Page 40 of Coup De Grâce
“Well, you have a whole room of crazy men and women in that building who are willing to lay it all on the line to help him. They’re arguing about who’s going as we speak.”
“I can’t ask any of them to do this.”
I grinned at him, knowing this would be a cake walk. “That’s the great thing about everyone who works here. You’ll never have to ask.”
14
LOCK
“Alright! Everyone, quiet down!”I yelled over the cacophony of shouting and arguing.
There wasn’t a single person who didn’t turn up when word spread that Cash was not only alive, but was currently being pinned for the murder of President Codi at the Peace Summit. Arguments started immediately about who believed all along that Cash was dead and who knew he was alive.
FNG was taking bets on whether or not Cash actually pulled the trigger, along with how he was going to get out of the pickle he was in. Money was being thrown around like we were betting on the winning horse. It was absolute chaos.
I let out a piercing whistle, finally garnering the attention of everyone in the room. Eva and Knight stood to the right of me, each of them determined to find Cash and get him out of whatever mess he’d gotten himself into. It seemed Knight was privy to information none of the rest of us were.
“Hey! I know you’re all excited about this new intel, but right now, we need solutions, people! If it’s true, and Cash is over there right now being pinned for the murder of President Codi, this will not be an easy extraction!”
Finally, the noise levels died to a manageable degree as everyone tucked in for a plan. Eva stepped forward, addressing her team. “As you know, Cash has not been himself for a long time, but we believe there are other forces driving him.”
“You mean, aside from his pure hatred for me,” Kavanaugh muttered.
“He does not hate you,” Eva countered.
“Then explain why the fucker took a shot at me and nearly killed me.”
It was hard to argue with that, but there had to be a reason. I just couldn’t buy that Cash purposely shot Kavanaugh. Then again, he was pretty pissed when Kavanaugh refused to help.
“Kavanaugh, that’s all in the past. Maybe not for you, so if you need to sit this out, we’ll all understand.”
“Sit it out?” he scoffed. “How the hell would I hold it over his head for the rest of his life if I’m not there to rub it in his face that I rescued him?”
My lips twitched in amusement, but I didn’t let the smile break through. Not yet. We still had to rescue our former boss and find out just what the hell was going on.
“Based on the intel we have, we know Cash was working with other people. At this point, it’s safe to assume that Cash was set up to take the fall for the murder of President Codi, which means he’s most likely on the run with no allies. We know he was in the Middle East thirty-six hours ago, and based on how quickly the borders shut down, it’s also safe to assume that he did not make it out unless he had help. You all know him best. Where would he go?”
“He’s really only got about five options,” Rae spoke up. “I think we can instantly rule out Africa. He’d have to cross through Egypt, and he already sticks out like a sore thumb.”
“Why’s that?” Eva asked. “There are plenty of tourists in Egypt.”
“Yes, but Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia…” She shook her head as she studied the map. “There’s not nearly as much food over there. A tall, white American built like Cash would never make it through unnoticed.”
“But then he would already stand out,” Eva pointed out.
“True, but we can also assume he’s traveling alone. Again,” Rae shrugged. “It’s unlikely he wouldn’t be easily targeted if he went toward Africa.”
“Okay, so for now, let’s take Africa off the list,” I said, moving things along.
“What about cutting across to Greece?” IRIS suggested. “Getting toward Eastern Europe would be ideal.”
“Not through Turkey,” Nick said, walking over to the map. He trailed a finger across the map of Turkey, to which Cash would undeniably have to cross if he wanted to get to Greece. “They’re under the microscope of the European Union for smuggling people out of the Middle East. Everyone from Syrians, Palestinians, Iraqis, Iranians, and their brothers are trying to get out right now, and Turkey is the way to go. Plus, it’s a major heroin route. If Cash got caught up in that, he’d be fucked ten ways from Sunday.”
That made sense. “Right, so let’s cross Turkey off the list.”
“Along with the Black Sea and the Mediterranean,” Nick continued. “The Mediterranean has conflicts with Israel right now, and they’re checking ships for smugglers. And the Black Sea is smack dab in the middle of the whole Ukrainian conflict.”
I took a whiteboard marker and crossed off Turkey, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and Africa. That didn’t leave us with many more options to get him out.
