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erence between them. Felicia keyed Donaldson. “Can you distinguish
the primary from the friendly? “Yes maam, as long as they dont move
around too much. “On my mark, Cam ordered on the same channel.
“Yes maam. Locked and loaded.
“Who tipped Matheson? Valerie asked. “We think he has friends in
the
Special Forces. “Do we have a
name?
“Several possibles. Ill brief you as soon as you are secure. “Where do
you want me to go? “I want you to come with me now. “Tonight?
“If you go back, Roberts may lock you down and we wont be able
to extract.
“What about my boat? “Well sink it. Its a good
cover.
“He came prepared. Cam checked the digital readout on the electronic
timer running in one corner of Felicias monitor. Henry had been on
board almost five
minutes. That was a long time for this kind of
rendezvous.
“If she goes with him, he sinks the boat and shel disappear, Savard said.
“If she doesnt agree to go, and hes bad, hel sink the boat and shel
disappear. Either way, he wins.
“I need at least 24 hours to create a plausible cover with Roberts,
Valerie said. “I didnt spend all that time getting close to her to lose my
connection to her now. Even if I have to go deep undercover, Ill still
have a link to her.
“Shell never give you
anything.
“She
already
has.
“What? Henrys voice
rose.
Listening, Cam tensed. Valerie was playing a dangerous game.
If Henry thought she already had important information, he
might not let her go even if he wasnt working with Matheson. If
he was Mathesons front man, all the more reason to take her
now, or eliminate her.
“ Theyre close to identifying
Two miles away, Starks satel ite image showed a new blip at
the same time as Mac picked up a thermal flair five miles
from Valeries boat.
“Christ, Mac blurted. “Its an SSM!
Stark jumped to her feet.
“Target? “Tracking!
Stark grabbed her radio. “Hara, this is command one. Stand by
to evacuate.
“No! Blair exclaimed, grabbing Starks arm. “What is
it?
“Missile. Stark turned sharply to Mac. “Target. I need it
now, Mac!
Mac was already opening the comm channel. “Savard! Ship
to ship missile, targeting Valeries boat. Forty seconds to impact!
* * * *
* “Donaldson, mark, Cam snapped.
“Roger.
Cam switched to the open microphone on Valeries boat. “This
is Cameron Roberts. You are targeted for a direct hit by an
SSM. You have thirty-seven seconds. Evacuate your vessel.
“ She s lying, Henry shouted. “Stay right there! “No,
Valerie said, “shesHenry, we have towhy are you drawing your
weapon? There s no one
* * * * *
“Thirty-two seconds, Savard called. “Shell never disengage
from
Henrys vessel in time, Commander.
“Fire! Cam ordered and Donaldsons rifle cracked from just outside
the cabin. Cam spun toward Savard. “Get us in there now.
“Its going to get hot, Savard noted even as she powered up the
engine
and shoved the throttle to maximum.
Cam didnt answer, stripping off her windbreaker and vest as
she ran from the cabin. Shed been wrong. They didnt have
thirty seconds.
* * * * *
Blair pressed close to Paulas back, unconsciously gripping
her shoulders. “Whats happening?
“Time? Paula shouted to
Mac. “Five four three two
one
For a mil isecond, the blip in the center of Paulas screen
doubled in size. Then it winked out.
After a minute of silence, Diane asked unsteadily,
“Wheres
Valerie?
“Weve lost the signal, Paula said tightly.
“What about Cams? Blairs fingers dug into Paulas shoulders.
Paula shook her head.
* * * * *
“Fine shooting, Colonel. Matheson leaned against the rail of
the boat, feeling a swell of satisfaction as a tower of flame
climbed into the sky on the horizon.
“Thank you, General.
“Weve eliminated both problems at once, Matheson said. “Its
time to rejoin our men and re-dedicate ourselves to our true
mission. We have a war to win.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I s she are they Oh, God, Diane whispered. “Get me a narrow-
field, real-time image! Paula ordered. She keyed her radio.
“Hara, standby. Close the roads. No one in or out. Call in the
backup units and position them on the shore and the perimeter.
Blair realized she was still gripping Paulas shoulders and
forced herself to let go. She couldnt move her eyes from the
screen in front of her. She stared at the dark circle, wil ing
an image to appear.
“Cams boat, Blair asked hoarsely. “Cams boat should still
be there, shouldnt it? Paula?
For the first time in her life, Paula ignored the first
daughter. Renée was on the boat that had suddenly
disappeared. The thought sent a momentary surge of panic
through her and she went completely blank. Then, as if
changing a channel in her mind, picture after picture snapped
into view and came sharply into focus. Beirut, the Cole, the
World Trade Center, the Pentagon. A field in Pennsylvania.
Not one life. Not hundreds of lives. Thousands and more to
come, she knew. And her part to play was here, today, and it
would never be about one life again. Not even the life of the
woman she loved.
“Theyre there, somewhere, and well find them, Paula
said steadily, because she had to believe it. “Mac, get me a
picture of
whats going on out there and an open line to Renée Savard.
“Yes maam, Mac said, his voice rough with strain. “Ill do
that.
* * * * *
“Theres debris in the water, Savard shouted over the roar of
the engine.
Cam leaned over the railing, narrowing her eyes against the
icy spray and staring at the shiny black surface of the water.
“Whos got the wheel?
“Donaldson. I need to be out here. Savard raised the radio
cradled in her hand. “Ill direct him.
Cam didnt argue. She doubted she could get Savard to go
back inside, and she didnt have the time or inclination to
persuade her. One hundred feet in front of them a geyser of
flame spouted into the air, the engine fuel from Valeries and
Henrys boats burning. She should have expected something like
this. Matheson would be a fool to leave a weak link like Henry
alive, and Matheson was no fool. Henry had underestimated
him, and so had she. She would not let Valerie pay for her
miscalculation. She kicked off her shoes, shrugged out of her
holster, pulled her badge off her belt, and pushed everything into
a bench locker.
“You cant the water is 40 degreesCommander?
“Tell Donaldson to head for the flames and to get all the
lights focused off the bow. Move ahead slowly. Christ, we dont
want to hit her.
“Commander
“Shes in the goddamn water, Renée, and Im going to get her out.
Savard shouted orders into the two-way. As the boat
corrected
course, Cam flung her head back, furiously trying to clear
her vision. Oily smoke roiled from the flaming hulls,
obscuring the surface of the water. The boats were no longer
tethered to one another and huge sections wallowed in the
waves. Burning fragments the size of refrigerators drifted as they
slowly sank.
“There! Savard pointed off to their right. “The
dinghy!
Cam jerked around and followed Savards arm. A capsized
inflatable rubber dinghy bobbed on the water.
“The explosion probably upended it, Savard cursed.
Cam stepped up onto the railing and dove into the water.
* * * * *
“Im getting something now, Chief, Mac said urgently as
he continued to rapidly type. “Itll just take a second to redirect
the satel ite focus.
“Get me in as tight as you can. Paula turned at a sound
behind them. Hara stood in the doorway. “All clear?
“Yes maam. Everything is quiet. She glanced toward the
monitors but said nothing.
“Run status checks every five with the team leaders, Paula
directed.
“Yes maam. Ill take point on the shore.
“Good. Paula bent forward, peering at the monitor as if that would
make the fuzzy images clearer. Without warning, the screen cleared
and a sharp black- and-white image of a burning boat came into view.
Blair caught her breath, momentarily disoriented by the eerie sensation
that she was watching news footage, the kind of images that were
ubiquitous and somehow mind-numbing. But she felt anything but
numb. Her nerve endings burned, and it felt as if her entire body were
twitching. A red haze of fury and panic threatened to skew her vision,
and she had to blink to focus.
“Can you tel whose boat it is? she
asked.
“Not yet, Mac answered. “Wel have a slightly wider field in just here,
theres another vessel. His voice drifted of as a partial y submerged,
smoking boat came into view. “Weve got at least two vessels hit. He
touched his ear and frowned. “Its Tanner requesting permission to
begin search and rescue.
Stark shook her head. “No. We dont know that whoever sent the first
missile doesnt have another one ready to go. The commanders boat
is out there somewhere. Until we contact her, we keep this locked
down. Tel Tanner to maintain her position. She is not to pursue any
unknown vessel.
Mac relayed the
order.
“They might need help, Paula, Blair urged. “What about the Coast
Guard? “No. This is a Homeland Security operation. We dont
involve anyone else. “What if Cams boat was hit too?
“If we confirm that, Paula said, “Il send a team out
from here.
“How long can they last out there, if theyre in the water? Diane
asked.
Paula didnt answer. Instead she said, “Find them for me,
Mac.
* * * * *
Cam didnt think shed ever been so cold. It was the kind of cold that
went so deep it was an ache inside of her. She didnt think about the pain
but just swam arm over arm in the direction where shed seen the
dinghy. Valerie had been in it, she knew that shed been in it. Henry was
dead. Shed ordered him shot. Valerie was the only one who could have
launched the dinghy.
Her clothes were sheets of ice dragging her down. Her arms and
legs were heavy. It was hard to move. So much smoke. Black acrid
stinging smoke that singed her already swol en throat and clouded
her eyes with tears and salt. Cold.
Her hand struck an object and she tried to grab it, but it floated
away. She rubbed her face against her frozen sleeve. The dinghy. A
wave crashed over her head and she went under. It was a relief to be out
of the smoke. Her throat felt momentarily soothed until she reflexively
took a breath and water flooded her lungs. She gagged, vomited, then
clawed her way to the surface. She broke through and sucked in a
lungful of tainted air. Coughing, she tried to swim and managed only to
keep her head above water. Then she saw it again. The dinghy. From
somewhere deep inside, she found another ounce of energy. Valerie was
there, she knew she was there. Valerie had launched the dinghy.
Cam pushed herself toward it. She had sent Valerie out here alone. She
would not let her die alone. She found the nylon rope that circled the
dinghy and tried to hold on to it with frozen fingers. When it popped
away from her she gave up trying and sluggishly circled it, her muscles
slowly turning to lead.
For an instant, she thought she imagined the white form floating next
to the dinghy. When she reached out, her fingers were too stif to grasp
the ghostlike figure. Closer now, she could make out Valeries wrist
wedged underneath the encircling rope on the rubber life raft. She had
tethered herself to it somehow.
“Valerie, Cam croaked. She got a mouthful of water and spat it out
angrily. “Valerie!
Cam struggled to release Valeries wrist from the twisted lines. The
instant Valeries arm slid free, she started to sink beneath the surface.
Cam couldnt grip her clothing, but she managed to get an arm around
her waist and pul ed her against her body.
“Valerie, its Cam. Swim. You have to swim.
Cam couldnt tell if she was breathing or not, and for a fraction of
a second she felt the way she had when Blair had been exposed
to a potential y deadly toxin. The floodgates she kept securely
locked against loss and despair broke open and the pain was so
crippling she was momentarily paralyzed. They went under
together, Valerie clasped in Cams arms.
* * * * *
“Command One, do you read, Felicias voice fil ed the
room. “Felicia, Mac cried. “Status. Status report. Are you
“ engaged in search and rescue. Any sign of
incoming?
“Negative. Mac switched channels and the original wide-
angle view came into focus. “Advise evacuate area as soon as
possible.
“Roger, as soon as rescue is complete. Do you have
visual?
Mac turned to Paula who was staring at the speakers as if
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