Patriot by M.A. Rothman (summer reading list TXT) 📗

leaned forward. “How exactly does that help us?”

“Well, for one thing, it severely limits the targets available to Hakimi. If the military is called in and New York is shut down, there’s no way he’s going to be able to sneak his surprise into the city. And for another, it might limit or even eliminate the threat from your olive oil guy.”

“Where does that put us with Hakimi then, if he’s not coming to New York?”

“We don’t know that’s his target in the first place. Remember what that intercepted message said about decoys. He could be going to Washington or any other major city. His package is going to have the same effect on the country wherever it detonates.”

Annie smiled. “All this talk of packages and detonation… is that you flirting with me?”

Connor tilted his head and studied the woman’s expression. He suspected she was messing with him, but he couldn’t tell for sure. Not that it mattered. One thing he’d learned long ago was to never shit where you eat.

“You never know,” he said.

“So where do we go from here?” Annie asked.

“I suppose splitting our resources is going to get us mediocre results on both fronts,” Connor said. “We need to decide which is the more pressing threat and focus on that.”

“So, what’s the story with your current surveillance on that mosque?”

Connor shook his head. “Unfortunately, I think we’re sifting through some data, but I don’t think there’s much headway I can make right away.”

“Well,” Annie said, leaving some cash on the table, grabbing her helmet, and sliding out of the booth, “I’ve definitely got someone we can follow up with and I could use a backup.”

Connor followed Annie out of the diner, thanking the waitress as they passed. Outside he said, “Thompson and Richards never told me exactly what you do for the Outfit.”

Annie hung her helmet from one handlebar and threw a leg over her motorcycle. “What did they tell you about me?”

“Just that you were working for them. And that they called you the Black Widow.”

She laughed. “Good.”

“So…” Connor tried again. “What does a ‘Black Widow’ do for the Outfit?”

Annie pulled her helmet over her head and adjusted the chinstrap. “I’m in the funeral business.”

Chapter Thirty

“He’s getting another call,” Annie said, moving across the hotel room to her computer. She tapped a key and turned up the volume. Frederick’s German accent came over the speaker.

“The final shipment is going out today.”

Connor sat to one side, taking notes.

“Good,” said a woman with a vaguely European accent. “Our other piece of the puzzle should be in place soon.”

“Is it time to go golfing yet?” Frederick asked excitedly.

“Not yet. We’ll tell you when it’s time.”

“And the other bodies? They don’t need help bringing those down?”

“Don’t worry, we have everything under control. So far, everything has happened exactly according to plan.”

“I’m actually surprised they’ve done everything we asked them to do.”

“It’s in their best interest to do so,” the woman said. “They understand what will happen if they don’t comply.”

“Yeah, it just intrigues me that they actually care about that.”

“Putting a gun to someone’s head is often a great motivator.”

Frederick laughed. “You got that right. So when do I get to leave here? I hate the smell of this place.”

“You can head for the primary location now.”

The line disconnected.

Connor sighed, leaning back in his chair. “What in the world was that about? Are they talking in code?”

“I don’t think so. We’re just missing a bunch of context, and that woman is being careful about what she says.” Annie turned away from the computer. “You caught him mentioning something about extra bodies? What’s your read on what he meant by that?”

Connor shook his head. “Extra manpower maybe?”

Annie sighed. “But extra manpower for what?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it? That, plus I’d like to know who it is that’s ‘doing everything we asked them to.’ And who that woman is.”

Annie shook her head. “From what we know, that’s the enigmatic Ericka. We’ve tried tracing her incoming calls, but the signal is being bounced around to avoid detection.”

Connor stood and began pacing around the room. “Let’s break this down a little bit. If—” His cell phone rang, stopping him before he got started. It was Richards. He answered. “This is Connor.”

“We just got an all-points bulletin coming out of NYPD dispatch. There’s been two more bombings in New York City.”

“Son of a bitch.” Connor turned on the TV and tuned it to a local station.

“What’s up?” Annie asked.

Connor held up a finger but switched over to speakerphone. “Where?”

“The JP Morgan Building in Manhattan, and Madison Square Garden.”

“That’s kind of an abrupt change in targets,” Connor said.

“JP Morgan is in midtown,” Annie said. “The building itself takes up an entire city block.”

“Fortunately, the building is still standing,” Richards said. “But there’s even money on whether or not it’ll survive the day. Casualty and damage reports are still coming in, but it’s bad. Worse than the basilica. And the city’s radiation sniffers in the area are losing their minds. Same MO as the previous bombing.”

“And the Garden?” Connor asked.

“The data out of there is sketchier. Initial reports claim the building was minimally staffed and there weren’t any visitors at the time. However, there’s reports of bodies on the sidewalk. People hit by debris.”

Connor shook his head. He turned to Annie and mouthed the word, “Decoys.”

The anchor from the local ABC affiliate suddenly appeared on the TV screen.

“This is John Williamson with ABC News interrupting the currently scheduled programming to bring to you breaking news of what can only be described as a coordinated attack on the city. Two bombs have exploded in midtown, one bomb going off at 270 Park Avenue, also known as the world headquarters for JP Morgan Chase, and the other at Madison Square Garden. Casualties have been reported at both scenes. The MTA has shut down all subway traffic in and out of Manhattan.”

Annie hit the mute button on the remote. “Damn, this is like 9/11 all over again.”

“The entire