Together they lugged the toolbox to the back of the bay, and then lowered it to the ground after they’d jumped back down to the pavement.
“What kind of donation is this?” the woman asked suspiciously as she moved hesitantly toward the box while Troy lifted the top.
“Take a look.”
For several moments the woman peered down at the pile of cash, unable to comprehend. Finally, she put her hands to her mouth. “How much is in there?”
“Almost two hundred thousand dollars.”
“Oh, my God,” she gasped.
“You can have the truck, too,” Troy said as he reached out and pulled Jack’s arm. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Why’d we park all the way out here?” Jack asked as they sprinted across the parking lot toward the SUV. Behind them the woman was shouting her appreciation.
“So our donation was perfect. So it was anonymous. So that woman can’t get the license tag of this vehicle and call the cops in case she gets to wondering how we came into all that cash. We don’t have time for anything like that right now.”
Jack nodded to himself as he hopped in the SUV and they peeled off. Troy was always thinking.
CHAPTER 32
Bill finished the brief phone call with a sharp curse under his breath. “We’ve got a situation, Shane,” he said gravely as he pushed “end call” hard with his thumb.
Maddux glanced up. He’d been staring at the .44 Magnum he’d just slid across the table toward Bill. “What is it?”
“We’ve got two RC7 agents down.”
“Down?”
“Dead.”
“Where?”
“One in DC, one outside London.”
“Who?”
“Spencer Boggs in DC, Derek Malone outside London.”
It was Maddux’s turn to curse. “Good guys, great guys. Worse, both were very valuable agents, especially Boggs when it came to sabotage. What happened?”
“Both were shot in the head from long range,” Bill answered bitterly as his phone rang a second time.
“What now?” Maddux asked when Bill ended the second call.
“John Ward’s been shot, too,” Bill said grimly.
He’d known John for sixteen years. They’d been through so much together. It was always difficult when this news came. To a certain extent, he’d gotten used to it over the years. But not this time, not with Ward.
“Is he—”
“Yes, he’s dead.”
“Who was on the phone?” Maddux asked, gesturing at the phone Bill had put down on the tabletop beside the .44. “Who were you talking to?”
“One of the associates I’ve stayed in touch with during all this.” Bill shut his eyes tightly. “Damn it. John was such a good man.”
“The best,” Maddux muttered as he slammed the tabletop with his fist, causing the gun and the phone to jump in tandem. “A lot of Americans are alive today because of John’s courage and commitment to this country, specifically because of the missions he ran in Asia. If he hadn’t, bombs would have been detonated and people would have died. They have no idea what he sacrificed so they could blab on their iPhones while they drive their Beemers in bliss and ignorance through the greatest country in the world,” Maddux said, getting more worked up with each word. “These are not coincidental killings, Bill. We are at war with the executive branch of the United States.”
“I’m afraid you’re right. This has President Dorn written all over it.”
“With Baxter executing.”
“Baxter might be executing it, but he’s doing it on direct orders from Dorn.”
Maddux’s eyes opened wide. “Dorn’s going around the Order, Bill. He’s going around the Supreme Court and avoiding our immunity. He’s thumbing his nose at it and the justices. He’s starting a war that we’ll have no way of officially connecting him to. That has to be what’s going on here.”
Bill nodded. Maddux was right. He hated to think it, but you had to give credit where credit was due. It was an excellent move. Dorn knew there were elements inside RC7 who wanted him dead. It was a very rational, very strategic action on his part. He was going on offense instead of backpedaling against what he knew was a deadly force. You could never win if you were always on defense.
“Dorn’s always hated Red Cell Seven,” Bill muttered, “even before you tried to kill him in LA. That little charade he played last fall about supporting us even though he’d been shot was exactly that, a charade designed to make us relax. And the man’s too much of a control addict to give Baxter a free hand. Plus, he thinks he’s bulletproof with that sky-high approval rating.”
“Which we got for him by stopping the Holiday Mall Attacks,” Maddux grumbled resentfully. “If it really is Dorn behind this, he’s gone completely out of his mind.”
“He’s been out of his mind,” Bill snapped. “He’s been a complete coward about dealing with terrorists ever since he was elected. He let us do the dirty work behind the scenes while he placated all the bleeding hearts in his constituency.”
“Amen.”
“Carlson must have kept a list of RC7 agents at his house in Georgetown,” Bill said. “And when Baxter sent his people to the house last fall after Carlson died, they probably found that list, along with the other original Order. Before they murdered Nancy,” he added bitterly. “That’s the only way I can think of this happening. We’re too careful.”
“I thought there was only one official list of Red Cell Seven agents,” Maddux said deliberately. “And you kept it.”
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” Bill saw suspicion rising in Maddux’s expression. “The list is in my room,” he said, gesturing over his shoulder. He wasn’t about to let that look smolder. If he did, he might be the next member of RC7 to die, even if he was the cell’s leader. “You want to see it?”
Maddux stared across the table for a few moments. “I don’t know. Do I?”
It was always best to go at Maddux directly on matters like this. You couldn’t let a thing like this fester with him and allow him to draw his own conclusions. Maddux was a man of action, and just like everyone in the world, sometimes he got things wrong. Bill didn’t want this to be one of those times.
“And you’ve been monitoring every call I’ve made in the last nine months,” Bill added accusingly. “Don’t think I don’t know that, Shane.”
Maddux’s gaze dropped slightly. “Yeah, well—”
“Have I called anyone who made you wonder?”
Maddux shook his head. “No.”
Bill took a relieved breath, confident he’d defused Maddux’s suspicions. “Carlson must have kept a list of our people, too, at least a partial one. After all, he ran Red Cell Seven before me. Unfortunately, I think the people who murdered Nancy and got the Order must have found the list at the same time.”
“If that’s true,” Maddux answered ominously, “we’re all at risk.”
Bill nodded. “Yup.”
“Then I’ve gotta get to something right away,” Maddux said, standing up as he pointed at the weapon lying beside Bill’s phone. “You stay here and keep that gun on you at all times. Don’t even go to the can without it.”
“Where are you going?”
“You run the money, Bill; hell, you run the whole show at this point. If we’re really under attack, I can’t have my commander in imminent danger. I’ve got to keep you protected, and we’ve been in this location for a while, so it’s stale. I’m worried that whoever’s coming after us might figure out you’re here and come for you, which would paralyze us if they were successful. I need to find a new place for us to hole up, even if it’s not that far away. But I think you’re better off here than with me while I look for it.” Maddux hesitated. “You’re not as young as you used to be, Bill. No offense.”