“If you escape,” Annabelle said. “The two of you are basically going into an unfinished building with limited exits to meet a heavily armed force of government killers led by a guy who sounds about as brilliant and ruthless as they come.”
“You’ve summed it up nicely,” Stone said.
“How do you know Gray won’t just kill Simpson? He might be pretending to agree to do an exchange and then his men will just kill all of you.” They all turned to stare at Milton as he finished speaking. “When you’ve been around Oliver long enough you do tend to get a bit paranoid.”
Stone smiled before answering. “Milton, you’re absolutely right. In fact, I don’t think Gray would have any trouble killing Simpson and then blaming it on us. But I do have something he really wants. And I knew he’d ask for it.”
“The evidence you used to make him resign,” Alex said.
“That’s really the only reason he’s coming. The orders we have only tie Simpson to the assassinations of Andropov and Chernenko.”
“So Gray comes with a lot of firepower and the exchange is made. Once he has what he wants, how are you going to get David and yourselves out of there safely?” Annabelle wanted to know.
“There is a way,” Stone said. “And we’re going to need help from all of you to do it.”
CHAPTER 89
FINN’S RED CELL TEAM had prepped a tractor-trailer rig for use on its planned penetration of the visitor center. Those plans had been put on the back burner due to the incident involving Sam. Yet the truck was ready to go and when Finn told Stone about the rig’s capabilities, the ex–Triple Six had bluntly replied, “Go get it.”
And Finn had, with very little trouble actually since he had the keys to the tractor and access to the secure storage facility where it was housed.
He was now driving the rig through the middle of the capital. As he pulled into the entrance to the visitor center he could see preparations for the mock terrorist attack unfolding all around him.
He brought his truck to a stop in the loading dock alley and hopped out. He wore the requisite uniform and had the proper ID, and shipping orders all phony but good enough to fool a very bored government gunslinger. He showed the manifest to the guard and then popped the back door of the truck. The guard inspected the cargo, even pulling the tops off some of the boxes and peering in before closing them back up.
Finn had arrived here at half past six because he knew the construction workers were scheduled to go off duty promptly at six because of the mock terrorist attack. The next shift came on the following morning. The exchange with Gray would be set for midnight as soon as the call was made two hours from now by Stone. This would give them an opportunity to put their exit plan in place and give Gray very little time to make his own preparations.
Down the street Milton was sitting in a parked car with a cell phone in hand. He was the failsafe. If everything seemed to be going to hell, he was to call the police, the FBI, the fire department and anyone else they could think of. Since they would all be in close proximity, their response time should be very fast, although it still might not be fast enough. Caleb was back at the hiding place keeping watch over Lesya and the rest of the Finn family. Reuben and Alex were nearby, waiting for word from Stone.
“This is going to take some time,” Finn told the guard. “I not only have to offload the equipment, but I have to unpack it too. And my helper called in sick.”
“How long is long?” the guard asked.
“Probably after midnight before it’s all done.”
“You better get to it, then,” the guard said, walking away without bothering to offer to help.
Finn used a power-driven hand truck to offload the boxes of HVAC equipment and take it inside the visitor center. Four of the cargo boxes had compartments cleverly concealed in the bottom. Out from one box popped Stone, and from another, Annabelle. From another box they pulled a gagged and bound Simpson. From the fourth box Stone and Finn retrieved their weapons, including sniper rifles that Stone had used when he worked as a Triple Six. Finn looked at them doubtfully.
“They still work just fine,” Stone assured him. “Despite their, uh, vintage.”
“No night-vision equipment?”
“No.”
“Gray’s men will have them, state of the art,” Finn said slowly.
“I’m actually counting on that.”
“And body armor, latest generation.”
“I always aim for the head.”
They put the bound Simpson behind a crate of ceiling tiles and Finn showed Stone and Annabelle the interior rooms, most of which were unfinished.
Stone stopped at one room and looked up. “Balcony?”
Finn nodded. “This is the Great Hall. It looks down on the main visitors’ area. There’s also the atrium, the congressional auditorium, exhibition gallery, theaters and dining area.”
“I like this room,” Stone said firmly as he stared at the waist-high concrete wall along the balcony. “High ground is always good ground. Now show me where the closest power supply is.”
After that was done, Finn led them through a series of doors that ended in a long hall that was closed off. “That’s the underground corridor leading to the Capitol. It’s totally blocked off for now.”
“So how do I get David out of here?” Annabelle asked.
Finn nodded and pointed overhead. “The ventilation ducts. That was going to be the focal point of our penetration. That duct there will carry you directly into the Capitol. I’ve drawn up a map.” He handed it to her and went over various points, including how the duct ended in a small storage room.
“You only have to walk down a short hall and there’s an exit door there. It’s not guarded and you can open it from the inside. I had an associate go through it when we made an initial penetration. It was a tight fit for him, but he was bigger than you and David. You two should have no problem; you’re both very lean.”
Stone looked at Annabelle. “That’s why you fit the bill. There’s no way Reuben or Alex could have fit in there. Caleb and Milton are small enough, but—”
“I know,” Annabelle said. “If we run into any problems I can try and talk my way out.”
“Alex and Reuben will be stationed near the exit you’ll be using. If need be, Alex can use his Secret Service credentials to get you past any security checkpoints.”
“So where do you want me to be, Oliver?” Annabelle said.
“Right here next to the entrance to the ductwork. We’ll bring David to you.”
She looked at the tall and broad-shouldered Finn and Stone. “But I don’t understand. Harry and you obviously can’t fit in the ductwork, so how are you two going to get out?”
“Let us worry about that, Annabelle,” Stone said.
CHAPTER 90
FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS, Stone and Finn choreographed what would happen later that night. Finn was highly experienced when it came to work like this, but he finally had to admit to himself that when it came to killing other people while putting oneself in the best possible position to survive, Oliver Stone was his clear superior.
And then they were as ready as they were going to be. Stone made the call to Gray and then they both took up their positions and waited. Stone knew that Gray would send in an advance guard to recon the place. Sure enough, two hours later, men came sniffing and poking around, with the security guards out front no doubt either tied up or suitably intimidated by the men’s badges.
Then the man himself appeared. Carter Gray was looking chunkier than usual. From his sniper’s post Stone instantly discerned why: body armor. That didn’t bother Stone in the slightest since, as he’d told Finn, he always aimed for the head. People couldn’t survive without a brain. Although it did seem that more than a few people in Washington managed to do so quite nicely.
Next to Gray was a man pushing a hand truck with a bag on it. He unzipped the bag and helped the boy out. David Finn was blindfolded and had sound mufflers over his ears. Wob
bling, he stood next to Gray, who looked around the vast interior of the uncompleted Great Hall.
“Well,” Gray said to the emptiness. “We’re here.”
Harry Finn walked out into the room, a gagged Simpson in hand. “Give me the boy.”
Gray looked mildly annoyed at being talked to in such a manner. “Harry Finn, Lesya and Rayfield’s son. You take after your mother more than your father.”
“Let me have my son!”
“Where are the orders? And where is my recording?”
Finn pulled a set of papers and a cell phone from his jacket pocket. He held them up. “I want David next to me.”
Finn pushed Simpson toward Gray. The senator jogged the last few steps. When he reached Gray the intelligence chief immediately had the gag and hand bindings removed.
The guard pushed David toward his father. Finn hugged his son. “It’s okay, Davey, I’ve got you.” He took off the blindfold and sound mufflers.
“Dad!” David said in a trembling voice as he squeezed his father tightly.
Gray held out his hand. “Give them to me. Now!”