Page 17 of A Rhapsody of Ravens and Revenge

“It is what it is,” Atticus said, unfazed. “Taber will be making his way toward you. You might have a few days at best if he’s got other hits on his list. And from the intel we’ve received, we think he does.”

Cal put the phone on speaker and then set it on the counter so he could go back to making a sandwich.

“You said he tapped the design engineer of AeroNaut?” Cal asked, piling a piece of bread high with thinly sliced meat. “If I recall, there was a buyout a few years ago with a new owner. He shifted their business strategies pretty drastically and pissed off a lot of shareholders. Last I checked they’re doing a lot of government contracts now.”

“They’ve got about 60 percent of the pie as far as military aircraft are concerned,” Atticus confirmed. “Their last government contract was worth billions.”

Cal made a mental note. “Ahh, well people have died for a lot less than that. Money is always worth digging into a little more. Who’s the new head honcho at AeroNaut?”

“Well, it was John Amir,” Atticus said.

“Was?” Cal asked.

“Yeah, he’s dead. I’ll send you the file. I’ve still got intel coming in from my sources, but it doesn’t look like it’s a coincidence. Go ahead and start probing into any connections between Senator Biddle and Amir. The sooner we cut the head off the snake the sooner we can get Taber off Evangeline’s back. Whoever Taber hits next will be connected. Whoever has hired him is cleaning up loose ends.”

Cal rinsed his knife off and stuck it in the dishwasher and then put everything else away. He stood over the sink, looking out across the water, and took a bite of sandwich. The waves were calm and the sun bright overhead, but he’d grown up on the water. There was a slight chop to the waves. Rain would be coming before too long.

“If I remember right—” Cal said, irritated that the weather was going to wreak havoc with his security detail.

“And you always do,” Atticus said.

“—Taber doesn’t take a job for less than seven figures. The higher the profile of the target, the higher the price tag. And he’s just killed two very high-profile targets. Those kills are two big paydays.” His words were slow and thoughtful, his drawl more pronounced. “But here’s the problem. Whoever hired Taber wouldn’t shell out money like that for Evangeline. She was a witness, and Taber is responsible for his own anonymity. It’s part of his contract. Which means he’s coming after Evangeline on his own dime. His ability to become invisible is what makes him so effective at his job. And there’s only been one other time where a witness was able to identify him to the level that Evangeline can, and that was almost two decades ago.”

Atticus sighed. “Taber’s been in the game a long time. Longer than I have. And I remember what happened to the last witness.”

“Yeah, me too,” Cal said. “They found pieces of him across twelve square miles. Medical examiner said he’d been alive while he was being dismembered.”

“Then you understand why I sent you to protect Evangeline,” Atticus said. “All we can do is hope that Taber has other contracts to fulfill before he comes for you so we have more time to track him down. Nate and Eden got back from Guatemala yesterday. I’m giving them a day to sleep and then I’ll put them in the field to apply some pressure to Taber. I want him to feel us breathing down the back of his neck.”

“You don’t think that will send him underground?” Cal asked.

“Not as long as Evangeline is alive. He’s going to be gunning after her no matter the cost. And because she’s Lockwood’s daughter he’s going to see it as a personal challenge. Just don’t let him get the drop on you.”

Cal snorted. “Thanks for the pep talk. I feel much better now.”

“We’re all working on this, Cyph. As soon as any agents are free I’m sending them to you. Lockwood means a lot to all of us.”

Cal felt the anger start in his gut and work its way up, so he could feel the flush of rage in his neck and face. His jaw was clenched so tight he was surprised his teeth didn’t crack.

“I’m not doing this for Lockwood,” he said. “Evie is the one whose life is in danger. She’s the one that matters.”

“Like that is it?” Atticus asked.

Cal didn’t hesitate. “Yes, it’s like that.”

“That didn’t take long. You haven’t even been there a day.”

“It’s been twenty years in the making,” Cal said. “Evie’s life is not a game. I’ll do whatever it takes. At all costs. And if I decide that she can’t be protected here we’ll disappear off the face of the earth. No negotiations.”

“Settle down, Cyph. We all want Evangeline safe. My name and reputation mean something in this business, and I won’t settle for anything but success on any mission. You should know that better than anyone. But I need you to put aside emotion and think like an agent. We have an opportunity to take Taber out. We need to be smart in how we do it. You’re right about Taber hunting Evangeline until he can silence her. And you know as well as I do that Evangeline isn’t going to let you take her underground to hide for the rest of her life. From what Robert’s told me about her, she’d likely slice your throat in your sleep. We have a chance to bring Taber in.”

“Are you kidding me? You want to use Evie as bait?” Cal asked, his blood running cold. “I’m not going to risk her life by putting her in Taber’s path needlessly. You know what he did to that last witness. He was sending a message. It wasn’t three shots to the chest like his normal targets. He wanted to make sure that no one would even think about testifying against him. That witness died a horrific death. I can’t even entertain the idea that something like that might happen to Evie. Not to mention Robert will kill us all if you dangle his baby girl like a piece of raw meat in front of a tiger.”

“It was Robert’s idea,” Atticus said. “He was briefed in the car after he left the house, and he contacted me immediately. That’s why I called you.”

Cal’s hand fisted, crushing what was left of his sandwich, and he tossed it in the sink in disgust. This was what he hated about the spy game. The mission was the most important thing. It was more important than people and possessions and family. And obviously it was more important than an only child.

He’d been raised in the game, so he knew it better than anyone. And he’d worked for Robert Lockwood for the majority of his career. He’d seen Lockwood compartmentalize so he could make the hard decisions—sometimes there was no other choice. But he never would have imagined he’d put Evangeline on the sacrificial altar. That meant that absolutely everyone was expendable.

---