Дэвид Балдаччи - Long Road to Mercy

She checked the lock on the back window and then took out her knife and pried back the bolt. The window opened quietly and she was inside. Keeping low, Pine saw that she was in the home’s kitchen.

She slipped out her gun as she moved out of the kitchen and into the hall. She had the advantage of having been in the home before, so she knew some of the layout.

She froze when she heard the raised voices.

“I don’t know what you want.”

That was clearly Simon Russell.

Pine took out her burner phone and dialed 911.

She gave the address and what was happening.

“Hurry,” was her last word before she put the phone away.

She pulled her Beretta from her ankle holster and moved into the hallway with a gun in each hand. Whatever she did or didn’t do, she had a feeling this was not going to end well for any of them.

But reverse was not a gear with which she was familiar.

She reached the intersection of the hall and the living room to her right, across from Russell’s home office.

The house was dark because no one had bothered to turn on any lights. Not that Pine had expected the home invaders to want to risk illuminating their litany of felonies.

She edged around the corner enough so that she could see what was happening.

In the ambient light coming in from the street she could make out the four men, all standing in a semicircle around Russell, who sat in a chair.

Russell said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I know no one at the Chinese embassy.”

“Funny, since you were just there,” said one of the men.

“You have me mistaken for someone else.”

“What did Ben Priest tell you?”

Russell slowly sat up. “What will that information buy me?”

“What do you propose?” said the same man.

“A free ride out of here.”

“I’m not seeing that. You’re in too deep.”

“I’m not in anything.”

The sirens outside made them all turn to look at the window.

“Shit,” said one of the men.

“You think?” said another.

“Deal with it,” said the first man. “Take the guys with you. You know the drill.”

The three men headed to the front. Pine saw them take something out of their pockets.

This left the first man alone with Russell.

Pine took a closer look at him. He was in his fifties, with salt-and-pepper hair and longish sideburns. He had on a suit and tie. His face was weathered, and his nose had been broken at least once. He looked tough and probably was.

Pine flitted to one of the front windows and watched as a squad car pulled up to the curb.

Two DCPD officers climbed out. They were met in the front yard by the three men.

“Shit,” breathed Pine.

They were holding up shields and ID cards, just like she had done thousands of times.

They were Feds of some sort.

The two officers checked out the creds and started talking to the men.

She stole back over to her original surveillance post and watched the man and Russell.

“You can’t do this,” said Russell. “It’s against the law.”

“Nothing’s against the law if you are the law.”

“I want an attorney. Right now.”

“We have no arresting authority, Russell. It’s not how we do things. So don’t expect a Miranda warning. It won’t be coming.”

“You can’t force me to do anything.”

“Now there you just went off the rails. National security trumps all.”

“Even my damn constitutional rights?”

“The Constitution means protecting all Americans. If we sacrifice a few to do that, so be it. Simple math in my book.”

“I want you out of my house.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We’re going to be leaving. But you’re coming with us.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Wrong again. As soon as my men finish with the local yokels, we’re going to be taking a trip. We have a plane waiting.”

“Where are we going?”

“Classified.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a hint. We’re taking you to a place outside this country that will be more conducive to having a frank discussion with you.” He paused and added, “By any means necessary.”

“What, you’re going to torture me? Give me a break. You can’t do that anymore.”

“Funny, I didn’t get that memo.”

“You’ll lose your ass if you try that.”

“You think you’re the only guy we’ve had to persuade of late? And I’ve still got my whole ass right where it’s always been.”

Now Russell paled. “Look, this is ridiculous. I’m an American citizen.”

“So am I. Where does that get us? You know things that can get a lot of Americans hurt. If we have to do things to you to prevent that, then that’s what we’re going to do.”

“This is crazy. I’m going out there to talk to the cops.”

The man pulled out a gun and pointed it at Russell’s head.

“Not going to happen.”

“What, you’re just going to shoot me? Here?”

The man tapped the gun’s muzzle. “Suppressor. They’ll never hear it out there. Your choice. I’m good either way.”

“Look, you don’t have to go down that path.”

“Yeah, I’m afraid I do.”

The man suddenly collapsed to the floor.

Russell looked down at him, incredulous. When he looked up there was Pine holding her pistol, muzzle first. She’d used the butt of the weapon to clock the guy.

She beckoned to Russell. “Move your ass. Now!”

“Thanks.”

Pine looked over at the passenger seat of her Mustang.

They had left Russell’s neighborhood far behind. She turned onto a side road, pulled to the curb, and cut the engine.

Russell still looked pale and shaken, but some color was returning to his face.

“I didn’t save you just for the hell of it,” she snapped. “Now, you’re going to tell me what’s going on.”

“Look, I can’t, okay? I couldn’t tell them, and I can’t tell you.”

“Those guys were going to kill you. Or at the very least torture you within an inch of your life.”

“Maybe.”

“There’s no maybe about it. Who were they?”

“I don’t know.”

“Bullshit. They were feds, but the guy said they had no arresting authority in this country. That narrows the list way down. And you know it!”

Russell shook his head stubbornly. “The guy was just bluffing.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah, I am. This is America, not Moscow.”

“Funny you should mention that, since two Russians were at Ben Priest’s house in Alexandria and ended up trying to kill me.”

Russell glanced sharply at her and sucked in a shallow breath. He shook his head. “Look, no one’s going to throw me out a window or stick me with a nerve agent.”

Pine started the car up. “Fine, I’ll take you back to them, then. No sweat. Have fun wherever they take you. And whatever they stick you with.”

Russell placed a hand on the steering wheel. “No, wait, please, don’t do that.”

“Then I need some quid pro quo and I need it now.”

“What do you want?”

“You went to the Chinese Embassy. And don’t lie to me. I followed you there, just like the other guys did. Why did you go?”

Russell looked out the window into the darkness. His expression was one of a cornered beast, desperately looking in vain for a path to survival.

“Your visit prompted me to go there.”

“Explain.”

“Ben Priest.”

“What does he have to do with the Chinese? And the Russians?”

“I’m talking geopolitics, so it’s not a straight line. How are you at chess?”

“Try me.”

“Allies sometimes become enemies. And vice versa. The status can be temporary or long-standing. It can be situational. Transactional. A one-off. Hell, it can be anything, really.”