Hard Risk by Sidney Bristol
Chapter Nineteen
York City, NY.
They’d lost the GPS signal.
Harper had been about to try sleeping last night when Baruti called to tell him. It didn’t help that the working theory was that Robin was somewhere probably shielded by concrete and or metal, maybe both. The only good news was that the last location they had was far enough away from any potential transit location or the water. Which meant she was most likely alive and still in the city. At least that’s what Harper was telling himself.
Right now he figured Daar was going to go in one of three ways. First and probably safest, he’d try to flee the country. Depending on how good his fakes were, there was a very real possibility he could get on a plane and fly out right under their noses. With his connections, they needed to keep an eye on all cargo planes, trains, and ships, which was more than their team could handle.
But that wasn’t like Daar.
Harper paced the office. Baruti had shoved him in here hours ago to try to get some sleep, and Harper had. Now he was wide awake.
Daar liked to see things through. He didn’t do things in half measures. It was why he’d continued to visit and tend to his little brother after all these decades. And it was why Harper couldn’t imagine Daar leaving right now with so much left undone.
The second theory that Harper didn’t want to think about was that Daar had already killed Robin and would be disposing of her body at a later date. A freezer inside a building would be difficult to transmit from.
Harper couldn’t imagine Daar killing Robin. He acted like Robin was the only other intelligent person in the family. Unlike her father, she wasn’t a burden. But she was a threat.
The third theory that seemed more likely after what they’d heard during the flight was that Daar was lying low. They all knew about the laptop. What Harper didn’t fully understand was, why did it matter? What had Charlotte Suleiman known that would be devastating to Daar? What was worth killing her over? And why did someone else want it?
Harper still thought that the most sensible thing to do was swoop in and scoop up Daar with the women. It was obvious that Saaina knew more than any of them had guessed. Harper was of the mind that Saaina could be the missing piece for them to understand everything. And she wouldn’t be a hostile participant. In fact, they could cut her a deal. Make sure she was taken care of, reunited with her dogs, and given a new life.
Someone pounded on the office door, startling Harper out of his thoughts. He yanked the door open and stared at Baruti.
Harper’s stomach clenched. “Is it Samuel? Did you find the girls?”
Baruti shook his head. “We won’t hear anything until mid-morning on Sammy when the doctor does his round. Still nothing on the girls. But, we finally got ahold of the bank manager. Come on.”
Harper fell into step with Baruti. It was five in the morning. Harper found it difficult to be enthusiastic about waiting this long to get anyone to act.
“The bank manager has a pull-out sofa in his office and slept there last night. That’s why it took so long to contact him,” Baruti explained. “I caught him up, and he’s pulling security footage now. As soon as we get a warrant, he’s ready to open Saaina’s box for us.”
All this damn waiting. “How long for a warrant?”
“I imagine we’ll have it by the time we get on the road.” Baruti grabbed a lanyard off a desk as they passed then tossed it at Harper. “You’re pretending to be Sammy. Don’t introduce yourself and I won’t draw attention to you.”
Harper nodded. He wasn’t in the mood to make nice. All that effort had gone into playing his part, and that was done. Robin didn’t need Harper Gonzalez. She needed Harper Wright.
“What do we know so far?” he asked.
Baruti’s tone was grim. “Nothing.”
There was a warrant waiting for them by the time they loaded into the dark SUV with Logan and joined the thickening New York City traffic heading to Manhattan. Harper was certain he could have jogged the distance faster.
According to Logan, Evan, Jamie, Tucker, and Kelsey would be joining them at the bank. Harper wasn’t exactly looking forward to coming clean to the rest of the team. He’d already gotten a text from their tech analyst Cat chewing him out. That was probably more from new parent nerves than genuine frustration. Harper had been at the hospital to help Cat and her wife welcome their little screaming bundle of joy into the world, but just barely. He’d left for Florida two days later.
He attributed the success of his undercover endeavor to Cat being distracted. Without the baby, she’d have been on to him in no time. And while Diha had a damn good poker face, Cat’s specialty was ferreting out the truth.
After what felt like an age, they arrived at the bank. Security waited to usher them inside and up to the floors most people would never glimpse. That was where they found the bank manager waiting for them in an upper-level conference room.
He was an unflappable older man who insisted on reading everything himself before uttering anything. After that, he folded the warrant then sat at one of the chairs around the conference table.
“Sit, please?” the bank manager asked.
Harper remained standing, hanging back behind Baruti who had taken the lead.
“Has your security pulled the tape yet?” Baruti asked in a far more pleasant tone than Harper could manage.
The bank manager folded his hands and the first glimpse of an actual expression crossed his face. It was only a slight curl of his lips, but that seemed to mean something.
“Yes, unfortunately.” He picked up a remote and pressed play. “This man here? In the dark coat and hat? He was here a few days ago. We know he pulled the box belonging to Saaina Suleiman, but he wasn’t the first.”
“What?” Harper said before he could stop himself.
The bank manager pressed the remote a few more times. “Security brought me this. It’s from after-hours. We had a few more cameras installed in the auxiliary rooms after an incident but didn’t inform everyone. I can only imagine that’s why this gentleman chose this spot. Before, it wouldn’t have been captured.”
Harper took a few steps closer to the projector screen as the tape began to play.
A man wearing a security uniform entered some sort of employee-only area carrying a safety deposit box.
“Here you’ll see him pause? He’s blocking the view of the camera he knows about,” the bank manager explained.
Harper and the others watched the security guard take a much lighter box from under the table. It was sitting at just the right height he didn’t have to bend or anything. He then placed that box on the table. That done, he held the original down at his side and turned in such a way that his body would hide the box.
“Who is he?” Baruti asked.
“An employee we haven’t seen since this day,” the bank manager said grimly.
The security guard proceeded to use two keys to unlock the box. He moved aside some other items that looked like envelopes and jewelry before sliding a bulky laptop out of the box. The laptop went into a backpack he slung over his shoulder before replacing the contents. His exit from the room was as choreographed as everything else they’d seen.
“How long ago was this?” Baruti asked.
“Tuesday,” the manager replied.
“Shit,” Harper muttered.
All of this and the laptop was long gone.
Who’d procured it? Was this Daar’s doing? Had he found out about it? Or was there another player?
“We need copies of these and employee records. Anyone who would have touched that box, we need to talk to them. We also need everything you have on your missing security guard,” Baruti said still sounding ever so pleasant.
The bank manager inclined his head. “Our law team is waiting to work with you on all those requests.”
Harper grit his teeth.
Damn these people and their red tape. It made him itch. They could do so much good if they could just act.
The bank manager rose. “If you’ll excuse me, we opened for business ten minutes ago.”
Baruti inclined his head. “Of course. Of course. Thank you for your time.”
Three cell phones rang in unison.
Harper, Baruti, and Logan all reacted, yanking out their devices.
It was Diha.
Did they have a location on Robin?
His heart beat in his throat as he clicked the answer button.
Diha was already talking. “A woman matching Saaina’s description just walked into the bank with a blonde-haired man. Sandy brown? They’re in the bank.”
Harper’s gaze locked with Logan’s.
Together they turned toward the door and bolted.
“Wait,” Baruti bellowed.
Diha’s words barely penetrated the fog clouding Harper’s brain. “Zora wants us to watch.”
“What?” Harper roared. “She wants us to—what?”
Logan grabbed Harper’s arm.
He pulled away. “The laptop is gone. What the fuck?”
“It is?” Diha asked.
“We just watched a video of some guy taking the laptop out on Tuesday. And another guy was here yesterday. So what the fuck do they think they’re going to get out of it?” Harper fumed.
They were playing with lives here. Again. Always again. He hated this even while he understood how necessary it was.
“Everyone pause and take a breath,” Baruti ordered.
Harper gritted his teeth. He was getting sick of doing what he was told. He also knew that without the team, Robin’s chances of survival were slim.
“Where are they now?” Baruti asked.
“They’re being shown… Wait.” Diha’s voice trailed off.
“Where are you?” Harper asked and began walking out of the conference room and toward the elevators.
“Security office, second-level,” she replied. “They’re gone. I don’t have them on any camera.”
“What?”
Harper’s disbelief was echoed by the rest.
First a security guard, now two of their targets simply vanish right under their nose? What was going on?
Friday. Safe House, New York City, NY.
Daar watched the clock in the corner of the screen tick on. The morning news was nearly over with.
Peter should have called by now.
Damn it.
Why was everything falling apart?
His phone rang and Daar jumped at the sound. He scowled at the name on the screen.
Maxwell.
What did he want?
Daar considered not answering it. This had all begun with that call at the airport. That was the exact moment when things started going wrong.
But all Maxwell had done was give him a heads up.
Reluctantly, Daar clicked the screen.
“Yes?”
“I have it on good authority you’re having some trouble.” While Maxwell’s tone was grave, Daar had no doubt the man would be sporting a gleeful grin as soon as they hung up.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come now, Daar. We both know you’ve fallen from favor. How’s it feel? Ready to come to the other side?”
Daar hung up.
Answering had been a mistake.
Desperate for some news, he tapped Peter’s contact and initiated the call.
It rang a few times before going to voicemail.
“Fuck,” Daar muttered.
He strode into the next room where Amaar was busy tapping away at his laptop. There were furrows on his brow, which was unusual. Normally he was the epitome of calm.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Daar asked.
Amaar’s hands stopped moving. He blew out a breath then reached up to remove earbuds. His dark gaze met Daar’s, and he braced for yet more bad news.
“I have received a warning of sorts. My mother called and said two men harassed her last night. They mentioned your name,” Amaar said.
Daar sucked in a breath. How?
Amaar bowed his head. “I’m compromised, sir. I’m sorry.”
“It’s the chancellor,” he said.
Amaar nodded slowly. “I think so, yes. I have more bad news.”
Daar muttered curses. “Tell me.”
Amaar gestured for him to come closer. “I checked phone records for Cassim like we talked about, but while I was at it, I also checked Saaina’s.”
“Are you kidding me?” Daar dragged a hand over his face. He knew that number. It was the chancellor’s direct line. “How long has he been in contact with her?”
Amaar shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Daar could feel the noose slipping around his neck.
This did not bode well for him.
Amaar’s family had moved to Paris, taken on new identities, all because of Amaar’s work with Daar. Amaar had always been clear with Daar that he would be loyal until his family was threatened. That was where it stopped for him. Which meant as soon as this conversation was over, Daar would lose Amaar as well.
“Find Peter. Please? If that’s the last thing you can do for me, do that,” he said.
Amaar’s brows shot up. “You haven’t heard from him yet?”
Daar shook his head.
“Fuck,” Amaar muttered and began typing.
Why had he waited?
Daar turned on his heel and began to pace again.
“Sir?” Amaar said, his voice tight.
“What? Where’s Peter?”
“I… I don’t know, but I want you to see this.”
Daar circled the desk to peer at Amaar’s screen.
He turned the laptop toward Daar then leaned back. “This is from the chancellor’s pet hacker. See for yourself.”
Daar skimmed the short message. “If you want your family to remain safe come to—where is that? Show me a map.”
Amaar’s fingers were flying. “Here. It’s an office building.”
Daar’s phone began to ring. Again. This time the sound filled him with dread.
“It’s the chancellor,” he said softly to Amaar. “Why is he doing this? I’m on his side.”
Amaar shrugged then shook his head.
Daar took a calming breath then answered the phone. “Sir, you appear to have been busy.”
“Not as busy as you,” Hugo seemed to purr.
“I fear there’s been some miscommunication—”
“What’s there to misunderstand? You’ve gotten quite cozy with Maxwell.”
Back to that bastard. “Whatever he’s said, consider the source. Tell me what you think is happening. Because right now it seems like you’re trying to burn everything down around you. Everything we’ve built.”
“I wouldn’t have to do it if you were honest,” the chancellor bit back.
“What did I do? When we last spoke, when I last saw you, we had an understanding. What changed? Who has poisoned you against me?” Daar asked.
“I know you secretly support Maxwell.”
“What? I do not.”
“You support him. You do.”
“Who told you this? What proof do you have that I’m not loyal?”
“It doesn’t matter, Daar. I will own you. You will do what I want when I want.”
The chancellor was making up problems. He was so insecure after Skilton’s disappearance that he was fabricating phantoms and seeing enemies where there were none.
Daar might not like Maxwell, but right now that might be the only raft Daar had. If the chancellor had the laptop, if he had Saaina and Peter, if he controlled Amaar, it would seriously hamstring what Daar could do. He wouldn’t be done, but this would set him back at least ten years. Everything he’d accomplished since shaking off Charlotte’s accusations would crumble.
He needed out of this country. If the chancellor had the laptop, and Daar had every reason to believe that he did, there were two options now.
Either Daar got the laptop and his people back, or he scurried away like a bug to hide.
Anger boiled up in Daar and he ended the call.
“Amaar, tell me again what the chancellor told you to do?” He began to pace. “Clearly he thought he had you if he told you that much… Your family?”
“Already on the move,” Amaar confirmed.
Daar nodded. “Good. Go, be with them.”
“But what about you, sir?”
Daar shook his head. “Unlike the chancellor, I trust my people. He is acting out of fear, which gives him a position of weakness. I know what I want, and I’m willing to do what needs to be done to get there.”
Amaar nodded slowly.
It was time to prepare for battle.