Page 79 of Lethal Game

"Or they've infiltrated security," Beck suggested.

"Or they could be part of the janitorial service, the catering…" Flynn's mouth drew into a tight line. "I suggested to Damon and the director that we cancel the conference, but the vice president was unwilling to go that far. So, we need to cover every base. Let's get to work."

While he knew securing the Figueroa Center was a priority, finding Novikov and Alisa's father before that would be a far easier way of shutting down the attack. "We have to find him before he gets to the center. He has to be somewhere else putting these bombs together with Alexei Bruno's help."

"Dominic Ilyin was here," Flynn said. "We can track him from this building to wherever he went."

"I'm sure he covered his tracks," he said, feeling a deep sense of frustration. "We're always one step behind."

"Until we're not," Beck said positively. "That's why we keep going."

He nodded. "I'm not giving up, just saying we need to get on offense."

Savannah joined them as the EMTs attended to the injured man. She had her phone in her hand. "I just spoke to Nick.Dominic Ilyin was grabbed and thrown into the back of a van just three miles from here. He'd parked in front of a liquor store and appeared to be heading across the street when a van came screaming up. He disappeared into the back of it."

"Was he grabbed, or did he get in willingly?" he asked, shocked by her words.

"That's the question. We need to get back to the office." Savannah's phone buzzed. "Nick. Did you find something else?" She put the phone on speaker.

"In looking at footage from the scene where Ilyin disappeared, I got a hit on a license plate, a vehicle registered to former Special Agent Patrick Hastings."

His jaw dropped. "Seriously? Patrick Hastings? My father's best friend? He was at the scene?"

"Yes. He followed the van down the street. Both disappeared from view, and we haven't been able to find either of them again."

"I'll call Patrick and get a meeting with him," he said.

"Take the car," Savannah said as she tossed him the keys. "I'll ride back with Flynn and Beck."

He jogged through the apartment and took the elevator to the bottom floor. His mind was racing as fast as he was. He jumped in the vehicle and called Patrick on the phone. He wanted to see him face-to-face, but he didn't know where he was at the moment. That might be a revealing answer, too.

Patrick answered a moment later. "Jason," he said. "I'm glad you called. I need to talk to you."

"I need to talk to you. Where are you?"

"I'm in Hollywood."

"Meet me at Jack's," he said, naming a famous burger place. "Twenty minutes."

"I'll be there in fifteen," Patrick said.

As he ended the call, he started the engine. Before he could pull away, he saw Steph's name flashing across his phone with an urgent request to meet. He sent her a quick reply that hecouldn't talk now but would call her as soon as he could. And then he sped down the street.

Alisa was going crazy wondering what had happened with Jason and the lead he'd gotten. He'd promised to get in touch with her as soon as he knew anything, so she had to be patient, but that wasn't easy. She was tired of sitting in a chair next to her mom's bed. She was tired of this room. She needed to be outside. She wanted to be with Jason. She wanted to be searching for her father. She wanted to be doing anything but this.

"You're worried," her mother said, muting the television that had been distracting them both for a while. "Do you know something you haven't told me?"

"No. I'm just wishing I could be more helpful. Jason said he'd keep me updated, and I know he'll try. He's just busy. He's doing everything he can to find Dad. And I'm sure he'll succeed. Jason is good. He's great at his job, and he's obsessed with finding this terrorist, so I know he won't stop until he does." She paused, seeing her mother's speculative look. "What?"

"You seem like you've gotten very close to Jason."

"Well, he's saved my life twice, and he's been protecting me."

"Is there more to it than that?"

She shrugged, avoiding the gleam in her mother's eyes. "I don't know."

"Well, that isn't a no."

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