Kurzon smiled. “Great thing, democracy. I’m a lame duck after the midterms anyway, and there’s always someone else willing to step up. I’ll already be regarded as the President who took America to war with China, but I’ll be happy if history remembers me as the man who also stood up to the greatest ever threat to American freedom and stopped them getting away with terrible crimes and stacking Congress.”

Michelle didn’t reply. She turned the iPad back around and placed it in her lap. She sent an email she’d already prepared. It gave her no pleasure and got her no closer to solving the issue of Jack Emery and his evidence, but she had to follow through. The Foundation was only as powerful as the punishment backing up its threats. Not even the President was immune. She’d have to deal with Emery another way.

“It’s done, Mr President.” She stood. “I hope you don’t live to regret your decision.”

“Miss, I kindly regret I can’t shove my telephone down your throat. Get out.”

Jack breathed as deeply as he could, trying to calm his nerves. He twirled his pen and tapped his foot on the floor. There was nothing else to do. The television news had wall-to-wall coverage of the war and the scandal facing President Kurzon, and he was under strict orders not to use his phone. All the while, he couldn’t help but think he’d made a mistake and that this would all end badly.

While the President’s Suite of the Washington Marriott was a nice enough place to wait, he could think of a million other places he’d prefer to be. Earlier in the day, McGhinnist had called him with mixed news. He’d told Jack that the Bureau was rolling up Foundation for a New America cells all over the country, but still hadn’t manage to locate Michelle Dominique since she’d left Camp David. Jack had convinced himself that Dominique had slipped the net, leaving him to walk the Earth as a hunted man. McGhinnist had said, when they’d first met, that the tendrils of her power base extended deeper than anyone could fathom. There was no way for him to stand up to that. So he had been forced to wait for a second day in the hotel, relying on McGhinnist, and with nobody but Celeste, Agent Brenner and Agent Vaughn for company.

His eyes were on the table when the door to the suite unlocked with a clunk. Jack looked up as it opened and he smiled with relief when Agent Brenner walked into the room, fresh from completing a security check of the hotel. Agent Vaughn had stayed in the room, silent, but he freaked Jack out a bit.

Jack held out his hands up with his palms facing outward. “Don’t shoot.”

Brenner raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay, Mr Emery?”

As Vaughn walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain, taking a peek outside, Jack felt like telling Brenner that, no, everything was not okay. In truth, he felt minutes away from needing a change of underwear, and that his faith in the competency of the FBI and its agents was being sorely tested. But he held his tongue and nodded. He felt exposed, and wanted the FBI to get on with arresting Dominique.

“Don’t worry, there’s more than a handful of decent shots between the lobby and you.” Brenner clearly sensed he was uneasy. “Unless she brings an army, you’re fine.”

Jack smiled. “I know, I just feel a bit vulnerable. I’ll be the happiest man on the planet when Dominique is in cuffs. Hell, I’ll buy you guys a beer downstairs.”

Brenner shrugged. “Just part of the job. You’re the one who’s put yourself on the line, can’t say I understand why though.”

“She killed my wife, started a war, ordered my boss murdered and tried to stab me in a museum. If that’s not enough for you, she’s also trying to stack Congress.”

“Good enough, I suppose.” Brenner laughed. “Quite amazing how deep this all goes, though. It’s some serious shit you’ve uncorked.”

Jack couldn’t disagree. “Given the choice, I’d have preferred to be left out of it all. But once I pulled the first thread, her whole dress unraveled, and I couldn’t walk away.”

“Why not?” Brenner scoffed. “To use your analogy, just because a woman is undressed in front of you, doesn’t mean you need to sleep with her.”

Jack laughed, and the dark cloud hanging over his mood lifted. “I can’t resist the lure of a beautiful woman.”

Brenner opened his mouth to reply, but Jack heard nothing but a boom. Before his mind could process what was happening, Brenner’s blood showered over him. Jack froze, until he heard a second boom, as Vaughn fired another shot into Brenner’s skull. Jack dived to the floor and climbed under the table. Vaughn appeared to be in no hurry, slowly walking past Brenner’s lifeless body toward him. The agent seemed as calm as the man in Chen’s basement, but Jack had no police cruiser to save him this time.

Jack had nowhere to go as Vaughn bent down and peered at him. “Mr Emery, you’ve caused a whole lot of problems for a whole lot of people.”

Jack’s fear had gone, replaced by sheer and utter disbelief—and rage. “After all of this,
you’re
the one who’s going to get me? Just fucking do it.”

Jack watched as the barrel of the pistol inched up. A wave of thoughts rushed through his mind, but he couldn’t pin down any particular one as he waited for the inevitable. He wondered if he’d hear the shot or feel anything before it was over. Then his eyes widened as he saw a pair of legs run toward Vaughn.

Celeste. In his fear and anger, he’d forgotten about her.

She leaped and landed on Vaughn and the gun fired. Jack crawled as fast as he could from under the table. He was too late. Vaughn collapsed to the ground, a panting Celeste sitting on him and a steak knife protruding from his skull. Jack threw the gun away from Vaughn then struggled over to Celeste and hugged her.

Jack grabbed Vaughn’s gun, then the cell phone in his pocket rang. “Hello?”

“McGhinnist speaking, we’ve found her, Jack. We’re moving in at any moment.”

“Good. One of your agents just tried to shoot me.”

There was a pause. “Which one?”

“Vaughn.”

“Fucking hell. He must have been one of Dominique’s moles.”

“Yep. And Brenner is dead.”

There was another slight pause. “I’ll get some more people up to you. Until then, take his gun and trust my other agents to keep you safe.”

“Already taken care of the gun part.” Jack was happy to have a weapon in his hands. “Where is she?”

“Dominique? An apartment in Baltimore. Off the grid.”

“So this is it?” Jack held his breath, not willing to believe it just yet.

“Yep, we’ve got the place surrounded. There’s a couple of large-looking dudes with her though. But we’ll get her. Just wanted you to know.”

Jack smiled and sighed with relief. “What about the rest of them? Doesn’t seem like that particular snake will be killed by just chopping off the head.”

“We’ve already beat it over the head a few times with a shovel. Their funds are frozen and we’re rolling up their network. There’ll be plenty of mop up, but this will just about finish it. We’ll slice the organization into a million pieces and bring as many as we can rustle up into custody. I’ll see you soon.”

The line went dead. Jack gestured at Celeste to get Brenner’s weapon. They resumed their hug as a pair of agents opened the door and entered. They had weapons raised and scanned the room, but could clearly see the damage was done. He spent the next few minutes explaining the ambush, and to their credit they let him keep the weapon.

It was over.

***

Michelle lifted the glass to her mouth and took a long pull of the whisky. She savored the burn of the liquid as it coursed down her throat and into the pit of her stomach. It temporarily replaced the empty feeling she’d had for the whole day, once she’d started to get reports of Foundation cells being assaulted by the FBI. The news was worse than she could have imagined.

Some of her people had been arrested, some killed. Losses were heavy and the Foundation was shattered. Scorched earth hadn’t worked and there wasn’t much left to save. She’d hoped to make a deal with Kurzon to prevent the complete collapse of the organization, but it hadn’t happened. Her only consolation was that she was still breathing.

She pulled the glass away from her mouth and considered the last of the beautifully colored liquid, cut with just a splash of water. She threw it back with one flick of her wrist. She felt a momentary pang of regret. It was a shame to leave such a fine bottle here. Like the rest of the stuff in the secret apartment she kept in Baltimore, it’d make some FBI agent a very happy man.

She put the glass down on the table. “Time to go, boys.”

She looked up to Andrei, who stood by the door. She stood as he started to turn the handle, but he didn’t get the chance to open the door. There was the sound of cracking timber, and she took a step back as the door swung inward.

“They’re here!” Erik’s shout was barely audible over the explosion near the door. “Get down, Michelle!”

Michelle was surprised but reacted instantly. She started into a run for the other side of the room. Erik, who’d been standing by the window, already had his weapon out and had upturned her oak dining table for cover. He shouted something in Czech to his brother as she grabbed the hand he held out for her. She jumped over the table and joined him behind the impromptu shelter.

Several federal agents had already entered the room. She didn’t need to see the lettering emblazoned on their vests to know they were FBI. She doubted they were pushovers, either. If Bill McGhinnist had enough balls to storm her hideout in Baltimore, he’d have sent his best crew, armed with the best gear and with backup on call. She ducked back behind the table.

“Federal agents! Give it up!”

They got their answer when the first shot boomed. Andrei was only able to get a single shot off before he was gunned down by a volley of return fire. That left Erik as the one thing standing between her and the agents. As she heard the chattering rumble of Erik’s TeC-9 SMG, she reached over and pulled the M9 Beretta from the back of his pants, figuring he wouldn’t need it while he was firing the machine pistol.

She looked over the table and extended her arm as shots boomed through the small apartment. She squeezed the trigger on the pistol several times and smiled with satisfaction as one of the agents fell, clutching his chest. He probably had a vest on, but it was enough to sting and take him out of the fight. She ducked back down.

Her situation was dire. She’d miscalculated the speed at which the FBI could get to her apartment. She’d wanted to clear out a few things and share one last drink with Erik and Andrei, but now they were here. Her choices were fight it out and die, surrender and go to prison, or try to escape. She didn’t like any option.

But if she was to live, there was no going back for the Foundation, despite the success of her plan. She was a free agent, but she was determined to try. That meant getting far away from here, probably to the south, where she could regroup and consider her options.

As if Erik was reading her mind, she felt a pat on her backside. She looked at him and noticed tears in his eyes. The brothers had been close. He jerked his head toward the window. Her eyes widened, but he nodded. She knew him well enough not to protest his stupid chivalry, let alone when under fire. She nodded then raised her head over the table, squeezing off a few more shots. Without further thought she dropped and scurried toward the window. She heard bullets whiz over her head, but the shooters seemed more interested in silencing the return fire of Erik than in her.

From the sound of it, he was still firing as she reached the window. She looked back briefly as he loaded a fresh magazine, his last, then nodded and started to stand. Michelle got to her feet as Erik reached his full height and sprayed the far side of the room with his weapon.

The window had been destroyed by the gunfight and she was halfway through when Erik’s fire stopped. A lesser team might have ducked against such a terrifying volley of fire, but this Bureau squad was better. They easily gunned him down. She grunted as she cut her hand on a jagged piece of glass, but didn’t stop. She hurried down one level of the fire escape. Looking down, she saw an agent at ground level aiming his weapon at her. A pair of bullets ricocheted off the steel railings. She moved quickly, raising her weapon and firing off a few shots, but from this range it was useless.

When she spotted additional agents running to support the lone gunman, she decided she couldn’t continue this way. With a grunt she hurled herself through the window to another apartment. The glass shattered around her and she landed heavily on the floor, but after the quickest check, she decided she was still intact.

She scrambled to her feet, glad that the apartment appeared to be empty. She raised the gun and moved quickly, half expecting a squad of agents to burst inside. Thoughts of escape and taking her vengeance on Jack Emery was all that kept her going, room by room. She reached the door to the apartment and opened it.

The corridor was empty. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number she knew by heart as she ran down the hall. “This is Dominique, change of plans, bring the car around and be ready to move it. We’re under fire.”

She reached the elevator and mashed the button. When it arrived, she rode it to the lobby and waited for the door to open, gun raised. Her mind was blank as she evaluated the threat—two Federal agents. She raised her weapon and fired at one. The agent went down as the other raised his weapon. They fired at about the same time.

The agent fell, but Michelle felt something impact her arm. She looked down as she ran for the exit. There was blood and an entry wound in her forearm, but she’d have to worry about it later. There was no sign of more agents as she ran outside. She’d finally caught a break.

She spotted the car and waved furiously at it. As it pulled up, she opened the door and dived in, the car never stopping. The driver gunned the engine as she took her seat and buckled in. She was safe, but if she was going to make good her escape, the driver would need to die at the end of the drive. She pressed her hand against her wound.