“Mak called earlier, she’s working late prepping for her trial. She said she’ll call you later once you’re done with Lachlan,” Deacon said.
James nodded. “How did she sound?” he asked. Mak had been his first thought when he’d looked at that photograph. Widow wasn’t known for targeting women, but James could never rule out Mak being targeted as a means to get to him. It had happened before, and it could happen again.
Deacon shrugged. “Tired, but otherwise fine. Does she know about Widow?”
James shook his head. “No. I’ll tell her once her trial is finished.”
Deacon nodded, seemingly in agreement. “It’s a big case,” he said with a whistle.
“I really wish she’d do employment law or something,” James groaned.
Deacon chuckled. “And yet, she’s taking down a politician for killing his mistress.”
James grinned. He was proud of her. So proud of her. She’d started her own practice that had grown faster than she had been prepared for, but like every challenge Mak faced, she handled it and got business done. She’d started as a criminal prosecutor and still did that today, including working on this current case, but more increasingly she was moving into wrongful conviction advocacy and that was where her passion lay. But every now and then she loved to take on a high-profile case that reeked of corruption and power abuse. Mak thrived on those cases. And those cases made James nervous because people in those positions had resources and power to retaliate.
Mak could take on such cases, and James could operate the CIA and help run Thomas Security largely due to Deacon and Marianne’s support. Marianne helped with their daughter and she basically organized everyone’s life. She was the most efficient person James knew, and she did it all surrounded by screaming children every day. It was very impressive. Calling Marianne or Deacon when they were at home with their four children, and James and Mak’s daughter and Cami’s two step-daughters, was like visiting a zoo at feeding time. It was loud and crazy and gave James a headache. But it worked and Marianne loved it. This life was everything they’d ever wanted and he was not going to let Widow destroy it.
“We need him to make this plan work,” James said under his breath, his fear lacing through his words.
He felt Deacon’s eyes on him, studying him. “No, we don’t. The plan will work best if he’s involved, but if he says no, we’ll find another way. Wealwaysfind a way.”
“I couldn’t find her, Deacon. All those years, she kept slipping through my fingers,” James said.
“Not this time,” he said with a confidence that James wished he had.
Samuel’s eyes dropped to his phone, which was always in his hand, and when James saw the change in his expression he knew immediately something had happened. He was moving toward Samuel before he’d even said his name.
“James,” Samuel said. “She’s moving.”
“Can you confirm it’s her? Or has she found the bot and passed it to someone else?” he asked, striding toward Samuel.
Samuel shook his head. “I need my office.” He stood abruptly, and so did everyone else.
Black Widow hadn’t left the hotel except for her outing at the Plaza. So, where was she going now?
Samuel nodded at Kimberly, who brought her phone to her ear, instructing their team. While Samuel and Kimberly led their IT operation, they had a support team of hackers who worked in shifts, twenty-four hours a day, because in a business like theirs, there were no opening and closing times.
They rushed from the rooftop, taking the stairs two at a time, heading straight for Samuel’s office. When they walked in, the footage was displayed on the screens and Samuel started typing on his laptop barely looking at the screen.
“She got into a taxi and we were able to note the license plate. We’ll follow it now. She didn’t take her purse with her,” he said.
“Look at that footage. She has a suitcase,” James said as the pit of his stomach churned. While they didn’t have cameras in the Tivoli Hotel, they had tapped the CCTV footage from businesses around the hotel.
Widow emerged on the screen wearing jeans, a blazer, boots, and big sunglasses.
“The taxi is heading up Park Avenue,” Samuel said, madly tapping on his computer, not looking at anyone in particular.
“Grand Central Terminal,” James said. “She’s leaving town!”
“Or she’s pretending to,” Deacon said.
“How well can we track her if she enters the terminal?” James asked.
“Depends,” Kimberly said. “She’ll likely pay for a ticket in cash. We can access the CCTV inside the terminal, but it’s peak hour.”
“We need eyes in there,” James said. “I’m going.”
“This is almost certainly a trap,” Deacon said.