Contents (84)
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- Acknowledgements
They want this five on one.
They were not good odds, Dempsey realised. Not good at all. And then he thought back to what Tom Quilty had said only the night before, and it did something unexpected. It made Dempsey laugh.
He looked upwards as he spoke aloud. A message to a dead man.
‘At least they’re taking one of us seriously, Tom.’
FORTY-TWO
‘I don’t give a shit.’ Eden Grace’s voice was as raised as she could allow it to be. ‘I’ve been sent here to make sure this mission isn’t another damn screw-up. I can’t do that if Cobb’s inside and I’m out here. I have to be the one who goes in.’
Braddock had pulled up on the northwest corner of York and 74th. Well positioned to see both the main entrance to The Stratford and the gate to its underground car park. The other Lincoln containing Agents Swanson and Marks was not far away.
‘And who the hell gave you the authority to decide how we act?’ Cobb demanded.
‘The president of the United States of America. When he sent me here to stop you assholes from causing another disaster.’
‘And what the hell does he know?’
‘What does he know? What does the guy who used to lead SEAL Team Six know? Have you idiots forgotten that? Have you forgotten what he did before he was president? That man has done more covert shit than each one of us put together. You think we should be ignoring his instincts?’
The answer seemed to hit home with most of the team. All of them but Cobb.
‘Whole lot of difference fighting in a desert and killing a man in a city, sweetheart.’
‘And you’d know, would you? You see much action in Afghanistan, Cobb? In Iraq?’
Cobb didn’t answer.
‘I didn’t think so.’ Grace turned to face Braddock. ‘The president wanted this. There’s no other reason for him to have sent me.’
Braddock nodded thoughtfully but Cobb still seemed unconvinced. A fact which posed little problem for Grace. Because as long as it was her against Cobb in the battle for Braddock’s agreement, that meant a reasoned argument against macho belligerence.
Grace liked her odds.
‘OK. Let’s break this down. What do you think happens if Cobb goes in and this goes wrong?’
‘That ain’t gonna happen,’ Cobb hissed. ‘I could take this guy blindfold.’
‘What then?’ Grace ignored the interruption. ‘We go back having failed. All because you ignored the precautions against failure that the president put in place.’
Braddock said nothing. Just nodded again.
‘Now let’s assume I go inside. The president’s not stupid. He didn’t pick me for my loyalty alone. He picked me because I’m a whole lot less of an instant confrontation than any of you.’ She looked at Cobb. ‘Especially you.’ Back to Braddock. ‘Best-case scenario, Dempsey’s guard’s down, he leaves with me, I bring him to you guys. Job done.’
Grace waited for an answer. None was given, but she could tell that common sense was winning.