“I’ll tell you one thing…this is no coincidence. The fact our tower crane was vandalized on the same day I’m accused of breaking into my cousin’s lab is no mere twist of fate. Someone’s behind this; I’ll bet anything it’s my fucked-up cousin. Wait ’til I get my hands on the son-of-a-bitch.”
Corky noticed Ryan’s hands were shaking. He’d never seen him so upset. There was a weird look on his face he’d never seen before, either. It was almost like he was possessed.
“Hey, I’m going to need another favor. Give me the keys to your truck,” Ryan asked with his hand outstretched.
Corky sensed from the way he thrust his hand out that he wasn’t so much asking a favor, but making a demand. He handed Ryan his keys.
“I’m heading north to Pueblo. I’ll exchange your truck for a rental car on my way to Denver. I’ll let you know what rental agency. In any case, the state police will have an APB out for my arrest the minute Westbrook calls in. I need a head start out of New Mexico.”
“Sure, no problem. My truck’s back at the motel,” Corky said. “Just be careful. This is messed up, Ryan. If it’s as you say, your cousin’ll be expecting you to come after him. If you need backup, you just let me know and a bunch of guys will be right there.”
Corky followed Ryan out the door. “And don’t worry about the project. You’ve lined up everything far enough ahead to keep us going well through the completion of the span. You just keep your head down. The law’ll be scoping for you like a Cooper’s hawk on a gopher hole.”
“Don’t worry about me, ya hear?” Ryan replied. “I’ve got this. Keeping me in business is the best way to help me now. One more thing…call Sarah. Let her know what’s happened. Tell her I’m on my way to find Jarrod. Tell her not to call me or talk to the police until I have a chance to figure this out. It’s important she not jump to conclusions. Tell her I can explain everything.”
With those final instructions, Ryan walked out of the trailer toward his vehicle, started the engine, and sped from the construction site with his wheels spewing gravel and a plume of dust as he departed.
God help Jarrod Conrad when Ryan finds him, thought Corky, watching him squirrel up the dirt road. Fury’s coming…and hell’s close behind.
TWELVE
Livermore, California
11:00 HOURS
Richard Kilmer couldn’t delay any longer. It was time to present the Livermore plan to his men. He knew there would be strident opposition, but he had confidence they were disciplined enough to pull it off. Because each man was literally the best in his chosen field, they also possessed strong beliefs about how to formulate a plan of attack. Admittedly, there were times when the pre-mission presentation had enhanced his tactical design, but in the end, Kilmer also knew his plan would ultimately prevail- compensation of $1 million per man was something none of them would turn away from. The minute they answered his call, accepting the plan was really non-negotiable. It was all or nothing. The success or failure in the upcoming Livermore job would come down to the evacuation, which would hinge on Colt Hamil. They were about to find out just how good a driver Colt really was.
Kilmer spent the morning recuperating from the late night at the Quantum Building. He went through his equipment cache and segregated what he would need for the Livermore operation. He thoroughly cleaned, inspected, and oiled both his nine-millimeter automatic pistols. The 380 Beretta was his preference for closequarters personal protection, but he always thought the Lugar was more accurate for distance shots. He loaded six clips with 148 grain full-metal jacket rounds, deciding against hollow points, and carefully secured these in his specially made harness. Then he emptied and repacked the gear bag that stowed his commando clothing: night-vision goggles, storm trooper boots, hood, and black nomex jumpsuit. As team leader, he didn’t normally carry much gear except a spare radio and battery.
Kilmer completed his equipment checklist and then went online to access his offshore Cayman bank account. He was delighted to see that Holloway had recently deposited $4.5 million. This covered the $1 million outstanding from the Quantum job, and fifty percent payment of the $7-million Livermore mission. He was relieved that Holloway had not decided to delay the upcoming mission while Aldin Mills verified the discs retrieved from Conrad’s office.
Kilmer felt a rush of adrenaline thinking about the next assignment and looked over his roster of professional soldiers he wanted to use. Each of these men possessed a particular expertise that made them unique among this elite band of mercenaries. Through the years, Kilmer had recruited nearly a dozen highly decorated retired soldiers, who had been personally recommended by an existing team member. In this way, Kilmer gleaned only the very best men without concern they might blow the whistle on the team’s clandestine activities.
All of Kilmer’s men had honorably served their country, but each had also been scapegoated in some fashion to hide a political agenda from a blissfully ignorant public. Most had become embittered by their government’s hypocrisy and no longer held allegiance to anything except the men with whom they served and the mission at hand. This led them to become mercenaries, accepting payment for the services they formerly provided free of charge to an ungrateful bureaucracy. By whatever means they came to be a part of the team, however, Kilmer knew these were most likely the best of the best at their particular skill.
Kilmer never varied from his practiced method for planning a mission. Once he firmly understood the operation parameters, only then would he peruse his roster to select the best man for each required position. This method had proven highly successful, and made each of his men wealthy beyond any reasonable measure. So, too, his method also provided a maximum of safety; without exception, there had been only minimal casualties in all the years they had been banded together.
Before embarking on Holloway’s ambitious plan, Kilmer had first plotted the lunar patterns to determine each month’s new moon. He always preferred to initiate missions in close to total darkness around the lunar cycle, believing that night-vision equipment gave his team an immediate operational advantage. Kilmer knew most security details could not afford these expensive devices, which put them at a distinct disadvantage.
Kilmer reviewed the schematics of the grounds for what seemed like the tenth time. Like every lab that handled enriched nuclear material, this facility was under heightened security following the terrorist attack in New York City. Because of the research conducted at this site, a breach would be exceedingly complex and probably deadly. Kilmer painstakingly studied every conceivable entry point to determine the path of least resistance; so far, the perfect plan eluded him but he was confident the facility could be breached.
Lawrence Livermore Lab presented a difficult challenge. This facility was the only West Coast institution that contained the amount of enriched uranium Holloway had specified. Other processing facilities could supply the twenty pounds of uranium to operate Conrad’s contraption, but these facilities were under tight military control, and resembled armed fortresses compared to the relatively low-level security at the Livermore Lab. Regardless, this was going to be a complicated operation.
The Lab also contained a couple of attributes, however, that Kilmer immediately appreciated. The nuclear material in the lab’s Stockpile Stewardship program was contained in one central location: a warehouse designed to protect against radioactive contamination of those working close by. This basketball-court-sized space was thirty meters underground, with only one entrance. Kilmer considered this a strategic benefit-the armed security protecting the containment center could be neutralized without regard for an immediate secondary response. This bought his team a great deal of precious time.