Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

As the team prepared to move, Jason made a quick call to Alisa, who had turned on her phone after settling in her mother’s hospital room.

"I only have a minute," he said. "We’re chasing a solid lead."

"That’s great," she replied. "Anything you can share?"

"I can't share details yet, but I’ll update you soon. The info came from Tatiana, and it looks solid."

"Is it about my dad?"

"No, another of Novikov’s associates. I’ll let you know when I have more."

"Be careful, Jason."

Her concern reassured him, but it also unsettled him. He wasn’t used to having someone who worried about him—but it felt surprisingly good.

Clearing his throat, he asked, "Everything okay with you?"

"Yes, my mom and I had a long talk. She’s napping now, and I’m going to listen to something light and funny on my phone."

"Good. I’ll talk to you later."

He stared at the phone, unsettled by the nagging feeling that he should have said more. But it was too late. Hopefully, the next time they spoke, he’d have good news.

They drove to the Elliott Tower in two vehicles, parking around the corner to keep out of sight. Wearing tactical gear, Jason, Beck, Flynn, and Savannah, along with four members of FBI SWAT, moved silently in teams of two. A drone had spotted at least three people in an eighth-floor apartment. Agents covered both front and back entrances as they entered the lobby.

Flynn had obtained keys from the management company, and any resistance to the search warrant had been firmly dealt with.Now, they just had to make it upstairs without walking into an ambush.

His gut twisted, the memories of three years ago playing through his mind. Stephanie and his father had gone to a motel where they thought Novikov was hiding.They hadn’t waited for backup, and that decision had cost his father his life and taken away his partner's ability to go into the field. He hoped they weren't walking into another trap. His gut churned, and he started to sweat inside the thick gear he was wearing.

When they reached the floor where several condo models were completed and ready for sale, they set up on either side of the door, and then one of the SWAT team members kicked it in. He and Savannah were the first ones through the door.

They went into the apartment, guns drawn, calling out their presence.

The shooting started immediately. He took out a man to his left, while Savannah shot another man coming down the hallway. Flynn picked up a third shooter as he made his way further into the apartment. Within minutes, the three people inside the unit were dead or injured. Unfortunately, they hadn't found Novikov, Ilyin, or Alisa's father.

A huge, crushing wave of disappointment ran through him.

His fellow agents looked just as grim.

One of the men they'd shot moved. As Flynn tried to talk to him, Jason walked into the kitchen, seeing papers on the island. His heart jumped as he realized he was looking at blueprints.

Savannah entered the kitchen. "What did you find?"

"Schematic drawings," he muttered as he flipped through the pages.

"Of this development?"

His gut tightened. "No, the Figueroa Center," he said, referring to the new convention center where the global tech conference would kick off tomorrow afternoon, with a welcoming speech by the vice president of the United States. "This is confirmation of the target. We don't have Novikov, but at least we know where he's planning to attack."

"Hopefully, we'll get more information about where he is right now from that guy," she said, tipping her head to the man who was crying to Flynn about the pain he was in.

"The ambulances are pretty busy right now," Flynn said. "Why don't you tell us where Novikov is, and we'll see if we can get one here faster?"

"You can't let me die," the man begged.

"I'm not letting you die. If you want help, talk."

"I don't know where he went," the man said. "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"What about Dominic Ilyin?" Jason interjected. "Was he here?"

"He left an hour ago. He didn't say where he was going. Get me help. I think I'm dying."

"What's the plan? Are they setting off a bomb at the Figueroa Center?" he pressed.

Flynn gave him a surprised look as they both waited for the man to reply.

"I don't know. I'm just a driver. I drive people around and I pick people up."

"Did you pick up a man at the Sparks Motel in Brentwood yesterday?"

"No," the man said. "That wasn't me. Them," he said nodding his head to the two dead men on the floor across from him. "I don't know where they went." He howled in agony at the end of his sentence. "But they didn't come here."

"An ambulance is on the way," Beck said, coming into the apartment. "The rest of the building is clear."

"Were you just guessing on the Figueroa Center?" Flynn asked quietly, pulling him away from the man on the floor.

"Blueprints," he said, leading him and Beck into the kitchen while Savannah stood watch. "This has to be the target."

"We knew it was the most likely one," Flynn said. "We've already tripled the security. It will be difficult for them to get in."

"They must have an inside track, a way into the convention that will get them past security. Maybe they're entering through a company."

"Or they've infiltrated security," Beck suggested.

"Or they could be part of the janitorial service, the catering…" Flynn's mouth drew into a tight line. "I suggested to Damon and the director that we cancel the conference, but the vice president was unwilling to go that far. So, we need to cover every base. Let's get to work."

While he knew securing the Figueroa Center was a priority, finding Novikov and Alisa's father before that would be a far easier way of shutting down the attack. "We have to find him before he gets to the center. He has to be somewhere else putting these bombs together with Alexei Bruno's help."

"Dominic Ilyin was here," Flynn said. "We can track him from this building to wherever he went."

"I'm sure he covered his tracks," he said, feeling a deep sense of frustration. "We're always one step behind."

"Until we're not," Beck said positively. "That's why we keep going."

He nodded. "I'm not giving up, just saying we need to get on offense."

Savannah joined them as the EMTs attended to the injured man. She had her phone in her hand. "I just spoke to Nick. Dominic Ilyin was grabbed and thrown into the back of a van just three miles from here. He'd parked in front of a liquor store and appeared to be heading across the street when a van came screaming up. He disappeared into the back of it."

"Was he grabbed, or did he get in willingly?" he asked, shocked by her words.

"That's the question. We need to get back to the office." Savannah's phone buzzed. "Nick. Did you find something else?" She put the phone on speaker.

"In looking at footage from the scene where Ilyin disappeared, I got a hit on a license plate, a vehicle registered to former Special Agent Patrick Hastings."

His jaw dropped. "Seriously? Patrick Hastings? My father's best friend? He was at the scene?"

"Yes. He followed the van down the street. Both disappeared from view, and we haven't been able to find either of them again."

"I'll call Patrick and get a meeting with him," he said.

"Take the car," Savannah said as she tossed him the keys. "I'll ride back with Flynn and Beck."

He jogged through the apartment and took the elevator to the bottom floor. His mind was racing as fast as he was. He jumped in the vehicle and called Patrick on the phone. He wanted to see him face-to-face, but he didn't know where he was at the moment. That might be a revealing answer, too.

Patrick answered a moment later. "Jason," he said. "I'm glad you called. I need to talk to you."

"I need to talk to you. Where are you?"

"I'm in Hollywood."

"Meet me at Jack's," he said, naming a famous burger place. "Twenty minutes."

"I'll be there in fifteen," Patrick said.

As he ended the call, he started the engine. Before he could pull away, he saw Steph's name flashing across his phone with an urgent request to meet. He sent her a quick reply that he couldn't talk now but would call her as soon as he could. And then he sped down the street.

Alisa was going crazy wondering what had happened with Jason and the lead he'd gotten. He'd promised to get in touch with her as soon as he knew anything, so she had to be patient, but that wasn't easy. She was tired of sitting in a chair next to her mom's bed. She was tired of this room. She needed to be outside. She wanted to be with Jason. She wanted to be searching for her father. She wanted to be doing anything but this.

"You're worried," her mother said, muting the television that had been distracting them both for a while. "Do you know something you haven't told me?"

"No. I'm just wishing I could be more helpful. Jason said he'd keep me updated, and I know he'll try. He's just busy. He's doing everything he can to find Dad. And I'm sure he'll succeed. Jason is good. He's great at his job, and he's obsessed with finding this terrorist, so I know he won't stop until he does." She paused, seeing her mother's speculative look. "What?"

"You seem like you've gotten very close to Jason."

"Well, he's saved my life twice, and he's been protecting me."

"Is there more to it than that?"

She shrugged, avoiding the gleam in her mother's eyes. "I don't know."

"Well, that isn't a no."

"This whole situation is complicated."

"That's true. But I haven't ever heard you talk about a man the way you talk about him."

"Well, he's different than everyone else."

"In what way?"

"Pretty much every way."

"Do you think it's possible you have a little hero worship going on?" her mother asked tentatively .

"It's more than that. I really like him. He's very blunt and calls it like it is, and that's refreshing. There aren't any games. I feel like he's someone I can trust. Like he means what he says. He is who he is."

"You're talking about your father now."

"Maybe a little. I think what he did was wrong, Mom. He should have filled us in on his life a long time ago."

"I understand why he didn't."

"I know you do, but maybe we could have prevented what's happening now if we had been better prepared."

"Or maybe our lives wouldn't have been so wonderful if we'd known what darkness might come after us."

"You'll never be angry at him, will you?" she asked with a sigh.

"I wouldn't go that far," her mother said. "He's made me angry plenty of times. But it's never diminished the love I have for him or his love for me. We have a connection that is strong and steady and will never go away."

She had to admire her mother's unwavering belief in her dad. "I've always wanted a love like you and Dad have."

"It's real. Even if the foundation is built on something false, what we have together is pure. He's not perfect and neither am I. But we've built a good life together, and I really hope…" For the first time, her mother's voice broke.

She moved to the bed to hug her mother. "He's going to be all right," she said as they embraced each other.

"He will be," her mother said, infusing strength into her voice. "He said he'd make things right, so I'm going to keep believing until I can't."

She pulled away from her mom, her eyes filled with the same moisture she saw in her mother's. "I'm going to try to do that, too."

"He's a good man, Alisa."

"I think you're right." She blew out a breath. "Maybe we should unmute the TV and try not to think about everything. "

"Why don't you take a break?" her mother suggested. "You've been here all day."

"I promised Jason I wouldn't leave."

"You don't have to leave the hospital. You can go to the nurse's lounge, talk to some of your friends, or go to the cafeteria and get lunch. It might do you good."

She thought about that. She really needed to get out of this room. "Do you want me to bring you something?"

"Maybe something sweet out of the vending machine. That would be safe. But don't come back too soon. Catch your breath. This could be a long day."

"All right. Call the nurse if you need anything."

"I'm feeling very close to normal, Alisa. You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"Okay, I'll be back soon."

As she entered the hallway, she saw a woman with a cane walking slowly down the hall. She offered her a brief smile, surprised when the woman stopped.

"Are you Alisa Hunt?" the woman asked.

She was surprised by the question and a little put off. "Who are you?" she asked, glancing at the security guard who was watching their exchange and had taken a step closer to her.

"I'm Special Agent Stephanie Genaro." She pulled out an FBI badge and showed it to her, and then to the guard.

He took it, gave it a long look, and then handed it back to Agent Genaro with a nod.

The agent gave her a smile. "I'm looking for Jason Colter. I heard he might be here with you. I'm his former partner."

At her words, she realized where she'd heard the name before. This was the woman who had almost lost her life along with Jason's dad. "Oh, right. Jason mentioned you. But he isn't here."

"Oh." Disappointment filled her gaze. "I've been trying to reach him, but he hasn't picked up. I need to talk to him about the case he's working on, the case involving your father. "

She stiffened, surprised Stephanie knew about her dad, since Jason had said he was keeping his former colleagues out of the investigation. "What do you know about my dad?"

"Quite a bit, actually. That's what I want to talk to Jason about. One of my informants just gave me some valuable information, and I need to pass it on. I already went to Jason's office, but they didn't want to tell me anything. I guess I'll just have to wait."

"What kind of information?" she asked.

Stephanie hesitated. "I can't share it with you. I'm sorry."

"If it's about my father, you can tell me. I'm in the middle of this."

Stephanie looked around. "This isn't the place. And I'm sure Jason wouldn't want me to talk to you."

"I was on my way to the cafeteria. Do you want to get coffee with me?"

Stephanie hesitated. "I don't know."

"We don't have to talk about my dad. You can tell me what it was like to work with Jason."

"I guess I could do that. I have to wait for him to call me back, anyway."

"Let's go." She led the way to the elevator, walking at a slower pace so that Stephanie could keep up her. "Jason told me you were injured in an ambush."

"Yes. By the man he's now chasing," Stephanie replied. "He has tried to keep me out of the investigation, but I have my sources, and I can't just do nothing."

"It is hard to do nothing," she agreed. "I'm going a little crazy myself."

"Me, too," Stephanie said with a sigh. "That man took everything from me, and I want to put him behind bars."

"Hopefully, Jason will make that happen," she said.

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. Two orderlies stood next to an empty gurney, which struck her as slightly odd. She turned her back to them to push the button for the lobby and heard Stephanie say, "What the hell?"

Before she could turn around, she felt a sharp jab in the back of her arm.

Suddenly, she couldn't move, and the world faded away…