Page 108 of Lethal Game

"I wonder how they figured out where Novikov and Stephanie were hiding."

"They obviously weren't closely involved in the operation, so they weren't consumed with the evacuation and the disarming of explosives. They had time to consider where the creators of such mayhem might be positioned to watch the results of their grand plan," Mick said.

"There was a lot going on last night," he agreed.

"I think we should have another toast." Patrick raised his glass. "To the end of an era. The chase that went on for thirty years is over. Now, we can all move on."

He clinked his glass against theirs once more.

He'd found out what he wanted to know. While they hadn't admitted to anything, he had no doubt they had been the shooters in the office building. They'd taken out the man whohad taken out his father. And they'd left Stephanie for him because she was the one who had betrayed him.

He also believed that they, or at least Mick, had tortured the information out of Dominic Ilyin that had allowed him to find Alisa.

He didn't believe in personal vengeance, but he had no proof they were guilty, and with a man as dangerous to mankind as Novikov was, he wasn't going to look for evidence. He was just going to move on.

If they were responsible, they would have to live with what they had done. They had both served their countries for decades, and Mick continued to do that. Their choices were theirs, and having lived the lives they'd led, he couldn't help wondering if his father would have done the same thing, if at some point, he would have tried to take justice into his own hands.

He didn't want to get to that point, but he could see how his obsession with work could turn him into someone as jaded and hard as the two men in front of him. They were a mirror to what he could look like in thirty years, and he didn't like the reflection.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Two weeks later…

After a whirlwind week of interviews, meetings, and reports, Jason was ready to wrap up his part in the case. Novikov, Ilyin, Kashin, and two of Novikov's team members from the high-rise assault were deceased. The three men who had been at the warehouse with Alisa and her father were in custody, as well as Pieter Moldev, Ilyin's associate, and the man who Stephanie had hired to take out Patrick Hastings at the park. Tatiana Guseva had gotten her deal and would be starting a clinical trial at Henry's lab the following week.

Henry was slowly recovering, which was good news for everyone. Lauren Silenski had, unfortunately, been found dead, and they'd traced money transfers to her account back to one of Dominic Ilyin's shell companies. Tatiana had told them that Dominic had gotten her in the trial, so they assumed some of the money had been for that and the rest had probably been for access to the lab to obtain some of the chemical materials needed for the bombs.

With Novikov's terrorizing presence gone, all of his lower-level soldiers had been willing to talk in an attempt to make their own deals. With their information, they'd been able to arrest seven more individuals in the Los Angeles area, four in Washington D.C., and six in New York City, all of whom had been responsible for many crimes over the last several decades.

Novikov's organization was completely destroyed, and they were still in the process of seizing some of his assets, and the assets of other members of his team like Dominic Ilyin and Pieter Moldev. Novikov's reign as one of the world's most wanted terrorists was over. And while others around the world were probably already scrambling to take his place, that was something Jason was going to think about much, much later.

Flynn had asked him to get a drink after work, so he was now entering a bar in Santa Monica, just a mile from their office. The bar was on a cliff overlooking the beach, and Flynn was seated at an outdoor table, his blond hair blowing in the breeze. He'd already changed into faded jeans and a T-shirt and looked more like a surfer than the head of a very elite task force.

Flynn pushed out the chair across from him with a welcoming smile. "Glad you could make it. It's nice to be out of the office. It's been a long few weeks."

"It has," he agreed, taking a seat across from him. He ordered a beer from the server who'd immediately come over and then took a look at the view. The deep-blue waves were crashing on the rocks below, providing a soothing ambiance to the afternoon and the sun sinking beyond the horizon had turned the sky into a colorful array of pinks, purples, and blues.

"Nice sunset," Flynn commented, following his gaze. "Sometimes I forget what a beautiful place we live in."

"I can't remember the last time I just watched the sunset." Pausing, he added, "The investigation is wrapping up nicely."

"Due to your excellent work," Flynn said. "I mean that, Jason. I'm not blowing smoke. You've done a tremendous job."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." He gave the server a smile as sheset down his beer. Then he picked up the glass and took a long sip. "This hits the spot."

"Nothing like a cold beer on a hot day after too much work," Flynn said.

"Agreed."

"Damon called me today," Flynn continued, referring to the head of the LA Field Office. "He wants you back. I think there's a big promotion coming your way."

"He mentioned something about that to me."

"After taking Novikov off the board, you could probably do whatever you wanted, maybe get your own team, if you leverage the situation correctly."

"I've thought about that. I'd like the freedom you have to move quickly, cut through red tape, make snap decisions."

"It's why we're as good as we are," Flynn replied. "But there are limitations in working for my team. I don't have a hierarchy with field agents. Everyone works at the same level. Some people get tired of that and move on to offices where they can get bigger titles and bigger money. I don't ever blame them for making that choice. As long as they give me what they've got when they're with me, I wish them well."

---