The Hit

Chapter





31





ROBIE DESPERATELY WANTED TO GO back to confirm that his ally in this firefight had been Reel. But he had a badly wounded woman in his backseat and he had no idea where the nearest hospital was.

He hit the main road, gunned it, and called Blue Man.

The man answered right away and Robie told him what had happened, leaving out, however, the information about the female countershooter.

Blue Man told Robie help was on the way and directed him to the nearest hospital; he indicated that a team would meet him there. They were also sending a response unit to DiCarlo’s house.

Robie took two minutes to pull off the road, examine DiCarlo’s wound, and stop the bleeding as best as he could. DiCarlo was going in and out of consciousness. She alternated between gripping his arm and then letting it go.

Robie said, “You’re going to be okay, ma’am. I’m not going to let you die. You’re going to be fine.”

He didn’t know if any of this was true, but she needed to hear it.

He arrived at the county hospital twenty minutes later. Agency personnel were already there, and they took over when Robie screeched to a halt in the parking lot. They stabilized DiCarlo at the hospital, and then she was loaded into a medevac chopper and flown off to a hospital better equipped to handle a trauma patient.

Robie stayed behind to debrief Blue Man, who had shown up about ten minutes after Robie. They sat in a small cubicle outside the emergency room sipping lukewarm vending machine coffee.

“So what’s her condition?” asked Robie.

“She’s stabilized, but in critical condition. From what I heard she lost a lot of blood and was in shock. Don’t know if she’s going to make it or not. Someone has obviously declared war on the agency.” He paused. “Jessica Reel.” It really wasn’t a question.

Robie hesitated. Part of him wanted to tell Blue Man what he had seen tonight. The countershooter had been a woman; he was certain of that. He was also convinced that it had been Reel. That wasn’t a fact; it was just his speculation. Yet who else could it have been?

In the end he decided to keep it to himself.

“There were multiple shooters,” said Robie. “I think Reel is more of a loner.”

Blue Man threw his coffee into a trash can, wiped off his hands, and sat back down next to Robie in a scratched plastic chair. The room reeked of antiseptic and stale food.

“Multiple shooters? You’re sure?”

“Maybe four or five. Maybe more.”

Robie wondered if they would find any bodies out there other than DiCarlo’s guards. He was certain Reel had nailed at least two of them.

Blue Man wiped sweat from his forehead with his hand. “Do we have a full-fledged conspiracy going on here?”

“But why target DiCarlo?” asked Robie.

“She was number two.”

“So the conspiracy is directed at top agency personnel? Then why go after Jacobs? He was nowhere near the inner circle.”

“I don’t know, Robie. But if it was multiple shooters and Reel is working with them, they must have some goal in mind.”

“It’s funny that DiCarlo’s security team was so light,” Robie said. “Particularly after what happened to Gelder.”

Blue Man was nodding before Robie finished speaking. “I know.”

“She comes out here with two guys and no perimeter. Multiple points of attack. You wouldn’t have to be good to get to her. You just have to show up.”

“It was her home.”

“That’s not a reason. The agency has lots of safe houses. She never should have been allowed to even go to her house, given what happened to Gelder.”

“You’re right, Robie.”

“And the guy who should’ve told her that is Evan Tucker, the number one. One trumps two, right?”

“I’m not privy to the dynamics of their relationship or what might have transpired between them.”

“So there’s nothing you can tell me that might help?”

Blue Man looked up at him, the mental battle clear in his features. “I don’t know what to tell you, Robie.”

“That actually tells me a lot.”

Robie went over with Blue Man the details of the meeting with DiCarlo. But again he didn’t tell all. He could vividly recall the anxiety in DiCarlo’s voice as she spoke to him:

Missions that never should have been. Missing personnel. Money moved from here to there and then it disappeared. Equipment sent to places it should not have been sent to and it also disappeared.

And her last comment had been even more troublesome, that something insidious is going on, Mr. Robie. I don’t know if it has anything to do with Jessica Reel. What I do know is that it’s reached a crisis point.

He didn’t tell Blue Man this because, ever the dutiful agency man, he would have reported it up his chain of command. And right now Robie didn’t want that.

“Anything else?” asked Blue Man.

“When will we know if DiCarlo will make it or not?”

“Last I heard it may take a couple of days.”

“Has she given any sort of statement?”

Blue Man shook his head. “None. She was unconscious. They’re hoping to get a statement from her in the next few days. If she survives.”

“So who’s going to be the new number two?” asked Robie.

“I’m not sure anyone would take the job right now,” replied Blue Man.

“Is Evan Tucker coming here?”

“Don’t know. He’s been briefed, of course. And I’m sure he’ll want to hear what happened directly from you.”

“Nothing more I can tell.”

“So you didn’t see anyone else out there?”

Robie didn’t hesitate. “Just the shooters. And they were at a distance. I was more concerned about getting DiCarlo out of there. I didn’t have time to observe much.”

“Of course.” Blue Man stood. “You need a ride home?”

“Yeah. The Rover is officially evidence and my car is wrecked.”

“I’m going to stay around here, but I’ll have one of my men drive you back into town.”

Before either of them could start toward the exit several men in suits appeared.

“Will Robie?”

Robie looked at them. “Who are you?”

“We’d like you to come with us.”

“Who is ‘we’?” said Blue Man.

The speaker looked at him. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“The hell it doesn’t. Robie is with me.” Blue Man showed them his creds.

The same man spoke. “Right, sir, we know who you are.” The man held out his own creds. Their magnitude made Blue Man blink in surprise and take a step back.

Robie had also seen the ID card and badge. He wasn’t surprised that Blue Man had stood down.

When the country’s national security advisor wanted you, well, you went.

Robie walked outside, climbed into the waiting SUV, and was driven off.

He didn’t expect to be home anytime soon.