“Close. Did you know about the smallpox the Friends are infected with? Have your guys been exposed to the virus?”
“No. We got shots recently. I don’t know that everyone here has been vaccinated, but most of us have. I didn’t know why that happened.”
“You aren’t going to win this war, Pete.”
He shrugged. “I don’t expect to be alive long enough to care.”
“So be on the right side of it. Help me get to King.”
“That would be instant death.”
“There’s only the two of us here. No one else will know.”
“Can I count on you to keep your word? You’ll give me sufficient warning before the end so that I can go out my own way?”
“Yes. Now where are Lion and his pride?”
Pete shook his head. “I really don’t know. King took them.”
Max shook his head. Lion and the boys were gone. That was going to be some hard news to break to Hope. They were savvy kids. They’d find a way to get in touch with him. But why would King have taken them—taken the only alarm system he had in place to guard his gold?
What was the bastard up to?
Max walked to the door, then looked back at Pete. “Look, the CDC is going to come knocking on your door. Let them in. They don’t give a shit about your drugs. They just want to vaccinate the ones who need it. Let them do their thing.”
“Sure. Why not?”
“Call me if you hear any news about the boys.”
“Maybe.”
Max smiled. “If you hear something and I learn later that you didn’t tell me, I’ll revoke our agreement.”
“It’s not like King tells me anything. But if I hear something, I’ll tell you.”
*
Kit’s phone rang when he was on his way back to Blade’s house that night. He didn’t recognize the number. “Bolanger here.”
“Hello, Mr. Bolanger. It is I, Jafaar. How are you this fair summer night?”
“What do you want, Jafaar?”
“I merely wished to tell you how aggrieved I am to see so many citizens of the mighty United States brought so low so quickly by an antique germ many thought extinct. Of course, it was never eradicated. It simply withdrew into labs and other dark corners. It has been tenderly cared for by specialists for decades, while it waited, patiently, for its appointed time to reappear. Like so many who are truly loyal to the cause.”
“Why am I not surprised you’re calling me tonight?”
“I couldn’t help but speculate how things might unfold. Who would suspect an eradicated virus when members of a certain motorcycle gang spread their illness across all states in the U.S., across the northern and southern borders? How quickly terror will spread when it hits the southern border, especially.
“It will be fun to watch. Your country will be overrun with panicked immigrants, demanding a cure for their loved ones. A cure for a disease your country unleashed upon them. The U.S. may have enough vaccinations for every one of its citizens, but it doesn’t have enough for its neighbors.
“But do not think I am responsible for this. I am merely an amused bystander—how is it you say ‘popping popcorn.’ I believe the smallest first domino spilling into the next, and the next is all that will be needed to end the oligarchy that is America.
“No wall along your southern border will be high enough when millions start climbing it at once. While the border patrol along with local and national law enforcement have their hands full, the next domino will be falling.”
Kit laughed. “Ah, Jafaar, you’ve been watching too many zombie movies. The CDC already has this under control.”
“No, my friend. It is not I who is lost in the fiction told to us by our leaders. I deal in facts. I have workers in key labs whose only function has ever been to help disburse the appropriate lab samples at the appropriate time. Have you not noticed how many samples lately have been mishandled, inadvertently shipped internationally? Live bacteria, spores, and viruses. From American labs.
“You see, our cells are not comprised of the disorganized and disenfranchised few. Oh no. They are far more complex than that. Our foundation is made up of multigenerational members who’ve waited for years to be called upon. They remember the wounds of their ancestors. Their blood is red with hate and white with patience.”
“Holy hell, that’s depressing, Jafaar. Our people spend generations lifting each other up, not plotting doom. Clearly you’re mismanaging your breeding program.”
“We do not have an issue with your people, my friend. I do not blame them for the country they were born to. They are merely fodder for the fire. We must pass through them to get to your leaders. It is them I blame.”
“Hate is a perfidious motivator, Jafaar. It not only bites the hand that feeds it, it consumes its entire food source, then dies of starvation. You’ll botch this just as you’ve botched every other attempt to end this country. So keep running around, singing big songs. Just makes it all the easier to root you and yours out.” Kit dropped the line.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Greer came awake fast. Too fast. Without opening his eyes, he tried to get a sense of what roused him. He and Remi weren’t alone. He drew a long breath, testing the air. Nothing unusual. No stink of a hitman. No chill of a specter. He opened his eyes, surprised to see that morning had already come. A soft blue light radiated from a spot near the door. He looked at the window and realized that it wasn’t daylight illuminating the cabin.
The glow came from the ghost girl who’d been following him around. He eased himself free from Remi and sat up. The girl turned and stepped through the closed door. Greer walked across the room and looked out the front window. She looked at him from the middle of the public square.
Greer dressed. He felt an illogical urge to go after her. Was she warning him? Or guiding him toward something?
The glow returned to the dark cabin. Greer touched Remi’s arm. “Remi. Wake up.”