“It’s still a terrible risk.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Even if everything goes according to plan we’re still talking about a catastrophic scenario.”

“The West used to pick their puppet and put him in power. The puppet kept everyone in line and the area was peaceful. Look at the shah of Iran. And Saddam was our friend until he stopped being our friend. I’m sure the people they want in power have been carefully selected. Remember Ahmadi? That was one guy and one country. Just hitting singles. They’re going for homers now by inserting puppets all at one time.”

“But there’ll be security in Canada too.”

“Not like in Dublin. And it’ll be a different sort of security.”

“But it still comes down to how do just the two of us stop it?”

“We have a plane ride to come up with a plan,” said Robie.

“You really think we can map this out in seven hours?”

“No.”

“What, then?” persisted Reel.

“We have eight. I checked the flight time. There’s a stiff headwind.”

“Robie, cut the crap!”

“An extra hour is an extra hour. But all I know is we have to try. Because if we don’t try it will happen.”

They boarded their flight. Thirty minutes later the private wings took off heading due west.

From the Internet Robie had assembled all the information he could on the event to which they were heading. After reviewing it, Reel finally sat back and said, “We don’t have enough intel to pull this off, Robie.”

“Well, Janet DiCarlo said something that could help us. Missing personnel. Missions that never should have been. So we might see some old friends on this one.”

“We might,” Reel said doubtfully.

He stretched out his tight shoulders. “We won’t have much time when we hit the ground. It starts tomorrow in the morning.”

“If they hit today, while people are still just arriving, we won’t even get a shot.”

“They won’t. They have to make it look like the real thing. Otherwise people will get suspicious. Terrorists always go for the symbolic blow. The summit will have to be up and running before they hit it.”

“So the opening ceremony?”

He nodded. “That’s what I think.”

He rose and poured two cups of coffee from the small bar set up against a bulkhead. He set one down for her and retook his seat.

“I have a question for you,” said Robie. “And it has nothing to do with what’s coming up.”

Reel sat back and stared at him. “What?”

“You saved my butt at DiCarlo’s, right?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have to do that. It was a big risk, in fact.”

“Everything we do has big risks.”

“That’s not an answer, Jessica.”

She took a sip of coffee. “I figured I got you into this mess, it was my responsibility to look after you.”

“Like you did on the Eastern Shore?”

“Nothing is absolute, Will. That was early on. I just wanted to survive to finish this. Later, my thinking changed.”

“Changed about me?”

“It would have given me no pleasure to see you die.” She looked away for a few moments. Robie saw her hand tremble.

When she turned back her features were calm. “Are we done with that? Good to go now?”

“Good to go,” said Robie.

For the rest of the flight they did nothing but troubleshoot what they had to do, looking for any weakness, any advantage. As they neared landing in Canada, Reel sat back, rubbed her eyes, and looked at Robie.

“So let’s assume we actually survive this,” she said. “What’s next for you?”

He shrugged. “Have you been thinking about your future?”

“I’m just tired, Robie.”

He nodded. “I can see that.”

Reel studied him. “Do you miss her? The woman who hurt you?”

“No,” he said, but his tone was unconvincing.

Reel sat back. “Okay.”

“I blame myself.”

“What, for being human?”

“For not doing my job.”

She settled her gaze on him. “Which requires you to not be human.”

“A job is a job.”

“And a life is a life. You only have one of those.”

He shook his head. “So call it quits?”

“How many out there have lasted as long as we have?”

“Not that many, I guess.”

“You must have thought about life after.”

“I have. But I guess I never thought about it seriously.”

“I would respectfully suggest that you do. Because we might get really lucky and actually survive this.”

CHAPTER

74

THE PRIVATE WINGS LANDED IN MONTREAL. That was where all the planes had come through on the way to the event.

After that Reel and Robie drove.

For a long way.

“Why here?” asked Reel. “Why have a summit for the Middle East all the way out here?”

“Where should they have held it? In the middle of Manhattan? On the National Mall in D.C.?”

“It’s not easy to get to.”

Robie said, “That’s one reason they chose it. Restricted access. They can more easily check people coming and going.”

“Who’s moderating the event? The UN?”

“The Canadians. The PM left the Dublin summit early to deliver the keynote at the opening ceremony.”

“Odd choice.”

“Odd everything,” agreed Robie.

The town’s main street wasn’t large, but it was well stocked with shops. To Robie, it looked like a place you might find inside a snow globe.

Trappedinside a snow globe, actually. Foot traffic was far higher than normal, as was the number of cars. But heavily armed checkpoints had been set up at all entry points. Cars were searched, the IDs of each vehicle’s occupants checked.

Because of this, Robie and Reel didn’t drive through any checkpoints. They were staying at a hotel outside of town. They had to leave their weapons behind when they separately entered the town on foot.

Robie walked the streets front to back, committing to memory all landmarks, the location of the major event—the town’s old city hall—and the security personnel who roamed the area. He knew that Reel was making the same sort of canvas of the area.

He had concluded that the multihit Godfather scenario was less plausible. It would require pinpoint timing and a lot of luck. And most professionals knew that neither one was, realistically, in ample supply during these sorts of missions.

It would be one hit, an all-out assault with concentrated fire or explosives on a central target. This included several leaders who headed up what amounted to terrorist organizations masquerading as governments. But then again, crazies had been allowed to address the UN in New York, so he supposed this wasn’t such a stretch. And some of them had been elected by a majority of voters exercising their democratic right to install whomever they chose to lead them.

Even if it was to oblivion.

He bought a cup of coffee and watched a group of turbaned and bearded men cross the street and enter another shop. There were many such groups here. All men. No women, at least that he could see. That was just how things were. And that was a big part of the problem, he felt.

Despite the chill he sat at an outdoor table and drank his coffee. His gaze kept wandering and he finally keyed on a group of men walking down the far side of the street.

He spoke into his mic. “Group of five guys on the east side of the street heading toward the hotel at the end of the street. Do a pass and tell me what you see.”

A few seconds later Reel emerged from an alley. She wore a hooded coat and sunglasses. She passed the group. Robie was the only one who noticed that she slowed down just a tad as she passed them. Her gaze seemed to be fixed straight ahead. But it wasn’t. It roamed over the men, taking in all relevant details.