Page 103 of Smoke and Shadows

“The Metro?”

“I don’t really know, I swear.”

“What else?” Viktor increased the pressure the tiniest bit to break some skin.

“Something about trapping the girl.”

This time it was Viktor who froze. Barely keeping his breathing steady, he gritted through his teeth. “What girl?”

“The CIA agent. That’s all I know. I don’t know how they plan to do it.”

Fuck!

Viktor lowered the knife because his hand started shaking. He turned away and punched Marissa’s number. It went to voice mail. He cursed.

“Viktor. You okay, man?” Edmunds asked with concern.

No, he wasn’t.

“I got in,” Nathan said. And then, “Holy fuck.”

He turned the laptop toward Viktor. “It’s Union Station and the Harver Senate Office Building at the U.S. Capitol Complex.”

Viktor stared grimly at the blinking dots on the map of Washington D.C. This needed to be handled carefully, otherwise the panic would get more people hurt than the nerve gas would. He called the datacenter.

“Tim, mobilize every Guardian we have in the DC area. We’ve got the next target locations. It’s Union Station and the Harver Senate Office Building. Coordinate with local law enforcement for evacuation. I’m sending Edmunds and Stark directly to Union Station. I’m heading to the U.S. Capitol. I couldn’t raise Marissa. Have a unit pick up an Ivan Volkov at our present location.”

“Copy that.”

Viktor was relieved when he saw an incoming call from Marissa.

“Iz—”

“Owen Reed has my dad!” Marissa sounded like she was running. She ranted on about how Reed lured her father to the Harver Senate Office building.

“Where are you?” Viktor cut in.

“He said if I wanted to see my father alive—”

“WHERE ARE YOU?” Viktor shouted down the phone. Marissa paused, snapping out of her panic.

“I’m at the lobby of the Harver Senate Building,” she said in a more sedate voice.

“Stay there, I’m on my way.”

“But—”

“Iz. We talked about this. They’re going to fuck with us. We do this together. You got me?”

“Okay.”

“Lockwood and McCordare en-route to the Capitol. Manning and Connelly are meeting up with Edmunds and Stark at Union Station,” Tim said as Viktor emerged from the Charger. He recognized the head of the U.S. Capitol police walking toward him. A trickle of people were descending the steps of the building.

“Baran.”

“Captain,” Viktor acknowledged. He popped the trunk and started gearing up.

“We have a hostage situation.”

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